Family Picnic

Last Saturday we had a picnic with Ben's family. His sister and her family have been living in North Carolina for about 3 years and are relocating to Colorado for a job next week. We met up at a park with Ben's parents and his sister and her family to spend one last time together for what will most likely be a very long time. The cousins had a great time playing and the weather was beautiful. The adults also got to visit a little.

 Geep and Gran with all their grandchildren.

 All the kids and grandchildren.

 The 7th grandchild was there, but still growing. Ben did say I should have stuck my belly in the picture below.

 The 6 grandchildren.

 Picking which Gran cookie will be eaten next. Her cookies are always decorated so beautifully!

Setharoo and Elliott too!

Our sweet friends moved away at the end of last year. Ellie asks about her buddy Seth all the time and when she asks about Seth Quinn makes sure to ask about Elliott. We miss having them here to play with and we miss their sweet parents too! It was a special treat that they were in town last week and we made sure to meet up at the park. These are the best two pictures I could get of them as they were always on the move.

We can't wait to see them again soon! Hopefully before we welcome number 3!

It's A.....

 GIRL!!!!

We are so excited to be welcoming another little girl to our family! She looked great at our appointment! We can not wait to meet this little one in August!

Here we are at 18 weeks (almost 19)! We are about halfway there and other than having to maintain my diet for my gestational diabetes, I am feeling pretty good. The girls love to smooch the baby all the time, especially Quinn! Ellie can not wait to hold her and feed her bottles. Every day Ellie asks me how many months it will be until August!

SeaLife

We had a very generous gift from my Uncle Matt, Aunt Patti and Cousin Morgan for Christmas as well as a gift from some friends and we decided to use the gift towards an annual pass to the new aquarium that just opened at Concord Mills Mall, which is only a few minutes from our house. We went a couple of weeks ago to get our passes and it was great. They have great displays full of beautiful sea life, including a shark tunnel, a touch tank and a kid's play zone. The girls and I went back last week too. I can tell we are going to be there often. I love touch tanks and I am hoping Ellie will work up her bravery to touch the animals with me in the coming months! I am enjoying the aquarium already and having grown up in Florida sea creatures have always been something I enjoyed. (I once thought about studying oceanography so I could study whales and dolphins.) I am looking forward to many more visits and developing a love for sea creatures in my own children!

 Sting Rays

Shark Tunnel

Snow Days

In February we enjoyed some wonderful snow days. Ben got to stay home and we were able to get out and enjoy the snow. We made snow angels, built a snowman and Ellie had an awesome time sledding down the driveway (Quinny even tried it!). Here are a few pictures of our fun. We also took a video of Ellie sledding that I will include in a later post.

 Getting all bundled up!

 Snow Angels!

 Making a Snowman

Our Snowgirl! The leaves in her hair are bows, according to Ellie!

Minivan Momma

Big news in our house! As we will be welcoming a new addition we entered the world of owning a minivan. I have never been one to desire a minivan, but as I knew it was in my future my only request was automatic doors. Ben is a super deal finder and has been on the hunt, which he loves to do. We have been praying and searching for just the right deal and Ben found it. It is more than we could have ever hoped for and will be great for our family for many years to come. I must admit I am loving the extra space, but after driving my other car for 10 1/2 years, I am glad that it is now Ben's and I did not have to say good bye to it just yet. ;)

Ellie's Pictures

Ellie has been busy taking pictures or as Quinn calls them "Cheese". Quinn also likes to swipe the camera and get in a few pictures. Ellie has been asking me to post some of her work on the blog, so here is round 2.

Daddy hard at work making the toy chests.

 Our sweet Miss Kammy. We love her! She is our go to babysitter and the girls LOVE her. When she is coming over that night they talk about it all day. She watches them at MAXlife each week and also comes to the house and watches them for us frequently. Quinny loves her "Keemmy" as she calls her.

 Ellie's favorite subject for pictures.

 Sneaking a picture of Mom and Dad in the kitchen.

 Little Baby Joy is also a popular subject for pictures.

 Making sure to get a picture of herself.

Baby and Jenna made it in this session. Baby has been well loved!