Friday was Amelia’s third birthday! Grandma and I put together these sheep cupcakes the night before – we must have spent at least an hour just cutting the marshmallows in half so they could stick to the sheep! On Friday morning we put some balloons, some presents and the cupcakes on the back porch and didn’t let Amelia peek out there until everyone had arrived. We had her “party” at 8:30AM because Grandpa had to work at 10 and wouldn’t be back home until right before her bedtime. She LOVED the sheep cupcakes, the balloons on her chair and the purple “3″ candle that she got to blow out! She was also very excited to wear The Birthday Hat! She thought the presents were neat but she was more interested in trying to get back into the swimming pool than opening her gifts! We just stayed around the house for the rest of the day, playing with new toys and going for a few walks around the neighborhood.

On Christmas Eve Grandma had to work, so we went with Uncle Erik to the hospital surprise her! She was happy to see us and show Amelia off to her coworkers. Grandma gave Amelia a cup of ice water (hospital ice is the best!) and some graham crackers – Amelia loved all of the attention! After we left the hospital we went to the yacht club to play in the sand. Amelia was thrilled to be at the beach! Daddy and Uncle Erik helped her make a sand castle (which was really more of a sand tunnel). What a fun day!

On Christmas morning we woke up early and Amelia opened her stocking while we were waiting for everyone to wake up and/or arrive. After our traditional Norwegian breakfast we started opening presents! The second picture is of everyone opening their gifts from us – we kept baby’s sex a secret until Christmas morning and they all found out when they opened our gift! They had been trying to “trick” us into giving it away ever since we got down there. Grandma was leaping out of her chair with excitement! They found out that we are having ANOTHER GIRL!!!!!! Everyone guessed that our baby was a boy except for Andrea and Cheryl, Uncle Dan and Uncle Erik’s girlfriends – they both guessed girl and they were right!!! Christmas was a wonderful day full of amazing gifts and generosity – there were even a few tears shed!!! We are so incredibly thankful that we were able to spend the day with our Florida family.

On the day after Christmas we went to the beach again – this time to Sanibel Island! We had a lot of fun playing in the sand, and we finally got to meet Rebecca! Rebecca’s mommy is one of my close friends from childhood – Becca is 17 months old and this was our first time getting her and Amelia together to play. They took to each other quickly and had a great time playing together! At the end of the day we took Amelia down to the river to watch the sunset and then Uncle Erik took us to see a house with thousands of Christmas lights that were all synchronized to music. Quite the fun-filled day!

On Tuesday we did lots of laundry and figured out how to pack all of our gifts into the car. My best friend Daisha arrived around 3PM and we had fun catching up. We (me, Mark, Daisha and Erik) went to the movies that evening and on Wednesday we got up early and left Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We (Grandma, Grandpa, Daisha and the three of us) drove to Legoland and had a lot of fun! We only stayed about 5 hours though, because the park had reached maximum capacity and it was way too hard to maneuver through the crowds. After leaving the park we drove to Daisha’s house near St. Augustine – we had fun catching up with her and her mom that evening and then the next morning we left to drive back home. We had a fun-filled and jam packed trip, and we were very glad to get back home.

On New Year’s Eve we went to Grandma & Grandpa’s house for our Christmas with them. Uncle Paul was in town and we had a lot of fun seeing him! Amelia helped Grandma makes some yummy chocolate chip cookies and later in the evening we ate some delicious smoked turkey.

Our Christmas holiday was wonderful, and we enjoyed every minute of time we spent with our families. 2011 was a wonderful year for us – the biggest events were buying our first home and finding out that we would be adding another member to our family! We are looking forward to what 2012 holds for us, and are very excited about meeting our new little girl in April!

