Bathtime at Grandma's

Annelise spent the night at my parent's house last week so Matt and I could celebrate our anniversary.  Mom gave her a bath in the kitchen sink and I just had to post this picture.  It's too cute!

We Love the Pool

Matt, Anne and I spent much of the day, outside working in the yard.  Boy, was it a scorcher! After hitting a few graduation open houses, we decided it was time to go to grandma's house for a dip in the pool.  I wasn't sure how Anne would react to the cold water.  She loved it!  Looks like we have a little "fish" on our hands.  

Four Years!

Yesterday was our four year anniversary!  My parents kept Anne overnight on Wednesday, so Matt and I got to sleep in and spend the day together.  We were planning to go to the zoo, but it was a torrential down pour when we left the house.  So, we went to a mall nearby that neither of us had been to.  Then, we had a nice late lunch at the Olive Garden.  It was a wonderful day!

4-Month Check-Up

Annelise had her four-month check-up today.  Mommy wasn't quite prepared.  No one told me she was going to get another 5 shots and an oral medication!  It was so sad!  But, the good news is, we have one healthy, skinny little girl.  She is 13 lbs 4 oz. and 24 1/2 inches long.  She was in a great mood for the doctor, which always helps.  I'd post a picture, but she's sound asleep in her bed.  It was a long day for the little one.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Advice

Men Beware

Anne is a little over four months now and has put herself on a really nice schedule.  I've noticed lately that she's only interested in nursing four times a day.  I suspect that the doctor will want me to start feeding her solids on a regular basis when we see him this Friday.  When I'm working, its very difficult for me to pump, so there are days when I only breast feed her three times.  Is this going to really affect my milk supply?  So far, I haven't noticed a huge decrease and my supply seems to be meeting her demands.  Any advice on this would help.

Thanks!

Trip to Kentucky

Well, we had a wonderful weekend in Kentucky.  Here's what I learned...

• Pumping breast milk in one hand while feeding your infant child a bottle in the other is great multitasking, until you realize the semi sitting in front of you has front row tickets to the show.
• Annelise doesn't like to sleep in the car (like her mama).  That was a bummer.
• Spending an evening with friends is worth every minute of the six hour drive!
• I couldn't have picked a better family to marry into.  My in-laws are wonderful!
• Buying a mini-van was the best decision we've made recently.  Its amazing how much "stuff" you have to pack for a 4-month old.  And we used every bit of it.
• The Gap Outlet is still my favorite place to shop!
• The ride home gets faster the more kids you have.  I figure by the time we have three, we'll click our heals and be there!

After

With the gracious help of many friends from church - we got our new roof on! 

Weekends

Don't you love weekends in the Spring?  So much gets done around the house - and everyone seems to be in a good mood.  This weekend, we're reroofing our house.  Here's the before picture: 

And, I couldn't post of picture of our inanimate house without also posting one of our beautiful baby girl!  She is getting so big lately.  I was going to write about how content she has been, but that just doesn't seem right as I sit here and listen to her crying in her bed.  It's nap time and she's refusing.  

WHAT???

Is anyone else totally ANGRY that Andy proposed to Angela?  I mean, he completely stole Jim's entire "engagement setting" and used it for his own!

Ugh!  Is it possible to be this emotional about people that don't exist?

It's for real!

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So, click on the button above to sign-up! Did I mention the offer ends TOMORROW?

We're Coming to Town

The Neals are FINALLY making a trip down to Northern Kentucky for Memorial weekend.  Our friends, the McDaniels, have graciously offered to host a part at their house on Friday so we can see many of our friends in one location.  You're all invited!  Send me your email address and I'll forward the event invitation on to you.  Hope you can make it!

The Dress

It seems to me that Annelise already knows the difference between jeans and dresses.  My Aunt Sue bough her this beautiful dress for Easter - but it was too big at the time.  So, with the weather being cool this weekend, we put it on her for church.  She looked absolutely adorable.  But, putting it on her was hilarious.  I had her on the changing table as normal, she was cooing and laughing.  I put the dress and on and she went limp.  She dropped her arms and stared at me as if to say "Are you for real?"  She never does that when I put jeans and a t-shirt on her.  Maybe this is a forecast of our future?  Either way, she got TONS of compliments at church.  Thanks Aunt Sue!  I hope she gets to wear it a few more times. 
 And this is a picture of Annelise and I at Panera Bread this past week.  We met up with some old friends from high school and had a blast playing with the babies!  This was Anne's second outfit - she pooped through the first one.  This same thing happened the last time we went to Panera.  I think we'll boycott it for a while - at least until she gets her blow outs under control!

