Archibalds in Minnesota

Spring, Beautiful Spring!

2010-04-01T12:55:00.010-05:00

We have enjoyed absolutely gorgeous weather this Spring! Could this really be March and April in Minnesota?!? No snow for the entire month of March? Wow. Lily LOVES to "go outside" and play. She walks around the house saying "outside, outside, outside" non-stop. Yes, she is a Minnesota girl who has been cooped up in the house all winter and is itching to get out! So today we walked down to the park by our house and she had a blast playing on the slide.

Thomas E. Archibald 1932-2010

2010-03-09T09:04:00.009-06:00

In early December, Tom's Dad (Tom Senior) was diagnosed with Seconday Lung Cancer. It was soon after determined that the Cancer had spread to his lungs from either the Pancreas or Bile Duct. Though we all know it was terminal, we held some hope that chemo would have some positive effect. Just last week it was evident that the chemo was no longer working. Dad, with some convincing from the Oncologist determined that since the Chemo was not working AND that the Cancer had significantly increased, it would only make sense to switch to Hospice and live his final days in comfort rather than continuing with a non-productive plan.

On Thursday Tom talked with his Dad. They had a very nice (but short) phone conversation. By Friday, the newly administered Morphine had taken effect and Dad basically slipped into a non-responsive state. By the weekend, Mom knew the end was near. Dad passed away in his own bed on Sunday shortly after 1 pm. Mom whispered in his ear that it was ok to go now and that she loved him. Within a few seconds he took his final breath. On Monday they would have been married for 57 years.

Yesterday, we both sat down and wrote his Obituary. We were honored to do this as it was one of the few things we could do being so far away. I have posted it below. It won't appear in the Bend Bulletin or the Eugene Register Guard for a few days.

Dad, I know you probably aren't reading this blog as Heaven has some great golf courses and I'm sure you're preparing for another round, but please know that I love you and that you've been the best Dad any kid could have ever asked for. I'm proud to have been a part of your life and you mine. I'm thankful I inherited your best traits. I hope I've made you proud and that my daughter and any future children will carry your incredible legacy forward.

Thomas E. Archibald
October 26, 1932 - March 7, 2010

Tom Archibald, a long-time resident of Central Oregon, passed away peacefully in his home on Sunday, March 7, following a brave battle with cancer. He was surrounded by family.

Tom was born on October 26, 1932 in Huntington Beach, California to Daniel and Kathleen Archibald. The family moved to Eugene, Oregon in his childhood. He graduated from Eugene High School in 1950. Tom joined the Air Force immediately after high school and proudly served his country during the Korean War. He met the love of his life, Bernice Collingwood, in 1952. After a brief courtship and many months of love letters, they were married on March 8, 1953. Tom and Bernice (Bea) had 5 children together. In 1974, Tom and his family moved to Bend, Oregon, where he assisted in the launch of the Bend Bi-Mart and worked as a member of the store management team. In 1988, Tom, along with his wife and daughter, purchased The Pickle Barrel Deli in downtown Bend. In 2003, Tom and Bea, along with family members, graciously opened their home to seniors and the disabled by opening The Garden Villa Adult Foster Care Home.

Tom was known for his sense of humor and immense love for the great outdoors. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, golfer, gardener, camper and backroad adventurer.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Timothy, who died in infancy, and a brother, Dan Archibald. Tom will be dearly missed by those he leaves behind, including his wife, Bernice (Bea); three daughters, Cathy Jo Gillice of Clark Fork, Idaho, Chris Kimmel of Bend, Oregon, and Cheri Montgomery of Bend, Oregon; and a son, Tom Archibald of Andover, Minnesota. Tom also leaves behind a sister, Betty Ervin of Auburn, California; and two brothers, Ron Archibald of Yountville, California, and Dick Freer of California. He is also survived by nine grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and a large extended family of in-laws, nieces, nephews and close friends. His entire family and multitude of friends and caregivers will forever treasure the memories and laughter they shared with such a warm, generous and outgoing man.

A celebration of life will be held later this year at Sheep Bridge Campground on Wickiup Reservoir to commemorate his love for the outdoors. Memorial contributions may be made to Partners in Care, 2075 NE Wyatt Ct., Bend, Oregon 97701, 541-382-5882, http://www.partnersbend.org/

A little note from little Tom

2009-12-21T14:08:00.004-06:00

I find myself thinking about my family this Christmas and hope that despite recent news about my Dad's Cancer diagnoses, that my Mom, Dad and Sisters can manage to find Peace, Calm, Humor and Love for each other this Christmas and always...but most especially in the year ahead. I love you and am always thinking of you.....Tommy

Merry Christmas from The Archibalds

2009-12-21T14:04:00.007-06:00

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family, both near and far. We are so blessed to have you in our lives. We love you all and pray for God's presence with you this Christmas season, and all throughout the year. May you feel His comfort and peace and joy, and know how much He loves you. When we are stumbling through life's daily struggles or coping with immense pain and tragedy, He is there to comfort you and wrap His arms around you ... and when you are enjoying happiness and success, He is celebrating with you!

We were finally able to get our family Christmas portrait done this year. It was a struggle to try to do this using only the timer on the camera - no assistants to get Lily's attention or help take the picture. Thanks to Tom's photography and Photoshop skills, we have a family photo to treasure for generations to come! We will hopefully be getting these out to you in Christmas Cards this week, but they will likely arrive after Christmas. It's an improvement, though - last year we didn't get cards out at all!

I just couldn't resist posting a picture of our little beauty queen in her curlers as we were getting ready to take the picture. She looked so grown up ... time is going by too fast! This is a sign of years to come, I am sure - clothes, makeup, curlers, shoes. She already loves shoes...uh oh!

And the final product ... Christmas 2009 with Tom, Joy and Lillianna Mae...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

And remember, Jesus is the Reason for the Season, but YOU are the reason He came!

Christmas Angel

2009-12-16T12:39:00.013-06:00

We took Lily to the studio at Hennepin Tech (Tom's school) for some Christmas picture fun. It was MOSTLY fun ... mixed in with some frustration, tears and tantrums (and that was just Tom - ha,ha!). All in all we had fun and learned even more about the difficult task of taking pictures of 2-year-old. Basically, Mom had to make a complete fool of herself jumping around and making silly noises to get Lily to look at the camera and smile. I'm just glad we had the studio to ourselves so no one witnessed the crazy lady jumping around and screeching.

We still have more Christmas photos to tackle, including the family photo - which we're hoping to take tonight around the Christmas tree. We'll see how THAT goes. It could be interesting considering we have to put the camera on a timer and we don't have a crazy lady to jump around behind the camera this time. I have a feeling we will be taking A LOT of shots before we get a good one (IF we get a good one). It's all fun, though, and creates great memories.

We pray you are all having a wonderful Christmas season. We love you and wish everyone could be together - but we're all together in our hearts. God Bless You!

Here's our little Christmas angel...

And of course, what Lily photo shoot would be complete without the tantrum shot. Poor Lily, we will torture her with her tantrum pictures someday. At this point, we were getting the feeling our photo session was coming to a close...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Busy Bumble Bee

2009-11-06T14:58:00.011-06:00

We took Lily to the Mall of America on Halloween. She was a busy little bumble bee running through the Mall and the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park. At first she wasn't too thrilled about her costume, but eventually she got used to it - the merry-go-round always works to put a smile on her face!

Oops, lost a shoe!

Worker Bee

Lily loved the dog statue at Old Navy. She wanted to stay and pet the doggie all day - this doggie wouldn't run away from her! Unfortunately, she also fell in love with a teddy bear in Old Navy and had a little bit of a tantrum when she had to leave it at the store - Mommy and Daddy are so mean and wouldn't buy it for her.

Okay, let's get this ride in motion!

Hooray, the merry-go-round at last!! This is ALWAYS my favorite part of being at the Mall. Even when I'm tired, cranky, wearing a silly costume and didn't get the bear I wanted, I will still smile when I get to ride the horsies.

Happy Birthday Lillianna Mae!

2009-11-02T01:59:00.018-06:00

LILY IS TWO!!

Wow, can our little "Lily Bug" really be 2 years old? My how the last two years have flown by - and what happy years they have been. We are so blessed.

To celebrate Lily's birthday (and Tom's and Joy's Mom's), we went to a corn maze and then we had a birthay party for Lily on the 24th of October. (Lily's actual birthday was October 28th) Here are some pictures from the trip to the corn maze and her cowgirl-themed birthday party.

Poolside at the Archibalds'

2009-06-20T21:10:00.011-05:00

Summer is here and so is the heat - at least for this weekend. So Lily got a new pool to cool off in. (Happy Father's Day, Dad - you get to put it together!) Lily thought the most exciting part was filling the pool with water.

Lily couldn't wait for Daddy to finish getting the pool set up, so she decided to climb in before Daddy was done. She wanted to play ... NOW!

Okay, the pool is assembled - it's time to fill `er up!

Once the pool was full, Lily was so disappointed that the hose was turned off, she just splashed with the hose in the water for another hour. As it turns out, she never actually got in the pool because the water was just TOO COLD. Maybe Sunday we'll fill it up earlier and let the sun warm the water so she can have some REAL fun.

Lily's First Camping Trip

2009-06-11T14:18:00.008-05:00

It's official - Miss Lily is a camper! We took Lily on her first camping trip the weekend of May 29-31 with Grandma and Grandpa Lamolli, Great-Grandma Chapin and Uncle Ryan. We went to a campground just a few miles from our house - Bunker Hills Campground. I know it sounds crazy to go camping so close to home - and in the metro area - but it is actually a very nice campground with private sites, lots of trees and it's in the middle of a large regional park. Once we were there, you wouldn't know we were still in the city and so close to home. Being close to home was actually a nice convenience.

Lily had a great time - I think she enjoyed her first camping trip. The first night was a little rough as she adjusted to sleeping in the bunk in the camper, but she did better the second day. She liked being in the camper and exploring outside. We should have known - as much as she likes to go barefoot, of course she'd love the outdoors! We can't wait to take her camping again. The next adventure this summer will have to be a trip to the lake.

Here are some pictures from our little camping adventure. Why is it that Lily has a dirty face in EVERY picture? I guess that's part of camping!

Uncle Ry sleeping with Lily's teddy bear and blanket. Awwww, so cute! Actually, Ryan fell asleep in the camper and Lily put her teddy bear and blanket up there with him while he was sleeping. She loves her Uncle Ry!

Lily in Pigtails!

2009-06-08T18:28:00.008-05:00

Lily's hair is officially long enough for pigtails! It's been growing like crazy lately, so today Mommy decided to try pigtails. They're a little crooked because of course she won't sit still long enough to get them just right, but they're oh so cute!! She's becoming such a little girl ... not a baby anymore.

And of course we had to include a picture of Miss Lily in her Dora chair. She loves to sit in her own little chair.

It's The Lily Shooooow!

2009-05-15T17:55:00.007-05:00

Lily has discovered a new game...first she strategically places herself inside of the corner of our kitchen cabinate doors...

then, Daddy plays announcer and declares, "Ladies and Gentlemen, It's Theeee Lily Shoooooow!" at which point Lily bursts open the doors to show herself to the world....

