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. :)

500.

I remember the day I started writing on this blog like it was yesterday.  It was July 2010.  We had just found out we were pregnant with Quinn and I wanted to document our journey as a family and keep our family informed on our lives, seeing pictures and videos of our little future babies.

I love the writing outlet for me and I love documenting this for our girls.  Most of the time it's when they are snuggly in their beds that I take the opportunity to write, but on the rare occasion I may also have this at my feet. :)

5 years and 500 posts later - here we are.

How did that happen??  

Yet, I am so thankful for these words that we have.

I am thankful that one day our girls will read them.

It will be bound in a book and not on the Internet when they do.

As we hit this milestone, I can't help but to think about the future of our family blog.

I can't help but to think that we are probably already at the halfway point of it's life or possibly already past it.  We shall see as we proceed. 

One thing we know is that as our girls grow older - we want them to have the chance to tell their own story.

We don't want them to face moments where peers bring up pictures of them on their smart phones or tablets.  Or hear the words "Your mom wrote this story about you...." or "I know everything about you, ..."

They deserve the chance to tell their own story.

We also want to protect them as much as we can, and as they grow older that will be only harder to do.  Internet safety and social media are things I am not looking forward to approaching in the future - but thank goodness we have some time. :)  I can only keep my fingers crossed that some of those fads will die out or that they become much more restrictive for children under 18.

So, for now we keep plugging along.

I am so grateful for such an easy platform that allows me to write, to keep our family in the loop as our children grow, and be able to create something long-lasting for our girls.

The day will come when we decide to hit the delete button and this will all only exist on the pages of a book for them to read on their own - but that day is not today.  not yet.

So quickly the time goes.

And updates on DIY and Photography
I am posting our Little Tikes Playhouse Makeover today.

andie - nine/ten months.

In the blink of an eye, she turned 10 months.

It felt like time was moving at a sweet little pace.

It felt like we were able to soak it all in.

And then all of a sudden saying she is "ten months" just hits you.

Andie, you are just the sweetest, happiest, most peaceful baby ever.

You are the very definition of easygoing.  Entertained by everything, loves to crawl around and play, and rarely demands anything.  We are always waiting for moments that you will show us you are a real baby. ;)

Well, lately you have been showing mommy. 

At night you like to wake often.

In a 13 hour sleep window you usually wake once, sometimes twice - lately it's been 3-4 times.  You slept 4-5 hour chunks as a newborn so...

Sometimes mommy is very sleepy, but I'm still grateful for as many squeezes as I can get with you.

You are crawling everywhere, and speedy fast.  You love to speed away as fast as you can while giggling when I'm trying to change you.  You don't really get into anything you shouldn't be.

At least once a day I let you crawl around naked for a little, and it's A-DORABLE.

It just has to be said - you have the best little baby booty in the whole wide world.  

You like to wave and clap your hands.

A baby clapping is just one of the sweetest things ever and one of my favorite milestones.

You say mama, dada, and just about every consonant-a sound. :)

You are in a transitional eating stage, about half baby food and half table food.

You are doing really well with a sippy cup right now.

You are still 100% breastfed.

At 9 months you weighed 21 pounds.

I haven't weighed you yet, but at 10 months I would guess you are just past 22 pounds.

You wear size 4 diapers and combination 12 month and 18 month clothes.

You have 4 teeth.

You have different smiles and expressions for your mommy, daddy and quinny.

You could spend an entire day chasing Lucy around if she let you.  You LOVE Lucy.

I think you are our animal lover.

When we are singing songs, you move your mouth like you are lip syncing.

You do fantastic at volleyball games.

You take 2 naps a day - one long, one short.

You nap well in unfamiliar places now.

You are mommy's little sidekick and have rarely been away from her side.

10 months - the sweetest little months now that we have you.

Your big sister adores you and mothers you like crazy lately.  She is always looking out for you.  She is quite the monitor of little things that could be eaten. :)

I think the hardest thing about 10 months is that it makes us realize how close you are to a year old.
Today, our living room was rearranged for a little photo shoot.  Mommy is working on some birthday party things for you.

Andie, we just love you so incredibly much.
You add such a peace and calmness to our lives, and you make us smile SO big.
We just want to eat you up every second of the day.

Love, Mommy, Daddy & Quinn