April Recap 2

Wedding weekend here we come. So Brett's youngest brother Grant got married on April 2nd. They got engaged last July and immediately told everyone they were going to have a costume party as their rehearsal dinner. Of course everyone was surprised, but yet thought it would be fun! Plus, they are a young couple so we all just went along with it. They had told us all they were going as Ken & Barbie. I think I had the hardest time with it because I was very pregnant and trying to come up with a costume idea was very difficult. But Brett and I decided we would go as the future Grant & Caitlyn. Brett was the overweight, still wannbe rock star, and I was the pregnant house wife. We even made them a scrapbook of pictures we collected of the two of them, and then Brett and I had some fun taking pictures of us as the future Grant and Caitlyn. Pretty hilarious, I will have post those pics later. Well.....turns out the rehearsal dinner was on April Fools Day. And turns out it was an April Fools joke that Grant and Caitlyn played on everyone in the wedding party. So we all showed up to the rehearsal dinner wearing our costumes and Grant and Caitlyn showed up late. They walked in wearing their normal dressy clothes holding a sign that said, "The Future Ken & Barbie- April Fools!"(picture below). And then proceeded to laugh at us all. So their plan paid off. But everyone in costume had a blast that night.

The Lilly Family

We even squeezed in some pool time at the hotel with our busy schedule.

Makenna was SO proud to be the FLOWER GIRL! And she did an amazing job during the ceremony. And she looked beautiful!! I'm such a proud mama!

The girls with their UNCLE!!

April Recap 3

What a BEAUTIFUL wedding!!! Everyone had SO MUCH fun!! I wish I could have had more fun!! I was mostly stuck to my chair at the reception and watched everyone dance. I was having braxtons hicks all day from chasing after my two year old. I'll tell ya what... I was glad when this weekend was over. I spent a lot of time taking care of the girl's all by myself because Brett was the best man and had so much responisibilty with the wedding. It was a lot harder than I expected being as pregnant as I was, and feeling as uncomfprtable as I was.
But I made it through, I did survive. And we have so many new wonderful memories with Brett's family.

We came home and had a couple warm days outside. And one day we realized that we had visitors in our backyard. A mother duck had laid her eggs in our backyard just below our family room window. She laid 7 eggs, and keeps her post pretty strictly. She must be used to children because she doesn't get scared when the girls are outside playing. We are excited to see the ends results and see little ducklings soon.

I had to say goodbye to one of my best girlfriends, and old neighbor here in IL. She and her husband are moving back to Iowa to live near family. Emily, I will miss our weekly coffee dates and long conversations. I am losing a GREAT friend, but I know our friendship will keep going.

5 Weeks to go!! Please let this baby come early!!

Happy Easter!! Love the Lilly's

Our little Easter egg hunt in our backyard.

March Recap

Happy 2nd Birthday Alexa!!!

Makenna at her swim lessons.

So as I have entered the 3rd trimester of this pregnancy, I have felt my energy diminish, and I am still not sleeping well due to pregnancy insomnia, and NUMEROUS bathroom breaks during the night. I have also been told by the doctor to stop exercising. I was enrolled in a really fun prenatal water aerobics class, but noticed lately that I was getting braxton hicks everytime I exercised. And when I am standing or active for too long, I start to get them. Braxton Hicks are a new thing to me. I never had early contractions with other pregnancies. I am also feeling a lot of pressure which I didn't start feeling till after 36 weeks with Alexa. So a lot of things going on very early with this pregnancy. I have 8 1/2 more weeks to go. Hopefully it will fly.

Makenna continues to participate in Awana which she has REALLY enjoyed!! Thankfully we are almost done and our Wednesday night's will be open again. Also she is still in swimming lessons and doing very well. Brett and I are amazed at how much she has improved with swimming and feeling comfortable in the water. No more arm floaties for her. Alexa is the one we have to watch out for now. She is not scared of the water at all. Makenna is going through this phase where she is asking a lot of questions about heaven and death. She comprehends what death is and it terrifies her. Makenna's personality is very sensitive and fearful so the whole "death" thing has overwhelmed her to where she cries and says, "I don't want to die!" And with all this she started really attaching herself to me again. She gets concerned when I leave the room or she it not sure where I am. So please pray for her. Brett and I are praying for wisdom in how to handle and deal with this as well as prayers for Makenna that God would give her peace about it all.

Alexa celebrated her 2nd Birthday!!! We've had a few parties for her. One in Peoria with my family, and one with just our family on her actual birthday. Alexa remains in the 75% for height, 50% for weight. She is still a picky eater. She loves songs, being outside, books, swimming, puzzles, animals, bubbles, shoes, and playing with her sister. She is still our very curious and outgoing child who likes to get into everything. I can't count on my hands how many times a day I am saying, "NO ALEXA!" She loves to be naked. She is always asking us to take off her clothes.

Her vocabulary has taken off as well. We pretty much can understand everything she is saying now. She tells me when she goes pee and poop in her diaper. No plans of potty training though. I will wait a few months until after the baby is born. The sooner we do it, the better though. She loves to take off her diapers.

February Review

February is one of those months we would like to forget. We had SO MUCH snow! And it seems like sickness was EVERYWHERE. Both girl's had ear infections. We had bumps on the head, graffiti on the walls, swimming, two year molars misery, and a momma who is dealing with sleep deprevation due to pregnancy. Spring seems so close, and we can't wait to get outside and play.


The snow finally melted and the girl's
are so excited to play out in their backyard.
Alexa's art work on the wall. We can't leave a pen,
pencil, or crayon out or she will find it and it will end
up on the wall.

This is the wall that could have caused a

ER visit for Alexa. Makenna and Alexa were running

and ran into each other. Alexa hit this corner of the wall

with the back of her head. It is a MIRACLE that her head

was not cut open. There was no blood shed, but just a nasty

bump on the back of her head.

February also brought both girl's ear infections. Makenna's came shortly after our trip to the Dells which I think was a little swimmers ear from all the swimming we did, but she did complain about it a lot and so we took her in and she got on some antibiotics. Makenna doesn't have a high pain tolerance so when she was a baby I would take her to the doctor ALL the time thinking she had ear infections, but she never did. Now with Alexa being my second born, I am a little more relaxed, and plus, she's very easy going and tough. Well I noticed she was starting to whine and complain a lot and it was getting pretty bad. She had no fever so I thought it was from her 2 year molars that she was teething. I kept thinking she was turning into this evil almost 2 year old.
When one day we were out at the mall and I was going to get the girl's some spring pictures taken, Alexa just became out of control and started pulling on her ear. So pictures ended up not happening, I called the Doc office from the mall and they were able to get me in as the last appointment of the day. I have never seen Alexa is so much pain. Of course I was at the mall and so unprepared. I had no tylenol or pacifier to give her. So sure enough the Doc said she had a double ear infection. My poor baby girl. I wonder how long she had been dealing with that pain and I just neglected it. But ever since she was put in antibiotics, she has been an angel. That terrible two year is no more, well....for right now at least.

Makenna is doing really well with her swimming lessons. She is starting to get really comfortable with swimming under water. Both girl's love swimming and we are thankful for our YMCA membership which allows us to swim indoors during the winter months.

Our Little Swimmer

Alexa is our fearless little girl. She is 23 months and thinks she can swim on her own. She wants to do everything her big sister can but doesn't realize she can't.