Stay tuned for the next episode of The Lily Show...in the meantime, back in she goes to make yet another appearance. Ellen...watch out!

The Zoo!

2009-04-23T14:59:00.007-05:00

On Saturday, April 11th, we took Miss Lily on her very first trip to the Minnesota Zoo. Joy's family went with us. We all had a great time! Lily loved seeing all the animals, but her favorite part was the "Family Farm" at the zoo where she got to feed the goats and see the farm animals and little farm babies up close.

I think we will be making several more trips to the zoo. It's a wonderful place for a fun family day out and Lily loves animals. We didn't even get to see everything so we're excited to go back. The Africa exhibit with giraffes, zebras, gazelles and other animals opens Memorial Weekend, so I'm sure we'll be headed back to see that! Plus the butterfly garden opens in June and I know Lily will love walking through the flowers with all the butterflies. Lots of opportunities for pictures, too! So here are some pictures of Lily's first trip to the zoo...

And Lily's favorite part - feeding the goats at the Family Farm. She liked the chickens and baby chicks, too. She tried to feed the baby chicks her yogurt treats! She just loves the little animals and likes feeding them (she even hand-feeds our dogs at home). Maybe we need to get a goat - ha!!

What a busy day! Lily was exhausted (as were all the adults) and fell asleep as soon as we left the farm, before we even got back to the car.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-16T16:43:00.011-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter this year - and hope all of you did, too! Joy's family drove down to spend the weekend with us. We went shopping for Easter goodies, took Lily on her first trip to the zoo, enjoyed a delicious ham dinner, and celebrated God's love with a celebration of the third day at church Sunday morning. It was a fantastic weekend!

Lily awoke Easter morning to a pile of goodies and surprises for her on the table (and, truth be told, some goodies for the adults, too!).

Then it was time to get ready and go to church for Easter Sunday services. Lily wore a new dress that Mommy and Grandma Lamolli had picked out for her while Easter shopping a few days earlier. She had a great time playing with her friends in the nursery at church while the rest of us attended the service.

I will post pictures of Lily's first trip to the zoo in the next blog posting ... coming soon!

Saturday in the Park

2009-04-15T13:33:00.021-05:00

Hooray for warmer weather! We took our first family walk to the local park recently. It was so nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air and warmer temperatures. Lily got to run around the park, play on the jungle gym and take a ride on the swings for the very first time. She LOVED the swing! Even though it wasn't the "4th of July", here's our little "Saturday in the Park"...

Lily loved walking the path to the park all by herself. Freedom!!

That is, until she reached the point where the asphalt walkway met the white concrete sidewalk. The sudden change in the path was too frightening and she refused to step on the white sidewalk, so we picked her up and gently placed her on the sidewalk so she could tell that it was indeed solid ground and okay to walk on. Silly girl. :)

With the trauma of the changing walkway behind her, she was now ready for some serious fun on the swing!!

Hooray - that was fun!

Time to go, now. See ya at home, Mom and Dad - I'm outta here.

Are you coming?

Now that Spring has Sprung, we are having fun getting out and about (and taking more pictures!). I'll post some more pictures soon - from Easter and Lily's first trip to the zoo. Happy Spring everybody!

New adventures in living room photography

2009-03-13T00:09:00.002-05:00

Here are some new photos of Lily.

Super Bowl, Haircuts and Winter Dress-Up

2009-03-06T12:05:00.010-06:00

Okay, once again it has been WAY too long since we have updated this blog. We take the pictures - we just don't download them from the camera to the computer so we can share them with others. Bad parents, Bad!

So ... to catch everyone up ... here are some pictures from the last couple months.

We went to a Super Bowl Party at our church and Lily supported the Vikes (even though ONCE AGAIN they didn't make it to the Super Bowl). Hey, it's our version of fantasy football - in our fantasy, the Vikes finally make it to the big game.

Before the party, though, Lily had to get her bangs cut. We thought she might want to be able to see without hair in her eyes. This was her first haircut.

And finally, just some random pictures we've taken around the house...

The "Lily-Go-Round"

2009-01-07T10:55:00.004-06:00

I intended to post these pictures several weeks ago - they're from November - but obviously the blog was neglected for a long time. So, better late that never, I guess...

We have discovered that Lillianna LOVES the merry-go-round at the Mall of America. Actually, she loves all kinds of rides, being tossed in the air, plane take-offs, all those things that make your stomach drop. I think we might have a future roller coaster rider here! Here are a few pictures from a couple trips to "The Mall"...

Christmas 2008 in Oregon

2009-01-06T17:43:00.015-06:00

We were blessed to be able to spend Christmas this year (or I guess it's last year now, isn't it?) with Tom's family in Oregon.

Getting to Oregon was quite an adventure, but I'll try to give a quick summary ... Of course, on the day our flight left Minneapolis, there were snow storms in BOTH Minneapolis and the Northwest. Lovely. It took us over 2 hours to get from our house to the airport (usually a 35-40 minute drive). The roads were terrible and cars were spinning out and going in the ditch in front of us the whole way. We finally got there about 1/2 hour before our flight was scheduled to depart. It turned out to be a good thing that our flight was delayed another 1/2 hour so we had just enough time to get our luggage checked, get through security (which took extra time because they had to inspect Lily's food and juice), and get to our gate. We boarded the plane, but right after taking our seats, they announced that our flight would be delayed another 2 1/2 hours because the flight crew that was supposed to come in from another flight couldn't land because of the storm. We couldn't get off the plane unless we wanted to take all our carry-on luggage with us, so we just stayed on the plane. Thankfully, they allowed Tom to get off and get us some food from inside the terminal to bring back onto the plane since we hadn't eaten all day. Finally, almost 3 hours later, they announced that the flight crew STILL hadn't arrived and they were going to have to cancel our flight. We had to get off the plane. They were putting everyone on standby for another flight ... but that flight was already overbooked. We stood in a HUGE line waiting to get on another flight. Amazingly, they were able to shuffle passengers around and we just barely got on the next flight (they cut off the line just behind us). After a slight delay waiting for them to de-ice the plane, we were finally in the air and on our way to Seattle - hooray!!

Mommy and Lillianna on the plane, finally on our way. Lily was a great little traveler. She loved the take-off and hardly fussed at all! She did GREAT! We are so blessed.

We landed in Seattle during a big snowstorm. We decided to upgrade our car rental to what we were told was a 4WD SUV. It actually turned out to be a Subaru Outback (more like a station wagon), but it was all wheel drive, so it was still good in the snow and an improvement over our original rental. The roads were not plowed at all and it was slow-going, but we arrived late that night at the Lamolli's. Thank you Michael, Jackie, Adriana, Vivian and Matthew for being great hosts - it was so good to see you!

Joy's step-brother, Michael

Michael's wife, Jackie

The next day, we left for the long drive to Bend, Oregon. None of the roads were plowed and it was definitely a mess. Most areas required chains and several major interstates, highways and mountain passes were closed, so we decided to drive south to Eugene, OR and take the Willamette Pass, which is further South and was in much better condition. The drive usually takes around 6 hours...it took us 10. The worst was between Seattle and just south of Portland, around Salem, OR. Once we got south of Salem, the roads cleared up until we got onto the Willamette Pass and we then had snow again from there to Bend. We arrived in Bend at 11pm Sunday night, Dec 21st. Hooray - we made it!

We had a great time in Bend...lots of beautiful snow and tons of family! Nieces, nephews, cousins, siblings - lots of family came to Bend for the holidays. I'm sure you've had enough of my rambling now, so I'll tell the rest in pictures...

Our Little Chick

2008-11-01T21:12:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween (and that you don't have a tummy ache from all that candy)! We spent the evening at home handing out treats to all the neighborhood ghosts and goblins. Lillianna wore her "chicky" costume and had fun greeting all the kids at the door. Here are some pictures of our little chick on Halloween 2008!

Super Lily!

2008-10-31T15:18:00.003-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen .... it's a bird, it's a plane, it's .... SUPER LILY!!! We always knew she was "super". Now we have proof!

See the proof here: http://www.makemesuper.com/r.php?i=9_7fe48-130052-f-Lily

It's Good To Be One!

2008-10-30T15:39:00.010-05:00

Hey everybody! I now have my own blogger account AND my own email address (lillianna@webshackdesign.com) so I thought I'd post something.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes. I had a really fun day - and boy do I like that cake stuff! I even got to have a little ICE CREAM last night for the first time. That was GOOD! I got mad when Mom took it away; I wanted more! Boy this birthday thing is a really good deal. How long will this last???

I thought I'd share some pictures of me playing with my new toys. I've been having lots of fun!

This is my new stroller walker from Grandma and Grandpa Lamolli. I also got a teddy bear from Uncle Ryan and a doll from Great Grandma Chapin that I can put in my stroller to push them around the living room. I love to walk with my new stroller! I've also learned that if I push the stroller up to the couch, I can then climb on top of it to get up on the couch!

Next is my Laugh and Learn Home from Mommy and Daddy. This is a big house that has all kinds of fun things to play with - doors and windows that open, lights that turn on and off, a mailbox that opens and closes and more - plus it plays music and teaches things like numbers, ABCs, open vs. closed, etc. I just like to crawl back and forth through the door!

And finally we have my sing along stage. It has a microphone and lights and plays music for me to sing along with. My favorite part is the big mirror! I'm not vain or anything ... I just like to look at myself in the mirror! A superstar in the making - I'm practicing for American Idol 2028.

And here are a few more pictures...just because. Thanks for reading my blog entry and looking at my pictures. I love you all!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, LILLIANNA MAE!!!

2008-10-28T19:57:00.016-05:00

Our little girl one year ago today

The big birthday girl

Has it really been an entire year since Miss Lily was born??? It has gone by so fast...way too fast. It seems it was just yesterday that she arrived and we learned we were the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl. She is absolutely the love of our lives and we thank God every day for our amazing little miracle. WE LOVE YOU LILLIANNA!

Last weekend we had a birthday party with Grandma and Grandpa Lamolli, Great-Grandma Chapin, Uncle Ryan and from Oregon via webcam: Grandma and Grandpa Archibald, Aunt Cathy, Aunt Chris, Aunt Cheri (Auntie Cher) and Cousins Kellen, Cody and McKenzie! It was so special to have everyone be a part of Lily's special day. She modeled her special birthday outfit, made just for her with her name embroidered on it - then opened a couple of her birthday gifts - and then had her very own little birthday cake! After her cake, a bath was required as she had frosting not only on her face, but on her arms, legs and tummy! What a fun and busy day she had.

The table is set

The cake is ready

Even a little cake especially for Lillianna

I'm ready for my party!!

Lillianna with Grandma Lamolli

with Mom

with Dad

A happy birthday girl ready for some CAKE!

Mmmmm...is that little cake just for ME???

Let's see...how should I eat this...

I know - when all else fails, eat it face first - no hands!

I can feel the sugar rush already!

Yay - it's time for presents!!

Taking my new baby doll and stroller for a little walk

Thank you everyone for sharing Lillianna's big day. She sends hugs and kisses to everyone - and will post again to show you all the fun new toys she got. Mommy and Daddy need to buy stock in batteries. And one more time, just because we love her so much...

