A is for Autumn Antiques in Allegan

It is a summer tradition for my friend Courtney and I to go antiquing at the Allegan antique fair the last sunday of the summer months. Today Annika came along for a girls afternoon, enjoying both her first antiquing trip as well as the last fair of this season. The September antique fair is one of my favories because many of the booths merchandise their goods with autumn decor. The cool morning, hint of color in the trees and plump pumpkins put me in the mood for the changing seasons. This coming week may call for some homemade soup and apple cider.

Picnic on the Beach

Last weekend we celebrated the end of an amazing summer on the beach in Shorewood. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for an indian summer, but the darker, colder mornings are the nagging reminder that fall and (eek) winter are just around the corner. Annika has become quite the beach baby and while we enjoyed roasting hot dogs over the bonfire, she gobbled up her carrots under the beach umbrella.

6 Months!

It's hard to believe that Annika is already 6 months old. We've really enjoyed the last month. She is sitting, babbling, giggling and getting her hands on everything in sight. Last night we introduced carrots to mixed reviews. It is so exciting to watch her discover the world around her.

Every week she seems to have a new facial expression to share with us. This week she's moved from a wide-open mouthed smile to a silly tight-lipped grin. Here are a few photos of our little grinning sitter.

This week we are also excitedly awaiting news of Annika's new cousin who is scheduled to be delivered Friday morning. Branden's sister Jody is expecting and we can't wait to find out whether it will be a little boy or a little girl.

Yum Yum Yum

Tonight we gave Annika her first taste of solid food. She gobbled it right up and I think we even succeeded in getting more in her mouth than on her face. It's really hard to believe that she's growing up so fast. I get sad for every stage that passes, but each new thing is so fun. I think we see more frequent baths in our future...

Summer Fun

It has been so fun to watch Branden and Annika's relationship grow this summer. Even though it is hard for me to be at work every day, I feel so blessed that Branden has been able to be home the last couple of months. He is such a great Dad and radiates with love for his little baby girl. Here they are together enjoying a beautiful August day.

A Wedding to Remember

Congratulations Becca and Chris. Your wedding was a dream. The perfect day for a perfect pair.

5 Months

Annika is growing and changing like crazy, discovering the world around her more every day. It is hard to believe how fast the first 5 months of her life have gone. Sometimes we want to stop time and keep her a sweet baby forever.