Share This / Bookmark This

Share This / Bookmark This

After a quick night in a hotel, we hopped back in the car and drove for another 7 or 8 hours on Friday. Amelia slept, played with new toys and read some new books. Again, let me say that she was WONDERFUL in the car, and also very funny! We had supper at Lambert’s Cafe – Amelia’s cousin Little S celebrated her first birthday, and we are so happy that everyone was able to be together. It isn’t often we are all in the same place at the same time, especially Uncle Paul! After supper we drove a little while longer until we reached Paul’s school. They have a lovely hotel on campus that we were blessed to be able to stay in! After hauling in our luggage, we stretched our legs and took a tour of the campus. What a beautiful place!

On Friday morning Amelia and I took a walk with Grandma – the three of us walked like turtles after we spotted one in the lake, and although I’m sure we looked foolish, it sure made Amelia laugh! Later in the afternoon we all took a ride on the Branson Scenic Railway. What an experience! It was like stepping back in time. The train cars were beautiful, especially the dome cars – the views were incredible. Thank you for the amazing gift, Grandma and Grandpa!

On Sunday (Mother’s Day and Graduation Day) we got all dressed up and went out to look at the cows! Paul’s school has a dairy, and they put the cows into the front fields so that the visitors would be able to see them. Amelia was enthralled! Mark stayed with Amelia while I went with Grandma and Grandpa to the Baccalaureate service, and then after lunch Mark went to the graduation while I stayed with Amelia, her cousins and her Uncle M. We went back to watch the cows and Cousin A climbed a tree while Amelia and Cousin S pretended to shop and have a picnic. After the graduation ceremony we all met up and took a few pictures – we are so proud of you Uncle Paul!

On Monday we packed up and enjoyed our last few hours on campus. Amelia got to try some homemade ice cream, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Then she and Grandpa had fun throwing grass and leaves into the stream. Later in the day we went down to the Branson Landing and walked around for a bit – Grandma and Grandpa wanted to take us to a water & light show, but it had been damaged by the recent flooding. We ended up eating supper with a cousin Mark hadn’t seen in a while. All-in-all it was a nice and relaxing day!

On Tuesday we drove out to Mark’s Aunt & Uncle’s farm. His grandma lives out there as well, so we got to see a lot of family at one time! Amelia was introduced to Tempest, and she had so much fun feeding him handfuls of grass. The few days we spent there were delightful and very relaxing. It was so nice to sleep with the windows open and hear the sounds of the country while we drifted off to sleep.

On Thursday morning we packed up the cars and drove to visit Mark’s other Aunt and Uncle. We stayed overnight and visited the zoo the next morning! While all of the animals were fun and entertaining, Amelia’s absolute favorite thing at the zoo was the train! Right before we left, we rode the train – it was a big hit with both the little ones! After a yummy pizza dinner, we went to Fritz’s Frozen Custard – I had my very first concrete and Amelia had her very first ice cream cone!

We drove home Saturday and again, Amelia was (mostly) wonderful in the car. We were blessed with a great traveler! Our trip was wonderful, and we all really enjoyed visiting with so many family members. It was a trip to remember!

Share This / Bookmark This

One day we went to a local park and had a lot of fun at their Splash Pad! Amelia was SO excited, and had a blast running around with her uncles. The weather was warm, but the water was cool and there was a slight breeze – after 45 minutes or so Amelia got so cold that her lips turned blue and she started shivering. When anyone tried to wrap her in a towel so she could warm up she screamed and ran away. She DID NOT want to stop splashing and playing!

The rest of our week was filled with gardening, silly smiles, laughter, popsicles, bubbles, a trip to the beach, princess dresses and car washing!

We had such a fun trip and look forward to the next time we visit Florida. Hopefully Daddy will be able to come with us!

Share This / Bookmark This

On Saturday we visited the aquarium – we saw many animals, but Amelia liked the penguins the best! After the aquarium we had lunch with Aunt C and cousins A, Big S and Little S. It was wonderful to see them again! After lunch we took Amelia back to the hotel where she took a long nap. After she woke up we went to visit Great Grandma B. Amelia was such a happy girl, and gave a lot of hugs. She loved playing dress up with Great Grandma’s pretty necklaces!