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY LILLIANNA MAE ARCHIBALD

Halloween Kitty

2008-10-27T00:51:00.006-05:00

Miss Lily got dressed up in her best kitty cat costume for a night of Halloween fun at the Mall of America last weekend. We went to the "Nick or Treat" Halloween event at Nickelodeon Universe theme park in the Mall.

Of course, the snap on the headpiece of her costume was broken so it wouldn't snap on her head - and Lily hates hats or anything on her head so she would pull it off whenever we put it on. (All hats or items on Lily's head simply MUST be securely fastened or they will be removed within seconds!) So we only have a couple pictures of her with the hat on, but of course she was still cute! :)

After taking in the sights and sounds of the amusement park for about an hour, seeing the Nickelodeon characters and all the other kids in costumes, our little kitty was just exhausted and needed a "cat nap". She fell asleep just as we bought tickets to ride the merry-go-round. Oh well, we will return to the mall for a ride on the merry-go-round another day!

Lily's Impromptu Photo Shoot

2008-10-18T00:06:00.006-05:00

Tom was hired to do a photo shoot for a local high school senior last Tuesday. I needed to deliver some photo supplies to Tom, so Lily and I stuck around and watched the shoot. When the photo shoot was done, Tom still had the studio reserved for another hour so of course he snapped a few shots of Miss Lillianna Mae!

These were just some quick shots, but we couldn't let the studio opportunity go to waste! (Also, Tom hasn't had a chance to touch these up yet, but I couldn't wait to put them online. My photographer husband will probably shoot me for displaying the untouched photos. Oh well!)

We're going to plan a longer, scheduled studio session after her birthday. Wow...that's so strange to say...her birthday! She can't be almost 1 already?!?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Lillianna Mae Archibald...

Happy Birthday Tommy!!!

2008-10-10T00:24:00.009-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Tom celebrated his first birthday with Lily today ... well not HIS first birthday but the first one since Lily was born .... okay, it's late, you get what I mean! You'll have to ask Tom what birthday it REALLY was, I don't know if I should reveal the secret (hint: look at the cake picture below).

Mommy and Lily spent the day running around town getting cake ingredients, some decorations, wrapping paper and, of course, the gift.

Being that I am completely inept at anything requiring the smallest amount of creativity or artistic talent, I decided to attempt to make a "camera cake". After completely destroying the kitchen and being up to my elbows in cake, frosting, food coloring, fondant, icing - and trying to entertain Miss Lily at the same time - the final product SLIGHTLY resembled a camera. I made the camera out of one cake (cut it up into several pieces and "glued" it together in the shape of a camera and lens using frosting and covering it with black-tinted fondant) and then put the camera on a separate round cake with white whipped frosting and red icing around the edge. It wasn't as pretty as I had hoped, but hey, at least it didn't completely collapse and looks a teeny bit like a camera...maybe??? Okay, not really - it looks like a big black blob on a white cake. It still tasted good!

After the cake, it was gift time. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a new rock star in the making ... or should I say a "Guitar Hero" in the making. Lily and I decided to do something a little crazy and bought Guitar Hero III for the Wii. Lily was just as interested in the new toy as Daddy was. Somehow I think she will master the art of Guitar Hero before we do!

WOW - Mom, have you SEEN this?!? It ROCKS!!!

Lily is already learning the art of playing the guitar with her mouth - rocker chick!!

Lily Has a New Toy!

2008-09-28T23:25:00.007-05:00

Now that Lillianna is standing on her own and likes to "walk" with help, Mommy and Daddy went shopping after church today to find a new walking toy. We found it! Lily LOVES to walk behind her new toy, pushing it across the living room. Daddy says he's getting her prepared to mow the lawn next summer!

Uh-Oh ... look out Bella! Kitty tails are no longer safe now that Lily is mobile!

And back to some more crawling and posing for the camera. She KNOWS when a camera is around and likes to smile and pose. What a ham! Now who does she get THAT from?!?

Lily Update

2008-09-22T23:07:00.003-05:00

Since it's been so long since our last post - and Miss Lily grows and changes so fast - we thought a "Lily Update" was in order. So...here's the latest on our little Lily Bug...

Teeth

Lillianna has a total of 4 teeth so far - 2 bottom and 2 top. She has 2 more top teeth that are starting to poke through....and that has NOT been fun!

Crawling/Standing/Cruising

She has quickly advanced from crawling (which she now does at warp speed) to pulling herself up, standing (even on her own with no support!) and cruising while holding on to furniture, couches, etc. She's testing her balancing skills by letting go and standing on her own for longer and longer. At this rate, who knows, she may be walking before long!!

Talking

No real words, yet ... at least not that we can identify. She repeats sounds and babbles a lot - things like "Dat", "Babababa", "Mamamama" but I think these are just sounds and not actual words because she says them randomly and they don't seem to be associated with anything in particular. It's still adorable, though!!

Growing

While still our tiny little peanut, Miss Lily is still growing by leaps and bounds. At her last appointment a couple months ago, she was just over 14 pounds and 24" long. She's in the 15th percentile for weight and the 60th percentile for length. She has another appointment at 1 year (in a month) so we'll see how much she's grown!

Of course we HAVE to end a Lily post with some more Lily pictures!! Here are a few of the latest Lily photos...

Chapin Family Reunion

2008-09-22T21:55:00.009-05:00

Wow...it's been a while since our last post, hasn't it? Summer is flying by way too fast - is it really almost the end of September?

This summer kept us really busy as my mom and I planned the first Chapin Family Reunion. This was a reunion of all the decendants of my maternal great-grandparents (my mom was a Chapin). We planned a large reunion in my mom's hometown of Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. Almost 100 relatives came from all across the country!! It was a lot of work and took many months to plan, but it was definitely worth it - we had a blast!

Lily was, of course, the hit of the reunion. As the youngest member of the Chapin family, she basked in all the attention.

We had a great time in Pequot and loved meeting so many family members we didn't even know we had! Hopefully we will do this again!

Chapin Family Reunion

August 23-24, 2008

Pequot Lakes, Minnesota

Decorating and getting ready the night before...

The Reunion - Day One

The Reunion - Day Two

Look Who's Crawling!!

2008-08-19T20:47:00.010-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a crawler!!

Miss Lillianna Mae Archibald has mastered the art of crawling. She took her first "shuffles" last week and in just the past week has ramped up to warp speed. Her favorite activities are chasing after the dogs and pulling herself up on any surface she can find.

And now a lesson from Miss Lily. How to pull yourself up using any household object (even a cardboard box):

STEP ONE: Locate the object. In this case, a cardboard box. Initiate warp crawling speed toward object, getting as close as possible - perhaps even run into the object.

STEP TWO: Assess the height of the object. This is done by getting your face as close as possible and then looking up to the top of the object. Pressing your nose against the object can be helpful.

STEP THREE: Reach up and place hands on top of object, then pull up legs into kneeling position. Careful, this gets tricky!

STEP FOUR: Pull up and wobble a few times while moving from your knees to your feet. Don't worry if your balance fails - Mommy has pillows placed strategically all over the living room - and that diaper is pretty cushy, too. If you fall, get up and try it again!

TADA!! Look at what I can do!! Yes, it's okay to brag.

Wanna see that from another angle?

Now that I can crawl and pull myself up, I'm getting ready for my ballet lessons. I've already learned to point my toes - see? Prima Ballerina!

And of course one last Lillianna picture, just because....

Peek A Boo!

2008-08-06T18:48:00.004-05:00

Miss Lily continues to get closer and closer to crawling...but still not quite there yet. The other day she was playing "peek a boo" with us in the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom. She was on the floor in the doorway and we were in the bathroom. She'd peek around the doorway into the bathroom. So of course we just had to share the pictures!!

Lillianna sends you all hugs and kisses - pucker up!!

Aebleskiver anyone???

2008-07-26T20:13:00.014-05:00

July 18-20 was Danish Days in Viborg, SD. This is where Joy's dad and stepmom, Don and Karen Engelke, live. We'd never been to Viborg so we decided to pack up Lily and the dogs (yes, all 6 of them!) and head to Viborg for a weekend of Danish fun!

We had a great time. We had a traditional Aebleskiver breakfast - yummy! Curious what that is? They're little round pancakes baked in a mold shaped like a little ball. They were very good!

After breakfast, we helped Grandma and Grandpa Engelke put the finishing touches on their parade float for their church. We all got to ride on the float in the parade and throw candy. It was Lily's first time in a parade!

For lunch, we went to the Viborg school and had traditional open-faced Danish sandwiches and Danish desserts in the cafeteria. After lunch, Don and Karen took us to Yankton, a town on the South Dakota/Nebraska border. There was a beautiful lake and park with a dam on the Missouri River that separated the two states. We crossed into Nebraska - just to say we'd been there! :) From there, we stopped in Centerville, SD for dinner at a nice "Mom and Pop" cafe with a wonderful hometown atmosphere and the steak was fantastic - I think the best we've ever had!

On Sunday, we attended a community worship service that is part of the Danish Days celebration and is coordinated by all the churches in town. Each pastor takes part in the service and there is a sing-along where the congregation gets to select the hymns. That afternoon, we went with Don and Karen to the nursing home in Viborg where they gave a short worship service for the residents. After the service, Lily got to go around the room and meet the residents of the nursing home where, of course, she was adored. :)

We had a really great time in Viborg and are looking forward to taking part in Danish Days again. Here are a few pictures of our little mini "vacation".

The Float

The Parade

Danish Lunch at Viborg School Cafeteria

Worship Service at Nursing Home

Grandma and Grandpa Engelke's Church

Grandpa's BIG Truck!!

Lily enjoyed her first trip to Viborg and her time with Grandma and Grandpa Engelke. See her first dolly in the background of the picture below? Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the dolly!

Happy Birthday Kellen!

2008-07-25T00:24:00.006-05:00

On Cheri, Kellen and Cody's last night here, we decided to throw a little surprise birthday party for Kellen. The theme? Firetrucks! So Tom and Joy went out and hit the party store to find anything and everything with firetrucks or firemen and pick up a couple cakes (one regular cake, one ice cream cake). Then, while Cheri kept Kellen busy downstairs, Tom, Joy and Cody quickly put up the decorations and got the cakes ready. Then Cody went downstairs to get Cheri and Kellen to come upstairs. Surprise Kellen!! Happy Birthday! Here are some pictures of our little party.

Valleyfair - Day Two!

2008-07-22T19:54:00.017-05:00

Okay, sorry it's been a while since we posted an update about Cheri, Kellen and Cody's visit, so here it is...

We had so much fun at Valleyfair the first day, we decided to go back again! We rode a lot more rides the second time around. Joy even worked up the nerve to get on a couple of the coasters she hadn't been on before - The Renegade and The Wild Thing. Auntie Cher got SOAKED on the Thunder Canyon water raft ride - ha,ha! A great time was had by all - AGAIN. Here are some pictures from our second day at Valleyfair...

