the mickey show.

Yesterday we had the best "special family day".
It started with a delicious breakfast at our favorite local spot.
Then it moved to a big and special show, Disney On Ice's Let's Celebrate.
Or as Quinn calls it "The Mickey Show". :)
She was so excited, we told her the night before and then pumped her up about it in the morning.
She literally walked out the door to the car going "Yea! Yea! Daisy and Minnie and Mickey!".
When we arrived to the show, she was just in awe and wanted to take in everything in the big arena.  It was so fun to see everything through her sweet and amazed little eyes. 
She absolutely loved the show!  Mickey and his show characters were definitely her favorites, but she also loved all the princesses and Buzz, Woody and Jessi.  Her least favorite part was probably the Halloween song with all the villain characters, she just sat a little quieter and did not have her usual HUGE and exciting clap at the end of that song.

In my attempt to spend a lot more time "being in the moment" than taking pictures of the moment.  I just brought my old little point and shoot and grabbed only a couple pics of our little girl with some special treats she got before the show and during the intermission.

We spent the rest of the day just being a family together, playing toys, snuggling, eating dinner, watching a movie. Such a great day! Quinn can't stop talking all about "The Mickey Show" and wanting to go back.

We will finally get a bump update up this week.
 We have been super busy potty training around here. That pretty much takes all of my attention, as I don't take my eyes off of her for those little signs.  And daddy is awesome when he is home to take over some of the training duty.
Good news is...it's going SO much better than our earlier attempt this past fall.
 She just wasn't ready yet then and it was super stressful. Definitely worth waiting, for all of us. :)

And this past week has been my best week of pregnancy yet!
 No more nausea! I feel like it's safe to say that. I'm doing great and all is going great too.
 Will do the bump update with picture soon. And we will find out in less than a month if baby is a girl or a boy!

Today, Quinn and I are home snuggling getting ready to watch Tangled. We are both dealing with colds and hoping not to pass them to Todd.  Fortunately, he is working today and tomorrow and away from us a bit.

Happy weekend to all of you!

first dance class.

I think this exact moment popped into my head the time we first heard the words "It's a girl!" at our ultrasound for Quinn. 
Pink tights, leotards, sweet little tutus and smiles.

Today Quinn had her very first dance class.
It was precious and sweet and adorable and everything you imagine of a little two year old in a dance class.

 

It was also a first for mommy.

Because I got to be "that mommy", the one that gets to be a little embarrassed by her toddler not quite following the directions.

Backing up a little, I should acknowledge the fact that there were only a couple little girls in class and it was only Quinn's first day, the other girls had been doing the class for months.

 

There were 3 real reasons why I was so excited to start this class with Quinn:

#1.  It's my little girl in a sweet and adorable tutu at dance class. :)

#2.  It's her first class/activity/group where mommy isn't participating, something that will be very good for her.

#3.  It's a chance for her to listen and follow directions from a teacher, and not just from mommy and daddy.

 

#1 - A+  she was adorable of course.

#2 - B-  she was super excited and followed the teacher and the group into the dance room, but as soon as she sat down, she started to cry and ask for mommy.  I did lots of prep for this and that I would be there and watching but not in the dance room (will need to keep working on this).  I sat as far into the corner of the dance room as I could, and then there was no more crying and she did participate in everything.  (phew, at least she joined back in right away)

#3 - C-  whew!  I expected that she may have a hard time away from mommy, but I wasn't quite prepared for the fact that she would have a difficult time knowing to follow directions.  It's the age and her first official class, but I was an embarrassed mommy.  When the beanbag animals were all put away, she went back to grab them again.  When the teacher had a glittery stick, she went on a search in the room to find one herself.  When they were doing movements in the center of the room, she was doing her own "dancing" all over the room.  Oh my girl!  This will be SO good for her to learn to follow directions from a teacher.  I know it will get better.

 

 

Todd and I are excited for her to begin this new journey into discovering activities that she loves and makes her happy.  We are super excited about the structure it will give her, the opportunity to learn from others, to learn how to follow directions from others and respect teachers, and for the moment she is okay with mommy being on the other side of the door.  THAT moment will be huge for us and this little one.  She will get there...

 

In the meantime, the most important thing of all... after class she said "dance class is fun!" with a huge beaming smile. 



when I speak too soon.