On Sunday morning we had breakfast with Great Grandma, Great Aunt B, Aunt C and all of the cousins. It was a loud and fun meal, and the kids ate WAY more than the adults! Once we were done, we took Great Grandma back to her home where she gave Amelia a ride on her electric scooter! When we got back to her room, Daddy and Amelia had some fun driving the chair back and forth. Amelia slept most of our drive home, and when she woke up she was happy and content. Around 2PM we met Grandma and Grandpa B for lunch and then we all headed back to their house to pick up Shelby.

We had a lovely (and very full) weekend, and are very glad to be back home. We hope to take another trip to Chattanooga soon!

Share This / Bookmark This

Uncle Erik’s girlfriend Cheryl (who is a very talented artist) came up with a great idea for a “get well” gift. She brought over a blank canvas and some paints and brushes. We let Amelia do her part first and after she went to bed the rest of us did our parts and Cheryl filled in all of the rest. It turned out beautifully, and I am so thankful that Cheryl thought of such a unique gift!

We also had a few fun visits with Great Grandpa. Amelia was SUCH a doll, and she played and cuddled with him for a long time. I know he really enjoyed spending that time with her, and it was wonderful seeing the two of them interacting!

Amelia and I went to visit Uncle Dan at his new apartment. We fed the ducks and Amelia had a lot of fun, even though the ducks were a bit scary.

One evening Amelia played a fun game with her uncles. She had a cup of ice and was feeding it to them – it was kind of like a contest between Daniel and Erik to see who could get the most ice from Amelia. Everyone was laughing!

The night before we left Amelia and Grandpa showed off with their sunglasses.

I am so incredibly thankful that my dad is safe and that the Lord saw fit to give us more time with him. I am thankful that he is recovering so quickly, and I just pray that he takes it easy long enough for his heart to fully heal. Stay healthy, Grandpa – we want you around to see your great grandchildren!!!

Share This / Bookmark This

On Tuesday we went outlet shopping with Grandma and Daisha. Amelia thought that the kiddie ride with the doggie was a lot of fun! When we got home we listened as Grandpa played us some music on his ukulele. While Amelia napped Daisha and I went to get a manicure and pedicure – it was so nice to be pampered, and we had a lot of fun chatting and catching up with each other. Amelia woke up while we were gone and posed for some pictures with Uncle Erik on the porch. Once Daisha and I got back we all jumped into the pool. Amelia LOVED it!

On Wednesday we went with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Dan & Andrea to the Naples Zoo! Amelia enjoyed looking at the animals. She was a bit of a grump, but everyone took her attitude in stride and we had a great time. One of the funniest things we saw was a bear sleeping while seated at a picnic table. We even got to take a boat ride and look at some monkeys and apes! Once we had almost completed our circuit of the zoo, we were stopped by a zookeeper who told us that we had to turn around and go back the way we came. Why? The zoo’s porcupine was in labor, and they didn’t want visitors walking by and causing her more distress! We turned around and started walking back, and stopped to get some shaved ice – that really helped cool us down! Later in the day Amelia discovered Grandma & Grandpa’s piano – what a smart and talented little girl!

On Thursday we went to the beach with Grandma, Uncle Dan and Daisha. Daisha ended up being our photographer for the trip, and we didn’t get many pictures of/with her. She captured some great shots though! After her nap, Amelia and I went down to visit with Great Grandpa for a bit, and then we came back and Amelia went for an afternoon swim.

On Friday morning we had a wonderful visit with Great Grandpa. He came down to Grandma & Grandpa’s house, and Amelia had a fun time showing off for him. Later that morning Amelia and I went to Coconut Point mall with Daisha and Uncle Dan. While Daisha and I browsed around in a makeup shop, Uncle Dan and Amelia sneaked down to the Build-A-Bear Workshop. Amelia now has a bear named Giggles, and he is filled with hugs, kisses and a special wish that Amelia will always be healthy. How fun! Uncle Dan, Amelia loves her new friend! Before heading home, we got some yummy fruit smoothies – they were very expensive – almost twenty dollars for three of them! I think Amelia drank over half of Uncle Dan’s mango smoothie – very tasty! When we got home we went swimming – I think we were in the pool every day of our trip. After Amelia went to bed for the night, Daisha and I went out to dinner and a movie. Even though we had already spent a lot of time together already, it was nice to be able to catch up without having to worry about keeping track of a toddler.