One of the first rides we rode was The Wave - a water ride that creates a HUGE wave and completely soaks everyone. Cody, Kellen, Tom and Joy rode the ride (Auntie Cher stayed with Lillianna and took pictures). Here's a couple pictures of the ride hitting the water and Tom and Joy a little "wet behind the ears":

Then, as if we weren't wet enough, we decided to ride the Thunder Canyon water raft ride. It's a ride that goes under several waterfalls, so depending on where you're sitting in the raft and how it twists and turns along the way, you may or may not get completely soaked. Cheri, Kellen and Cody went first - then Tom and Joy took a ride. Cheri and Cody got a direct hit from a waterfall - ha,ha! Tom and Joy managed to avoid most of the water and came through mostly dry. Here's Cheri, Kellen and Cody on their raft ride:

Uh-oh...here comes the waterfall (who's gonna get wet???)...

Cover your head, Cheri!!!

Cody's next - and seems to love it!

Ahhhhh - refreshing!!!

"The Wild Thing" - the big, scary green coaster that can be seen from miles away - the one that Joy had never been able to work up the courage to get on....until now. Kellen, Cody and Joy took a ride on "The Wild Thing" .... it was SO much fun!

Kellen and Cody had a caricature done at one of the many caricature booths in the park. It was perfect!

Auntie Cher spent the week teaching Miss Lily how to give her "five". She's a good teacher - Lillianna still knows how to give "five"!

More random photos of fun from our second day at Valleyfair...

Valleyfair - Day One

2008-07-09T22:17:00.014-05:00

On Friday the 5th, we all went to Valleyfair, an amusement park in Shakopee, Minnesota (southwest of Minneapolis). There is so much to see and do at Valleyfair, we can't possibly describe all of it here (and couldn't fit it all into one day, so we went back for a second day - that post is coming later). They have acres and acres of rides, roller coasters, games, food, entertainment, an IMAX movie theatre, go-karts, bumper boats, mini-golf, a waterpark - just a ton of fun in one place!

On our first day at Valleyfair, we went to Whitewater Country, which is a waterpark inside the amusement park. Lillianna got to put on her brand new swimsuit and play in the kiddie splash pool and float on an innertube with Joy for the very first time! She LOVED splashing in the pool and almost fell asleep on the lazy river ride floating on the tube. Cheri, Kellen and Cody rode the big waterslides and the faster "raging rapids" innertube ride.

After the waterpark, Kellen and Cody rode several of the roller coasters in the park - the Wild Thing, Renegade, High Roller, the Flume, the Mad Mouse (just to name a few). Joy rode with them on the Flume (a log chute water ride) and with Kellen on the Mad Mouse.

Fun in the sun at Valleyfair...

Before long though, it was midnight and the park was closing. We decided a couple days later to come back to Valleyfair for a second day - we have more pictures from that day that we will post soon!

Bathtime with Lily and Aunt Cheri

2008-07-09T13:57:00.006-05:00

Aunt Cheri gave Miss Lily a bath. She loved playing in the water (Lily, not Cheri). Thanks for the bathtime, Aunt Cheri!!

4th of July at Lake Minnetonka

2008-07-09T12:57:00.009-05:00

Food, music, the lake and fireworks - does it get better than this? We celebrated the 4th of July in Excelsior, Minnesota on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. First we went to the store and filled the cooler with lots of good food and drinks - Tom even tried sushi for the first time! It took two trips to haul everything down to the lake (thank you Cody and Kellen for going back to the van for all the stuff!) but we staked out a great spot by the shore. We sat and listened to the Minnesota Orchestra and then watched the fireworks as they were shot from a barge out in the middle of the bay.

After the fireworks, Cody and Kellen jumped in the water and took a swim in Lake Minnetonka. Are they crazy or what?!? Here are some photos from our 4th at the lake...

And yet another thing for the memory books ... on the way home, the car in front of us began swerving in and out of its lane, nearly sideswiping the cars in the next lane. The driver was also having a difficult time maintaining a steady speed and was clearly unable to stay in his/her own lane. It appeared the driver was quite intoxicated. Kellen called the police on his cell phone and reported the driver. He stayed on the phone with the dispatch operator as we followed the car. Pretty soon a police officer pulled out from a side road and pulled the car over. We were told to pull over behind the officer to give a statement. As it turned out, two police cars arrived on the scene. After they checked out the driver of the other car, they came back to our car to talk to us and get our statement about what we witnessed. It turns out that the driver of the car was an elderly man who was unable to drive safely, especially at night and should not be driving. It made us feel conflicted - sad for the poor elderly man, but also glad that we reported the vehicle and could have prevented an accident.

At "The Mall" with Aunt Cheri and Cousins Kellen and Cody

2008-07-07T14:39:00.033-05:00

Aunt Cheri, Cousin Kellen and Cousin Cody came all the way from Oregon to visit for a whole week!! We spent their second day here at the Mall of America. We saw lots of stores, went to the Underwater Adventures aquarium, ate at the Rainforest Cafe restaurant and had a ton of fun in the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park. It was a very fun day and one we'll remember forever! Memories of our day at The Mall...

Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park

Cousins Kellen and Cody were brave and rode the roller coaster in Nickelodeon Universe (look closely, they're in the second car). Then Aunt Cheri, Cody, Kellen and Mommy all rode the Log Chute water ride. I was too little for the big rides so I rode on the carousel with Mommy and Daddy instead. It was fun! Here's pictures of all of us "ride warriors"!

After all the excitement of Nickelodeon Universe, we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, a "wild" restaurant in the Mall of America that has a rainforest jungle theme. We sat in an area with animated gorillas that "came to life" every few minutes and there were even thunderstorms while we ate. Aunt Cheri bought me a stuffed baby gorilla and a tiger.

Rainforest Cafe

After lunch, we went to Underwater Adventures, an underground aquarium underneath the Mall of America. We got to see tons of fish, turtles, stingrays and sharks. They had a small pool where we all got to touch stingrays and sharks (well everyone except Miss Lily).

Underwater Adventures

Wow - what a busy day. After all the fun and excitement, I am exhausted. I am off to sleep, dreaming of my day at the Mall with Aunt Cheri, Cousin Kellen and Cousin Cody. I can't wait for all our adventures to come this week - we'll post more pictures of all the fun!

Say Goodbye to the Swing

2008-07-07T14:10:00.005-05:00

Summer is here and the days are flying by. It's so hard to believe Lily is already 8 months old ... and has now outgrown her swing. The days of lazy swinging are over and are giving way to more exciting activities, new toys and interacting with EVERYTHING around her. When she began sitting forward in the swing and nearly tipping it over, we decided it was time to pack it away. So here's one last look at her last time in the swing - ahhh the memories...

Another first - Lily took a bath in the "big girl" bathtub instead of her baby tub. She loved playing and splashing in the water. She's experiencing so many new things as she grows so quickly. Crawling is just around the corner!

Since there can never be enough pictures of Lily, here are a few more... it's so nice to dress in short sleeved summer outfits - no more snowsuits, mittens, blankets and layers and layers of clothing.

Traveling Lily and her Ancestors

2008-06-21T23:35:00.013-05:00

Miss Lillianna has sure been enjoying some traveling lately. We drove up to Pequot Lakes (where Joy's mom's family is originally from) for Memorial weekend to meet Joy's family and put flowers on the family graves. A few pictures (pardon the hair, it was VERY windy that day):

We also saw an old cabin on "Shawano Point" in Pequot. It's an amazing old cabin - Joy's great-grandfather did all the rockwork in the walls, steps and foundation of the cabin. He did a lot of rockwork in the Pequot area. We believe he may also have built the cabin as he was contractor on a lot of log buildings in the area.

The very next day we drove to a small town in Southern Minnesota called Stanton. We had done some genealogical research and discovered that many of Tom's ancestors were from Minnesota and are buried here. We found Stanton (a very, very small town) and amazingly after walking through the small town cemetery, we found the headstone of Tom's great-great-great-great-grandfather, Shedrick Crump. Wow!! It was really amazing!

And of course we celebrated Father's Day - Tommy's first Father's Day!!! We drove up to Duluth to spend the afternoon with Joy's family.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO GRANDPA ARCHIBALD, GRANDPA ENGELKE and GRANDPA LAMOLLI!! Love, Lillianna

Look at me wearing Uncle Ryan's hat in the Duluth Mall on Father's Day

Daddy and Me

Of course, what would a blog post be without more pictures of Lillianna Mae? She's growing by leaps and bounds these days. Just today we discovered she has a second tooth! She is very close to crawling - it won't be long now! She can get up on her arms or pull up her knees and stick her butt in the air, but she hasn't quite figured out how to do both at the same time so she can actually move forward. We're sure she will have this figured out very soon, though!

Today the three of us hit the garage sales in our area. I think there was a sale on every street! Of course Miss Lily came home with more clothes, books, movies and toys - and Tom found some photography goodies. This is Mommy and Lily checking out a stuffed puppy dog for Miss Lily - of course the puppy came home with us!

All the Better to Bite You With!

2008-06-01T18:44:00.003-05:00

Uh-oh, Miss Lily has a tooth! The doggies better watch out - she may be testing out her new "chompers" on them! Come to think of it, Mommy and Daddy better watch out, too.

Here's the first picture of the new little tooth just starting to poke through on the bottom.

As always, she's been SUCH a good girl about the whole teething thing. She hasn't really been very fussy at all. She's had a few moments when she will chew on anything she can get her hands on and whines a little, but all in all, teething has been another easy milestone for us. We are so blessed! Maybe she's just preparing us for the real trouble later on ... ("but I LOVE him!"... Lillianna at age 15?) :)

Mother's Day, Flowers and Peaches

2008-05-21T16:37:00.006-05:00

Is it already almost the end of May? Wow this month has gone by so fast!! Spring has FINALLY arrived in Minnesota. The snow is gone, the weather is finally warmer and the birds have arrived. We finally got some of the feeders filled last week and the birds have just now discovered our back deck.

Mother's Day weekend was a lot of fun. Joy's family came down to visit and Tom took the opportunity to take some photos of the "Moms".

4 Generations

We also went to the nursery for some flower shopping for Mother's Day - a Mother's Day tradition in Joy's family. It was kind of cold and rainy but it was still inspiring seeing all the colorful flowers in bloom. We have so many yard projects to get to this summer - the garden, the patio, the deck - we can't wait to get working outside.

Miss Lily enjoying the greenhouse with Mom

What is an Archibald blog update without a Lillianna update? She is growing by leaps and bounds these days. Has it really been almost 7 months?!? No crawling yet, but she does move her arms and legs when she has her "tummy time" so it probably won't be too much longer before she's mobile! She can sit on her own for VERY brief moments. She can now sit in her little bumbo seat and play with her toys.

We have also discovered that we have a VEGGIE kid (whose kid is this?!?). She absolutely loves veggies (sweet potato, squash, peas, beans) but fruit - not so much! So far we have tried bananas, pears, applesauce and peaches - all have been met with horrible (and kind of funny) faces and spitting the fruit out. I guess liking veggies is a good thing, right?

Mmmm..squash is yummy! A happy veggie meal.

Peaches - YUCK! The picture is a bit blurry, but you definitely get the message.

Daddy and Me

2008-05-09T22:01:00.002-05:00

It's about time Daddy was in a picture, don't you think? Mommy got a new camera for Mother's Day so Dad can finally get in the picture instead of always being behind the camera.

