Our "Littlest" Girl

I was going to title this Our Peanut, however Brad isn't a big fan of the word "peanut" in describing someones size. Not that it matters, just a side note. We went for Ainsley's 15 mos. doctor appointment today. Since August is a busy month for back-to-school physicals we couldn't get in until the end of the month, and really at this point she is almost 16 mos (9/1 will be 16 mos). I think this was the first time Ainsley ever went to the doctor by herself. Since both girls have May birthdays they have always been on the same schedule. Even when it was just time for Ainsley to go Kaylee always came along. Now that Kaylee is in pre-school I had a feeling she would have much more fun doing that, although she does truly enjoy the fish at the doctor's office. So we took Kaylee to school. She was a little weirded out at first because we generally take Ainsley to Karen's house first. Once she got into school she was ready to go. Brad met us at the doctor. I'm not good at listening objectively if any concerns come up. My mind starts to go for the worst. Not that this has happened much but we had a slight scare at Kaylee's 8 week appointment, so since that Brad always goes in case something comes up that needs to be addressed. Luckily since then it never has :)

Ainsley did well. She's always a trooper. The Dr. said that she is developing normally for her age and was very happy with Ainsley. Now to my title....here are her stats:

Height: 32 inches=93%
Head: I can't remember exactly but the % is 70th
Weight: 19lbs. 10 oz.=8%

Yes, 8%! Now Kaylee never reached over 75% for weight, until her 3 year appointment, but the lowest was 50%. I completely trust our Doctor, I absolutely love her! She is not worried, as Ainsley continues to develop normally in all areas. Our plan of action is to decrease her milk, so she will get milk twice a day. Her thinking is Ainsley drinks a lot of milk and may not be taking in as much food. The Dr. also put Ainsley on a vitamin and we will go back in 6 weeks for a weight check. Ainsley is a mover. She loves to eat but is ALWAYS on the go, so I can see how she burns a lot of calories! Brad stayed home with Ainsley for the rest of the day so after the appointment they went to the store and stocked up on A LOT of snacks! So for now we will keep plugging along and hopefully get some weight on the girl. Other than that she got 2 shots and was good to go. We're blessed to have such healthy and happy girls!

In Memory

Those of you that have followed my blog may remember the first post was a tribute to my Grams. She passed away last night. While she hadn't been doing well, and we all knew it was only a matter of time it is still hard to say good-bye. I have spent much of my morning reminiscing over traditions that were created by her. The biggest 2 are pinatas and themed family parties. I feel so blessed that my own children have been able to experience these as well. It's always bittersweet in these situations, your loved one is finally at peace but the feeling of loss remains. Grams was one of the most influential people in my life and was blessed to have her as long as I did, and the amount of memories that will last the rest of my life. While she hasn't been the "Grams" I knew for most of our time it is still hard to think of her not being here.

So here is to you Grams, A.K.A. Mrs. Meanie~May you meet Heaven's Gate with open arms and may He offer you:

• Freeze pops and frogs in the bathroom
• Television to watch Days, and the same cable channel that let you see Days a day ahead of everyone else!
• All the Hershey Kisses you would like and NO mints
• A full library of Mary Higgins Clark books and all the other ones you enjoy
• A place next to Grandpa, and may he not have as many catalog orders as he did here
• May there be pinatas at all the holidays and gatherings
• May there be one theme party a year
• May you teach others how to share
• May the welcome sign read "Welcome to the Funny Farm"

We will miss you and love you for always, and continue to use your wisdom to help us choose our paths in life. Thanks!

Happy Anniversary to Us!...Belated of course....

I have meant to do this post for almost a month now...but I guess late is better than never. Side note: Not having internet at home makes updating my blogs a little more challenging, so that is why updates are generally so spread out.

On July 14th Brad and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. However we have been dating since 1992, I feel it's important to note that because in reality we have been together for 1/2 of our lives. Who knew way back then that this is how it would go. Well someone of a much higher power knew, and when we took a small break in the late summer of 1995, I had faith that what was meant to be would be, and so it was. I feel very fortunate to have been able to marry my best friend and to have been able to share SO much of my life with him. We have a lot of mutual friends, and have really been there to share in many life changing events, aside from marriage and children. I continue to look forward to all that will come, the ups and the downs, it's been a fun ride so far! We have been very blessed and I am so thankful for that.

I was going to post some photos from a REALLY long time ago, however I can't seem to locate the box that those would be in, honestly I haven't had a lot of time to look. So instead I opted for some wedding photos.

This is a photo from when Brad and I got engaged. We were in Galena. Brad had took me to a Bed and Breakfast after I graduated college. He didn't tell me where we were going. We were engaged on May 17th, 2000. Five years after this day Kaylee was born. The sad thing is I didn't realize that until after Kaylee was born. Brad's mom had gotten us glasses that were engraved with our engagement date, shortly after Kaylee was born something made me think to look at those glasses, I did and that's how I figured it out. It was also the same day as Monica and Chandler were engaged on Friends. After dinner we went back to the cottage, which is when we got engaged, and Brad's mom had sent champagne and the glasses. So we drank it and watched Friends.

Here is a photo of our Wedding Party. We were married at the Evelyn Chapel, on Wesleyan's campus. I love that Chapel because it reminds me of something you would find out in the country. It's so funny to look at these now. Our ring bearer and flower girl were so little then, they were 3 and 3 1/2 at the time. One of the girls who handed out our Programs, Sydney, will be Sophomore this year! Which is how old one of my brother's was at the time we got married! It's amazing how fast time goes and how things change.

Lastly a photo of Brad and I, in the limo, on the way to the reception. It was such a fun day!!