The 4th of July

Getting lovings from Auntie Ashey at Grandpa Cance's house.

Cheering on Grandma Hawkins at the Pow Wow Days 5k!

Alena was so proud that Grandma beat Cousin Andy even though she is twice his age!

We decided that Alena could try out Seven Island Lake, but is was super cold and she only got her toes wet! She sure did look cute, though!

Our little family watching the fireworks at Uncle Steve's cabin.

We went up to Tomahawk for Alena's first 4th of July celebration! She had lots of people giving her kisses hugs, and just plain giving her attention. We started off the day by cheering on Grandma Hawkins in th 5k run. Later, we went to the parade. She was doing great, even with all of the sirens, until one of the firetrucks blared on the horn right in front of us. That, combined with the heat, was just enough to put her over the edge. Mommy and baby spent the rest of the parade standing in the shade. Alena slept through almost all of the rest of the parade!

Then we went out to Uncle Steve's cabin on Seven Island Lake for some food, boating, and fireworks. The water was much too cold for swimming, but Mommy got to go boating for a while! Alena enjoyed being around all of her exended family and really enjoyed all of the attention! She watched the fireworks intently. The noise didn't bother her at all!

It was such a fun time for our little family, but, as every weekend goes, was much too short!

Future's so bright...

You gotta wear shades!

More Adventures!

Here the fam is relaxing by the fire pit in Grandpa & Grandma Hawkins' backyard.
Alena tests the waters of Lake Alice.

At the Mainstreet Memories Car Show wearing her onsie that says "When I grow up I'm driving a Corvette - Watchout!"

I looked at our blog and thought, gosh, we sure have done a lot of things since I last posted! So, here's a quick post to hold ya over (not that anyone is reading our blog anymore, anyway) until I can do more :)

We went up to Tomahawk for Memorial weekend and the weekend after. Alena went to her first car show, and even wore the Corvette onsie that Grandpa Cance bought for her! He was totally beaming to have his granddaughter down there in the cute shirt.

Grandma Hawkins totally loved having her granddaughter around, too. She had already scoped out one garage sale where she bought a whole copy paper box full of clothes for the little girl and a few toy items (including a little plastic desk)! We went to several garage sales on Saturday morning and made quite a haul of super duper cute clothes for extra cheap! She also took the time to walk Alena down to the end of our road where there is a boat landing. Since it was nice (one of the few days), she dipped Alena's feet into the water. She loved it! And, of course, Grandma got to give Alena all the baths she could!

What a lucky little girl she is and she doesn't even know it yet!

First Trip to the Cabin

Chillin' with Mommy at the cabin
Lovin' it down by the creek

Tasting the fresh air and cruising while styling in the Bean Bag (the white fleece part)

Going for a walk in the field with Daddy and Uncle Jack

Relaxing and enjoying her first fire! We sure smelled like smoke after that!

Last weekend, Alena made the trek to Fence, WI for the first time. She went with Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa Cerkas, and Grandma Cerkas. We were all happy that she seemed to have a great time.... so great, in fact, that she pooped through 3 outfits in an 8 hour time span on Saturday! But, never fear! Mommy was thinking ahead and brought lots of extra clothes just is case! She had a bath after she got home :)

The weather wasn't too warm, but we made due and even tried out what we call the "Bean Bag." It's one of those fleece bags with arm and head holes that you zip the baby into for safe sleeping. Since she makes it a hobby of kicking off her blankets in the middle of the night, and since the cabin can get a little cool, too, we tried it out! Not only did she stay covered all night long, but she was kept toasty, roasty warm. We liked it so much that we decided to use it when she went outside, too!

We will be going to the cabin whenever we need a getaway this summer. We usually do a decent amount of camping, but being in a tent in a campground with a fussy baby would be pretty annoying to say the least. Alena can cry all she wants and the only ears that will hear her (unless some other people come up with us) will be Mommy, Daddy, birdies, porkies, mice, and snakes. We're so happy that she loved it as much as we do!

What a Change!

Not even a week old in this one! So cozy! Here we have Miss Alena at a little over 2 months. Same blanket and everything! She wasn't so keen on this photo :) Jeez Mom!

I was looking through our newest pics of our little Bean and I flipped to one of the first ones we took of her at home! I can't believe how much she has grown in 2 1/2 months! She is a sweetheart most of the time, but is definitely stubborn (go figure with the parents she has)! She just might be starting to outgrow her vibrating chair.

Alena is Baptized!

Here's Pastor Schoenherr sprinkling the water on our baby!Auntie Avery loves her niece!

The parents, pastor, and sponsors :)Brianna was happy to meet her new cousin!Such a pretty little girl!

Last weekend, we went up to Tomahawk to get Alena baptized in my home church! She was such a good little girl during the service and brunch (and extremely popular, too)! We are very thankful for the gift of life that the Lord has given to us and for all of His blessings! Our family is praying for Alena's heart that the seeds of faith are planted and sprouting!

Someone Is Spying On Us!

Yesterday, Alena was being pretty crabby. In an effort to give Mommy and Daddy a break, we put her in her swing. She surprisingly didn't whine too much, but I noticed that she was watching me. A few minutes later, I went into our kitchen and looked back to check on her. She had turned and was watching wherever I went. Later, when Eric came in, he took this photo to prove that we were being spied on! We think that she a smart little girl, but a stinker at the same time!

This pic was taken from our entryway which is halfway between where Alena is and the kitchen.

A close up of her peeper!