I have a bad cold, but I still look cute and happy, don't I? I hope I feel better tomorrow because we're supposed to go to the nursery to look at all the plants and flowers. Mommy may even get some new plants for Mother's Day. Mom and Dad said they want to plant a tree for me, too.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!

Happy Half-Birthday Lillianna!!

2008-04-28T20:52:00.023-05:00

Can you believe it? Lillianna is 6 months old today. WOW. Where have the past 6 months gone? It seems it was just yesterday that our tiny 4-pound baby girl entered this world. Now she's 6 months old and has grown SO much. Every day brings a new expression, a new sound and new abilities. We felt a tribute to her first 6 months was in order...

The last pregnancy picture, taken just before leaving for the hospital to be induced...

48 hours later, at 6:25 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2007, our baby girl arrives, weighing a whopping 4 pounds, 12 ounces.

All bundled up, headed for her new home. Miss Lily came home Tuesday, October 30th.

One Month Old - Thanksgiving 2007

Lily meets Santa at the Mall of America - December 2007

Two Months Old - Christmas 2007

Three Months Old

Four Months Old

Five Months Old (including Easter 2008)

Six Months Old (well, almost - taken a few days ago)

Our baby girl is growing too fast! The past 6 months have been the happiest months of our lives. So....HAPPY HALF-BIRTHDAY LILLIANNA! We love you so much and look forward to all of your birthdays to come.

Jumperoo Time!

2008-04-20T12:22:00.003-05:00

We love new toys at the Archibald house! This time it's a new toy for Lillianna. We noticed how much she was trying to bounce in her Excersaucer, so we felt it necessary to step things up a notch by getting a Jumperoo. Lily absolutely loves Rockin' to "Rockin' Robin" as this video proves.

Treasure this one now because this is the only time you'll ever see Lillianna having playtime with Michael Jackson.

A Day in the Life of Lillianna

2008-04-08T12:23:00.008-05:00

Life is becoming more exciting every day with new sights, new sounds, new abilities and now new tastes! I thought I would share some of my daily activities with you - I'm such a busy girl now.

I have a new toy! I can now sit and play in my exersaucer. It is so much fun because all the toys are so colorful and they make noise and spin. Doesn't this look like fun?

Whew! I worked up an appetite. Now I think it's time for lunch - and how exciting, I get to eat rice cereal! I really like my new cereal. Mom says I will get to try some vegetables soon - she says I'll really like "sweet potatoes", whatever those are. Sounds good to me!

Mmmmm..yummy! That was good! I think I'm ready to go lay on my pillow for a while. I really like my pillow because I can reach my feet easier. I love to play with my feet and toes now. It's like I never knew they were there before! As you can see, I still like to blow "raspberries", too.

All this playing is hard work! After playing on my "worm" for a while (and completely destroying it by kicking down all the toys), I am exhausted! Zzzzzzzzz....

Now that I'm done with my nap, I think I'll help Mommy with some laundry. She says she managed to get some done while I was sleeping. That laundry basket looks awful comfy ... and those clothes smell so good fresh from the dryer! I'm a good helper, don't you think? Mom says I am.

Wow, that was a very full day. I'm tired. I think it's time for bed. My favorite place to fall asleep - Mommy's arms. Goodnight everyone...I'll write more soon. Zzzzzzzzzz.....

First Day with the New Mouth?

2008-04-05T22:18:00.005-05:00

This morning was an exciting time in the Archibald household as Lily had her first taste of solid food. At least as "solid" as runny rice cereal can be. Lily actually did really really well. At first she shreaked with excitment, seemingly anticipating each next bite. She couldn't chew (or just swallow) fast enough.

It didn't take long before she became frustrated at not being able to take it in as fast as she was accustomed to with her bottle. Still, we are proud, excited and can't wait to try it again. Next week, we will advance to real flavors. MMMM...sweet potatoes!! Cant' wait!

It wasn't more than 15 minutes after the "Big Feeding" before she settled in for a "3 HOUR" nap. That about 2 hours and 45 minutes longer than usual.

'Nuff Said...

2008-04-01T21:15:00.006-05:00

But, I'll add a few words anyway. Tom has finally figured out his lighting kit that we bought over a year ago. Here are the "basement studio" results....

It's a Giggle-icious VIDEO!

2008-03-18T01:34:00.004-05:00

Our Lily-Bug has discovered her voice. Just this week, she has learned how to scream, squeal and giggle. We don't know what it is that has tickled her funny bone, but suddenly the world is hilarious.

Of course, with this newfound skill comes the drama queen! She has already learned that if she coughs, screams or squeals really loud, she gets immediate attention - and the coughs are so obviously fake. What a ham! Did she inherit Daddy's acting skills?

Enjoy this video of our little giggle monster. It's a little long but worth every second (at least to us).

Nakey Picture Time!!

2008-03-11T16:20:00.005-05:00

It had to happen sooner or later. Every parent must have that incriminating photograph of their precious child with the "nakey butt". After all, how else are we going to embarrass her on her 16th birthday?

As Mommy was changing little LilyBug today, inspiration struck and the nakey photo session began. I (Joy) must admit, I am TERRIBLE at taking pictures. No matter what I do, my pictures always come out blurry. For every 1 picture that is in focus, about 300 are blurry. So..these aren't the best possible pictures, but they're the best out of all the pictures we took today. I'm impressed - Lily was not fussy at all - although she didn't want to look at me, she kept looking away (I guess she was shy about having her nakey little behind on camera!). Here are a couple more (and one with clothes on so no one thinks we are completely sick).

The last picture was taken on her "worm". It's a mat that lays on the floor with toys hanging above her. She LOVES to lay on her worm. I also took some video of her playing on the mat and will hopefully get it online soon, if Daddy can show me how to do it!

We love and miss you all!!!

Say, "Hello Kitty!"

2008-02-23T11:30:00.008-06:00

They start so young, these women of today. Shopping that is... Lily couldn't resist modeling her new "Baby Kitty" outfit she picked up on a recent shopping trip with Mom.

We know what really happens after a big shopping trip don't we? ...She becomes a bit more like Dad.

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T20:05:00.002-06:00

We are so in love with our Little Lillianna. We couldn't help but capture this golden nugget on the compact flash card. While watching our regular boring political tv programming we happenned to look over and see this....

Baby's Got New Wheels!

2008-02-03T16:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the grace of God, and the amazing finance guy at Luther Honda in Hopkins, Minnesota, we have another new addition to our family. Meet the 2005 Chrysler Town and Country "MINI-VAN" ...that's right, we are now the proud owners of a mini-van!

Of course this excitment could never match the excitment of our first addition to the family...but we are none-the-less very excited and still a bit in shock (not sticker shock), but good old fashioned "I can't believe that really just happened" shock.

We started out Saturday morning thinking we would just "go look" and perhaps ask a few questions for clarification. Then we decided..."maybe we should wait"..then we thought, "ok...but we know we're not going to get one today"..."we don't have enough down"..."we don't have the proper paperwork together"...etc..etc. Finally we decided to head to the dealership and just get our questions answered. You can guess the rest of the story. Before we knew it, they were handing us the keys and saying "Congratulations". Except this time (thanks to our having both worked at a Honda Dealership in Tennessee) we knew what we wanted and how to not get taken. Yes, we got exactly the deal and the price we wanted.

We are still in a period of serious disbelief. We are LOVIN' the vehicle and now baby Lily can travel in style with all her gear. Now we just need to make four more friends, or have four more kids.

Mom & Dad Portraits

2008-01-20T20:23:00.000-06:00

During their recent visit to Minnesota, Tom shot these portraits of Mom & Dad Archibald. He's been keeping them a secret and not sharing them because they are being given as Christmas Gifts. Though they haven't actually been given yet (they're on the way), we figured we would share them here. Don't worry, there are more Lillianna videos on the way too.

Put Your Head On My Shoulder

2008-01-13T23:09:00.000-06:00

Having a little late night fun with the Lily Bug...

More Camera Fun on a Saturday

2008-01-13T12:31:00.000-06:00

Here's a few fun Lilli shots...

"Archibald Studios" is Online

2008-01-08T15:19:00.000-06:00

Our new Photography web site is online! The link is listed at the right of this blog (Green box near the top). It is probably obvious that we are new to the Photography as a business, but thought we had at least get a site out there so that it can begin attracting the search engines. The site is fairly basic right now, but will grow and improve as we get additional clients and more weddings under our belt. I'm excited about the availability calendar!

Please check out the Portfolio link on the left side of the new home page to see our latest image gallery. I've tried to gear it for those that would be interested in weddings, special events, and portraiture so I've left out much of the scenic and abstract stuff. I'm open to criticism and suggestions about any images that should be removed, or that might make us look like beginners. Also - any marketing ideas or suggestions are more than welcome. James...I need your creativity! (Or is Desta the creative one)

2 Month Checkup

2008-01-04T09:45:00.000-06:00

Wow, has it been two months already since our little girl was born? Lillianna is growing too fast. While I'm very excited for her to be at the stage where she is walking and talking, I don't want her to grow up too fast either.

Lily had her 2 month checkup yesterday. Basically it was a review of her development so far. They checked her weight (a whopping 8lbs., 4 oz.), length and head circumference and we discussed how she's doing as far as awareness, interacting with others, tummy time, breastfeeding, etc. We also talked about what to expect at this age and in the next 2 months until her next appointment at 4 months.

As for the shots, she got the following, which were combined into 3 injections and 1 oral: - DTaP (Diptheria, Tetanus & Pertussis) - Polio - HepB - Pneumococcal Conjugate - Hib - Rotavirus She did REALLY well with the shots - she only cried for about 30 seconds right after they gave her the shots. She's such a little trooper. :) Though after we got home she became pretty fussy and remained that way for the rest of the day. The Doctor warned us that would probably happen.

Tom is still on a break from Photography school which will allow him time to get the web business caught up. Classes begin again on January 16 with "Portraiture II" and "Critical Thinking" The latter of the two is an online class and will allow Tom to have more evenings at home. Since almost all of the General classes remaining are offered on-line, we have decided that Tom will pair up one general class with one photography class for the rest of his schooling. (another couple of years).

Meanwhile, Tom has also been given a one-year extension on his "New York Institute of Photography" courses. So, he will be working hard to get those assignments knocked out as well.
You can see we didn't post any pictures today. I think we have posted most everything we have, so we will have to get shooting again. I think the video camera is getting a thin layer of dust as well. Time to blow it off and roll some tape! (James and Desta have inspired me!)

That's it for now...Have a great Day!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2008-01-01T00:19:00.001-06:00

2008 is gonna be a great year!

Must have been a funny dream...

Visions of Sugar Plums....

2007-12-25T20:23:00.000-06:00

At about 4 am on Christmas morning, Lillianna lay in her bouncy seat waiting with anticipation as we finally finished the last of the wrapping and gift preparation. That is correct...we have not yet gone to bed and Lily is still wide awake.

As we gave quite a few framed photos this year, (guess what the subject matter was), Tom spent much of Christmas Eve in the office printing and framing photos while Joy finished the last of our gift wrapping.

Lilly Bug was our special gift this year, so it seemed like a cute idea to put her near the tree. Besides, it was the only place in the newly arranged living room that her bouncy seat would fit.

