Men: Hard at Work & Kids: Hard at Play

Last week our friend Doug came over and Justin helped him fix our deck stairs.  They're so sturdy now, I love it!  His wife Marisa brought their two boys over so the kids could play while the daddies worked.  It was a great setup!  Lily and Ty play really well together (most nights she asks to pray for Ty, it's so sweet) and she just loves doting on Baby Drew.

Sorry this picture is really blurry but I had to include it.  This gives me an idea of what she might be like with Baby J, she is very nurturing and gentle with babies.  She wanted to show Drew this ball and just kept holding it up for him to see making cute faces at him. :)

Here are the men working hard outside.  

Every time Doug would use the saw, you would see Lily and Ty doing this...........

OH MY WORD. IS THIS CUTE OR WHAT?!?!

I think this is the pose they might use in their engagement photo....minus the crackers of course.

First of Many Trips to the Zoo

We went to the zoo last week with my friend Jessi and her daughter Scotlyn.  It was perfect weather for it and it was fun to see how much more Lily is into everything this year.  I've renewed our membership so there will be many more visits to come!

Their expressions here crack me up, especially Lils

 Enjoying a picnic lunch after the zoo

Crib Playtime

Lately when I go in to get Lily out of her crib after naptime, she insists that she stay in there and play.  And like on this particular day, she often wants me to put Jax in there to play too.  My sweet, spunky, goofy girl thinks that is a perfect recipe for a good time. 

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was beautiful and we celebrated by having brunch at The Cafe before church.  I am so blessed to be a mama to Lily and Baby J!

Waiting outside for our name to be called....this place is well worth the wait!  Isn't the necklace Justin gave me for the occasion lovely?!  I adore it!

Thank you to the staff for providing fun entertainment for little ones!

She lights up my life. :)

This is Lily's latest pose when I ask her to put her arm around someone.

Tulip Time...Without the Tulips

So this year, the tulips bloomed way early which unfortunately meant no viewing of them during a trip to the festival.  But we still had a great time!  The morning was all hazy and gloomy but literally as we got out of the car in Pella, it was bright, sunny and hot.  We enjoyed getting to go as a family this year.

All ready to go. I love how her shades are a little wonky on her head.

First stop: Jaarsma Bakery!!  I got my pastry fix and Lily certainly wanted to help devour them right along with me!

So sweet.  I do have to be honest though...this was after about 30 minutes of her not being very sweet on the way home.  So we pulled the car over, disciplined her and had a family heart-to-heart in the backseat.  After getting back on the road, she was asleep in about 2 minutes.  It was like a total reset button for her.  Thank you, Lord for giving us the ability to be consistent even when we don't want to!  He shows us the rewards time and time again.

We're looking forward to going again next year.  I'm sure Lily will have a blast showing Baby J everything! 

A Pro Chiropractic Patient

Lily loves going to the chiropractor.  She's come a long way from when she used to scream as a baby during her adjustments.  Now she climbs up on the table herself, lays down on her tummy and puts her head down into the little space - she's got the whole thing down!

Braided Pigtails

Hey, I don't claim to be a hair stylist but I thought it would be fun to make Lily's pigtails into little braids the other day.  Now that her hair's getting a little longer, I'll have to learn how to do some fancier things.  Doesn't she look cute?