First Cereal

Anne and I went to Target today - and as I walked past the baby food aisle, I thought "Mmmm...I wonder if she'd like any of that?" So, I bought some bananas for her to try. She seemed to really like it! Here's some pictures with captions. Enjoy!  

So happy...she has no idea what's about to happen!

"Hm...this doesn't taste like breast milk at all."

This is the poop face.  She decided to stop and fill her pants.

At the end, she sneezed and everything came out.  Apparently, she thought it was funny.

Slander

How do you respond in a godly way to slander?

Tulip Time

As I've stated in previous posts, its Tulip Time here.  The weather has been beautiful - and we are all enjoying the elephant ears, fat balls, and Dutch dancers.  Here are some photos for your enjoyment.  We couldn't pass up taking pictures of Anne in her Dutch costume by the world famous tulips.

Tagged

what was i doing ten years ago??
i was 15 (almost 16).  not a fun time in my life.  in a word - rebellion.  moving right along...

5 things on my "to-do" list...

• the bane of my existence (aka laundry)
• clean the house
• a few grocery items to get
• plan our anniversary day away
• make a dentist appointment (fyi - this never gets done, therefore is a permanent fixture on the to do list)

snacks i enjoy
i'm baring my soul here...

• little debbie snack cakes (thus the reason i'm still 10 pounds behind on the baby weight loss)
• cereal
• baby carrotts
• candy - all kinds
• elephant ears - did i mention its Tulip Time here?

five things i'd do if i were a billionaire...

• tithe to the church
  
• give to the rescue mission
• give to the school
• buy a new house
• quit work

my 5 bad habits... (mine are eerily similar to cydney's)

• laziness
  
• tv watching
  
• diarrhea of the mouth
  
• forgetfulness
  
• eating junk food
  

places i've lived...

• saginaw, michigan
• holland, michigan
• banska bystrica, slovakia
• chicago, illinois
• jarabacoa, dominican republic
• crescent springs, kentucky
• fort wright, kentucky

five jobs i've had...

• holland rescue mission thrift store - cashier
• good earth bagels - shift manager/barista
• moody bible institute - human resource assistant
• nanny
• northern kentucky chamber of commerce - special events assistant
• holland rescue mission - development associate

who's next????

• cousin pam
• stacy pauls
• janelle spence
• melissa talbert
• katie nuelsen

Debate

Matt and I have a healthy debate going.  He thinks (at times) that our blog is a wasted site.  Cute for the few people that read it, but useless none-the-less.  I keep telling him that there are lots of people that read our blog that we don't even know about.  So, to help me WIN the debate, if you read our blog, please comment with your name, like so.

Ex: Rachael Neal

I'll be interested to see who actually reads this - and of course, to prove my husband WRONG!

Jen Beat Me...But Only By 3!

19

Being a Mom

Mother's Day is just around the corner - and will be the first time I get to celebrate it as an active participant.  I must say, motherhood is the most rewarding job I've ever had.  Recently I stumbled upon a blog post that said something like "Motherhood is definitely the hardest job I've ever had." I totally disagree!  Is motherhood difficult at times...yes.  But, I can't say it's the hardest job I've ever had.  

Let's assume that Annelise is my boss (going along with the "job" comparison)...

• I never feel like I need to perform well for her to approve of me.  She accepts me as I am - and loves me regardless of my mistakes.
• I never feel like if I do a bad job, she could replace me with someone more qualified - or a machine for that matter.
• I don't have to get dressed up for her - she prefers me in my sweats with no make-up.
• I can disregard the schedule for a day, without severe consequence - other than the ramifications of missing a nap. :)

These are just a few of the reasons why I love being a mom - and DON'T find it difficult.  Its the most natural, rewarding task I've ever had - even if I'm not perfect at it!

Pierced Ears

We went to the mall tonight to run a few errands that we have been putting off for a few months now.  I didn't intend to get Annelise's ears pierced, but we wandered past the Piercing Pagoda - and I thought I'd just inquire about the service.  Well, before I knew it, we were sitting in the chair, marking spots for her new earings!  Daddy couldn't stand to watch, so he took a short walk while we did it.  Boy, does she look adorable!  And the best part...she only shed a few tears that lasted just a few minutes.