Summer is here!

We spent the weekend putting the finishing touches on the yard.  We are now all planted and ready to have a party!  Now we just need an excuse to gather our friends!  Behold, the pictures from the weekend.  Enjoy!

Mom helped me plant while she was here!

still working on my pot placement

We had random mint sprout in the spring which we didn’t plant last year. Time to get the bed ready!

PJ hard at work while I kept Miss O occupied.

Basil, Tarragon, Rosemary and Thyme.  It looks sparse, but these herbs took over the pot last year so I’m hoping they have the right amount of room to grow this year.

Olivia wants to touch everything these days. Her hands smelled like sweet basil …mmm

Time for the veggies!  Tomatoes, garlic chives, white onions, parsnips and carrots!

Done!

 

And now for some cute one’s of Miss O in her swing

Mama! Let me take the picture!

Feel free to drop by for a drink and a burger in our lovely backyard…

Have a fabulous rest of your week everyone!

Mom’s Day and a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Lake!

It was so much fun to be on the receiving end of Mother’s day this year!  I have to say that I was spoiled rotten by PJ, Olivia, my folks and my in-laws!  What a special day!

It started early when this bundle of joy started yammering “happy mother’s day mama!” from her crib

Hi Mama!

It happened I swear.  I do not lie about these things.

She joined us in bed and while I gave her a bottle, her papa appeared with a chocolate glazed donut (my favorite and I haven’t had one since I was preggers and craving them), a single long stemmed rose (one rose symbolizing my one baby girl), and that little blue box that every woman is giddy over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside was the best gift!

An “O” necklace for my beautiful Olivia.  I love it so much and it keeps her close to me even when she’s not.  So needless to say, I was REALLY feeling the love on Sunday.

Shortly after, my folks arrived and my mom whipped up a great big breakfast for all of us!  She even let Olivia unwrap her mother’s day gift from us.

more, Grandma. MORE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandpa had to step in and finally get his hands on Miss O.  She loves her Grandpa Lake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I’m so bummed that I didn’t get any pictures with my baby girl on my first Mother’s day, nor did I get any from the evening with the Downey’s!  I’m so sorry Mimi and Ed!  I have to be better about that!  We need some more family pics.

And to wrap it all up in a nice bow, here are some additional randoms from the week to throw in.  Enjoy!!  Hope all you Mom’s had a great day!

Sweet bow from Grandma Lake

Olivia and Daddy watching some Hockey

Waiting for a table at the Cricket

 

Olivia: 4 Months

Yep!  She’s still growing!  Here are the latest pics…

Week 1

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These pictures crack me up.  So you know, this is the same onesie in each picture.  It will be really interesting trying to squeeze her into it in the coming months.  I love seeing how much her personality has changed just in these few pics.  Here are her stats from the doctors office:

Height:  24.5 inches (60th percentile)
Weight:  12.7 lbs. (12.5 percentile)

She’s a peanut and we’re doing everything we can to get her to gain some weight!  She may be petite, but she’s CRAZY strong!  She wants to stand all the time and is really good at tummy time where she can hold herself up on un-bent arms and look around.  She can also kick like the dickens…ouch.

playing with the paper at the doctors office

we’re still swaddling

all smiles!

In other news we have a new nanny!  2 days a week we drop Olivia off at Chelsey and Ben’s house and she get’s to play with their 9 month old daughter Hayden all day!  Molly is wonderful with her and I never hesitate leaving her for a second.  She’s teaching her new things, and working on her motor skills and just playing and having fun.  Here are a few pics from the last couple weeks:

Out for a walk

Hayden showing Miss O how it’s done

playing in the yard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll be posting soon on my first Mother’s day and my parents visiting!

Sorry…we fell off the planet

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for the long absence but things have been so busy around here that I haven’t had a spare second to blog.  Lot’s to get you caught up on but I’ll try to keep from rambling on.

Since we posted last, we’ve been to the zoo, had Penelope’s Baptism, had friends and family visit from out of town, Olivia turned 4 months and mommy had her first weekend away.

Olivia’s first visit to the Denver Zoo!

We were invited by our good friends, Erin, Connor and Sally Kate!

Connor and Sally Kate

stopped for some lunch!

tuckered out by the time we left

All in all it was a successful trip to the zoo to see the animals!  I can’t wait until she’s old enough to know what’s going on.

On April 22nd Olivia’s best friend Penelope was baptized!  Here are a few shots from the ceremony and party

Congratulations Penelope!