Here are several photos from Christmas morning and some recent Lillianna gems from the past several days.

Is that a plastic microphone sticking out of the top of Lily's stocking?

Is Santa trying to tell us something about our daughter's future?

Love that north window light.

Is that "Maxine" behind the grumpy sweatshirt? Nope it's sweet Grandma.

Wow, look at all of the gifts for me!

Tom's portraiture class paid off this Christmas.

Our Christmas Darling!

2007-12-10T16:36:00.000-06:00

We couldn't resist yet another opportunity to get Ms. Lily into the studio again for more cuteness captured onto the memory chip. Prepare yourselves, as this is only Portraiture I. Tom still has Portraiture II and III to go....

Grandma Bea's lookin' good too!

Lily Meets Santa

2007-12-05T22:12:00.000-06:00

Lillianna was on her best behavior as she met the one and only Santa Claus at the Mall of America. Santa was just as polite and charming as we expected him to be. He reminded Lily to clean her room and behave her Mom and Dad, and Santa was very nice to allow some photos during his little chat with her.

Santa shares a laugh with Lillianna.

A few photos to share

2007-12-01T22:26:00.000-06:00

What kind of Dad would I be if I didn't post at least a few new photos each week. Here are a few fun shots from the studio one from home.

A nice 4 Generation shot

Happy Thanksgiving...Where's the Pie?

2007-11-22T22:14:00.000-06:00

It's been a very fulfulling Thanksgiving! The day isn't over and there is still more pie and ice cream to be consumed, but it has been a wonderful day. This is the first time that both our families have been together for a major holiday. It was not quite "Christmas Vacation" but we tried as best we could to live up the the "Griswolds". We did however, manage to have 8 dogs, 1 cat, 8 adults and one newborn all together at the same time without any mishaps...that says something doesn't it?

I have enclosed a few photos below of the past week with Tom's folks here from Oregon (Grandma and Grandpa Archibald and a few from our great holiday today with Grandma and Grandpa Lamolli, Uncle Ryan and Great Grandma Lillian. The captions will explain the rest.....

The Four G's

Grandpa and Grandma Lamolli (left) and Grandpa and Grandma Archibald (right)

Great-Grandma Chapin and Joy watched over the dinner plans

Hey, where's that thing that fell out of my mouth?

Little Lillianna contemplating on Country Apple or Pumpkin? Hmmm.

Grandma Lamolli shows off her buns (can I say that on a blog?)

A few days ago, Lillianna had some hair issues following her bath.

After hearing the the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders would be performing at the Mall of America, we rushed to see them. They had just finished upon our arrival at center court. BUMMER, Lillianna was so disappointed. After reviving Daddy and Grandpa Archibald, we found other things to do at the mall instead. Daddy did happen to accidentally point his camera in their direction and took this shot as an afterthought.

We hope everyone had an outstanding Thanksgiving Holiday!

The Lillianna Mae Videos have arrived!

2007-11-03T22:19:00.000-05:00

This first video of Lillianna Mae was taken in her first moments. After the initial "scrub down" and some urgent care procedures, she finally got into her mama's arms.

I have more videos to share and will share them as time allows. Enjoy!

It just keeps getting better!

2007-11-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

After 4 days of our new life with Lillanna, our hearts melt every time we see her. Of course she sleeps most of the time (except overnight), but the lack of sleep is a small price to pay for such a beautiful gift. Tom has been taking more pictures than we will ever have enough albums for, but that's ok with us.

This morning we had Stanley Steamer come out and clean all of our carpets. While they were here, we thought it would be a good time to take Lillianna for her first "stroll" around the block. Getting out and walking on such a beautiful and sunny day was quite refreshing after spending 4 days in the hospital and a couple of days at home inside. Lillie slept through the entire stroll, but it was nice to get out and expose her to some fresh air.

Joy's family will be with us for a couple of weeks longer. They have been a huge help around the house and it's fun to have them around during our little paradigm shift.

Tom had class tonight (Professional Wedding Photography), but was back home by 9pm following a quick trip to Walgreens to pick up some prints. We typically print our own photos and enlargements, but when we just need some standard 4x6 prints, it's so much easier and quicker to upload them and then run down and pick them up an hour later. When Tom has more time (ha ha ha..yeah right!). He will crank up the Epson 2200 and print some larger versions of our favorite Lilly pix for framing (will we ever be able to afford picture frames again?)....diapers?...frames?...diapers?...frames.?... Such decisions.

Here are some new photos. Some from the hospital as we prepare for the trip home, and a few from home as we transition into this new life the good lord has provided for us. Enjoy!

Our last day at the hospital. It won't belong 'till we're oughta here!

Lillianna just wanted to fit in with the staff.

Here cute coming home outfit. Though she slept through the whole thing.

Uncle Ryan bought her the cute little pink bear.

Car seat?...Check! (Yep...still asleep)

Still sleepin'

Heading out...Our first family walk around the block.

An unfortunate sign of the times.

'Nuff said.

God's precious Miracle.

Pope Lillianna (actually she should be called poop Lillianna)

Welcome Lillianna Mae Archibald

2007-10-28T19:00:00.000-05:00

Lillianna Mae Archibald was born Sunday evening at 6:25 p.m. Our little Lillie Bug weighs 4 lbs. 12 oz. and is 18.5 inches long. She is a very curious little one and loves looking around.

Only a few minutes old.

1st Full Day...

It BABY Time!!!

2007-10-27T14:01:00.000-05:00

It appears that we have arrived at BABY time! Last week it was determined that Baby Archibald was about 1 pound smaller than he/she should've been for being 35 weeks old. We were told not to worry, but that we would have to squeeze in an additional visit each week for a special ultrasound to determine Baby Archibald's growth status. Our first of these special tests was Friday afternoon.(October 26th.)

Following the 45 minute test, our OB entered the room and said, "Congratulations...you're going to have a baby..." We both thought to ourselves, "Yeah..we knew that." Then after a long pause, Joy said, "Do you mean today?", to which the Doctoer replied, "Yep...are your bags packed?" We told her that they were, but they were at home (about an hour away). We were told to head home, get our things together, get our butts back to the hospital and get checked in.

Now, the baby is not in serious distress, but due to an issue with the placenta, the baby has not been getting proper nutrition lately. Not a major issue, as long as they induce labor now and get little baby Archibald OUT of there so that they can better assist in providing the proper nutrition. As they put it... "We can help the baby better outside than in".

So here we are on Saturday afternoon in the Labor and Delivery Room at Fairview Riverside Medical Center just a few miles from where we both work everyday. The baby is fine, we are just waiting for the "jump start" drugs to work their magic and start the labor process. That could happen at any time. We DO know that we will not be returning home without baby Archibald safely nestled in the little car seat that awaits him outside.....or her?

Joy's family is "awaiting further development" back at our house. Tom's family anxiously awaits news as well, while they bite their nails in Oregon. Grandma and Grandpa Archibald are still planning their trip out for the original Thanksgiving time due date and are happy that they will get a full 3 weeks with their 9th grandchild.

Below are a few peliminary photos of our experience so far.....starting with a "belly shot" of Joy taken just before we left for the hospital Friday evening.

More news and photos to follow soon (Yes, we brought the laptop to the hospital - get over it!)

A last minute photo before leaving home (last time as a twosome)

After checking in We got some stats....

Joy thought she should make a few calls.

Ugh! Breakfast...do I have to?

Just a little pain...

Finally...some rest (at about 8 am yesterday)

The view from our window on the day of Baby Archibald's birth.

More to come soon...

Tom's first studio shoot

2007-10-10T00:15:00.000-05:00

The fact that "Baby Time" is getting so close still takes us by suprise at least a few times each day. In just over a month, our lives will certainly be changed forever. We think we have all of the necessities in place. We met with a pediatrition this morning and he seems like a nice guy so we have decided to give him a try. We also have an appointment with the Sheriff's Department to install the car seat. And finally, on a recent shopping trip we completed our list of what we think are the most essencial baby items to have on hand.

The above portrait of Joy is just one sample from the dozens that Tom took for his first portraiture assignment. Tom couldn't wait to post them online despite Joy's humble resistance.
View a slide-show of Joy's portrait session by clicking here.

Today is Tom's birthday (45), so he took the day off. Tonight is our final "Baby Class". After six weeks of "Heeh-Heeh-Heeh" ing, we are excited to move on with our lives. Though we have a much better understanding of what to expect here in a few weeks. The tour of the maternity ward at Fairview Riverside Hospital was also very exciting and informative.

In other news... The Web Shack is thriving while Tom struggles to keep up with the web design work and still keep his 4.0 average at school. Perhaps the baby will keep us home and allow us to get more work done.......well......probably not. I must have just been day dreaming.

Fall is in the air with temperatures falling into the 50's. Today is very windy and a bit chilly. A good day to stay inside and try to get some work done.

Oh Happy Day!

2007-08-14T13:37:00.000-05:00

The nursery is nearly complete! Grandma and Grandpa Lamolli bought the crib - thank you Grandma and Grandpa! The furniture has been assembled, the new baby clothes all washed and put away, and the daybed has been moved up from the family room downstairs. So, after a very busy weekend of purchasing some final items, we are happy to have everything done except for a few final touches (mostly things to put on the wall) and purchasing more of the "necessities" like blankets, extra crib sheets, carriers, boppy pillows, etc. - but the big stuff is done!

Ok...now where do we put the rest of the stuff like toys, playpen, exersaucer, bouncy seat, and all of the other stuff that once filled this room. We are already talking about what can go in that infamous space "under the stairs". I guess these things will work themselves out.

100 days to go.... What do we do now?

Our Shock and Sympathies

2007-08-02T13:22:00.000-05:00

We are still in shock over last evening's tragedy here in Minneapolis. The 35W bridge that collapsed is one that we use frequently and is only a few blocks from the U of M campus where we both work. It was quite freaky to actually see my office on in the background on CNN's coverage. Sadly, It will take our city years to recover.

On my lunch break only minutes ago. I took my camera down the street to document whatever I found....mostly tons of people lining the streets just trying to see whatever they could. The authorities kept everyone away from the scene. Media from all over the world are set up in a staged area near the scene. Satellite trucks, reporters, cameras etc. line the edge of University Ave. Anderson Cooper of CNN (Cooper News Network) isn't here yet....but give it time.

Our hearts and prayers are with those that are most affected by this tragedy.

Below is 35W looking north from the point at which the road is still intact. Looking south from this point is where the scene takes a much darker view (1st photo at top).

Spectators everywhere!

God Bless the survivors as well as those still lost.

It's a kicker!!

2007-07-16T10:13:00.000-05:00

It's official - Baby Archibald is kicking! I started feeling what I *thought* was movement a couple weeks ago, but I wasn't sure. Then last week I suddenly felt a definite POP! There was no denying that was the baby making its presence known! A few of the kicks have even been strong enough to feel from the outside. Tom was able to feel it last week. He thought I was playing tricks on him by moving the blanket that was on my belly, but it wasn't me! It was our little "Jackie Chan" karate kicker. :) (We've also referred to him/her as "Walker" for Walker Texas Ranger, but somehow Jackie Chan just seems better.)