On Saturday morning we had some friends come over to visit. Ashely is due with her first baby on August 1st, and it was so fun to see her with a pregnant belly. We had a great time chatting about pregnancy and newborns. I am excited to see her precious little one in a few months! The rest of the day held more swimming and some lounge time in Grandpa’s old rocking chair.

On Sunday morning we had one last visit with Great Grandpa. Amelia kept admiring his watch – she’s a jewelry girl for sure! I am so happy that we got to spend so much time with him. Amelia got some hugs and tickles from Grandpa before Daisha drove us to the airport. On our flight home Amelia and I had a row of three seats to ourselves. It was so nice not to have to worry about Amelia throwing toys onto our seatmates!

We were so glad to get back to Daddy. Amelia was all smiles when she saw him! She slept for 13 hours straight last night, and she took a three hour nap today to recoup. It was wonderful visiting family and friends in Florida, but Amelia and I are both VERY glad to be home. We look forward to the next time we get to see everyone down there!

Share This / Bookmark This

On Friday morning we drove to my cousin’s house for brunch, and then we headed to the Western North Carolina Nature Center. We saw a lot of fun animals and Amelia really seemed to enjoy herself! Then we headed back up to the cabin, planning to rest for a while before driving back down the mountain to the rehearsal dinner. The weather turned quickly though, and a heavy fog rolled in; the temperature dropped below freezing and we decided to stay home instead of driving back down the mountain to the rehearsal dinner. The road up to the cabin wasn’t paved and there wasn’t a guardrail – we didn’t want to risk not being able to get back to the cabin or worse yet, the possibility of driving off the side of the mountain.

The weather cleared overnight, and we had bright blue skies for the wedding on Saturday! Amelia looked like such a doll in her poofy pink dress! After the wedding we walked around outside the church and enjoyed the weather. Amelia (of course) found a stick or two, and had fun exploring. We didn’t stay very long at the reception, but we were able to see the new couple’s first dance, as well as snap a quick picture with Amelia’s second cousin – he was such a handsome little man in his fancy suit!

On Sunday morning we spent some more quality time together, and took a few more pictures. We had such a lovely visit with Grandma G and Grandpa D, and are so happy that they were able to take a quick trip up to our neck of the woods!

Amelia was very happy to get back home, and she gleefully toddled around the house while rediscovering her toys. After Amelia’s nap, Grandma and Grandpa B brought Shelby home (she stayed with them while we were gone) and stayed to watch the Tennessee v. Michigan State basketball game. After our fun-filled weekend Amelia went to bed early, glad to be home and in her own bed!

Share This / Bookmark This

We had four inches of snow when we went to bed and there were six inches when we woke up the next day! We didn’t get snowed in, but we definitely had a hard time getting down our driveway and out to the main road.

We actually had planned on driving to Pigeon Forge on Friday night, but the snow postponed our departure until Saturday morning. Before we could get out of town though, we drove up to Grandma and Grandpa B’s to help them get their car out of the snow! They have a long and curvy driveway, and in the process of trying to go around some snow-heavy branches, the car slipped off the driveway. Mark and Grandpa B worked on it for a while, and eventually a nice man with a tow chain came and pulled the car free. While the guys were working on the car, Amelia and I went inside and Grandma B let her open an early Christmas present!

What a perfect present – a hat and mitten set! Just what she needed to stay warm in the snow. Once the car was free, our little caravan headed down to Pigeon Forge. Grandma and Grandpa B were given a vacation weekend at a gorgeous three bedroom timeshare, and they invited us along!