Next up was a visit from The Swenson’s and my Uncle George!  George was in town to see the family and was able to stop by to meet Olivia in person for the first time!

We tried hard to capture a smile but no luck.  Next time!  Thanks for coming to say hello George!

The Swenson’s were in for a very short trip, but it was so wonderful to see them and catch up!  Here are a few pics from their weekend in Denver:

PJ had fun bouncing Giuliana while peanut layed on the floor and watched

Giuliana checking out Olivia’s toys

The guys put together the Jumperoo for Olivia! Her feet don’t touch the ground but I think she likes it!

Olivia was very curious about G’s high chair so we let her give it a whirl. I think she needs to be a bit bigger, what do you think?

We ended up having some great weather so we set up shop out back for some sun and margs!

G got to try out O’s new swing!

I think she liked it!

Olivia did not

We had a great time with them and while it was a super short trip, at least we got to see them!  Now fingers crossed that Travis get’s some business lined up out here and we’ll get to see them much more often.  They’ll be joining us at the lake this year in July so we’re REALLY looking forward to having our kiddos at the water.

And lastly, I headed up to Breck for Holly’s Bachelorette party weekend!

Such a wonderful group of ladies!

This was the first time I’ve left Olivia overnight and while there were tears shed when I left, I really had a great time and it gave PJ and Miss O some quality time together.  Everyone survived and Olivia even learned to hold the bottle by herself!

yay peanut!

And with that you’re almost caught up.  I just need to get Olivia in her 4month onesie and take a picture.  I hope to get that updated REAL soon!

 

 

The official video

I finally got good video of Olivia rolling over (though not the first time) and wanted to share it with you!  Some of you have seen it, but for the rest of you, enjoy our little peanut.  Now we just have to get her rolling from back to tummy.  She’s close!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7lH3_3U2yc

 

A good start

The end of my first official week back is nearing completion and I have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself for handling it so well.  There were tears the first day, and intermittent tears throughout the week, but all in all, I’ve been strong and it feels good to be back (though if I won the lottery, I’d be gone).  Putting my mind back to work feels good and it’s nice to get projects completed and contribute my opinion.

This was also the first week with our nanny, and while it’s terrifying to leave your child with a stranger, I think Rachel and Olivia did great!  It will be a constant work of progress as Rachel learns Olivia’s ways and also the ways in which we’ve been raising her thus far.  It’s an adjustment for everyone, but ultimately (and I think I said this before) I think it will be so good for Olivia to be with Rachel in our home for 2 days a week and then with Mimi and Ed for 2 days in their home.  I hope she’ll be more socialized and stronger for it.

 

Over the past weekend we celebrated Olivia’s first Easter with the Downey’s and wouldn’t you know it, my camera died.  I did manage to have PJ take this one before we left the house and it’s by far my favorite thus far.  I only wish PJ was in it with us.

And in other news, we entered Olivia in a casting call for Gap Kids and Baby Gap!  My mom saw it posted on Facebook so we thought we’d go ahead and enter her!  I’ll be back to tell you how you can vote for her starting in May!

Olivia: 3 months

It’s time once again for the monthly Olivia update!  I’m pretty happy with this months pic, since we actually got her smiling for the camera (I swear she has camera fright).  But before we get to the pictures, a quick update on a few things:

Spit Up:  Still happening but much less than before.  I cannot wait until she’s sitting up on her own which is supposed to help.

Back to work:  I survived the first (short) week!  There were tears the first day and poor Mimi got to see it first hand.  I was all choked up while trying to tell her what was in the diaper bag.  I was a sight I’m sure.  While it was painful to let my baby go, there was so much distraction getting back into the swing of things at work, that it really helped me survive.  The second day, I had no tears which was awesome!  Our nanny will have her Monday and Tuesday next week which will be new since she’s never watched her before, but it will help that I work so close (in case I need to bolt home) and that she’s being watched in our house which is familiar.  Either way, I feel really good about the first week and I have to say it was really nice to be back at work using the adult side of my brain.

Stats: Miss O weighs in at 11.4 lbs and is 24 1/2 inches long.

Week 1

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3 - Happy Girl!

 

And to wrap it up, here are some fun pics from the week!

Morning of the first day back to work

Evening of the first day back to work...pooped!

getting ready for a walk with Nana!

reaching for things and now holding them (briefly)!

her new sandals!

Enjoy your weekend!!