Much of this summer has been exactly what I love about summer… time to relax and enjoy life with family. I am so thankful that my grandparents created a place where everyone felt at home. I think this plays a big role in the fact that we cousins remain good friends. My hope is that our girls will get this same foundation for a lifetime of friendship and family. They’re off to a great start!
Thank you, dear friends, for making the drive west this summer. We loved every minute of the time we had together!
Audrey is 8 weeks old today. The days are going so fast, and both girls are growing and changing quickly.
Today we went to the farm. Vera surprised me by being fairly timid and clingy. She gets to go and “work” at the farm when her daycare provider, Jill, goes to help out with big groups on week days. Apparently she’s all about the place when I’m not around. She did, eventually, warm up a bit and wander around to play with toys. We officially got our season pass, so I’m sure she’ll be ready to roam freely after another trip or two.
Last night April and I took a quick trip down to Virginia. I needed to find a few updates to my wardrobe, and April graciously offered to come and hold Audrey while I shopped. She did more than that, though, and because she’s got way better fashion sense than I do, I ended up with some really cute clothes. (Now I just need to leave the house every once in a while to try them out.)
While we were shopping, my dad, Bill, and Jesse had the remaining grandkids out and about. They went on what looks to be a pretty fun pontoon ride, had a pizza party, and played outside.
The baby wrap I made for when I had Vera is once again coming in handy. Audrey likes to be wrapped up close to me when she’s tired. If she’s been fed, changed, and is sleepy – this will make her snooze in a matter of minutes. Bill caught the picture above of her relaxing in the wrap yesterday. The picture down below is of Vera in the wrap at approximately the same age as Audrey is now. I can’t get over how similar they look.
March 21 was THE day. For a couple of weeks, I’d been telling anyone who asked that I thought our baby would be born on the 20th, though I guess I didn’t really believe it. I was just anxious to meet our little one, and a week early seemed reasonable. As the 20th came close, I was feeling really well and was convinced that an early delivery was not in the cards. The next morning my water broke at 5:20 and at 10:48 I got to hold our beautiful girl in my arms. As they laid her on me, Bill told me she was a girl, and all I could say was “Oh, Audrey!”.
I was very lucky to have a relatively quick delivery with no complications. I was very fortunate to have my sister’s friend Marjorie as my nurse. She is so kind and was absolutely fantastic throughout labor. My regular doctor was not on call, but I couldn’t have been happier with the doctor who delivered Audrey. I felt a little bit like I was on an episode of Friends (think Phoebe’s doctor who was obsessed with Fonzie), because my doctor chatted Bill up as I labored away across the room. It was kind of funny – I could see Bill’s concern as he checked in with me and hesitated to continue answering the doctor’s questions. But truly, having a doctor that was relaxed and easy going worked well for me.
The days since Audrey’s arrival have been full. I’ve forgotten how much time a newborn takes – how very little you can get done while always feeling busy! The addition of a big sister has made this time feel even faster, and I can hardly believe we passed the one month mark a whole week ago! Vera is a wonderful big sister, and she loves little Audrey very much. She likes to hold her and showers her with lots of kisses every day.
We have not been able to figure out how to “train” a baby to sleep. This might sound funny to some of you, as everyone knows that babies are not known to be great sleepers. The problem for us is that it took 14 months for us to get Vera into an acceptable sleep routine. Audrey’s patterns seem to follow her big sister’s so far. Still, we know we’ll look back and this time will be just a blink.
I can’t think of anything better as a kid than growing up with cousins nearby. Vera loves when these playmates come and run through the house with her. I love it, too. 🙂
Our Christmas celebrations were lovely. We spend Christmas Eve day with the Aune family at April & Jesse’s house. About half of the crew was able to make it, and it was great to see everyone.
Christmas Day brought us up to my mom’s. We missed our cousins and uncles and aunt on this side, but it was still a lot of fun. All of a sudden our immediate family fills up a place in a hurry.
On Christmas morning, Vera found a stack of presents left in the living room sent by family and left by Santa. She did a great job of opening gifts, playing for a bit, stopping for a little egg nog (!) and then on to some more gifts. What a fun age!
