Our July in Photos

As I've mentioned before, the entire month of July was a whirlwind for us.  I finally sorted through the millions of photos (which is not much of an exaggeration if you know me) and thought I'd share a little peek at what we've been up to, instead of trying to catch up on posting about every single event.  One of these days I will get caught up on my Project Life too, but for now, I'm just enjoying getting back into a routine and watching my two sweet little ones grow.

Visiting our nephew:

Hilbert 4th of July parade:

Aunt Mackenzie's visit:

Kelly & Maxx's Wedding:
(for more photos, check out their photographer's FB page)

Eau Claire Weekend:

Jason & Jenny's Wedding:

Angela's Baby Shower:

Valerie's 3rd Birthday:

Two Become One

"This day I will marry my best friend, the one I laugh with, dream with, and love."

CONGRATULATIONS

Maxx & Kelly Handy

Our Texas Adventure, Part 2

...continued from here...

Wednesday, March 2nd

This morning, Ted & David decided to go mountain biking, so they left as soon as they had their bike stuff packed up in David's car.  Lisa and Erencan had arrived in the middle of the night, so the kids were having fun exploring David's backyard for a while.  Lisa and I got a grocery list together and then took all the kids on a grocery shopping adventure.  All went well until Almanzo started gagging and the next thing I knew the cart, the floor, and my little man were covered in puke.  I stood there stunned for a moment and then quickly asked an employee for help cleaning up.  I felt so bad for the guy who had to clean it up, but all the employees were so gracious and helpful, continually making sure Almanzo was really okay.  Of course, by that time, he was charming them with his smiles.  I thought it was a fluke until he woke up from nap in the afternoon covered in puke again.  The rest of the day was a blur of cleaning up puke messes and that night none of us got much sleep.  The highlight of the evening was that Ted and I were still able to enjoy a little double dinner date with David & Cherylyn.  We went to a local pizza place they often go to and enjoyed some really good pizza and just enjoyed each other's company.  My mother in law assured me our little man would be fine while we were gone and when we arrived back at the house he was fast asleep.  I was so thankful for the little break, because it had been an exhausting day. 

Thursday, March 3rd

Almanzo woke up quite feverish and I spent the morning cuddling with him and attempting to get ready to leave for manicures/pedicures with Cherylyn and her bridesmaids and a bridal shower luncheon with the Hanes girls.  I felt terrible leaving him so sick, but I knew he was in good hands with Ted and that I could always leave early to go back to the house if I needed to.  Ted said he spent most of the day sleeping and puking up anything he ate or drank.  Poor baby was so lethargic when I got back home.  I was thankful he was still nursing, because that was the only nourishment he got all day. 

Friday, March 4th

Ted and I woke up not feeling very well this morning.  Almanzo was still not feeling well, so he slept most of the morning again.  I'm not sure what Ted and I had, but he was in bed all morning with a fever and I was feeling dizzy/nauseous all morning.  Thankfully, there were plenty of people around to watch Valerie while we slept.  There were people in and out of the house all day getting set up for the wedding ceremony in David's front yard.  We were all feeling much better in time for the rehearsal, but Valerie fell asleep after practicing walking down the aisle because we forgot to put her down for a nap.  Both our little ones were so exhausted after dinner that they were screaming and throwing the worst fits ever.  It took us well over an hour to get them settled down and I was a complete mess by the time they finally fell asleep.  Ted and I sat outside for a little while after I had calmed down, but were too tired to stay up for the bonfire.  That night was possible the worst night of sleep for us, because Valerie woke up covered in puke in the middle of the night and we spent the rest of the night trying to calm down her down and get Almanzo back to sleep after Valerie woke him up. 

Saturday, March 5th

By the time I woke up to leave for my hair appointment with Cherylyn and the rest of the bridesmaids, I was exhausted.  I hadn't slept much at all and was really worried about Valerie being so sick for the day of the wedding.  I thought for sure I would fall alseep at the wheel on the way to the salon, but prayed the whole way for God to give me a peace and strength for the day.  I was thankful to get my hair done right away when I arrived so I could head back to the house to take care of Valerie.  Almanzo was back to his usual happy self, but Valerie was so, so sick.  The rest of the day was a blur of wedding pictures, the wedding ceremony, and taking care of a sick baby girl.  I had prayed all day for Valerie to be well enough for the wedding ceremony and was so thankful she made it through without puking.  The wedding itself was beautiful and we were so happy for David & Cherylyn.  The reception wasn't so exciting for us, because the moment Ted and I started enjoying our food, Valerie puked...and it was the worst episode ever.  It reminded me of our first trip to the UP when she puked all over her carseat and the car, because it was projectile vomiting that landed all over her dress, Ted's pants, Almanzo's pants, my feet, the table cloth, and the floor.  It was awful and I wanted to curl up in a corner and cry at the same time as wanting desperately to have my baby girl well again.  Needless to say, we left the reception at 8:30 and spent the rest of the night taking care of our sick baby girl. 

