mary poppins ~ dance recital.

Quinn has just completed her third dance recital.  We are getting experienced with this recital business.  As she gets older she is becoming more aware of the audience adding a little nervousness, but she is so excited about it and looks forward to it.  She is such a little dancer and has done so well.  Watching her on her little tippy toes and doing her piques (her favorite ballet move) is just the sweetest.
This recital was Mary Poppins/Saving Mr. Banks and Quinn was a musical note.
The cutest little musical note ever.

 Quinn's fans :)
(and huge thanks to Aunt Jill for watching Andie at home for us)

Our beautiful ballerina.
So very proud of you.

And the video :)
Quinn is in the middle of the three girls.

it's summer!

I am very much feeling like Olaf and bouncing around the house with summer excitement.
Summer has officially begun.  Quinn is done with school.  Todd is done with school.
After a ridiculously busy spring, heaps of family time commences.

And in our true fashion, the very first day a large project is underway.- The Kitchen!
We are channeling Chip and JoJo and putting on different hats to tackle a big kitchen reno.
Demo day was yesterday - no we aren't taking down cabinets or our countertops but we did demo the piece of countertop backsplash and prepped the wall to begin Phase One - DIY Subway Tile Backsplash.  Wish us luck, it's our first time tiling.
June is going to be a fun month, a busy month, but most importantly we will be together month.  A kitchen reno., a couple weddings, a big 1st birthday for the sweetest baby girl, family coming into town, and hopefully squeezing in some pool time.
The blog may be neglected a bit, but I will update kitchen progress after each phase is complete and try to post on the girls and preparations for little Miss Andie's upcoming birthday.  Good thing the projects are keeping my mind busy from thinking about the fact that my baby is almost one.

Quinn wrapped up her very first year of school.  It was a fantastic year and we couldn't have asked for more for her.  She adored her teachers and so did we.  They were a perfect fit for her.  Hard to believe that the start of the year I had no idea if my attached at the hip little Quinn would even go away from me, and I was holding a teeny tiny little newborn.  Quinn did so fabulously all year long, and by the end of the year I was toting around a much bigger baby. :)

We simply could not thank her teachers enough - such a big start for her educational journey.

Quinn with Miss Julie.

and so it begins.

Just like that she pulls herself up once and then she does it ALL the time.  She proved her mommy wrong too.  Andie hasn't been very interested in being on her feet, if you pulled her up to her feet she just turned her feet so they wouldn't go flat to the floor and she wanted to sit back down.  Even just yesterday this was happening.  I called to the world - "my girl is going to be a crawler for a while, and she is the easiest thing in the world to keep an eye on - hallelujah!".  Funny how they hide their skills until they just do it so easily.  On her feet....and so it begins. :)

And Happy Birthday to Daddy!!!  35 years old today.  We LOVE him so much.
It has been a busy spring - we are so excited that in just one more week we will have so much more of him!  In a couple weeks, we decided to send Daddy out for a day of fun at a Cubs game with some friends.

"you are my bestest friend ever"

It is so fun watching these girls grow as sisters and become friends.  Quinn has whispered to Andie while hugging her "you are my bestest friend ever".  And then mommy's heart just melts.
Andie has a special smile that is only for Quinn and just adores her so much.  Most of her giggles are usually at her sister.
Quinn is such a big sister and plays the role so well, she is another great set of eyes for catching little objects before they go into Andie's little mouth.  She loves her Andie to pieces and is always looking out for her.
So excited to watch them grow together and have each other.

ballet.

Quinn has been doing dance and ballet for a year and a half.  She started when she was a little 2 year old.  Those itty bitty ballet shoes were the cutest.  The girl loves to dance.  She is coming up on her 3rd dance recital in just a few weeks - Mary Poppins.  Another adorable outfit in the works.  This one is will be black and white as she plays a Music Note.
This year Quinn moved up to a new level and it is amazing to watch her grow.  A lot of the class is at the bar, so much technique and she handles it all so well.  We are so proud of her and we know that she is learning so much regardless of if she gets into Julliard one day. ;)  Building so many great skills that will be useful in many parts of her life, and even if she is just more comfortable on the dance floor one day with friends - that will be so great for her too.

The tights, the leotards, the shoes, the dancing...dance class is just about as adorable and sweet as it gets for a little girl.

one year ago.

One year ago we were a month away from meeting our little Andie Ainsley.

Which means we are just one month away now from her big first birthday.

Andie, I don't even know how to put into words how amazing you are or how much joy you bring into our lives.  Many parents are grateful to get past the little baby months, and while I understand that, I truly don't know what that is like.  YOU are a dream, every single little ounce of you.  If I could relive the entire year over again, I would hands down accept without hesitation.  I'm so excited to see the little you that you will become, but I'm sad to see the babyliciousness start to pass behind us.
11 months today.
I changed you this morning and it was like all of a sudden most of the little juicy rolls have disappeared.  You are still as delicious as ever and the most beautiful little baby girl.  You get about a million kisses a day. :)