andie ainsley.

She is here!  
Introducing our newest little bundle of adorable squishy cheeks.
Our sweet baby girl, 

Andie Ainsley
June 18th, 2014
9:39 a.m.
7 pounds 8 ounces
21 inches

We are in complete bliss with another beautiful daughter.  
Big sister, Quinn loves her little baby Andie and has adjusted well to all the little sounds she makes. :)

So in love with our new little peanut. 
More to come on Andie's birth story, her name and the first week of her life.

our little dancer.

For the last six months Quinn has been taking a weekly dance class.  It's ballet, but truly just a creative movement class for 2 1/2 and 3 year olds.  They are little and adorable in their tiny tights, ballet shoes and pink tutus. :)

We were deciding between dance and tumbling for her to build balance and coordination and start her first independent activity.  Well this girl LOVES music and to dance so it was just a natural fit for her at this stage.  It is amazing how much we have seen her grow during this class, mostly as a student.  She has loved it, and looked forward to it every week.  When it came time for the recital we almost opted out of it thinking she is little and shy, it may be expensive, and it's very close to baby time.  But...boy are we glad we made the decision to have her participate in it, and it didn't end up being very expensive at all.  She was in absolute little dancer heaven!  First, the show theme was Toy Story so that made it even more exciting.  Quinn loved practicing her dance at home, took it pretty seriously for a little 3 year old, and loved being on stage.  She was truly a little showstopper when it came time for her "concert" performance last night.

We were SOOOO proud of her.  Mommy was crying (9 months pregnant here) and smiling so huge the whole time because she was so into it all (just watch her little booty shakin' in the video).  The whole experience has been so great for her and brought out a different side of our girl we haven't seen yet (well I should say that she has been shy about showing others).  

Here are a few pictures and videos from both the Recital and the Dress Rehearsal.
Quinn's little group (the youngest dancers in the show) were "The Snake in Woody's Boot" in Toy Story 2.

The Videos (sorry the lighting is a little bright on stage for our camera)

Video #1 - Dance Recital (Quinn is on the left, closest to her teacher "Miss Lisa"
Quinn definitely pulled out all the stops for "concert" night.

100 0402 from Lisa on Vimeo.


Video #2 - Dress Rehearsal (Quinn is on the right)     
100 0401 from Lisa on Vimeo.

At the end of the whole show, all of the girls go up for their final bow.
Quinn was just as excited about this part as her little dance, and it was just another opportunity to be part of the show and be on stage.  She was sitting up there for a long time enthusiastically clapping for ALL of her cast mates (there were a lot of them!)

So proud of our little dancer.

baby #2 - bump update.

We are moving into week 36 - finally feels like we are almost there!
It also helps that the volleyball season has come to a close and Todd only has 3 days left of school.  So excited for a full summer together as a family!
Quinn is ready for "baby sister to come over". :)
And we are ready with bags packed, gifts wrapped, cameras charged and everything washed and ready.  Now we just wait and see what transpires over the next few weeks.  We go in twice a week now, and I had some bloodwork/tests done today to see if my body is showing any signs of what it did last time.  Fortunately, we are further along (as we went on bedrest with our little Quinny at 32 weeks - she was delivered at just shy of 37 weeks).
All in all, we are just grateful for every week this little one has stayed cozy and healthy, and we are anxious to meet her soon!

baby mini-update.

People love a good baby update, so here is a quick one!

We are now 33 weeks along.  All is well and cruising along, although if it wants to cruise a little faster I would be okay with that. :)  Overall, feeling pretty good.  We are starting weekly appointments now, and ultrasounds and non-stress tests every appointment due to my history.  Ultrasounds had been monthly up to this point.  It's always fun to see our little girl either bouncing around or sleeping peacefully with big yawns to show us.  In just a couple more weeks we will start going in twice a week to see her on the big screen for checks.  Can't complain about getting to see her so often! :)  Until she makes her big debut, which will be here before we know it.

Just like her big sister, she is breech and seems to be staying that way.  Quinn was still flipping around pretty regularly all the way up till delivery.  I am much more aware of how this little one is laying because of how I am carrying her (lower and more out front), and she has been pretty cozy in this position for a while.  My babies are just more cozy in this breech position in my uterus apparently.  We are planning on a repeat C-section, and with a breech position baby that is a must for safety anyway.

She is measuring approximately 4lbs. 12oz at this point and in the 64th%.
We are both healthy and things are progressing so all is well.
Getting excited to meet this little girl and announce her name!
All is ready for her here at home, just washed a whole kitchen counter's worth of bottles and breast pump supplies this week.  The only thing left to do is pack a hospital bag.

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In other news, we are coming off of four very busy weekends filled with house guests.  The last two weeks we have had a wedding shower, a baby shower, a first communion, a trip to Wisconsin, mother's day, my parents, my sister and her family and my brother and his wife all in town for a visit at our home.  In true Lisa 2014 fashion - I have zero pictures to show for any of it.  Toting around my camera just hasn't happened during this pregnancy, and sometimes it's okay too because I do believe sometimes you need to just enjoy the moments instead of always being the one in charge of capturing them.  I also still live in the peaceful old school technology world of no smart phones (so no camera phone) :).  And the more I see everyone getting more and more attached to theirs, it just pushes me further away from getting one.  all things simple and sweet.
We had a wonderful visit with everyone and are always grateful for family time.  So excited for the arrival of our new little nephew next month too! and for Drew and Kristen's big move to their new home in Virginia (a new place to visit - new places totally excite this travel enthusiast!).

Volleyball season and the school year are wrapping up very soon and we are super excited to have Todd home so much more!!

Happy weekend everyone!

mommy & me.

Here is a look at our Mommy & Me pictures from this past weekend!
I am so glad that we did this.  It was perfect timing, and I will always treasure these.
Our photographer, Jessie from Lil Snaps Photography did a beautiful job.

happy mama's day.

We just wanted to wish all the mamas a very special upcoming weekend with their loves.

Especially the mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers in our lives.  We are so blessed.



Quinn and I did a special mommy&me photo session this past weekend. 
It was perfect timing for just the two of us before another little girl joins us, yet with this bump and little one just weeks away and capturing us just in time for mother's day. :)  Can't wait to share more with you. 
Photo with Jessie @ Lil Snaps Photography

Happy Mother's Day!