4th of July Weekend

Fourth of July weekend was full of wonderful time with family spent at both the Johnson lake house and Peckenpaugh cottage. As I've gotten older the 4th has become one of my favorite holidays. It's a celebration that doesn't require much pretense--no gifts or slaving over a stove for hours--just a relaxing summer weekend to celebrate the gift of freedom this country offers, converse over a roaring bonfire, watch fireworks and be with friends and family.

One of the highlights of the weekend was Annika getting to meet her cousin Linnea for the first time. They are just under 3 weeks apart and it was so fun to see their different personalities and imagine all the fun they'll have together on the beach in coming summers. Their first interaction just wouldn't have been the same without matching outfits and the paparazzi

Here are some other photo highlights from the weekend:

4 Months!

Annika had her four month check-up today and it just confirmed what we already knew: she is a happy, healthy baby girl. She measured in the 75th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight.

She tends to save her smiles for people, not cameras, but I tricked her into flashing one for the camera tonight.
Enjoy...

Happy Fathers Day

This past weekend we celebrated Branden's first Father's Day. One of the reasons I was first attracted to Branden was his ability to connect with kids (we met at a summer camp after all)...I knew that one day he would make a fantastic dad. Thank you Branden for being such a gift to both me and Annika

Branden and I also had the chance to celebrate with our wonderful Dads at the cottage in Sawyer and the lake house on Pine Lake. We are so thankful for both of them.

And because I can't resist...Here are some pics of Annika hanging out on the beach

First Weekend at Pine Lake

This past weekend was our first official weekend at the Johnson's lake house on Pine Lake. Somehow being there makes it feel like summer has officially begun. We also got to spend some time with my sister-in-law Julie, who was in town for a baby shower for my sister-in-law Jody. Unfortunatly at the last minute Jody was told she could not travel, so the shower got canceled. Even though we missed her dearly, we had a lot of fun relaxing on the lake.

A Sad Goodbye

This past weekend we had to say goodbye to Christine, the Johnson's exchange student from Norway who had been with us in Kalamazoo since the end of last summer. From the very beginning she was such a natural fit with the Johnson clan, so much so that I somehow let myself forget that she would someday have to go home. We miss you already Christine! Here are some photos from our last dinner together at Godfathers...

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...