Royal Happiness

I have to say that i am especially happy today. For one the suns out and theres nothing like a commoner becoming a princess, i mean isn't it every girls fairytale?!?!? I didn't set my alarm last night because i had the whole thing on DVR, but my body must have known because there i was waking up at 4:45am this morning. I can't even get up at 6:30 when my girls wake up. I was delighted that my body woke me up just in time to watch the beginning of Kate walking down the isle. WOW was she stunning or what?!?!? So composed so excited. You could tell she wanted to smile bigger then she did, i bet inside she was exploding with excitement. I mean i was and i wasn't even there!


The church was magnificent, i couldn't help to think that Princess Diana would have been so happy and SO proud of her son. They were calling for rain all week and this morning the sun just popped it's little head out. Hmmm, I'm thinking she had something to do with that. Did anyone else notice the way that William walks. He walks with a cute little smile and his head facing down with a little tilt up. Just like his mom did. I just noticed that for the first time today. She has to be so proud of him!

My mom told me she was feeding me back in 1981 when Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married. I thought it was pretty cool that 30 years later i was doing the exact same thing! Olivia woke up right before they came out onto the balcony to kiss. She actually sat on the end of my bed and watched, with her mouth open. I told her that Kate became a princess today and she was like, "ohhhh princess, i be princess mama?" so cute! Who knows, Ms. Olivia you may one day be a princess:)

I thought the service was beautiful, the Priest had such a wonderful sermon. There were so many things he said that made so much sense, i couldn't pick my favorite. Some of my favorite parts are below, what a smart smart man.

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.


Many are full of fear for the future of the prospects of our world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.


In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.


A spiritual life grows as love finds its centre beyond ourselves. Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life in which we discover this; the more we give of self, the richer we become in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves and our spiritual beauty is more fully revealed. In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life.


Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art.
In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.

I loved the royal wedding. I would have loved being there and taking pictures. Talk about amazing pictures, WOW! I hope William and Kate have a lifetime of happiness, beautiful healthy babies and a wonderful partnership!

A New Endorphin Rush

I am a runner. I don't tend to stray from  running because in my small mind i think it's the best way to work out. I use to think there was no better endorphin rush then that. Then i had a baby without drugs,  now thats the BEST endorphin rush ever.

I am training for a 10 mile and a half marathon, so i have been running so much, i'm getting VERY board. So two nights ago i decided i would give spinning a go. It was unbelievable, probably the best work out i have ever had. Not only are your legs burning, but its FUN. I was sweating more then i ever have running and the intervals were killer. Don't get me wrong, i love running, but if you ever want to switch it up and burn more calories then anything else, try a spinning class.

I know this sounds gross, but literally i dripping sweat. My tank was wet. I was shocked. Since i liked how i felt two nights ago, i gave it a go again this morning. Different instructor and different workout, but the burn was awesome! We went up hill, down hill, fast with a lot tension and then slow with a LOT of tension. IT WAS AWESOME! Best part is i am gaining even more endurance for my runs. Maybe i'll try a triathlon next:)

I'm not going to get ahead of myself:)

HE IS RISEN

Easter is always a special time in our house. I feel like it's a bigger deal then Christmas. It felt so special this year, with two little girls along side us, we felt super blessed. Olivia is really starting to understand who Jesus is. Well not exactly all he does or did for us, but she prays to him every night and she knows that he lives in her heart. We have always prayed with her before she goes to bed and now she starts off the prayers and she prays with Whitney when we put her to bed. Its pretty cute.

Holidays are always so crazy, since both of our families live within a 20 minute drive we try to always do both. It's a long day, but so worth seeing everyone. The girls just adore all the cousins and we always have a good time. I have added some pictures of the whole day. What a blessing to be close to ALL our family, we do love them all so dearly! Hope you all had a great Easter or Passover:)

Holy Week & Easter

This week has been such a blessing. I LOVE Easter. I love that it was the day that our savior rose, i love that it means spring is here (or in the case of us Chicagoans it mean its on its way) it means that our sins have been forgiven and it means we have lots of needed family time. I have just recently started singing with out Praise group, it's a blast. Side note, speaking of singing awesome Christian songs, did anyone else hear Carrie Underwood sing that amazing song on Girls Night Out on CBS??? Unreal! That is a Christian thats knows who her savior is! So i have really been feeling a lot more a part of church since joining this group. I love to sing, so it seemed like a good fit. During Holy week our church had a bunch of services and activities that you could participate in if you wanted to. So i did, life changing.

First on Wednesday i participated in a Labyrinth, i think it was a first for our church. It was awesome. If you don't know what a Labyrinth is, it's a prayer/meditation walk. It's path is meant for you to walk to the center of yourself and then back out again. The center being Christ. As you go through the 11 stations yourwork your way inside and back out again. It was so insightful. I may even do it again on Saturday before it goes away. If you ever get a chance to do it, do it! 

