I have a lot to be thankful for this mother’s day.

I am extremely fortunate to have married into a family full of such wonderful women. I look up to Brian’s mom and Grandma very much, and I love that we are so close.

For as long as I can remember I have looked forward to being a mom. I wanted to be a mom so badly that I used to fear I wouldn’t be able to have kids {weird fear for a teenager, i know}. The gift of motherhood is definitely not something I take for granted.

Finley asked to take a bath in the sink the other night. When she was younger she loved bathing in the sink. I think it was the last time that she’ll be able to fit in there. I had a moment where I looked at her and was taken aback by what a “girl” she’s turned into. She’s grown out of the stage where she’s technically a toddler but still sort of babyish. No matter how you look at her the babyness is long gone. We marvel at how fast she’s grown over the last six months {physically, in terms of her behavior, the way she talks, etc}. A small part of me wishes i could just stop time with her, but mostly i’m so excited for what’s in store. I love our conversations and listening to all her amazing and hilarious thoughts. I love that she is so interested in learning {time to start some more structured learning!}. I love her imagination. And while sometimes it drives us INSANE, i love her strong will and outgoing personality.

She had a friend over yesterday {same age}. They play really well together, so I spent most of the morning down the hall from them folding laundry. Listening to their conversations was absolutely hilarious…it was like i was listening to two teenage girls gabbing.

Finley: That outfit is so cute! Is it new?
Norah: Yes. My Grandma got it for me.
Finley: Oooooh, wow. That’s so nice of her. Where’s it from?

Don’t ask me why i’ve been on such a picture taking kick. I guess i just love my girls and love to have pictures of them {adalaide is a little easier to capture seeing as how she can’t move}. I’m sure in a while i won’t want to pull my camera out, but for now forgive me for the photo overload. this morning i found finley like this. When i asked her what she was doing she replied, “i need the other one”. apparantly she wanted to “double pump”. Later today Brian’s mom {isn’t she beautiful} and Grandma came over for a LONG awaited visit. And last but definitely not least, i took some pictures of our growing girl who is 6 WEEKS OLD! Why, oh why do they grow so quickly?

What a delightful Easter we had! We decorated eggs, went to a fun celebration at our church, and celebrated on Sunday with both our families together.
In the days leading up to Easter I talked with Finley about Jesus’ death and resurrection. One of our conversations was so adorable i have to share:
me: …and then He died on the cross. But, a few days later He rose from the dead. He came back, just like He promised!
finley: oh wow! that was sure nice of Him!

simply put, put oh so true!

also, this morning she said:
finley: remember the cross?
me: yes, i do.
finley: God is nice…. and ENORMOUS!

i didn’t even know she knew the word enormous…

here’s some photos of the festivities:

i’ve already posted my favorite pictures from adalaide’s birth, but in case you are just dying to see some more, i’ve uploaded the rest to our online photo album {on the right side}.

Our sweet little lady turns one month old today. Words cannot describe how much we adore her and how much joy she brings to our family. These pictures are pretty much all the same, but I just couldn’t narrow down my favorites anymore.

coffee & smiles from my sick little girl

a content baby sleeping in the sunshine

a doting big sister

and a picnic lunch.

please stick around mr. sun!

guess who’s feeling much better…

and guess who’s not feeling so hot…
poor finley is terribly sick. we got her tested for rsv to be sure they had the same thing, and they do. it is hitting her much harder, although it’s not as dangerous because older kids don’t experience the difficult breathing like babies. tons of snot, super high fever, nasty cough. even her eyes are oozing green stuff. it’s very pitiful. but, we are all absolutely thrilled to be home and together, sick or not.

on another note, i’d like to thank our amazing friends for your thoughts, prayers, meals, visits, etc. we have felt so loved and supported…thank you!