Happy 7th Anniversary!

Today, Philip and I celebrate our 7th anniversary! He sent me these beautiful flowers (which Lia insisted I put on her table) and we went to Jasper's for our anniversary dinner last night. We had such a wonderful time celebrating : ) We are planning to spend the day relaxing at home and grilling out to end the weekend. And of course, I always make Philip watch our wedding video with me so I can remember "7 years ago today..."


Today, on our 7th anniversary, I am so thankful to be sharing my life and building a family with my best friend and the love of my life! I love you honey!!!!!!

2 more weeks to go...

...and the cabin should be ready!!

Toddler bed!

Well, we hit another milestone this weekend. We switched from crib to toddler bed! Daddy took some time on Saturday to take the front of Lia's crib off and put the toddler rails up for her. Knock on wood, it has been smooth sailing from the start. She was very excited about her "big girl bed." She has willingly climbed right in every night and every nap since, and she hasn't even tried to get out once! Here are photos:

Ella's room

We have gotten things pretty much done in Ella's room. Most of the big projects (painting walls, refinishing dresser, creating monogram artwork) are finished, and now all we have left are the little details. I've got plenty of time left for that, so I think I will take a much needed break for a little while and just enjoy what we have accomplished so far : ) Here are some photos of how it's turning out...

Welcome Baby Trevor!

Our good friends, Lauren and Jarin Horton, welcomed their first child yesterday. Baby Trevor is adorable, and we are so happy for them! Congratulations to the Horton family!!!!!!!!!

Happy 2nd birthday Lia!

Our baby girl turned 2 years old last week! She has definitely graduated to "big girl" status and tells me frequently that "Lia is not a baby!" It's hard to see her growing up so fast, but I am so proud of her many accomplishments and I am lucky that she still likes to "get snuggled up" with me for some cuddle time every day. To celebrate her birthday, on Friday night we went out to dinner at Pappasito's. She always asks for chips and cheese dip when we go to any restaurant, so we chose to take her out for just that for her birthday dinner. She even got ice cream for dessert! Here are photos from dinner:

On Saturday, we took Lia to the circus. That was her birthday present from me and Philip. She had a great time. Unfortunately, my camera died after about the first 10 minutes of being there, but I did manage to get a few pictures of her enjoying a huge bucket of popcorn and a super-sugary lemonade while she watched the show!

At 2 years old, Lia is a delight! Here are some things we want to remember about her at this age:

-She is talking up a storm and constantly amazes me and Philip with the long complex sentences she puts together. She even forms full questions, like "Mama, do you want a bite of my spaghetti?" or "Daddy, can you help me put my shoes on please?" She also likes to talk on the phone and says "Mimi, can you hear me? How are you today? I'm fine." : )
-She can count to 15
-She is working on learning her ABC's
-She weighs 24.5 lbs
-She is in the 25th percentile for weight and the 50-75th percentile for height, both of which are right on track with the curve she has been on since birth
-She goes to bed at 8 p.m. and wakes up about 7:30 every morning
-She takes one nap about 1:00-2:30 every afternoon
-She drinks 3 6-8 oz. cups of milk a day and eats 3 full meals plus an afternoon snack
-She likes to sleep with a big pillow, 2 little pillows, a blanket and a battalion of stuffed animals including Elmo, 2 doggies, and a baby doll
-She loves to dance and sing songs - her favorites are Row Row Row Your Boat, Jesus Loves Me, and Sesame Street theme song
-At night, she has supper, takes a bath, then gets her pj's on and reads books with Daddy before going to bed
-She likes to watch Dora, Elmo, Nemo, Charlotte's Web, Milo and Otis, and Lady and the Tramp
-She loves babies! She likes to hold Baby Avery (picture below) and is very excited about Baby Ella coming. She already loves to kiss my tummy and talk to her baby sister, and she thanks God for baby Ella when she says her prayers at night!

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter! Happy 2nd birthday Lia!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo overload!

We just returned home from the second half of our summer trip. We had such an amazing vacation! It was so much fun spending time with our families and seeing great friends that live so far away!! I have uploaded a ton of photos from the trip below...

Rachel and Jordan's Engagement Party at their new house in Canton


Playing with Campbell at Nana and Papa's house


Fun at the beach with Mama and Daddy


Spending time with family



Lia's 2nd birthday party at the beach!

Luau themed cake and cupcakes


Singing Happy Birthday and enjoying some cake!


Yummy!!





Hugging the Aubie statue Uncle Cliff gave me : )


Riding on the ferry with Daddy on our way home to TX

Thank you to everyone who made Lia's summer so unforgettable! She wakes up every morning talking about some exciting part of the trip that she remembered : ) We are so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends, and we really loved getting to spend so much time with you!!