Getting in touch

...with her inner dj

she really loves daddy's keyboard, she seriously knows how to work the song bank. I'm impressed, I don't even know how to get it to play songs! :D

Call us if you want to book a gig with DJ Lou

The lake and duts!

Lou thinks "duts" are so great. She "talks" about them long after we've seen them by grandma and grandpa's house. It sure takes having a child to look at something you see all the time with new wonder. You know, ducks are actually quite beautiful in their own way...those emerald green heads and feathers, and even the females have lovely shades of brown. I think so anyway, and I'm sure Lou would tell you that if she could, too.

Second Anniversary

I realized that with our excitement to get the news out that we were expecting our second baby, I didn't even mention on here that Michael and I celebrated two years of marriage on Monday, the 17th. Last year, we had a newborn so we had dinner out on the deck. This year, Lou was old enough for us to venture out to the little Italian restaurant we love down the street. Mike also brought home a cake from Borracchini's bakery, the place we got our wedding cake from.

Looking back on the year, it is clear that we've done much growing together. Being parents, making decisions large and small, daily life, sickness, faith, politics...every experience has helped us get to know and appreciate one another's uniqueness, strengths, and weaknesses better. I wish I could put into words in a more eloquent manner how much I love my husband. I also wish I could describe in detail all the things I've learned in the last year about love and marriage and family life. But I suppose that's not really necessary for an online blog. If you've read my posts for the last year, you've caught a glimpse into our lives, so I'm sure I don't have to summarize too much. Anniversary's are simply a good time to be reminded of how much you've grown in a year and maybe to reflect a little on how blessed you are to have each other.

Vacuum

Lou gets a kick out of the vacuum cleaner now. That's probably why she chooses to throw her food all over because then she knows the vacuum cleaner comes out! I vacuum every day actually. She was afraid of it for a time and I would have to hold her. Ah, it's late and this post doesn't look like it's going to make much sense. I just wanted to post these pictures because, well, she is a crazy little naked baby with a vacuum cleaner.....how could that not make you smile?

Announcement

Looks like someone is going to be a big sister :)

I know many of you were guessing that I was preggers. I suppose it was all that talk about naps and weaning and posting sporadically. I should have known better that it might have been obvious. This time, though, we wanted to hear the heartbeat before spreading the news. We did, last Thursday, and as all the mama's and daddy's know, that sound never stops taking your breath away. We are quite excited. The little one is due December 6th, which is the feast of Saint Nicholas, and one day away from Sarah's :) So, again, now you know why I've been tired and inconsistent lately. As for how I'm feeling, well, my biggest complaint is fatigue. Having Lou to care for makes things tricky, but in a way it keeps me feeling better, too. How could having that sweet smile around make me grumpier? I've just been napping with her (twice daily, usually) and trying my bes to get her out and about so she can stretch those newly walking legs. Also, I've been getting help from her grandma's who've been coming over to play with her pretty regularly. I have had morning sickness, too. But this time around I am much better off because I've been eating more. I have to eat about every two hours in order to stave off the nausea. It's been working out, though I have gone through rough patches. Being in the car makes me queasy, so I've been in the drivers seat a lot lately.

We are so blessed. God really prepared my heart for this pregnancy. If I would have found out any sooner I might have been scared for another baby, but as it happened I had started to pray and think about how nice it would be to be pregnant again right before I realized my period was late. I actually took the test on Easter Sunday, at 6am so Mike and I were especially joyful (and rather giddy) during the Easter liturgy. Lou will make a wonderful big sister, as she already loves other babies and children. It's going to be an adventure for sure! I've watched friends and family members go before us and I know it's difficult, but possible and absolutely wonderful becoming parents all over again.

summer treat

It's been a rough morning and early afternoon. I noticed that the store across the street was having some good produce deals so I was able, with great effort, to get us over there to check it out. I'm so glad I did because I found blueberries on sale. Not super cheap - but reasonable enough for me to grab them. So this delightful summer treat is looking like it may rescue our day. Lou has cheered up, and I don't know if it's a direct correlation, but I think these blueberries may have cured my headache. Anyway, a late afternoon nap, which is about to begin, will hopefully continue to improve this day. And when we wake up we're having more blueberries, for sure.

Start a band

She did this on her own. We are so proud of our little musician.

(Though I'm willing to bet you won't be playing this video quite so many times ;)

April showers...wait it's May!

The weather for the last few weeks has been getting on my nerves. We are having weird cold spring storms and they are threatening to kill the tomato plants I bought two weeks ago. Maybe I should have held off a bit until it got warmer but I was so looking forward to growing my own tomatoes this summer. I was told I should bring them in if the temp drops, but where am I supposed to put them? Can't really do that so....I'm just hoping they are particularly hearty plants that I picked out. I am slightly annoyed about those hand prints you see, too. But what can I really do about that? Babies are messy, and that's that. Almost looks like I have a puppy though, doesn't it?

Right now I am just buying time before nap time. I tried to lay with her about a half an hour ago but I could tell she wasn't quite ready. She is going around playing and keeping herself occupied so I figured, why interfere? I am sooooo tired right now so as soon as she starts showing signs of sleepiness we are going to nap together. One of the reasons I am so tired is I have been staying up late working on embroidering some shirts (34 of them) for my grandpa's Rotary club. I was not too thrilled about doing it, but at least we get paid for them. They are now finished! We also were staying up to watch 24, but we finished that a few days ago too (exciting stuff!) I'd like for us to return to a more reasonable bed time now. I don't do well when I stay up late.

Well, I think I'm going to go check to see if Lou is rubbing her eyes.....

New outfit and The Wiggles

Over the weekend we hit up a rummage sale at the school I used to teach at. We found a few goodies, like this sweet little outfit for Lou. I love the embroidery. It probably won't fit her for too much longer, but doesn't she look ready for summer time? The fruit sign was also a good find, I thought. I see these various Washington State crop signs in antique shops and local Seattle stores a lot. I have always liked them. One day it would be cute to have a set of them in a kitchen or dining room.

Oh, so I took these pictures while she was watching "The Wiggles." Here is the situation with Louisa and t.v. She is 15 months, and up until now she has had almost no interest in watching the boob tube. I know this is a good thing, but we just discovered the Sprout channel and I have to say I actually like the programming because it is solely for toddlers. I can't stand some of the obnoxious cartoons out there that are designed for older kids! (Some of the toddler ones are annoying too, though) and Lou has no interest when they are too complicated and loud. But I have been turning Sprout on for a bit in the morning because they play Sesame Street and The Wiggles, and these are two shows both of us like. I think it's great that she is clapping, dancing, and pointing along with the characters. Yes of course I'm aware of the dangers of getting into a t.v. addiction, so you don't have to warn me. When Mike and I move into a house we most likely won't be able to afford cable anyway (it comes free here) so I doubt we'll have the luxury of watching Sprout forever. Though I'm sure I'll rent videos here and there. Oh, about the Wiggles. That show is hilarious. Anyone else like it? Although they were singing a Christmas song this morning. They said, "you can sing a Christmas song any time you like, you know!" Um, I disagree, but oh well. At least it was just one song.

I will try to post videos of Louisa more often, as apparently her cousins enjoy seeing her in action :) She really is growing up fast so I'd like to keep her documented as well! I love the way she says certain words at this point...like fish is "ish..." (said really fast with an emphasis on shhhh)