Thursday i sang with the band for Maundy Thursday. Christ's last meal. This is known for its foot washing service. I was hesitant at first to go up there and let one of the 4 pastors wash my feet, but the pastor gave such a compelling sermon right before the foot washing, so i ended up doing it. He talked about the last supper and how Christ wanted to wash the feet of his disciples. The disciples were not having any of it, since washing of the feet were never done by a Jew, it was left to the gentiles to do. Since Christ was a Jew they were embarrassed and didn't feel right having Christ, the son of God washing their feet. I felt like if the disciples were able to do it, i certainly could. It was a humbling experience, so cool to imagine Jesus Christ symbolically washing your feet.  One of the coolest things i have done at our church. 

Tonight i made two lamb cakes. I made one for church (coffee hour) and one for our Gierke family party. I was honored to take over the lamb cake responsibility from Grama Kay, Brad's Grama. We dyed Easter Eggs. I did the girls easter baskets. Since i'm not a huge fan of letting them eat lots of candy, i did a little chocolate bunny and the rest fun things like, bows, a Christian book on Easter, a toy, big girl underwear for my Olivia and each a shirt from the Gap. I think that baskets turned out great. So cute. I also stuffed eggs to hide outside for our Easter Egg hunt. I LOVE EASTER! I have the girls matching beautiful easter dresses ready to go and even one for myself:)

This has been a great inspiring week so far and this weekend should be just as great. Looking forward to great family time, celebration and hearing everyones great Easter Stories! HAPPY EASTER!

Busy Little Bee

I've been bad and not been keeping up with this blog at all! I feel like i have been so busy! I am training for the Soldier Field 10 mile and the Chicago Half Marathon. I am now singing in my church Praise band, which is so much fun. It's contemporary music with drums, guitars and the piano. It feels so good and i just love singing, so I LOVE IT!

I am currently doing a Beth Moore bible study. Its the study on Revelation, its amazing. So much information and so much to learn. Feeling good about where it is taking me. My photography is taking off. I have a few weddings this summer already lined up and some of my favorite infant and toddler shoots. Olivia and Whitney are both taking swimming lessons. They both love it. I on the other hand am not that excited about jumping in the water, but am managing fine. We are playing a lot outside, snuggling and just enjoying each other.

Brad has been busy at work and when we finally get some free time together (not enough, but i know it will come) we sit back a grab a good movie, or totally fall asleep. We are getting ready for Easter, which is always so lovely at our Church and it's always so much fun to be with family! Before we know it, it will be SUMMER! I feel like time is flying and i just want to stop and breath it in. Sometimes its udder chose, but it's worth every minute! It's like a country song that makes me cry every time i listen to it by Trace Adkins,

Five years later
There's a plumber
Working on the water heater
Dogs barking, phones ringing
One kids crying, one kids screaming
She keeps apologizing
He says "They don't bother me.
I've got two babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23.
It's hard to believe..."



But
You're going to miss this
You're going to want this back
You're going to wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're going to miss this
You're going to miss this

These specific lyrics are how i feel right at this very moment! Just reading them makes me what to cry, so i am going to get off my blog and play with my little Olivia right now while Whitney is sleeping. Have a great day all your wonderful, strong and busy Mamas! 

Little Miss Whit

9 months, the age Olivia was the day we found out we were pregnant again. 9 months, the amount of time it took to make my little Whitney, alright maybe it was 10 months (she was stubborn). 9 months, the age she turned yesterday!

I can't believe how fast time flies. I know everyone always talks about how fast it goes, but seriously it's like i blinked and she is almost 1. I am so excited every day to watch her grow and do new things. It's amazing how different she is from her sister. I still can't believe i have enough love in my heart for more then one baby. I thought when Olivia was born there would be no way i could love anyone as much as i love her. Whitney came along and my heart exploded with even more love.

It's incredible how much they grow and change on a daily basis. I feel like it you don't stop and put down the laundry you will miss it. I don't want to miss any of it. Being a photographer really helps, because the amount of pictures both girls have is insane. I feel like i have done such a great job of documenting their lives through pictures. They say your second won't get as much attention as the first. In my experience i disagree. Whitney get the same, just in different ways.

I cherish my alone time with Whitney, since i don't get as much as i did with Olivia. I find myself falling madly in love with her over and over again, every day. It's a totally different experience with Whitney then it was with Olivia. Its different, magical and exciting. I find as the months go on, i have so much more patience. I adore the way Whitney looks up to Olivia. She watches her like a hawk. Sometimes i feel like the girls are teaching me just as much as i am teaching them.

An update on what Whit is doing these days:

She has 6 teeth
She is crawling, pulling herself up and cruising
She is eating real bananas, oatmeal, banana puffs, cheerios, pureed baby food
She is still breast feeding (i'm pretty happy about it. So surprised at how long i'm going), two or three nights a week she will have a bottle when i'm at work
She likes sippy cups with water
She loves Olivia and being with her all the time
She lights up when daddy walks in the room
She always wants to be on mommy
She points to what she wants
She says mama and dada
She mimics noises we make
She has never taken a pacifier
She laughs ALL the time
She is a good sleeper
She loves us reading her books
Her pants are 12-18months already!

We go to the Dr. this week to see how much she is growing. 9 months, WOW time really has flown by. I feel very blessed to have such great little ladies. I am looking forward to what this summer will bring us. What field trips we will be going on and our vacations as a family. Happy 9 month baby girl, Love you Whit!