When we were about a mile from the timeshare, our car stopped working while we were stopped at a red light. We were in the left turn lane with Grandma and Grandpa B were right behind us, and a nice young man helped Mark and Grandpa B push our car through the intersection and into a nearby parking lot. To make a long story short, we ended up needing a new alternator. Mark was able to find a place that was open 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. They came and towed the car back to their shop and had it ready for us at 2 PM the next day, to the tune of $400. Not really what we had planned for our weekend, but we are just so thankful that we were able to get it fixed on a Sunday, instead of having to wait until Monday morning. God is good, and He definitely was looking out for us this weekend! From being able to find a place that was open on Sunday, to the shop having the part we needed, to being able to fit four adults, a baby in a car seat, and ALL of our luggage (including a portable high chair, portable crib and a stroller) into Grandpa and Grandpa B’s car; we definitely saw God’s hand working throughout the whole situation. We are incredibly blessed.

On Sunday morning, after a delicious breakfast at Flapjack’s Pancake Cabin, we went outlet shopping while waiting for our car to be fixed.

Amelia tried on some fun sunglasses at the Carter’s outlet! We also found the deal of the century – the Bass outlet shop was having a buy 1 get 2 free sale! Also, if you purchased a single pair, you automatically got 50% off. The four of us each found a pair of high-quality snow boots, and the total savings listed on the bottom of the receipt was over $275! Wow!

Later in the day, after we picked up our car, we headed out to the Knoxville airport to pick up Uncle Paul! Amelia was so excited, she kept doing her scrunchy-face!

He is home from school for the next two weeks, and we are SO excited to spend some time with him. While we were waiting for Uncle Paul, Amelia found a new way to entertain herself – fun!

Even after all of the “bad” that happened this weekend (from Grandma and Grandpa B’s car getting stuck in the snow to our car needing a new alternator) we had fun. Amelia was very well behaved the whole weekend, and was a joy to be around. She’s a great little traveler – she just goes with the flow! Again, we are just so thankful that we had the Lord watching over us, and that Grandma and Grandpa B were there to help us when our car was out of commission.

Share This / Bookmark This

The day after we arrived in Florida, we went to Amelia’s “almost birthday” party, hosted by Daisha.

Amelia took a few days to warm up to everyone, so she was a little clingy and unsure at the party.

Despite all of the “new” people around her, Amelia dived right in to her presents! Out of all of the books she received, The Nose Book seems to be her favorite. It actually kept her occupied for most of our plane ride home!

Amelia’s party was at a gorgeous community park, and our pavilion was right next to a beautiful lake. Looking back, it’s probably a good thing that Amelia was clingy – otherwise she would have surely been trying to crawl over to the water!

On Tuesday we went out to Lovers Key State Park. It was a perfect day – not too hot and not too cool. The sky was overcast, but we didn’t mind – no sunburn!

Amelia warmed up to her Uncle Dan at the beach. They played in the water, looked at seashells and made a sandcastle!

What a fun day!

Spending some fun time with Grandma G and Uncle Erik – reading The Nose Book, of course!

November 4th was Great Grandpa M’s 90th birthday. Amelia was unsure about him at first, but by the end of our visit he was sitting on the floor playing with her while she crawled all over his legs and untied his shoes.

My aunts came into town for Great Grandpa’s birthday – it was a lot of fun to see my dad laughing with his two sisters. We had fourteen people around the dinner table, and I think Great Grandpa M had a wonderful time. There was a lot of good food and tons of laughter – Great Grandpa M said he couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed so hard that he cried!

On two separate occasions we noticed this bald eagle perched on top of a tree across the street.

How majestic!

Towards the end of our trip Amelia finally warmed up to Grandpa D. One morning they had a blast out on the back porch while I was getting ready for the day. He showed Amelia some of Grandma G’s wind chimes and she had so much fun making music!

On our last night there, Daisha, Daniel, Andrea and I roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Yum!