A little update on this pregnant mama with baby #2 and just us. :)

Too many times this pregnancy I have been fooled and spoken too soon. 
I have said "I think I am moving out of this nausea phase!" excitedly many times,
and then I'm pulled back into reality.
I just said it last night again (for like the 5th or 6th time now) and then I was sicker last night than I have been the entire pregnancy. 
So, I speak too soon, and I am not going to use those words anymore.
Nausea is still here.  It's getting better, but it's definitely still here.

On a positive, I'm just generally feeling better, more energy and have a renewed interest in some crafts and projects.  Let the list begin of what I hope to tackle before the summer arrives!
Right now, we are putting the final touches on Quinn's big girl room and will do a room reveal soon when it is all complete.

How it is already mid-January I'll never know, the first 11 days have been some kind of blur I guess.  As soon as all of our holiday house guests left a week ago, we had some yucky colds and illness hanging around here all week.  We finally seem to be on the upswing from all of that and finally got our house back in order and Christmas décor all down. 
And now all of a sudden, things are coming up so quickly! 
Quinn is starting her first dance class on Monday, pre-school registration is in a few weeks (time to book a little tour), she is turning 3 next month and I haven't thought much about what we are going to do, and this pregnancy is starting to pick-up speed as in a month we will already be able to find out if we have a little girl or boy bun in the oven!  crazy!

Like the last few years, January and February are slower months for Todd with no coaching.  So he tends to pick up as much volleyball officiating as he can/likes to do on most of the weekends.  During the week though during this time of year he is home everyday shortly after 3pm.  It's really nice.

I still have a Christmas video to post, a bike pedaling video to post (because Quinn learned how to pedal her bike this past week! (in the house), and very soon I will post a Bump update with a bump picture (as this bump has popped out all of a sudden!) and we are cruising through week 16 now.

Have a fantastic weekend!

a crazy little christmas.



We had a wonderful Christmas with family this year and are so lucky we were able to spend time with our loved ones no matter how far apart we live.

With family spread out all over the country, it means two things for the holidays:  lots of time together, and things are a little bit crazy.

Todd and I have had guests staying at our home for the past 18 days.  Tie that in with all of the holidays and events of the end of year, going to visit family as well, squeezing in visits when we can,  and a little crazy it can be.  (Note to self: try to make sure Todd gets a few days of his holiday break to feel on break in future years :).)  It was a whirlwind of holiday moments, laughter, and most importantly time together and for that we are so grateful.

 

This little angel had a wonderful Christmas!



And little angel she is.  Quinn is just the sweetest, kindest, most well-behaved and easygoing little girl and she is by far our greatest gift. 

More to come on her Christmas (once mommy gets some videos together).

Aside from cooking a little bun in the oven, I have not been the greatest with picture-taking the last few months.  Truthfully, I think it is more that I just need a break sometimes from always toting the camera around and taking pictures all the time.  It can be a lot, and sometimes being in the moment is just more important.



We managed to get a few good pictures of these cuties. :)
(Quinn and her cousins wearing matching pajamas made by Grandma.)

Grandpa and Grandma with all of the grandkids (so far).

the girls.

Will try to post a little more soon.
Quinn is asking for some mommy play time with her new toys. :)

Stay warm!!

four.

I know... Where have we been?

Well, it's been a little busy around here and big changes are coming...

 

as our family will soon be growing by two tiny little feet. :)

and we will become a family of four.

 

So, where has this blogger been?

occupied with nausea, exhaustion and just trying to make it day by day with a busy little two-year old.  If she is out of her jammies at some point during the day, we are doing pretty good. :)  Let's face it, jammies days are just pretty good...and we have had a bunch of them around here lately.

Otherwise, I've discovered this is just a busy time of year to be pregnant (especially in that beginning yucky stage) through all of the Holiday Season (starting with Halloween). 

On top of that, I somehow booked myself for two of my busiest working months in a long time (good timing Lisa :), but it is all good.  A few photography sessions and about 30 dozen cake pops later... things are slowing down a bit!  From here on out, I will be limiting my work schedule and orders a bit more (more on that will be posted on the sweet things page later).

Also, let's throw in hosting our very first Thanksgiving ever (and I did all the cooking), a trip to St. Louis, lots of guests coming to visit/stay with us for the holidays, and just the general busy time of year.  Phew!

Thankfully - Todd has been done with coaching since the end of October, so the timing for him to be home more has worked out wonderfully. :)  Quinn is grateful for someone a little more energetic to come home.

 

The Scoop:

 

How far along are you?   12.5 weeks  (baby is the size of a plum or peach)

Due Date?   July 5th

When did you find out?   We found out rather early, we were only about 3 weeks along.  It was

                    about a week before Halloween.  I wasn't expecting it at all, but realized I was late

                    and took a test anyway. 

