Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today's is Andy's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the worlds best husband and Daddy!  

Andy - Thanks for being such a great Daddy to Carmen.  You know how much she loves you and watches everything you do.    And thanks for being such a great husband.  I love raising a family with you and having you by my side as we experience lifes ups and downs!   Many More!   WE LOVE YOU!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Saturday was Grandpa Skala's birthday!  

Happy Birthday Grandpa! WE LOVE YOU!  Many More!!!!
   (Sorry I don't have a more recent picture of you and Carmen)




(Pictures coming soon).

6 Years

Today Andy and I celebrate 6 years of marriage!   It's been such a wonderful 6 years and I look forward to many, many more years ahead!

Andy -   Thank you for being my best friend, confidant, love of my life and best Daddy in the world to Carmen.    I Love you with All my Heart!

Swimming Pool

Last Sunday it was super hot out so we decided to pull out Carmen's pool in the front yard.   We quickly learned it's a bit small for her but I think she still enjoyed herself.

Moving Day

Last weekend my sister Erin and Adam were moving to their new house..... I got the opportunity to spend some quality time with the girls.

On the way to my parents house we spotted these snapping turtles on the side of the road so Andy pulled over to get a few pics.

Randoms

Here are a bunch of random pictures from the past few weeks...

18 Months

On Friday Carmen turned 18 months.   Wow!  Where has the time gone!?!?!

We had her 18 month checkup on Friday as well.  All is going very well.  Carmen currently weighs in at 26.1 lbs.  That puts her in the 75th% and she's 32 inches which puts her in the 60th%. 

What is Carmen up to these days?


Carmen….
~ Weighs 26.1 pounds.
~ Still wears size 3 diapers. Considering moving up to size 4.
~Has initiated potty training. She continues to try to tell us when she has to go and about 50-75% of the time we are able to get to the potty in time.

~ Has 12 teeth. Working on those eye teeth now with all the drool.
~ Continues to LOVE swimming.

~ Is still doing well at daycare. Just had her conference last week and they are very impressed at how smart she is and how interested she is in learning new things and then how quickly she grasps those new concepts.

~Currently in a Mommy phase. But frequently asks for Daddy too.
~ Is talking up a storm. She has quite a few words now. Is starting to string 2-3 words together.

Carmen – another month has passed passed. You continue to amaze us each and every day with what you do and say! You are growing and changing so much.

Twins Game

On Tuesday Andy and I took the day off work, kept Carmen out of daycare and headed downtown to watch the Twins play.  What an absolute beautiful day for baseball despite how horribly they played!

Carmen got to ride the Lightrail for the first time.

It was fun to have Carmen with us but it was a lot of work.  I don't see her coming to many more games until she is a bit older!

Here she is in about the 7th inning! :-)

Mothers Day

I truly take for granted how blessed I am to have such a happy and healthy daughter.  It's days like Mothers Day where I realize how much I love Carmen!   Being a Mom is more than anything I could have EVER asked for.   To see a smile on someones face every time they see you or come into the room.   To be able to truly comfort someone who is hurting.   I LOVE YOU Carmen Rose!

Before I Became Your Mother
I never knew...
how happy I would feel when you smile,
I never knew...
how sad I would feel when you cry,
I never knew...
how heartwarming it would be to watch you grow,
I never knew...
how much love my heart could hold,
And now...
I will always know. 

Mothers Day with the Benedicts

On Sunday afternoon we headed over to Andy's sisters house to spend some time with the other side of the family.  Again it was a beautiful day, with more great food and great company.   We spent lots of time playing outside.

We are so lucky to have all our family so close that we can spend days like this together! :-)

Mothers Day with the Skalas

We were fortunate to spend two separate days with each family this year for Mothers Day!

On Saturday we went to my parents house and just played outside, enjoyed the weather, grilled steaks and finished the night by getting to visit my sister's new house :-)  Great food and great company!!!

This year was a bit different as my sister Erin was home with us for the first time in a while.  Things felt so different when we didn't have to worry about when they were going to head back to Chicago    :-)