After two summers of “hiding out” in the air conditioned goodness with newborn babies, the time for the kids and I to get outside and play is here!!! I’m not the most outdoorsy girl you’ll ever meet (that’s for sure!), but I have to say that I’ve enjoyed watching Emma and Noah meet the great outdoors so much that it’s been a blast for me too. Over the last couple weeks, we’ve played in the grass, watched airplanes, seen birds, colored with chalk, jumped in puddles, taken walks, and I even started getting the pool ready today. I cannot wait for a whole summer filled with fun and wonder.

(On that note, suggestions about bug repellant would be greatly appreciated! Those things bite me as soon as I step outside!)

You’ll be happy to know that being outside a lot more means a TON more pictures of our kids… and these are the narrowed down pictures. Seriously. Here’s the first bunch. They’re not all outside, but this is a glimpse. The slideshow is just over 6 minutes long, so wait until you have a little bit of time.

Below the slideshow, you’ll see another video. It makes me melt every time I watch it… I’ve loved music since I was a little kid and I loved (and still love) singing with my mom. I am blessed to have a daughter who seems to enjoy singing as much as I always have and we sing most mornings… and walks… and lunchtimes… and bathtimes… ok, you get the idea. It’s been a joy for me to hear her sing back to me and I LOVE that I was finally able to get one of those times on video. I didn’t have my Flip Mino handy, so I broke out our 5D Mark II to catch it. Don’t skip the pictures , but definitely check out Emma helping me sing the song from the classic book, I Love You Forever. Please excuse my early morning, not warmed up singing voice.

- Annie

Emma loves to read and I’m hoping it will rub off on Noah!

Hello Terrible Twos!

One of my new favorites of Emma… Her expression is so wonderful. She was so excited to be jumping in the puddles!

I love this one of Matthew and Noah!!!

His smile is so awesome…

… and so is her laugh!

Favorite.

This my favorite of the kids since this one…

He loves going after things – he just lights up when he’s crawling as fast as he can!

Classic Emma…

I’m not taking a single bottle for granted… My baby’s growing so fast!!!

L-O-V-E this one!

Just Noah…


The first time in a long time that she’s been a ham!

On one of our walks!

Enjoy lots more in the slideshow!

Here’s the video of Emma helping me sing: