We're Baaaaack!!

And we have finally returned to the blogosphere!!

Yes, if I still have any readers left after this 2+month blog silence, I apologize for the silence. 

But, to make up for it, I have for you a blog post that is heavy on pictures and light on text (the way I know you all really like it)

We have been quite busy these past two months. The arrival of warm weather (finally) has taught me that, as the parent of a toddler, summer is a time even MORE worthy of all the anticipation that it receives in Chicago-land.

So what have we been doing with all of our time lately? I'm glad you asked. This little 18 month boy has been keeping us busy.

We've been...

Working in the garden

Swinging and snacking with Grampy

Bike riding!! (he still doesn't love that helmet)

 Making cheesy faces with Opa

Cooking (and eating!) with Mommy

 Sitting on the pot...and actually going in it!!

Climbing trees (Ok...not really...he is not THAT advanced for his age)

Brushing teeth (his favorite past-time these past two months)

Bathtime!! (another favorite)

Climbing on top of and underneath and all around things

Sliding down things!

Wrestling and playing with Daddy

Baking with Mommy

Playing with DINOSAURS! (thanks Auntie E and Uncle J for this great Christmas gift!)

Breaking in a new stroller

Yes, you are seeing it right - this is a double stroller. (Joovy Caboose Ultralight).
And yes, I am trying to tell you something.

This something explains for the past 2.5 months of blog silence.
It also explains the preponderance of vomiting...and pickle eating that was going on for a while in our household

(my wonderful hubby came home from work with this gift for me last month)

Oh, and how much sleeping I've been doing. But that could also be explained by how busy this toddler has been keeping me. Who knows.
Anyways. I'm feeling back to normal now, phew! (Well, I guess the 9pm bedtime has lingered).

16 weeks along and showing more this time around...alas, how I miss those abdominal muscles.

 Ah well.
I'm just so thankful that God has blessed us yet again with another little life.
Is it a lot of work? Yup.
Is it a lot of worrying? Yup.
Is it a lot less sleep? Yup.
Is it worh it?
So very much.
When I think about how much I love this little guy, I can't even begin to imagine that I will have room in my heart to love a second one just as much. And yet...I'm told it's possible. And probable.

Just don't know where I'm going to make room on this lap.

He doesn't seem to concerned about any of this. Just loving life. As usual.

Change is in the air

 Thanks to my mother-in-law, who's always wearing her bargain goggles, we recently obtained a gorgeous dining room set for a very wonderful price. We brought it to good ole' dad's woodshop and spent a few evenings re-sanding, staining and finishing. The other night, it finally found it's way into its new home, our dining room. Seeing such a lovely piece of furniture in our house (undoubtedly the nicest that we own), I was inspired to find the fall decorations (which consisted of actually begging my husband to crawl up into our dusty attic and dig out the bin and lug it down) and after an evening of unwrapping old friends , ironing, arranging, lighting candles, and rearranging, voila, autumn had fallen upon our household.

Just slipped this in because I changed the runner and loved how it looked - yet another change. Change is good.


And a few shots by the light of day next morning

Welcome Fall, once again.

Of course, other change is in the air too, though not well-evidenced by these photos:
Baby and me at 32 weeks

Baby and me at 35 weeks (my wonderful, yet brutally honest sister says she can't tell a difference between now and 2 months ago :)

Well, work on the nursery has finally picked up speed, and we are starting to have more and more baby gear finding its way into our home...it's hard to believe, but change really is in the air, and in 4.5 weeks, our lives will change forever. We can never go back. And I'm desperately hoping and believing we won't want to.

A lovely baby shower...

My lovely sisters and dear friends threw me a beautiful baby shower disguised as an afternoon tea party last week. Everything was perfect, from the gorgeous flower arrangements,

to the delicate vintage tea cups and saucers lining the table,

and the perfect little favors, hand-made with special California-imported treats!

to the hand-frosted iced sugar cubes, (which may well have been the most expensive item there.)

There were delicious scones, tea sandwiches, petit fours muffins and pastries, which tasted even better than they looked! (hard to believe, I know!)

Most excitingly, I was so blessed by all my dear friends who came, some who came all the way out from MI or MN just to celebrate with me!

 Everyone in attendance commented that the place looked like it belonged in a magazine article detailing how to throw the perfect tea party, which is always a high compliment. I got many wonderful gifts, and simply didn't have time to take pictures of all of them, but had so much fun combing over them again that night as I showed them to Kyle, and then again the next day as I tried to picture my own little cute (hopefully), bald (probably), chubby (definitely) baby utilizing them in the not-so-distant future.

If any of you know me well (or read by blog regularly), you know I love me a good tea party and this was the mother of them all. A HUGE thank you to my frriends and sisters who arranged this lovely afternoon and all of my friends for giving up their Saturday afternoon to join us.

 I, Kyle, and the growing baby inside of me are incredibly grateful for this shower of love, celebration and affection.