How long were you waiting for baby #2?I know there are curious people out there, and then people 

                    who have that "once you have a baby close to the age of two you must be trying right?"

                    thoughts.

                    After Quinn was born, we quickly decided that we wanted a little more space between

                    kiddos than we had originally thought.  And we are so grateful for that and love it so 

                    much now.  As a stay-at-home mama, I'm also grateful to stretch this time out as long as

                    I can, and enjoy each child individually.  So, long story short, from the time we wanted

                    baby #2, we waited about 4-5 months.  The exciting news came during a month not

                    planned or expecting it at all, all the better when it's surprising!

Will you find out baby's gender?  Yes!  (in February, coming up quickly)

Any instincts on baby's gender yet?  Not completely yet.  I had moments thinking boy early on,

                   and then moments more recently thinking girl.  At about 14 weeks with Quinn, I just

                   knew for sure we were having a girl.  I'll see if that strong of an instinct happens again. 

                   For Todd, I know he is hoping for another girl.

Do you have any names yet?  Not really, and we haven't even talked about it yet.  We don't like to  

                    over think it too much over a long period of time.  I would anticipate by the time we go

                    find out what we are having we will have a name, maybe?  We are no good at boy

                    names, so that could be tough for us.

Will you share the name?  Hmmmm... this one is up in the air.  But I think both of us kind of agree

                   that we really liked keeping something to ourselves and saving for baby's arrival.

                   Not getting other opinions is nice too. :)

How are you feeling?  And how does it compare to your first pregnancy so far?

                  Well, it's different, but the same. :)  I am still very nauseous and getting sick regularly,

                  however, not as regularly as I did the first time.  I am already starting to feel a little more

                  energy coming back and sleeping a little better at night, so that's exciting.  But as far as

                  the first trimester goes, I was completely exhausted and shared Quinn's bedtime most 

                  nights.  And the nausea has bounced around a bit, but for the longest time it was waves

                  throughout the day, and very sick every evening.  Fingers crossed I am working my way

                  out of that stage.  Have had a little bit of a difficult time staying hydrated and keeping   

                  liquids down, but ice chips and little lemon ices are good. :)

How is the pregnancy going health-wise?  (after the complications last time)

                  Everything is perfect so far, no concerns.  My doctors do believe that there is a good

                  chance the second time around I may not encounter any of the same issues.  Pre-eclampsia

                  is most commonly a first pregnancy issue, or develops earliest in the first pregnancy.  So,

                  one step at a time, but all is great!  Baby's heart rate was 169 at our last appt.

Weight Gain?   not yet, down about 4 pounds right now, had dropped about 7 at one point. 

                     (pretty sure the nausea and lack of liquids was a culprit here)

Maternity Clothes?  It just kind of depends.  For the most part no, but I have pulled out a pair of

                     maternity comfy pants already, and just a couple tops.  I will wear whatever is comfy! :)

                     Belly is definitely popping out earlier!

What does Quinn say?   We just started talking about baby a little more with Quinn the last week or

                    so.  So far she knows there is a baby in mama's belly and points to it and hugs it a lot.  Of

                    course, I don't think she really gets it.  And when we ask her about brother or sister, or

                   girl or boy, she always responds either "sister and brother" or "girl and boy". 

                    Well, there is only one in there!

 

Will keep you updated along the way.

We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

 

Lots of love,

Lisa, Todd & Quinn



enjoying the little moments.

Every once in a while there comes a time when I just don't get a chance to blog so often, or it's not forefront in my mind, or I'm too busy with projects to update, or I'm just soaking in the moments too much to get the chance to write about them.  I also haven't been as attached to my camera lately.
Sorry grandpas and grandmas.

Enjoying the little moments.
Fall was all sorts of happy and joyful.

apple donuts and apple cider slushies, {sigh} you will be missed till next year.

 

 

During our little vacay from the blog:  volleyball season has ended (another amazing season), officiating season has begun for Todd, also the season where he is home a lot more :), chilly weather has moved in (with the exception of the 65 degree weather here today), many projects are needing to be updated on our little DIY blog, Quinn's big girl room is still in the works (but getting closer), Tinkerbell is a new favorite character, Christmas lights are up (not on) and I'm anxious to bust out the Christmas décor here soon, lots of baking (many orders coming up around the Thanksgiving holiday), and I've taken family pictures of two lovely families the last few weeks. 

So, busy nonetheless...

 

Hope you all are enjoying a fabulous weekend!