The web design business has also been keeping us busy lately. There is never a dull moment. Tom is almost done with his summer semester of school (2 more weeks to go!) then he gets 4 weeks off before the fall semester starts. Yippee!! A break from night school will be SO nice.

It looks like I will be going back to work part-time, at least between now and November. I will be going back to the same office at the University where I worked before. I am so lucky - they have offerred me a part-time position that will allow me to split my time between the office and working from home. I will only have to go to the office 2 days a week. Part of me is not completely excited about going back to work, but at least it will give us some extra funds to buy much-needed baby items and they are being so good to me with the flexible schedule. Plus, it's only until the baby arrives in November and then I can decide whether or not I want to go back. I really am blessed to have so many options.

This weekend we are going "up north" to northern MN to visit my family for the weekend. Hopefully we will be able to get out on the boat! We haven't been on the lake at all this year. The land of over 10,000 lakes and we can't seem to get on 1 of them even once. Summers just go by too fast - and of course it makes it harder when you don't own a boat - ha! It will be great to just relax and enjoy time with family in the northwoods. We are also taking pictures at a wedding reception up there. My former boss asked if we would come take pictures at her mom's wedding reception. That will be exciting, too - and more photography experience!

This past weekend was a busy one. We had a long client meeting on Saturday with a web site client and we also got some work done on the house. We finally finished painting our upstairs hallway - hooray! It had been half-painted for a few months. We still have lots of areas to finish painting, but one step at a time. Sunday was hectic but FUN as we went to Babies R Us and Target to register for their baby registries. It was nice because it helped relieve some of our shopping urges - we felt like we were buying all kinds of stuff - yet we didn't actually buy anything. It was fun just picking things out. We only have one more registry to complete (Burlington Coat Factory) and then we are done. It was definitely a fun day!

Well, I guess that is it for now. We hope everything is going well for all of you and would love to hear from you! Take care and enjoy your summer!!

Joy

We Have Wallpaper!!

2007-07-01T19:01:00.000-05:00

After several weeks of paint but no wallpaper in the nursery, we finally finished the wallpaper border today! Yippee!! It was quite a task involving a big bucket of water, a large sponge, a few curse words and only a couple minor arguments. :)

Our nursery is now complete - well, the paint and wallpaper part is complete - there's still a long way to go with furniture, supplies, etc. The next big step will be the furniture. Once we have that, we will add the finishing touches - pictures, shelves, etc.

Here's a picture of the nursery as it is now with the new wallpaper border and the window valance.

And here's a close-up of the border:

Some "ducky" little friends just waiting to play with Baby Archibald:

It's such a relief to have this piece of the project complete - the nursery is getting there! Our goal is to have the nursery completely ready 1 month before the due date. Here's hoping! Progress will be stalled for a while now that we are saving for the big furniture purchase.

We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer. Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Tom, Joy and Baby Archibald

Say Cheese, Baby Archibald!!

2007-06-28T22:16:00.001-05:00

Well, today was the "big day" - our big Level II ultrasound! The little one was NOT very cooperative. It laid with its back toward us almost the entire time and would not roll over. The tech kept poking and prodding, trying to get the little one to move and FINALLY at the very end it rolled over just long enough for the tech to get the few images and measurements she needed. We got one quick profile shot and that was it, so here it is...

A doctor came in and reviewed all the scans and measurements and said the little "bean" looked great! He/she weighs 8 ounces (1/2 pound), which is exactly where it should be at this point. All the measurements (organs, limbs, head, etc.) were normal and the heartbeat was good and strong (151 beats per minute).

We also have a new nickname for the baby - Skeletor! Okay, we won't really call it that, but there was one picture we got from the ultrasound of the baby looking directly at the screen and you saw the outline of the skull (eye sockets, nasal opening, etc.) - it looked just like Skeletor! Tom thought it was too scary.

It's strange to think how much this little one has grown in the past couple of months - from a little tiny "peanut" to a tiny human - and a stubborn, uncooperative human at that! Is this a sign of baby's behavior to come? Yikes! :)

Tom's Photography Portfolio

2007-06-15T14:35:00.000-05:00

Here is a sample of some of Tom's photography. We will keep adding to this slideshow as time goes along and as new pictures qualify for inclusion...

Busy as Bees

2007-06-11T14:59:00.000-05:00

Wow, two posts in one day?!? Expect snow in June because this is a RARE event for us to post so often. We have been very busy the last week so thought we'd catch everyone up on our adventures (not that they're really THAT exciting).

The freshly painted, yet still messy, new nursery.

The wallpaper border will go in between the two colors.

The wallpaper border is a "pond" theme with frogs, turtles and dragonflies.

The new playpen - a Graco pack-and-play

The new stroller/car seat combo.

The rocking chair in the last picture belonged to my Great Grandmother and three generations have been rocked in that chair (my grandfather, my mother and me). We're hoping to get it re-upholstered in time to add a 4th generation to that list. Right now there's just no comfortable way to sit in it, unless you like pokey springs - ouch!

COMPANY

Another event this week was the arrival of family friends from Los Angeles. Walter and Eleanore are my stepfather's friends from L.A. He has known them for many years and they have come to Minnesota to visit many times. We have gotten to know them over the last few years and were blessed to have them stop and stay with us for a day on their way north to my mom and stepfather's house. This time, Walter's sister, Ilse, came with them. She is a missionary in Panama and is on vacation here in the states for a few months. It was wonderful to see them again, and to meet Ilse - they are all such kind, loving people. Walter and Eleanore brought us a gift bag FULL of baby clothes and a blanket that their daughter made. Ilse brought us items made by the indians she lives with in Panama - they are absolutely beautiful! She also serenaded us with a beautiful song for our anniversary (they were here on June 6th, which is my birthday and our wedding anniversary).

BIRTHDAY/ANNIVERSARY

As I mentioned, June 6th was my birthday and our 9th wedding anniversary. We celebrated a few times, which was nice - it's always fun to celebrate an event more than once! We went out to brunch with my family while they were here on Sunday the 3rd. Then we went out to dinner with Walter, Eleanore and Ilse on the 6th.

OUR FIRST WEDDING PHOTGRAPHY

Saturday, June 9th, was our first professional wedding photography gig. Ugh, can I just say I am STILL exhausted? It went very well, especially for our first time. Unfortunately, some of our lighting equipment failed, but we had a good backup flash system and plenty of daylight, so we didn't need them afterall. We were there for 13 hours on Saturday - that is a VERY long day. We have learned that next time we will arrange specific hours that we will be there, instead of making it an all day (and practically all night) event. We are very happy with the results, though, and hope the bride and groom will be as well. The portraits turned out very well and all in all it was a wonderful wedding and it really was fun (just exhausting). I spent all day Sunday laying on the couch with my feet up - what a lazybones! I was tired, sore and my legs were swollen so I decided to take a day to just be lazy. It's every pregnant woman's right, isn't it???

THE WHEAT FIELD HAS BEEN CUT

We FINALLY got around to mowing the wheat field that has been growing in our backyard. Poor Tom struggled in the heat and humidity on Sunday to try to return our lawn to normal. Sunday was a very hot day, but he finished the entire backyard. Sadly, the front lawn is now in need again. A man's work is never done, is it? Unfortunately, I just have not been as much help in the yardwork department this year; I did a lot more mowing last year but just have not had the strength or stamina to push that mower around this year. I'm such a wimp.

BABY NEWS

Well, there really isn't a whole lot to share in the baby department, but what is an Archibald blog post without a baby update? Tomorrow (June 12), I will be 17 weeks. I am still tired most of the time and am still struggling with morning sickness (all-day sickness, actually). The only other changes I have noticed is my legs and feet tend to swell up if I am on my feet too long - yippee. When are the GOOD changes going to start? My next regular appointment is June 22nd and the "big" ultrasound is June 28th. We have decided to keep the sex a secret and be surprised in November. It will still be exciting to see how much the baby has grown at that next ultrasound - we haven't had one since 7 weeks. I am also anxious for them to do all the basic anatomy checks and make sure everything looks okay. Hopefully we will have another ultrasound picture to post here! We're trying to piece together the nursery as time and money allows. It's coming along. I think the next big purchase will have to be the furniture (crib, changing table, etc.). THAT will be an exciting day! I keep telling myself we have plenty of time until November, but I know how fast that time will fly by.

Wow, this turned into a very long post. I guess that's what happens when you don't update for a while. We hope and pray you are all doing well and would love to hear from you.

Take care and God Bless you all!

Joy

I've been tagged?!?

2007-06-11T14:37:00.000-05:00

Well, I've never been "tagged" online before, but now I have! I was tagged by Desta Gillice, which means I now have to tell 7 things about myself. Hmmm...can I come up with 7 things about me?!? I'm really not that interesting. Well, here goes - you better get comfortable...

1. Okay, this is a cop-out, but I guess it is now official - I can no longer say I have never been "tagged".

2. I was born and raised in Minnesota and have lived here most of my life, except for the 6 years I lived in Tennessee.

3. Just about EVERYONE knows this already, but Tom and I are expecting our first little one this November. I am absolutely terrified and yet incredibly excited at the same time. It still does not seem like I am living in reality.

4. My family owned a pizza shop when I was growing up. I worked there from the age of 11 until 22 (when I moved to Tennessee). There are still times I miss the pizza shop; I have mostly good memories, even though it was hectic and insanely busy during the summer. To this day, I still LOVE pizza - and still know some of the recipes and can make a pretty good pizza, if I muster up the energy to cook. (I don't like to cook - perhaps that should be #5 on the list.)

5. Tom and I have six (yes, six) dogs and one cat. I have ALWAYS loved animals. We had dogs, cats, guinea pigs and even a goat when I was growing up. I miss little "Nanny Goat". I'd like to have a goat again someday, if we ever live out in the country again. All of our animals are from rescue groups or humane societies - I really believe in animal rescue. I worked at Nashville Humane Association when we lived in Tennessee. I don't imagine we will be adding to our furry family any more in the coming years, but I still see little furbabies all the time that I'd love to bring home.

6. I love to travel. We rarely get to take vacations or travel anywhere, but I SO look forward to it when we do. We took many family vacations when I was a kid - I hope we can do the same with our little one someday!

7. Okay, admission here - I am a complete and total KID. I love cartoons, kids tv shows, silly movies, games - if it's meant for a 10 year old, I probably will love it! Well, at least I will be able to relate to my child, huh?

Okay, sorry that was so boring - there just aren't 7 interesting things about me! If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged! I want to hear all about you.

Love to you all!
Joy

Long Grass, Bright Nursery

2007-06-04T14:16:00.000-05:00

Our backyard has officially become a jungle. Oh sure, the front yard looks nice, but it's long past time that we mow the backyard. Summer has smacked us in head. (is it even officially summer yet?) We have been spending way to much time inside working on various web projects and have yet to begin our regular outdoor activities resulting in long grass, too many weeds and generally too many yard projects to wrap our minds around.

On the other had, we DID get our nursery painted last night. Joy's family spent the weekend with us and graciously helped us clean out our downstairs spare bedroom from the massive Department 56 Christmas Village that still hadn't been completely put away. Then we moved the upstairs spare room furniture to the downstairs room where it took on a much cozier efftect after a quick decoration session. Ok, now the upstairs room can be converted into a nursery.

