and growing, and growing...

HIM.









HER.





THEM.

(Do they look like siblings? I think so.)

Breakfast seems to take 3x as long these days, but we don't mind.









And I love being married to a photographer, because I get super cute photos like these of my sweet boy:

Okay, we put the paci in, but she did the rest!

Mike and I are notorious for constantly changing things around in the house, and not only that, but killing ourselves in the meantime trying to get it done in record time. Unfortunately, neither one of us has any real "handyman" skills. We usually average 3 nail holes for every one that we want. Luckily frames hide what lies behind them. We also tend to use makeshift tools because we either don't have the necessary one required, or we're (he's) too lazy to charge the drill and instead decides to hammer a screwdriver into cement walls, wondering why it's "just not working". It may look pretty from far away, but please don't look too closely or you will see its imperfections. (Although we have grown to love those imperfections, or mention them every time we pass them.)

So when we thought up a breakfast nook idea that would require built-in benches and a chandelier light install, we knew better than to try it ourselves. Enter Nathanael Manthey and Matt O'Malley. Their skills helped us get the job done...and in the meantime Mike and I learned a lesson in patience as we had to wait almost 6 months from the birth of the idea to the completion of it.

Here's the finished product and it's just what we hoped it would be:





Lingering breakfasts & late-night card playing await us...

Here are a few glimpses into our days...

My grandma bought Abby this little desk at a yard sale. I had intentions to refinish it, but its kind of growing on me. The cutest part is it's heart-shaped seat. She loves asking for paper and pens so she can draw. Her art-major-daddy thinks she's got real skill and excitedly hangs up her artwork on the fridge.







Abby is a creature of habit like her daddy. I often say of her, "If you do something with her once, she'll remember and ask for it forever." One day I added car-watching to our bedtime routine. Well, now its a regular occurrence. We like to go "vroom" when they go by. It worked better before daylight savings kicked in but she doesn't seem to mind.





I made waffles one day with fruit, powdered sugar and whipped cream. Boy did I unlock the key to her heart--whipped cream! She asks for it often and on this rare occasion I let her indulge a bit...





My best friend April came to visit for a few days and she has been getting into photography, so naturally a new baby and a cute girl were ideal subjects for her lens. I love the special moments she captured.

...from the little girl who asks to be naked at least 5 times a day. I asked her if she was cold and would like to get dressed again, but she opted for a blankie and cartoons instead.

Her favorite show is Elmo. Not Sesame Street, but Elmo. And if he's not on the TV at any given moment, she loses interest. Until today's episode which had Spanish music and dancing. She was captivated!





(Please ignore the mullet. We are waiting for her hair to grow on the top and don't want to lose those cute curls by cutting the ends!)



All while little O and I snuggled...

I was telling Mike that I think we need to push Abby to climb more (funny how we have to encourage this little one to do the stuff that most parents wish their littles would stop doing!). He had the brilliant idea to use her favorite food as a bribe, I mean, incentive. Fruit snacks! Worked like a charm and after a few tries, she was quick!



Don't know why we didn't think of this sooner.

With the weather showing rain these next few days, we thought we'd better get out of the house and soak up the kind of vitamin D that doesn't come in pill form (or infant's drop form, as we've discovered recently).

We walked almost a mile and Abby ran most of the way. This girl has no boundaries to her energy, probably as a result of spending the first 17 months of her life on her bottom rather than her feet!

Of course, every walk must start with a dum-dum.





I'm seeing this furrowed brow look more and more often, and I'm convinced it's because the little mimic sees her mama squint all day (I need to wear my glasses more often).