Trip to Sheboygan, WI and Chicago!

The trip to Sheboygan was a lot of fun. We got to spend time with almost all the Graesser's. Jason and Brandy couldn't make it and they were missed.

We got to meet baby Katelyn! She's a sweetheart. We were able to be there for her baptism. It had to be the smoothest baptism I've ever seen. Katelyn slept through everything! We also got to spend some time at Mel and Dave's house. They have made it into a wonderful home. Thanks for having us Mel and Dave!

Then we spent a couple days in Chicago before going home. It was fun going to the Navy Pier. The girls really enjoyed the rides. We got to do a little shopping on Michigan Avenue and spent some time at Millennium Park. We also took a little sunset cruise on the lake. Ellie screamed the whole time, but it was quite a view of the Chicago skyline. Too bad the camera died. Sadly, we have no pictures of that. We rode the bus a lot. The girls loved that it was so bumpy...wish I could say the same for myself!

So...here are the pictures.


Hannah holding Ellie for take-off out of Houston. The girls did great on the plane. Neither of them has acquired an "inside voice", but at least they weren't screaming!


All the Graesser cousins hanging out at Aunt Mel and Uncle Dave's house. Hannah loved being around all the babies! From left to right: Peter (Michael and Kim's son), Katelyn (Mel and Dave's daughter), Hannah and Ellie.


Katelyn's Baptism. Katelyn wore the same gown that Melissa wore when she was baptized.


Hannah and Ellie on the ferris wheel at the Navy Pier in Chicago.


Some of you haven't seen me recently...this is my belly pic at 24 weeks! Haha...we took this at Millennium park at the great big jelly bean (you can see it at http://www.millenniumpark.org/artandarchitecture/cloud_gate.html). We had fun taking some goofy pictures. By we I mean Andrew and me...the girls slept through the whole thing. At least we can still laugh at ourselves.


Hannah was our official tour guide at the Chicago Zoo. The zoo was free and a great last activity before we left for the airport.

Colorado Trip

We just got back yesterday from Pagosa Springs, CO where we spent a week on vacation with the Portele family. We got to see a great deal of West Texas and some of New Mexico on the way. Colorado was definitely the most beautiful part of the trip. The girls did great in the car.

The trip itself was a lot of fun. We got to do a lot of relaxing, some hiking, the boys did some golfing, and we even got to spend some time at the hot springs. What a gorgeous part of the country. The pictures don't even begin to do it justice. The weather was great, too. It was much cooler for the majority of our trip which was a nice break from 100 degree weather in Houston.

Most of all we loved getting to spend time with family. Hannah and Ellie had lots of time with their cousins Claire and Molly. This was our first time to meet Molly who's almost six months old now. She's a beautiful baby and so sweet, just like her sister.

Needless to say, we felt very fortunate to be able to make the trip. We thank God for His creation and His provision!




The two family pics above were taken right next to the top of this waterfall facing the other direction. What a breathtaking view! (It was a bit chilly up there, too.)

And Baby Makes 5!

Back in April, Andrew and I got a big surprise when we found out that we're going to have another blessing added to our family! We were even more surprised to find out just a few days ago that we're going to have a baby boy! We feel like God is orchestrating our family and we are so excited. We love our girls and we think that they are going to be great big sisters to their little brother. Andrew and I aren't sure what we're going to do with a little boy...invest in some toy trucks, I guess! Our whole vocabulary is going to change. Here's a snapshot of our little guy. Hope it doesn't offend anyone! We're due December 19th, so please pray for a a healthy baby in Decemeber...or November. Babies seem to make those decisions all on their own!

4th of July

We got to celebrate the 4th with Andrew's brother and sister-in-law Michael and Kim and our new little nephew Peter Joshua! We went up to Dallas on the 4th and stayed through the weekend. It was great to meet Peter. Hannah loved getting to hold him. He's really cute and so sweet. The girls also loved the pool in the backyard. There was a lot of fun to be had. Thanks, Michael and Kim for having us!

27 Dresses, or maybe just 5

So, Hannah and I went on a shopping spree today. We stormed Walmart and Marshall's for the best deals we could find on dresses. Hannah would wear a dress every day if we had enough and the poor child has only had one dress to wear since Christmas. (Can you imagine the hardship?) So we did what any sane girl would do and we went out to find the best deals money could buy...then we came home and had a fashion show! What fun! Sadly, we can't keep them all and two of them don't fit, but it was still a productive trip. Hannah wanted to take pictures so that Daddy could see his princess in all her dresses when he got home.

For those of you who don't know, when Hannah is wearing a dress, she is a princess. This is what we have been told. She doesn't say this with any vain conceit. It's just a matter of fact and from where I'm standing, it's good to know.

In the Eagle's Nest

Hannah and Ellie were invited to go to the zoo with their good friends Jacob and Hannah Cole earlier in the spring. It was a fun day and the kids all lasted for an extraordinarily long time. Anyhow, I just ran across the picture and decided to post it. This was a miracle shot in which all four kids were happy and looking at, okay at least facing the camera, so it deserves to be blogged about!

Time Out

The joys of sibling rivalry came with a little spat between sisters today. They both hit each other, so they both had to spend some time in time out. It was really funny. I doubt that either of them got the point of being disciplined with mommy taking pictures of them. (By the way, Hannah is wearing an infant bonnet...she insisted that I tie it on her. Gotta love her sense of style.)