It was merely minutes after the family left for home that Tom grabbed a paintbrush and roller and began splashing paint on the walls of the now empty room. By 11:30 pm last night the nursery paint project was completed. In the days to come we will place the wallpaper strip around the center of the room and it will be complete!....Now we just need to save for the baby furniture. So, back to the web projects we go. So much for getting the backyard mowed.

This coming weekend we will photograph our first professional wedding. We are very nervous about getting it right. It's time to put all the training and tid bits of information together and make it all work. Tom recently purchased a set of professional lights complete with a power pack, umbrellas etc. After a few more ebay purchases, (Compact Flash cards, gizmos, meters etc.) we'll see if we can bring everything together and make the flashes flash! Wish us luck. It seems easier to just be the bride and groom.

Memorial Day coming Soon!

2007-05-22T11:38:00.000-05:00

We are anxiously awaiting Memorial Day weekend. We will travel north to spend a few days with Joy's family. No hot tubbin' this time, but we are hoping the weather will allow us to get out on the lake even if for a little while. Regardless, we look forward to spending some time relaxing and sitting around (we're really good at that).

We have finally managed to finish up three large web projects that have been hanging over our heads for some time. Of course, there are more to follow. Our work is never done.

Tom has received his final grades for the semester that just ended. Happy to annouce a couple of more "A"s. One in Digital Darkroom (a Photoshop Class) and another in Photographer's Assistant. In only a few weeks, class starts up again with Ambient Lighting. In the Fall it will be Wedding Photography and Portraiture 1. Needless to say our biggest excitement this year will come in November!

And...what will we do now that our favorite show "Heroes" has wrapped up for the season??

Have a safe and fun-filled Memorial Day weekend!

A Nice Mother's Day...

2007-05-14T15:58:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a nice Mother's Day with a sunny afternoon drive north to Pequot lakes. Pequot is a very small town just north of Joy's home town, Nisswa, Minnesota. Joy's Grandma, Great-Grandma and her Uncle Paul were all recognizable figures in Pequot for decades. Several anscestors are burried there, so it has become tradition to visit the grave sites and do a little clean up and leave some flowers as well. We then had lunch with Joy's family in Pine River, MN and returned home to Andover late Sunday night.

The Archibald's in Oregon had a nice time as well. We really wish we could just "blink" ourselves there for a visit now and them. Sadly, we must rely on phone calls and second-hand stories to be a part of the fun.

Baby is just about 13 weeks. Joy's world is one full of nausea and...well more nausea, I guess. We are hoping that she will get through this miserable stage and move onto the next tri-mester with bundles of positive energy. We can hope can't we?

New Baby Photo!

2007-04-18T13:16:00.000-05:00

Extra! Extra! We have the 2nd photo of Baby Archibald!

We had our 2nd ultrasound today. The baby appears to be healthy and is growing as it should (9 weeks). We were able to see and hear the heartbeat again. This time the little one was VERY active on the ultrasound, moving all over. That is, until the doctor turned the monitor so Joy could see, then the baby decided to be shy and stop moving! Argh! Playing games on its mother already! At least Tom got to see it moving around.

Yes, it still looks like a "blob" but now it's a bigger blob with arms! The circle on the bottom is the head, the two things sticking out on each side are the arms and the top circle is the rest of the body. You can't see the legs from this view, but the Doctor was able to show us the legs on the ultrasound, too. Tom thinks this ultrasound looks like a picture of Homer Simpson. Hmmm, should we name the baby Homer?

Joy is nauseous almost 24/7 now. Ugh - SO much fun. The saltines and ginger ale seem to work a little bit, at least for a little while. So now Tom is the one eating for two - ha,ha!

Tom went home to Oregon last weekend (Wednesday-Sunday) to be with family and attend John's memorial. He loved being there and getting to see everyone again; I know it was very hard for him to come back. We are planning to take a family trip out there for Christmas 2008 - should be fun with a little 1-year-old!

We also wanted to send a big "Get Well Soon" to Jesse. He was badly injured in a skiing accident in Utah. We are thinking about you and hope you recover soon. We know you are in good hands!

And finally, our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, students and staff of Virginia Tech. What a horrible, horrible tragedy. We also send our prayers to the family of the gunman. Such a tragic loss for all. We hope everyone will one day find peace and comfort in the memory of their loved ones.

Take care - we will try to update again soon. It had been a while this time.

Baby's First Photo

2007-04-06T12:04:00.000-05:00

We have the first photo of our little "coffee bean"!

Our first ultrasound was this past Wednesday (April 4th). The little bean is healthy and doing well! We were able to see the baby AND see and hear the heartbeat! It was absolutely amazing!! The baby is about the size of a coffee bean right now (hence the nickname) so there isn't a lot to see, but we could see the tiny heart flickering on the screen and when the doctor turned on the audio we could hear it beating loud and clear. That was unbelievable - we weren't expecting to be able to hear the heartbeat this soon!

The doctor also found a second sac from the other embryo that was transferred during our in vitro. It appears the second one attempted to implant as well, but wasn't successful. We are definitely thrilled to have one though!

Here's the first picture of our little bean. The little peanut on the right side of the black oval is the baby. The circle to the top and left of the baby is the yolk sac (is this too much information?):

Isn't technology amazing? We are having another ultrasound two weeks from now on April 18th. The doctor just wants to be absolutely sure that there is nothing growing in that second sac.

Also, here is a link to our new Photo Gallery.

Happy Easter everyone!!!

Our thoughts are with Cheri, Kellen and Cody...

2007-04-05T12:23:00.000-05:00

Our thoughts are with Tom's sister Cheri following the loss of her husband John on Saturday, March 31st. John collapsed at his home from an unknown heart ailment. He was only 48.

We are also thinking of Kellen and Cody. They should not have lost their father at such a young age. Cheri and John would have celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary this summer.....instead, a celebration of John's life will be held in July.

Our thoughts, tears and prayers are aimed at Cheri and the boys at this very sad time. We are thinking of them every single second. Tom will fly to Oregon next week to be with them.

A community memorial service will take place on April 12th at the new Riverhouse Convention Center in Bend, Oregon. This is a beautiful building in which John and his company had just finished construction.

Cheri, Kellen, Cody....We love you!

And so it begins...

2007-03-29T21:45:00.000-05:00

Okay, it's official. I am now starting to feel the bad side of early pregnancy! Ha! I have been EXTREMELY tired lately and have an upset stomach most of the time. I haven't had any major nausea (thank goodness!) - just a general queasy feeling most of the time. It makes it difficult to want to eat anything.

The days seem to be dragging by SO SLOWLY but I know someday I will look back at this and be shocked at how quickly time passed. Each day I look at my pregnancy books and journals and think "I'm only one day closer? We still have 240 days to go?".

Well ... I realize this blog is probably incredibly boring, but there isn't much else to share right now. Here are some pictures of some things we've picked out for the nursery. We haven't bought them yet, but they've gone on the "baby list":

Crib:

Changing Table with Hutch:

Close Up of Leap Froggie Bedding Set:

My turn - though not much to update

2007-03-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

Hey gang - this is Joy.

Okay, since Tom has done all the posting thus far (I'm not very good at keeping up with things like that), I decided it was time for me to post something...so here goes.

Things have been pretty quiet around here. I've just been spending my days relaxing with all the puppies and keeping up with some of the Web Shack work. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately (in the 80's yesterday!!) so it's been great to get outside and enjoy the backyard again. The birds are attacking the feeders in full force - it seems I'm filling those bird feeders every day now. We've had lots of Juncos, Chickadees, Sparrows, Mourning Doves and Cardinals. Can you tell I like to watch the birds? I can't wait for the spring birds to arrive.

Tom and I still can't believe we're expecting a little one this fall! It just hasn't sunk in yet. So far, I haven't noticed many changes - only some cramping and a little bit of nausea a couple times, but other than that, nothing seems different. Sorry if that's too much information. :) I'm sure everything will be VERY different before too long. As Tom mentioned in an earlier post, our first ultrasound is scheduled for April 4th (next week). We should hopefully be able to see the "little bean" and maybe even see the heart beating! I'm not sure that we will be able to hear the heartbeat yet - I don't think it's far enough along for the Doppler to pick it up. I think that day will be a big eye-opener for us. Then my first appointment with my OB-GYN is April 20th.

We've been doing a lot of "window shopping" for the nursery. We've picked out so many things we want to get and it's so tempting to want to rush out and buy everything now, but we have 8 months to prepare and can't blow the budget on everything now! Mortgage? Who needs to pay the mortgage? I want to buy a crib! Ha,ha!

At this point, we have decided that we will not find out what we are having - we want it to be a surprise. Who knows - at some point down the road, we may change our minds, but at this point we prefer to be surprised the day of delivery, so we've chosen a neutral nursery theme - yellows and greens with a garden or pond theme (frogs, turtles, dragonflies, butterflies, etc.).

Hmmm ... what else? There's so much I could ramble on and on about! At this point, we haven't received an exact due date from our Doctor, but based on our own calculations, it should be around November 20th. We may be eating Thanksgiving Dinner in the hospital this year! What an amazing thing to be thankful for this year, huh?

Tom is continuing his night classes at Hennepin Technical College for Professional Photography - he goes 3 nights a week (Tues - Thurs). Between working, Web Shack and school - I don't know how he does it! It will be so wonderful when he graduates and we can begin focusing on the photography business. All I can say is there should definitely be a lot of pictures of this little baby!!

Well, I guess that's everything for now. It's such big, exciting news and yet there seems like there isn't a lot of new information to share. We'll keep you posted on the little "pinto bean" (apparently the little one is currently the size of a pinto bean). There's a ticker at the bottom of this post that shows how far along we are.

Take care and God Bless!!

The House is so Quiet

2007-03-22T14:29:00.000-05:00

We have our first ultrasound on April 4th. We are excited about the mere confirmation of what we already know. Otherwise everything seems ok thus far.

After a month of having family in the house, Mom Lamolli and Grandma have returned to their home up north. The house is soooo quiet. We'll miss the "Westerns" on the tube that would play 'til the wee hours of the morning as grandma would stay up past all of our bedtimes. Some things never change! Grandma has also been our laundry queen for the last month...again, some things never change.

Our web business is going bonkers with new business lately. We are also trying to finish several web design projects. We are keeping up, but have not yet managed to keep ahead of the game.

Tom is on Spring Break from Photography School. It's nice to both be home in the evenings, if only for the week. Next week the madness returns.

That's all for now.

Welcome to our Blog

2007-03-15T16:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our Blog! We have been meaning to post something here for quite some time and haven't. Now, we have a pretty good reason to post. We have learned that we are expecting our first "little one" in November. No, not our 7th dog!! We'll stay at 6 for a while in that department. We are excited at our news of a real live baby coming our way in the late fall. We're thinking that Thanksgiving week would be good.

We have much to do to prepare for this adventure. Painting, shopping, making more lists of possible names...more shopping.

We can't wait for our new world ahead to begin. It may be a long nine months.

Check back with us. perhaps we might even keep up with this.