Baby sister

Viggo and Svea love their baby sister.

She's pretty cute . . . what's not to love about this sweet face!

Svea blows some bubbles for Elin. Because of course Elin would love them!

Here, Svea takes care of her own baby.

Viggo is always asking to hold Elin. If she starts to cry, all he has to do is talk to her and she stops. He always has a kiss for her and is so gentle with her. He is a super big brother!

A mini-gym moment

Here's a cute moment I got of Svea and Elin together in the mini-gym. These girls are so cute, they just make my day :)

Everything else . . .

Due to less-than-stellar organization, these pics got lost in the shuffle.
Until now.

Aaagh! It's a SHARK!

So much love for Big Bird and Grover.

In Amish country.

I would move to Lancaster County in a heartbeat!

Gardening (again). We were going to plant flowers a couple months ago.

But that never quite happened.

Better late than never!

A gorgeous sweater Lois knit for Elin. I still can't believe Lois has only been knitting for a handful of months and she is such a pro already!

When Viggo first met baby Elin.

Our official corn husker.

Nate helped with that job a little bit . . .

Asleep in the car on the way home from Illinois. This was short-lived.

With cousins Linnea and Mailman Kevin!

Lane and sweet baby Soren :) We miss you!!

Playing with Grandpa Daisy.

Nate, the Baby Whisperer.

And I saved my favorite niece for last! We love you, Linnea!

Outside with the girls

Svea colors a rainbow (her new favorite thing to draw - much easier for me to execute than her once-constant requests for Mickey Mouse).

These boots are made for walkin'.

It's Christmas in July!

So peaceful . . .

So quiet . . .

So covered in pen . . .

I don't know if it was sibling rivalry, jealousy or just curiosity to see what would happen, but Viggo admitted fault for this little incident. We now have a new rule: don't draw on the baby.

Etsy - it finally happened

I've been wanting an Etsy shop of my own for a long time. Etsy can be described as a giant global marketplace of handmade items . . . okay, it's a huge craft fair online. A few months ago I just got major Etsy fever. I had Etsy fever before, but early this spring I was really suffering from it. I said to Nate (actually, I was whining), "I really REALLY want to open an Etsy store!" Nate said, "So what's stopping you?" Outside of needing time and sleep, I couldn't think of any good reason why I couldn't make it happen.

I am really excited to do this! And even if no one buys anything at least I have the thrill of having my own business card :)

Check it out at http://www.designbymar.etsy.com/.

Loving our littlest one

Elin's almost three weeks old and we just can't get enough of our beautiful new little baby.

Reading with Daddy.

Tiny toes.

Elin and I sit on the patio while Viggo and Svea run amok in the backyard.

Viggo snuggles with Elin after helping me out with her sponge bath.

Summer

An orange push-up . . .

A hose with a multi-spray nozzle . . .

Minimal clothing and lots of sunscreen . . .

And one cute baby.

We are having a good summer!

Time with Grandma Zeke!

Lois (aka Grandma Zeke) was here with us this past week. She made meals (and cookies!), folded laundry, planted flowers, played games with Viggo and Svea, took them on walks, read them stories, washed the dishes, sent Nate and I out on a date, and held Elin as much as she could! We loved having you here, Lois! Thank you for such a wonderful week!

Viggo and Grandma, gardening buddies.

They did a great job! This is just a small portion of what Lois and Viggo accomplished (although I think Viggo did the supervising while Lois did the gruntwork!). And thank you Nate, for bringing home the pink zinnias :)

Time for a puzzle.

Sequence!

Elin watches on as Grandma and Viggo play a game.

Lunch outside!

Creating stuff with modeling clay. Yes, Svea is wearing a helmet. Safety first.

Longwood Gardens

Svea, Elin, and Lois and I paid a visit to Longwood Gardens.

There were oodles of beautiful flowers.

Lois and Svea had fun walking through one of Nature's Castles.

Tears in front of the Italian Water Garden! Longwood is delightful, but all that walking for Svea wasn't exactly all pony rides and May sunshine. I went back to the car for the stroller.

Feeding the catfish made everything better, though!

Ugh.

We stopped for a treat.

The bee exhibit was pretty amazing. This knowledgeable gentleman was there to answer all questions bee. Did you know a queen bee is worth up to $100? And that she lives for up to 7 years? And that she was raised on the bees' royal jelly and it changed her hormonal makeup to give her an extended abdomen? And that - and on and on and on he went!

Lovely orchids in the conservatory.