Annika's First Day at the Beach

Last Friday I took the day off work for a Dr. Appointment (that ended up getting cancelled) so I took off to the cottage to spend the day with my mom and friend Erin. It was a gorgeous June day and we had the beach all to ourselves. It was a day full of firsts for Annika. She took her first golf cart ride around Shorewood (she still won't forgive me for the outfit I made her wear so she'd be warm), she took a three hour nap in her tent on the beach (allowing her mom to get some sun!) and enjoyed sticking her feet in the sand while enjoying her first sunset over Lake Michigan. I can't wait for all of the future memories we'll have with her at the beach.

Our Favorite Moment of the Day

Every morning when we peer over Annika's crib to get her up she looks right into our eyes and gives a giant, goofy grin. It's as if she's absolutely thrilled that it's a new day and that we remembered to come get her. A few days ago I snuck into the nursery with the camera to try to catch one of those special grins. She didn't disappoint.

Here are a few more precious shots from that same day...

Three Months

Annika has changed so much in the last three months. She is now full of smiles, rolling over and cooing up a storm. Going back to work this week has been hard, but it has been such a blessing that she could spend her first few days away from me with her Nanna Peckenpaugh and Grammy Johnson. A big thank you to both Grandmas. Only two more weeks before Branden is on daddy duty for the summer!

Treasured Time

One week from today I will be returning to work. Though I know Annika will be in fantastic hands (our moms and then Branden), the anxiety of knowing I won't be with her is getting hard. Because I can't stop time, I'm treasuring every moment in our last week home together.

Here are a few cute shots from the past week. She is getting bigger and bigger every day.

New Discoveries

In the past week Annika has discovered her fingers and her tongue. She spends a lot of her time playing with her tongue and sticking her fingers in her mouth. It is quite entertaining to watch her discover the world around her.

Happy Mother's Day

I had the pleasure of spending my first Mother's day at my parents' cottage this weekend. We originally thought Branden was going to miss out because of grad class, but he ended up being able to join us for part of the weekend. We enjoyed a relaxing weekend of taking walks, soaking in the hot tub and eating delicious food.

Happy Graduation Jacki

On Sunday we had the honor of celebrating Jacki's college graduation. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was graduating from Hope, but as I look at Annika I realize a lot has happened and changed in the last 5 years. Though both Branden and I would go back to college in a minute, we are so thankful for where life has taken us to date.

Congratulations Jacki!