Today brought some more skiing on the lake. There is very little snow, so for me, it’s easier to ski off the trail than on the same one Bill and I have skied over the past few days. That track is pure ice (which = falling hazard when you’re as uncoordinated as I am). When I returned to our bay I found Kate and Grandpa giving their skis a workout, too. I sure do love being able to get out on the lake year round!
Oh how I love having a break at this time of year. The week before break always feels rushed and chaotic and somehow makes these days that we can sleep in (as much sleeping in as one does with a toddler) and be a little lazy (ditto) feel that much more indulgent.
The past couple of months have been great – fast and furious as always.
Halloween came and went. Bill and Vera created a masterpiece out of our pumpkin.
Our daycare was closed during the month of November, so we all took turns spending a day here or there watching the kiddos. I loved my days with these sweet little ones (and we worked hard to wear each other out!) We were so fortunate that our families pitched in and helped avoid a mini childcare crisis.
The weather has been unusual this winter, and we’ve taken advantage of the nice days by getting outside to slide down the hill, walk on the ice, ski, and fly.
I’m working to perfect the art of lefse making. I’m years away from perfection, but my batches have been pretty good.
We continue to enjoy time with the cousins. Vera begs to go to Libby’s every day, and she loves to play with her big cousins, too.
Thanksgiving was spent at the Glass’s house. We had a wonderful meal and a great evening. There’s surely more fun to come in the upcoming days and weeks.
This summer we wrapped up a fairly-major remodel of our utility room. I use the term “we” liberally, as Bill (with help from various wonderful family members) did the grunt work while I entertained Vera. We are so pleased with the outcome, though! The space was transformed from a laundry area to a much more usable space. We spent many of our summer mornings listening to iTunes and reading books with Vera on the futon.
We were so fortunate to be able to spend time with our dear friends out in Washington. Somehow the stars aligned, and our calendars matched up. We had a wonderful long weekend catching up at their beautiful home.
Next it was on to Wisconsin for a visit with Kraig, Amy, Brock, and Isaak. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures on my computer from that wonderful weekend aside from miss Vera at a fun little farm we visited. We always love our time with this Aune family!
Back at home it was time for playing in the lake, hanging out with cousins, jogging, climbing on every table available and hiking.
What a great summer!
It’s hard to believe that we’re three weeks into our summer break already. It’s wonderful! Bill and I continue to chip away at household projects, but most of our time is spent playing with our favorite girl.
Vera enjoys being out in the boat. She likes to help her dad drive, play with the radio, try to pull the keys out of the ignition, and catch some rays in the back. We’re lucky she’s on board with lake time… it’s our favorite way to spend a sunny day.
We’re working on fostering a love for swimming by starting with this ridiculous froggy pool. Honestly, it was the only kind they had (well, I could’ve grabbed a crab…) Anyway, silly as it looks, this set up provides a little shade and plenty of splashing fun. Soon the lake will be warm enough for Vera to enjoy, but for now this works!
Here’s a random smattering of the cousins. Sawyer and Libby both have June birthdays, and we got to celebrate them this past weekend with all the family! I also got to spend a day last week with the Glass kiddos while their mom was at a training. We had a fun day. And of course the neighbor kids are always up for a little play time – Kate and Luke are great about sharing their outdoor toys with Vera. She loves all of her big cousins – and her “little” cousin Libby, too, who I think has passed Vera up in height already.
Summertime is always a favorite around here. It’s hard to want to do anything besides hang out at home with all of these lovely people.
Today was Vera’s first birthday. It doesn’t seem possible that a year has passed since we first got to meet our sweet girl. She continues to grow quickly and has been a wonderful baby since day one. She loves to dance, play in cupboards, read (and chew on) books, and snuggle. Bill and I can’t get enough of her.
Yesterday we had a little family celebration. Add five cousins (4 years old and younger) to the house and you’ve got an instant party! I was so excited to have a theme… thank you Pinterest. 🙂 I went with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and while the cake wasn’t perfect, I was happy overall with the outcome. Vera thought her cupcake was pretty tasty – mission accomplished! Of course I am always happiest when surrounded by family and friends, so the day felt pretty much perfect.
There are so many moments from this year that I have loved and will likely grow dimmer as years pass and new memories are made. I know, though, that I will never lose the feeling of so much LOVE that I have had this year. It has been incredible
