Sweet Summertime

After a long, challenging school year, summer is finally here!  We've been enjoying every minute so far.  We just got back from our first trip to Michigan.  We plan to pack in as much fun as possible until school starts again in August!

Happy Easter!

Yesterday was Easter and now we're on spring break! We have been so ready for this time off!!!! We're in the home stretch--summer will be here before we know it. The girls are both doing great and getting so big. Lily loves putting on shows for us all the time (who do you think she takes after??;) and Lanie is starting to talk more and is quickly becoming less "baby" and more "big girl" which is bittersweet. Her latest word is "no" and, boy, does she know when to use it! Enjoy some pics :)

Christmas 2012

Christmas has come and gone and we are still enjoying our break from school. Things have been busy! Lily had her Christmas program at school. We spent the weekend before Christmas in Chicago with the Printz side of the family, then we spent Christmas Eve with the Stehlin's and Christmas Day with the Binzer's. Lily was super-excited to see that Santa had visited our house! She was very happy that he ate his cookies and drank his milk, and that the reindeer ate their food, as well!

The day after Christmas was our first "big snow." It's too bad we're already on break because we would have had a snow day for sure ;) We all enjoyed some sledding time in the backyard, and Lily loved making snow angels and eating snow, like always! We have a few days of break left and I plan to enjoy every minute. It always goes by so fast! It's so nice to be able to relax and not to have to worry about any schedules!

Merry Christmas! Look's like we'll be spending New Year's Eve at Tracy & Brian's house, as usual :)

All my Christmas pics are on my camera, but I did get a few while we were playing in the snow and when the girls were playing in their new tent. It's so cute to see them playing together and giggling in there. Lanie is really growing up quickly and starting to play with her big sister more and more!

Lanie's First Birthday!

Our sweet Elaina Violet turned one this past Tuesday, December 4th. This was the fastest year ever!!! The birthday girl was the only one of us who wasn't sick on her special day--the rest of us all had a nasty stomach bug. At least she's still too little to know that her birthday was not very fun this year! We did get better though, and we celebrated with a party at her Mamaw and Papaw Stehlin's house. We decided to have it there to prevent anyone from catching our germs! Jay's parents came down, too, and we had a great time. Here's hoping that her next birthday is a healthier one for all of us! Oh, and did I mention that she's walking??

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week we traveled to Michigan to spend Thanksgiving with the Printz clan. It was a great week and we took care of all the usual traditions. Wednesday night we had pizza at the condo. Thursday we had turkey dinner at the bed & breakfast that Dad Printz rented for the family. Mom Printz cooked up a delicious meal, as usual! The weather was really warm and we all had an outdoor photo shoot, since the whole family was there. Thanks to Ruth and her camera we got some great shots. Friday we had lunch at 8th Street and then saw Santa. We didn't stay out very long because the weather had changed drastically and it was COLD and WINDY. That night, Nancy whipped up her delicious sausage and peppers and we ate my pumpkin gooey butter cake and decorated the Christmas tree at the condo. We stuck around on Saturday until after the Michigan game. It's always a bit sad to come home after having so much fun and seeing everyone, but we'll be seeing everyone soon for Christmas! I know the girls had a blast...it was Lanie's first turkey day, and Lily LOVED playing with her buddy, Drew! Can't wait til next year!

11 Months Already

Lanie is 11 months old today! Time is flying. Next month we will celebrate her first birthday...hard to believe! She is really starting to get a personality. I love listening to her laugh, and no one can get her going quite like Lily. My favorite sound in the world is my girls laughing together. Lanie has also started "dancing" when she hears music...too cute! I took a few pics today--enjoy!

Halloween

Yesterday was Halloween! Our tradition has been to go to Tracy's house for trick-or-treat, since we don't live in a neighborhood with sidewalks (and we never have any kids knock on our door for candy!). The weather was not very nice, unfortunately, but Lily was still grinning from ear to ear the whole time. She did a fantastic job of saying "Trick or Treat" each time and then thanked each person for the candy. Since she was dressed as a Michigan cheerleader (which was a total last-minute change of mind on her part after we had already bought her Snow White costume) she got heckled a few times by some Buckeye fans, but Jay taught her to simply reply, "Go Blue!". Lanie was dressed as an elephant. We didn't keep her out long since it was so cold. In fact, when we got home she felt warm to me and she did have a fever. Poor baby! She literally has had a cough/snotty nose for the entire month of October. And after taking her to the doctor today, we discovered that both of her ears are infected! I sure hope she gets better soon and that all this sickness is building up her immunity for the future!

Happy Halloween!