Kirk and Carrie's Most Excellent Adventure

LONG time no posts!!!

Well, the blog is still active I see. I didn't know if it would be shut down after a period of non-activity. I really don't have time right now to write but hopped on here after posting on someone else's blog and needed to log in (it had been so long that I forgot my password). I'm hoping to write again, not sure what the topic will be. Maybe it will just continue as a family site but maybe I'll pick a topic - being a mom/lawyer, cooking, exercise/diet, crafting. I'm trying to do all of those and find a balance somehow! My main goal is to find my perfect life. So I quit my job in August and now have my own firm. I'm working on the pieces of the puzzle and am pretty determined to get it right. I only have one life, right? Might as well be what I want it to be and no one else is going to do it for me. So here's to perfection, whatever that might be!!!

VIDEOS

February - Tori showing off her skills

March - Julia showing off her skills

Our Beauties

Julia the Entertainer

Tori at 3 months

Sisters

Some fun comparisons...

Julia and Tori

"Now hold on there big sister, that is NOT how the story goes!"

Definitely sisters, Julia looks more pink...Tori looks more tan.

We'll see if Tori got her grandma's skin and will be the tannest in the family!

Tori is 2 months!

Tori Playing

Although Tori's favorite activity is cuddling and playing with mommy, she is getting better at entertaining herself. Her favorite spot is in the changing table - with the froggy mobile. She can stare at those frogs forever! Here she is with the farm toy - which she likes less than her black/white mat from Grammy and Grampa. We have quite a few "baby stations" around the house - just added two more swings! With a busy, independent and curious 2 1/2 year old (offically on Jan. 30th) - I need to be able to put down Tori at a moment's notice.

Adventures in Baking

Julia is becoming quite the little baker and overall helper in the kitchen (her favorite things to do are add ingredients to bowls and wash dishes). Her class actually bakes once a month (related to a book they read) and the first time she joined them, the teacher could tell that Julia had baking experience. Ah, I'm such a proud momma! Well, our latest baking project was a duck cake. We used the duck pan that I used for her 1st birthday party. Julia did really well with the frosting...even if she ate probably more than she put on the cake!

Happy to be baking with mommy

I should have known not leave Julia alone with the finished product! No worries though, it was just for us!

Us

Very proud of our cake!

Made you smile!!!

One month already!

It seems unbelievable but our little Tori is already over a month old! WOW! She is doing great and on her one month birthday she weighed 10 pounds 7 ounces!!! Certainly confirmed that the little bug is getting enough to eat! She is sleeping as much as a breastfed baby sleeps - most nights she ends up in our bed next to me to make feeding her easier (and she also sleeps SO much better).

Julia is happy and healthy - she has had more ear infections this winter but I'm really hoping she can make it through the end of cold/flu season without too many more. She's also had another big change, this past weekend we made the official switch to underwear! We were hoping not to have two in diapers for too long and so far she is doing well. She is such a big girl!!!

Enjoy these pics from January!

Official 1 month pic

See how big I'm getting???

Ah, mommy is so funny!

I'm adorable...you can't deny it!

(see below for video of a smile!)

Julia: "Please, mommy, must you take a picture of everything cute we do? Can't I read to my baby sister in peace???"

Simon's Party

Matt and Abigehl's son, Simon, turned one year this month and they had a very fun party at the Y in Shoreview. Here are some pics...

Julia being a daredevil

Inara, Xander and Julia getting ready for cake!

Matt and the birthday boy

Max - gotta love those cheeks!!!

Abigehl with the birthday boy

Swimming!

Julia having a blast swimming - we are hoping to go to the pool more often because she really loves the water and we are guessing Tori will eventually too!

Babies!!! Twins Max and Leo are now 4 months - they seemed to like the new girl in town and we are sure they will be great friends! These three attracted a great deal of attention at the Y - people were coming into the room to take a peak at these gorgeous babies!

Miss Carey with Tori - Carey and Ben are expecting their little one around March 12th - we are so excited for them!!!

Had to get this onesie!!!

Giving a sweet smile

Making some noise!

New Years at the Lake

On New Years' Day we headed to Wisconsin to spend the weekend with Kirk's family, inluding his two brothers and their significant others. It was a special weekend because Kirk's brothers live on both coasts - Kevin and Sara are in North Carolina and Kris and Missy are in California. So we don't have everyone together very often! We were also lucky enough to have some relatives travel north from Racine to see us all - Rick, Carol, Grandma, Barbara and Dale! We had a great time and enjoyed the time together (especially watching everyone play American Idol on the Wii!).

Julia stealing Grammy's slippers