August

Our most exciting news to share is that we will be expecting baby Hovey #2 in February 2013!  We are thrilled to be expanding our family.  Jillian's not quite sure what she thinks of it yet but I think in the end she'll be a good helper and that she'll love being a big sister...at least we hope!

 

Here are a few highlights form August:

 

Jillian got to go on her first bicycle ride with Gram and Grandpa being pulled in their new trailer.  She loved it!

 

We met up with several friends from church at a bounce house in the area.  Jillian had a great time and wasn't afraid to even go down the big slides. 

We had the pleasure of going to the Niabi Zoo with Abby's aunt Pam, cousin Melissa, and her son, Kaden.  Gram came too!  It was a beautiful day and Jillian loved showing Kaden all the hot spots at the zoo!

 

 

Trying out the rhino!

 

 

The week of August 18th, we had a celebration of life service for Abby's Grandpa who passed away at age 96 on August 1st.  It was a beautiful service and we praise the Lord for his long life and that he was able to go home to the Lord so peacefully.  The following Sunday Paul and I were baptized at our church and Jillian was dedicated.  Paul and I found it very meaningful to speak of our personal faith in the Lord in front of our church and go forward with baptism to symbolize our relationship and commitment to living for Christ.  

After the baptism we went to Gram and Grandpa's for family time!  I love these Glew kiddos!

 

 Jillian loves to help water plants at Gram and Grandpa's

 

 

 ...and she loves picking tomatoes with Grandpa!

July

July was busy with a lot of great things!  We started off with fourth of July celebrations at a small town in Illinois where we could avoid heavy crowds/traffic, but still give Jillian a dose of her first fireworks.  She loved them!

 

We squeezed in a visit up to Manchester on Abby's birthday to see friends, Stephen and Carrie Mulligan, who were back from Haiti for a visit.  We also went up to Strawberry Point while we were in the area to see Grandma Betty and Grandpa Dick.

 Jillian loves sitting up high on the walker seat and being read to.

 

 Paul had to work on his birthday but we surprised him with a DQ ice cream cake when he got home.

 

 

 Jillian loves to get her toes painted and even sits pretty still for the process!

 

 

We had a Jackson family reunion at a park near Manchester.  The kids really enjoyed the park there!  The swings were a big hit!

 

At the end of July we went to the Amana Coloines to the Waserban water park with Paul's family.  All of his siblings and their kiddos were able to make it and we had a GREAT time!  Jillian could hardly sleep at night thinking about a big pool being just down the hall! 

 All of the Hovey cousins...except for Alyssa.

 Jillian with Aunt Jill

 

 Here's the whole Hovey gang!  Yes, 7 girls and one boy! :) 

 

 Hovey cousins on the swings

 

 Most of July hit Abby hard with the 1st trimester blahs!  Jillian was good about understanding and agreeable to more cuddle time with Mommy

 

 Jillian loves putting on Mommy's shoes.  The high heels are especially a fun challenge!

 

 

Jillian took 5 weeks of gymnastics class at the Bettendorf YMCA.  She really enjoyed stretching, running, and even trying some somersaults. 

 



Madison Trip

At the end of June, the Glew family took a weekend getaway trip to Madison.  Abby's brother, Nick, did a great job finding a condo for us all to stay in where each family had plenty of room, including their own bathroom.  We filled our time with a trip to the zoo, Children's Museum, farmer's market, and a few stops at parks.  Jillian loved all of the events and of course the people she shared it with!  

 

Up close and personal with the lions at the Madison zoo 

 Jillian and Leah got to ride the carousel with Gram and Grandpa

 

 One of Jillian's favorite zoo activities...feeding the goats!

 

 Landon and Grandpa hanging out

 

 Picnic lunch after the zoo

 

 

 



Cousin Leah was so kind to share a bubble wand with Jillian 



 Building things at the Children's Museum

 

 Painting at the Children's Museum. 

 

 The girls loved cooling off a bit with this water on the roof of the Children's Museum

 

 Petting a baby chick at the Children's Museum

 

Another wonderful park in Madison

Vacation

This year we opted to do a "staycation" and it was probably one of our best vacations!  It was great not having to travel, sleep in a hotel, or live out of a suitcase, especially with a two-year-old.  We enjoyed splurging in the Quad Cities and coming back to the comfort of our own home at the end of the day.  It was great to be together as a family for a whole week! Here are a few pictures from the week!

 Jillian with her bubble wand

 Playing with her new sand box

 Daddy and Jillian at the zoo feeding the fish

 Jillian rode a pony for the first time at the zoo.  She kept asking Daddy to take his hand off her as she could "do it my own"

 Feeding the goats at the zoo

 Butterfly chair at the zoo

 Donuts before our hike at Scott County Park

 Jillian loved the frosting on her donut!

 Hiking at Scott County Park



We also did a few projects around the house while we were on vacation.  One of them was replacing the hallway and stairs carpet.  It was really worn down!  Paul's dad installed the carpet and did a fabulous job!  Thanks, Dave!

Before...

 Almost completed...

At the end of vacation, Abby ran in the Race for the Cure, a 5K race in Moline.  There were thousands of people but Abby still managed to spot her fan club a couple times during the race. 

 Jillian trying on Grandpa's hat

At the start line...