Seeing all of our family and friends in Florida was wonderful, but at the end of the week Amelia and I were both ready to head home. Uncle Dan drove us to the airport and waited with us until our plane started boarding. Amelia behaved wonderfully on the flight, and we were both incredibly happy to see Mark waiting for us once we got off of the plane.

Mark had a dozen red roses waiting for me in the car – they smell divine! Amelia and I had a great time in Florida, but it’s true that the best part of any vacation is when you return home. We look forward to the next time we can see our friends and family!

Share This / Bookmark This

November 2008 – Seven months pregnant

July 2009 – Seven months old

Share This / Bookmark This

Pictures taken in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday.

Share This / Bookmark This

He is 89 years old and lives two doors down from Grandma G and Grandpa D.

He had such a wonderful time with Amelia, and she was so interested in his watch!

He thinks Amelia is such a doll, and I must agree. Daisha came over mid morning and we took Amelia with us and went outlet shopping in the pouring rain! At the Tanger Outlets we visited Carters, Gymboree, and Oshkosh. We bought a lot of clothes for Amelia (which was wonderful because we had NOTHING for her in 6-12 month sizes) and only spent about $80. I love bargain shopping!

On Tuesday morning Grandma G’s friend Betsy came over to visit with Amelia.

She brought a lovely book filled with all sorts of Beatrix Potter stories – I am excited about reading it with Amelia when she gets a bit older! Tuesday afternoon my friend Ashley came over and visited with us for a while.

Amelia was wearing her cranky pants, but perked up a little once we let her sit in the pool – clothes and all! That evening we (me, Amelia, Grandma G, Grandpa D, Uncle Erik and Cheryl) went with Uncle Dan and Andrea to the Osaka Japanese Steakhouse.

Dinner was fantastic, and Amelia sat with her Uncle Dan most of the meal.

She only got scared once, when the chef first started cooking.

She ate some lemon and I finally got a “pucker-face” picture!

On Wednesday Amelia tried out her bright yellow pool floatie, courtesy of Uncle Dan.

It took her a while to get used to it, but she ended up loving it! After Amelia was in bed Daisha and I went with Erik and Cheryl to see the new Harry Potter movie while Grandma G and Grandpa D babysat. We had a great time!

On Thursday we visited the Hansens. They are the family my mom stayed with when she came to the US as a foreign exchange student from Norway. They became lifelong friends, and we grew up calling them Grandma and Grandad.

It was lovely to get to visit them and finally introduce Amelia to Grandad! Thursday afternoon Daisha came over for one last visit, Amelia took one last dip in the pool, and Grandma G’s friend Marty came over to meet Amelia.

On Friday morning we said goodbye to Uncle Dan (Uncle Erik was with Daisha on a plane to Mexico – we said goodbye to him the night before).

We drove through the everglades on our way to the airport, and stopped for a diaper change at a beautiful rest area.

There were huge pictures of the Everglades on the walls, and Grandma G couldn’t put her camera down! Amelia was great in the car and had such a fun time with Grandpa D in the airport.

Grandma G was able to come with me to the gate, and we had a quick lunch at Chili’s before Amelia and I boarded the plane.

My Sleepy Wrap was a life saver in the airport. I can’t stress enough how wonderful it is to have Amelia so close to me and still have both hands free! Once we landed I called Grandpa D and told him that Amelia used up all of her happiness with him, because she sure didn’t save any for the flight. My poor girl was just so tired, and couldn’t seem to fall asleep. After crying for half of the flight, she finally managed to fall asleep in my arms for about 20 minutes, and once she woke up she was her normal and cheerful self.

We had a lovely trip and hope to go back in November for Great Grandpa’s 90th birthday. While it was wonderful visiting with everyone, I was more than ready to get home to Mark. I know he missed us – especially his little girl!

Share This / Bookmark This

All of these pictures were taken by my mom on her recent trip to America Samoa.

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday.

Share This / Bookmark This

Here is just a hint of the many pictures to come. Check back next Sunday for a post with pictures from our trip!

Share This / Bookmark This