Children's Museum!

Last Friday, I took the girls to the Children's Museum for the first time. They loved it!


We went to the carousel first... the girls weren't too sure what was going on yet. So we didn't get much expression from them.

Jillian wouldn't even give up her paci... we're new to one nap a day, so after the long ride downtown, they needed a little bit of time to get warmed up. But, it didn't take long. (BTW - we were there to celebrate Jacklynn's first birthday! Happy Birthday, Jac - thanks for the invite!)

Lauren was in heaven in these pretend kitchens. This one was an ice cream parlor.

Jillian heard the music from the carousel and started to dance.

Lauren serving tea in the play house.

Cousin Sophie got to play with us, too!
By far, the biggest hit was "Playscape" - it's made for younger kids and this little area entertained them for about 45 minutes.

Lauren was carrying this block and crossing back and forth on the bridge over and over again. She has such a logical mind, I can only imagine what she thought she was accomplishing.

Lauren saying "Cheese!"

Jillian making friends - I have no idea who this little girl is.


My little monkey.

Of course, Lauren found the kitchen and got right to work, microwaving the pizza!

Another monkey shot.

Jillian even ventured to the sand area and was very curious to watch the big kids pour sand into the sand gizmos.


The girls barely made it out of the parking garage before they were asleep. All that playing sure makes you tired. I tried to keep Lauren awake (to save our nap at home), but it was useless to try.

Working with Daddy

Andy was watching the girls this weekend and decided to show them the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse website, since the girls love that show. It was a cute moment, so I had to capture it and share.

Movin' on up!

Our new home on Sandalwood Drive, in Carmel.

I think we must have set some kind of record for the sale of our home. It was listed for four weeks (during Christmas) and had a total of five showings. We were so shocked and amazed at the timing, because the day before we got the offer, we found a house in Carmel that we really liked.

After we finalized the deal on our home, we went to look at this home a second time and made an offer that night. We went back and forth a few times, but they accepted our offer and we're moving the second weekend in February!

We're so excited to be able to stretch out and in plenty of time to get everything ready for our newest arrival in July.

Baby update

I went to the doctor last Friday because of a sharp pain I was feeling in my stomach. After ruling out anything scary, the doctor concluded that it was probably just nerve pain or muscle strain from lifting the girls.

But, because they needed to check for cysts, I got another ultrasound and I was just amazed at how much the baby had grown in just four short weeks.

When we first saw the baby, you could see little arm and leg buds beginning to form and four weeks later, this baby already has developed long arms, legs and feet! My guess is we have another "long and lean" baby, like Lauren.

Seeing the baby again and how much has developed in such a short time reminded me of what an incredible miracle it is. Without doing anything different (except for a prenatal vitamin every morning), I'm growing a perfect life inside my stomach.

It renewed my sense of awe and wonder of how God is at work in and through our lives (and our bodies), even when we're unaware.

If you click on the image, you can see it larger and if you look closely, you can make out an eye and the nose on the face.

New Year's Eve

We had a fun New Year's Eve, celebrating with a few friends: Todd and Robbie Stewart, Greg, Danielle and Titus Storrs. I was so mad at myself, because once again, I forgot to pick up my camera.

The girls enjoyed seeing Titus again (now 10 months). We haven't seen him since the wedding we attended in Michigan last May. He is so cute. Since I didn't get any pics of him, be sure to check the Storr's blog to see what I'm talking about.

I did get this one shot at the beginning of the night of the girls watching Todd and Robbie play Nintendo Wii. Which pretty much sums up the entire night. That and eating lots of junk food, including Puppy Chow (which I crave on New Year's Eve for some reason).

We ended the night with a $7 bottle of sparkling wine I "splurged" on. You know us Kellers, we spare no expense when it comes to celebrating!

Side note - Danielle and I are both pregnant and only 3 weeks apart. Their first pregnancy was also a struggle, so it's quite a surprise that we're both pregnant, again. Her little babies will be about 16 months apart.

It doesn't get much better than this...

Tickle, tickle

The girls interact more and more all the time. Which means lots more fighting, screaming and toy stealing, but also a lot more giggling.

Here are a few shots Merrie Leigh took of the girls last week while she watched them. Jillian was finishing her lunch, when Lauren decided to tickle her feet.

