Lilly's Big Race

On June 4 Lilly ran in her first race. It was the "Smart Run" which benefits the Cedarburg school system. Lilly was so excited for her race. She made sure Ryan did plenty of training with her the week before.

Lilly is the little kid in the middle. She was one of the smallest kids there.

And their off!

Each kid got a medal at the finish.

Lilly with her friends Kenzie and Madison.

Post run stretch. Lilly had a great time. I hope she grows up loving exercise!

Well look who is 2!

That is right my baby is now 2! It is amazing how fast the years fly by. Kate was very lucky in that we celebrated her birthday 3 times this year.

When my parents visited in the beginning of May we had a small family party for her.

Every year the girls get a new birthday hat.

Kate was spoiled by both set of grandparents! Kate had such a bad ear infection at the time and was kind of grumpy. She was very happy though when she got to open presents.

On her actual birthday June 2 we celebrated all day long. She got candles in her breakfast. She loves candles!

That night we went to dinner. Kate loved the brownie they gave her for her birthday. It was hard to sneak a bite.

Our last celebration was the next day June 3. We had a big BBQ with some of our amazing friends here. Kate loves having friends over. In fact it is usually the first thing she asks for in the morning.

When picking out her birthday cake, Kate insisted on getting one with a baby carriage. She loves playing with her babies. She is going to be a great big sister!

Things I love about Kater:

She is very independent. Loves to be a big kid.

She is very loving. She loves to give hugs and cuddle. She often says "I love you 200!"

She is very expressive and talkative. I am amazed at her vocabulary.

Kate is still a great napper. She sleeps 2 plus hours at nap time.

Kate loves to play in the water.

Kate loves to dance and sing. All the time!

Kate is generally happy happy. She loves to be silly and laugh.

Kate loves to ride her bike and scouter.

Kate is a ray of sunshine with lights in her eyes! I just love that I get to be her mother.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!

Memorial Day

I just love holidays. I love the parades, hanging with my family and friends and all the good times that happen around holidays. This year for memorial day we went to the local parade with our friends the Poulsen's.

Kate has decided her favorite part is the drums!

The rest off Memorial Day was spent cooking ribs for a rib cook off. The guys tended to their ribs for hours while they ladies hung out and watch the kiddos run through the sprinklers.

It was finally time for the judging. As wives we were tasked with picking a winner. It was such a hard choice. They were all amazing!

Brian ended up winning the contest and Ryan got second. We have a trophy that gets passed from each person when they win.

I was so surprised that the kids even loved the ribs!

We are so very lucky to have so many wonderful friends living so close to us.

Lilly is in training

I love that Lilly wants to be like her Daddy. Ever since Ryan and I both got into running Lilly has been asking to run. Ryan has taken her a few times and she does really well. Our little town is having a smart run for little kids. It is just a half mile route. We signed Lilly up and she is so excited for her big race this Saturday. Because I am nearly 7 months pregnant I had to put my running shoes away for awhile but Ryan has been helping Lilly get ready.

Stretching before a run is very important.

Can't for get to stay hydrated!

I can't wait for her race on Saturday.

Kids Bowl Free!

My friend told me about this great program called Kids Bowl Free. Kids can sign up for 2 free games of bowling everyday all summer long. For an extra $25 the parents can both enjoy bowling all summer long. We decided to do it and we have loved it so far! The girls love going to the bowling ally. They are so cute and dance around the whole time.

I just love my little family!

Nauvoo

We were so lucky to have my parents come visit the first part of May. I had been counting down the days until they came. I am so lucky to have such a close relationship with both my parents. I love the encouragement and uplift they bring. They just brighten my world.

As part of their visit we decided to take a trip to Nauvoo IL. My Dad had never been there and with us living only 5 hours from there it was something we have been wanting to do ever since we moved here nearly 3 years ago.

The girls were packed in and ready to go Monday morning when Kate complained of her ear hurting. Just the day before I had taken her to an urgent care clinic because she had been complaining that her ear hurt. They said her ears were fine but I know in my heart they were not.

Kate fell asleep on the drive. When she woke she was not a happy campier. Her ear was draining a lot of fluid and you could tell she did not fell well. I tried to just give her ibuprofen and survive it.

We made it to Nauvoo (finally! I don't recommend road trips when you are 6 months pregnant). We got checked into our hotel, went swimming and got set for our next day of adventures.

The church offers free guided tours of Nauvoo. It was the perfect way to see old Nauvoo. The girls loved the horse drawn wagons we got to ride in.

The Nauvoo Temple is just beautiful. I tried to imagine how hard it was for the early saints to pack up and leave their beautiful temple behind.

After spending sometime in old Nauvoo we decided to head to Carthage to see the church sight there. Seeing the Carthage jail was a humbling experience for me. I have a testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith but this just strengthened it.

On the way back to Nauvoo Kate had had enough of her ear infections. She was not happy at all. (I had tired to call my pediatrician for some meds for Kate. She said she did not feel that it was an ear infection just some ear wax drainage. I was so frustrated!) We found a small walk in clinic in town. They looked at Kate's ear and it was clearly infected. We finally got some meds for Kate. I was so relieved knowing that Kate would be out of pain soon.

Our last day in Nauvoo was filled with fun for the girls. We took them to the pioneer games area. Lilly loved dressing up and playing house.

Kate loved the pioneer games there. It was nice that Kate was finely happier. A sick kid in pain is no fun.

Our last stop was the black smiths shop. Lilly just loves her ring they made for her out of a nail.

Despite Kate being sick we had a great time in Nauvoo. It was great to be with family and be reminded of all the early saint gave up for the truth of the gospel. They had so much faith and perseverance.