Sunday, March 6th

We all slept in this morning and were thankful for a quiet day before the long trip home.  Valerie spent most of the day sleeping and Almanzo ran around playing happily.  David & Cherylyn stopped by around lunch time to pick up their wedding gifts for the gift opening and we spent a little time with them before they left.  We gave them our gift: a Simply Romantic Nights kit (from Family Life), a skillet and frying pan for the grill, and a grilling apron for David.  It was fun to see them open the gift since we couldn't go to the gift opening and we were excited to give them something they would both enjoy together.  The rest of the day, Ted and I packed our suitcases and carry ons and did a final load of wash (which mostly consisted of puke covered clothing and bed sheets). 

Monday, March 7th

I was anxious to get home after a long week taking care of sick kids, but was not looking forward to the long flight with two kids, especially when Valerie puked again on the way to the airport all over the rental car.  We had to stop at a gas station to clean her up and get her changed, but at least it happened before the flight.  When we finally got on the plane, both our little ones were so tired.  Almanzo fell asleep in Ted's arms and Valerie curled up in her seat next to me.  They slept really well until the captain started talking over the loud speaker to let us know it was safe to move around.  His loud voice abruptly woke them up and they were NOT happy.  The rest of the flight was spent trying to calm down two tired and crabby babies.  When the flight landed, we still had a layover in Chicago for 2 1/2 hours before another 45 minute flight home.  Most of the time was spent walking from one end of the terminal to the other and then finding a place to eat.  Valerie was still not feeling well and was especially whiny the entire time we ate dinner.  I was so thankful for Ted's calmness and patience, because I was so exhausted and couldn't even think straight all day.  The next flight was the worst 45 minutes of the entire trip.  A combination of the pressure in the plane, the exhaustion of a long day of traveling, and the uncomfortableness of still recovering from the flu resulted in the worst meltdown I have ever seen Valerie have.  She screamed, hyperventilated, kicked, hit, and flailed all over the entire flight.  There was absolutely nothing I could do except cry and pray that the flight would be over soon.  I have never been so happy to crawl into my own bed in our own home. 

Project Life 2011: Week 10 & 11

Valerie loves to color and today she started to teach her brother how to color too. It was so funny watching her be a little teacher, telling him where to color and yelling at him when he didn't color in the lines. Surprisingly, he put up with her demands very well...for all of five minutes before they were fighting again...but at least they were peaceful for five minutes! ;) (And, yes, I was too lazy to put clothes on them, but they had just gotten out of the bath tub anyways.)




That face, my friends, spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E...




Who knew helping daddy shred paper could be so much fun?




Valerie climbed out of the tub during bath time today and the closest thing she found to a towel was the bath rug (probably because the laundry has become a MOUNTAIN lately). So, she wrapped herself up in it and ran over to me giggling. Also, that look she is giving me spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E.




I love mornings when my little ones wake up late, cuddle up on the couch, and quietly watch their Praise Baby DVD while I make breakfast. Also, I can't get enough of their sweet smiles.




I looked out the back window this morning and saw little blossoms budding on one of the trees in the backyard. I was so excited to see this little sign that spring IS coming. While dinner was cooking tonight, I grabbed my camera and ran outside to take a picture. (And I am super pleased at how this picture turned out - straight out of the camera capture taken in manual mode.)




Valerie picked out this dress to wear this morning and was so excited to have "pretties" put in her hair. She looked so grown up I almost cried. When I asked her to smile for a picture, she turned her back and said "No!".




Valerie loves to play with stickers, so, when I noticed the bunch of bananas I bought had several, I gave the stickers to her at snack time. She thought it was funny to stick them all over herself - silly girl!




The weather was finally nicer out this week, so I decided to take the kids outside. They had so much fun running from corner to corner on our block. It was SO good to be outside and enjoy some sunshine.




Today I did my first engagement photo shoot for my sister, Kelly, and her fiance, Maxx. We did the photo shoot at Lakeside Park just before sunset and I played around with the manual settings on my camera for the first time. This is my favorite photo of the day. I love how Kelly's beautiful blue eyes just pop in this picture and the lighting was so perfect.




We visited with my family today and the kids were completely wild. My brother gave them a balloon and they were running around chasing after it...and fighting over it. This photo was taken right after Almanzo full-body-tackled Valerie. Oh, the sibling rivalry...




Another glimpse of spring...to chase away the winter blues.