Jenna is turning 3!

It seems that I post quite a bit and then don't get back to it for a while so should start a quick birthday post for our big girl.

We went to toys r us the other day and let Jenna pick out her gifts. She really knows what she likes and went around just putting things in the cart. She picked out a doll house with two rooms for it, two different playdoh sets (wow they just get cooler each year), and a pink umbrella.

Jenna is very attached to her big brothers. Her favorite phrases are "Brothers" "Where are brothers? "I want to play with brothers" She cried just about every night when the boys went to bible school this month. We are hoping that she will adjust to the boys being gone at school a little better. She will do things to get a reaction from her brothers and loves to make them laugh when she is being silly. They all just feed off each other and have so much fun as siblings. She is very tough and will not put up with being picked on at all by the boys. Jake and Jenna get along without much conflict at all. There are times that Josh and Jenna have their moments as most brothers and sisters two years apart. For the most part Jake, Josh, and Jenna play together very well and really enjoy spending time together. Jenna really thinks she can do anything that her big brothers do. If they start to climb a fence, she is right there with them climbing away.

Jenna will be starting preschool in the fall and also starting dance. Jenna loves being outside riding her little pink trike, playing on the glider on our swingset, playing with chalk, bubbles, and just running around with all the neighborhood kids. She has the sweetest little personality and always has hugs and kisses to share. She is tough like the boys but her personality is all girl! She loves taking care of her baby dolls, playing with her ponies, coloring, and is starting to want to wear pretty dresses more and more. Jenna told us last week after a fun day at the zoo, that she wants a turtle, pony, kitty, and dog. She said that they will live in her room with her.



Pretty Pony is her birthday theme .. More to come....

Last weeks of summer and Photography

Well we are in the last stretch of summer and already planning fall activities and purchasing school supplies! We have all been enjoying the great weather here and actually have a rainy day today to get caught up on a few indoor projects. The kids want to always be outside and doing things all the time and are very active. Josh ran two more fun runs this month and Jake participated in his first run. We have been busy with festivals, visiting the zoo, parks, sports of course, moms club events, neighborhood night out, and vacation bible school during the past couple of weeks.

Jenna must watch mommy a lot because she is very good at following how I photograph! The boys also have fun taking photos and love using my camera.

I have been working on building up my photography business over the past few weeks and now have a website up and running. I have been planning this business for years now and just having a lot of fun with my photography hobby. Now that all three kids will be in school at least part time I am finally ready to really get the business going this fall. I was just asked to take preschool individual and class photos for Jenna's preschool and am really excited! I will also be taking photos of a new dance studio nearby. Jenna will be taking classes there this fall.
My site is http://www.LilliePhotos.com

Duluth Minnesota Vacation

We have lived in Minnesota for almost three years now and just took our first Minnesota vacation earlier this month. There are so many amazing places to visit up North so we look forward to more of these adventures.

We drove up to Duluth which is an industrial city right on lake Superior and about three hours from our home. It is home to the 4th largest port in the United States. Lake Superior is the largest largest, deepest, cleanest, and also coldest lake out of the great lakes.

We took a sunset cruise on Lake Superior, visited the popular aquarium, and took a 2 hour scenic train ride during our trip. We also drove up to Gooseberry Falls and Two Harbors Minnesota along the Northern shore of Lake Superior. We were able to see lighthouses and walk right up to the falls which was a cool experience. We also swam twice at our hotel and spent time watching the enormous ships go right past us under the Ariel bridge and through the canal. The kids loved watching the bridge go up and we were all amazed by the size of the ships.