A "Cup"le suggestions

We've tried straws, snap-on lids, screw-on lids, soft spouts and hard... and I still can't find a cup I'm really in love with for the girls. Suggestions?

Right now, we're trying a Nuby brand cup (see Jillian's pic). So far, so good. I just want something that won't spill when thrown or drip when left on the floor. But, most importantly, doesn't cost $4/cup.

Christmas!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post our Christmas pictures, but I got a new camera for Christmas and didn't have the appropriate cable to get pictures from the camera to my computer... please forgive me. I know you've all been waiting and checking back to see the girl's in their Christmas dresses. But, hopefully, it was worth the wait.

Christmas with the Poes

We celebrated with my parents and brother on Dec. 22 at my parent's house. It was a great time. Jillian was the only one interested in helping open the gifts, but Lauren was happy to play with whatever we discovered beneath the paper.

They got a new play kitchen and lots of kitchen accessories. I'd say that was the favorite gift for both of them this year. Unfortunately, because we're trying to sell our house, we had to leave it there until we get a new house. And I can't wait to have it at home, because it literally entertains them for hours.

My mom made an incredible dinner and we ended it with a yummy dessert, made famous by a great St. Joe restaurant (Galvin's), called Baked Fudge. Eat it warm with vanilla ice cream and you'll pretty much think you've died and gone to heaven. I imagine God will have a fresh batch baking in my oven in the mansion he's built just for me, when I cross into the pearly gates!




Christmas with the Kellers

On Christmas Eve, we continued our wonderful tradition of attending services at Northview and then going to the Keller's house for dinner and gifts.

We feasted on crab legs and all the fixin's and then opened lots of gifts. The girl's favorite gift (and mine, too), was a two-seater wagon! We will use that SO much once the weather gets warm. Again, we had to leave it at their house, until we get into a new house, big enough to hold all this gear.

I got some shots of the girls in their super cute dresses, before we put them in their PJs. I was a proud mommy. I just can't believe how pretty my girls are. It's a biased statement. But, my heart was in my throat when I got them dressed and their hair done, before church.







Christmas Day

Christmas Day was busy. The morning was relaxing - Andy's parents came over and I made homemade cinnamon rolls (a whole breakfast spread was on the menu, but I was sick in the night (baby didn't like the crab legs, I guess), so needless to say, I wasn't feeling up to making a huge meal) for breakfast.

We got a few small gifts for the girls and they opened them after we ate. Andy got me a new digital camera! Hooray! One that doesn't delay for 5 seconds when you try to take the picture and then miss the moment altogether.

Later that afternoon, we packed up and flew to Kansas City to spend the rest of the week with my grandparent's and the rest of my dad's family.

We had a nice time, but I'm embarrassed to say I didn't snap one picture the entire time. I blame it on my pregnancy - my brain simply doesn't function at capacity these days.

During our stay, we did a lot of visiting, ate out a couple times, went to the Kansas City dinner theatre (rated one of the best in the country) and I got to have lunch with my best bud, Cassie.

Flying is not my favorite thing to do with the girls - in fact, I'd probably say it's my least favorite thing. And since we've flown them four times in the past six months, I've certainly had my fill of being the mom on the plane that everyone despises (Andy's has had his fill, too)(And he gets the "Dad of the Year" award for all he endures right alongside me).

But, I have to mention that Southwest Airlines was BY FAR our favorite airline to fly with kids. They were SO accommodating and went out of their way to offer solutions that would make our experience more enjoyable (which was appreciated much more after the poor experience we had with American Airlines). Plus, it felt like their laid back style overall, just made everyone a lot more comfortable. I figure a plug for the airline to all my other mommy friends is the least I can do to show my appreciation!

So, Christmas was a success! We had a great time spending the season with all our family and friends. If I can get some pictures from my mom of our time in KC, I'll post those at a later time.

House for sale

9653 Aberdeen Ct., Fishers

A couple weeks ago, Andy and I listed our house. If you know of any potential buyers, please send them our way.

We love this house and are sad to leave it, but having two toddlers and a third on the way kind of forced the issue.

Get all the details here.

See a virtual tour.

More photos: