No longer a Baby

So, yesterday was the end of an era in our house. Isla upgraded to a big girl bed! We said "bye-bye" to the crib and hello to a lovely, new, bright pink toddler bed! We spent the previous day at The Brick looking at beds and allowing Isla to slightly destroy their showroom as she climbed and jumped and tested out the new beds. Cam and I decided against a twin bed for now, so we thought a toddler bed would be perfect. We had had conversations with Isla about how she is getting bigger and therefore, some changes would be happening; like potty training (which is sort of beginning but we are not FULL BLOWN into it yet... maybe another week?) and a new bed with NO railings. We went to IKEA yesterday and she was so pumped... I could literally see the excitement in her face as we picked out a new bed, a mattress, new bedding and some little details for her new BIG GIRL room. Cam and I were (and still are) a little nervous about it... it's a big change. She is no longer locked up like a prisoner to her bed... she is FREEEEEEE which means I can no longer laze around in bed for a few extra minutes when she wakes up. Cam was nervous because (God bless his sensitive, daddy heart) he thought perhaps it was too soon, or we didn't prepare her enough, or we didn't have enough conversations with her about it. Having said all this, we knew it was time to get her in one and settled before Annie joins our family. Last night, we tucked her in tight (and I mean tight), read her 2 stories and prayed our night time prayers. We had one last talk with her about the importance of staying in bed and sleeping when it's night time. And guess what? She stayed in bed ALLLLL night, didn't fall out and woke up at 8 am this morning AND waited for us to get her out of bed! YAYYYYYYY. Having said all that, I am still anticipating some backlash (falling out, running around, etc...) but so far so good. I am so proud of my little lady and how big and smart she is getting. No longer a baby indeed.

practicing getting in and out of her new bed.

such pride at how big she is.

all clean and tucked in for her very first night in her new special bed. 

I am honored to introduce you to...

ANNIE CAMERIN SCHELLENBERG.

A couple Friday's ago, we had the honor and privilege of seeing our baby again for the second time. We were completely sure we would not find out what we were having, but for those of you who know us best know that this surprise would never happen! The instant Cam saw our beautiful babe on the screen, he insisted we find out. When the ultra sound tech shared with us the news of another daughter, my eyes filled with tears and I immediately could not picture our family any other way. God chose another little lady to fill our lives with joy, love and fulfillment and for that, I am overcome with joy. Cam nor I had a sister (although now, through marriage, we both have 2 that we cherish completely). For Isla to have a little sister to share her life with makes me feel warm inside. She is going to be an incredible big sister. My prayer is that despite the rough times to come (bah, 2 teenage girls = yikes), I want them to be best friends. I want Isla and Annie to go to each other when times are tough, or when they need someone to talk to, or when they need help or when they feel they can't come to us, they each can have someone else that loves them and cares for them and someone they trust.

Annie is a little busy body in there and thus, I have nicknamed her my tiny dancer. She moves and grooves up a storm and may I just say, the feeling of a moving baby inside you is absolutely priceless. I am over half way through this pregnancy and the anticipation of meeting our Annie is building rapidly. It's amazing how instantaneously a mother's love really is. For those of you reading this who are moms, you know exactly what that love feels like. For those of you who aren't moms yet, you have the most incredible love to look forward too!

Here she is.

Painted Faces and Bouncy Castles

This past weekend, our church, North Pointe Community Church, put on a FREE children's carnival. There was a petting zoo, pony rides, carnival games, bouncy castles, face painting, spray on tattoos, a photo booth and a BBQ lunch! We wanted to take Isla last year, but did feel as though at 8 months old, there might not have been lots for her to enjoy. So, we were pretty excited to take her this year. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and Isla had the time of her life. Most of you already know that Isla LOVES animals... and this is a vast understatement. She can point out ANY animal and make their noise... this includes plugging her nose when she sees a skunk. It's sooooo cute. So, the petting zoo was a definite hit. She was in there like a dirty shirt... petting the donkey's face, chasing the bunnies and grabbing the goats horns. She was "ca-caaaaing" right alongside the parrot and mooing when she pet the cow. We then took her into the bouncy castle where Cam joined her. They laughed and jumped and rolled around... she loved it! And then, my favorite part... her face painting. She told us she wanted to be a puppy (we asked her about several animals and she shook her head so when asked about a puppy, the enthusiastic "YEP" was a dead giveaway). She sat PERFECTLY still, I was amazed! She is certainly the cutest puppy I have ever seen! Right??

Sunny September Days

It has been ages, once again, since my last blog post. I really want to blog, but sometimes finding the time to do so is impossible. Life in the Schellenberg house has been somewhat nutty and chaotic. Cam has been incredibly busy with work, working late evenings and almost every day on the weekends. I work 4 days a week and then of course, we have Isla who requires love and attention... fancy that? So, now I am sitting down and adding some updated photos of our lovely family. 

us at the Prairie Gardens Corn Maze in Bon Accord.

us 3. And Isla's prominent belly.

sunny Schellenberg smiles. (note: Isla + Cam = twins)

one of Isla's favorite animals... BUNNIES.

I scream you scream we all scream for ICE CREAM!

fun on the hay bales.

one of my fave pictures to date. 

on the low level bridge enjoying a family walk.

pure love.

handsome.

me and my baby belly.

hand in hand.

idolizes her daddy.

my love. 

Introducing Baby Schellenberg the Second

Today, Cam and I had the incredible privilege of meeting our second child. Behold it's utter awesome-ness. The entire process of the creation of a child is both equally beautiful and mind blowing. After drinking a liter of water and having to make several laps of the waiting room, TRYING to hold in my copious amounts of urine, I was ushered into the ultrasound room. I remember like it was yesterday my first ultra sound with Isla... and my emotions today were equally as strong as they were the first time around. Instantly, love filled my heart and my eyes filled with tears and immediately I knew how much this baby will change my life (obviously in a positive way... despite the lack of sleep). The technician took several photos of baby and then brought in Cam and she showed us BABY... it's limbs (if you look carefully in this photo, you can see a skinny baby leg *tear*), its stomach, it's little heart beating at 144 bpm (Isla's was always in the 160's... could this mean a boy?), it's big brain, its developing spinal cord and of course, its adorable little face (what a cute shot of baby's nose and mouth, right?). All of this on a tiny human that is 3 inches long... absolutely breath taking, isn't it? I am so incredibly blessed to be able to experience pregnancy again, and then to get a gift like a healthy, beautiful baby at the end... how could I be so lucky. Thank you Jesus for Cam, Isla and my little baby. 

Seattle!

September 30th to October 3rd, I am going to Seattle... and I couldn't be more excited! Not only am I visiting one of my "Top 5 American Cities to See" (I have a list), but I am going with Christy and her mom, Sue! Christy is most certainly one of my oldest and dearest friends! We met in a hot tub in grade 7 (that sounds somewhat inappropriate but I can assure you, it wasn't), were reconnected at SBS Junior High and spent most of our adolescent and early adult years glued at the hip. I lived at her house for a solid month in high school, where Sue quickly became my surrogate mom! Christy is getting married in June of 2012 in Vancouver, and as her maid of honor, I take my duties very seriously! I feel extremely privileged that I am able to be a part of this trip... to be present with Christy and her mom while they shop for one of the most important days in ones life... it's an honor to be included! I know it is going to be a great weekend full of good food, great laughs, lots of delicious bridal shopping and fond memories. And also... SEATTLE! Pike Place Market is something I have been longing to see for AGES and I can hardly believe I will get to spend time there... perusing and shopping and eating and tasting and laughing. It's going to be simply wonderful! 

Sue works for AMA travel, and as a result, she has booked us an incredible hotel in downtown Seattle for an extremely low rate. The hotel is called Hyatt by Olive 8 and it looks so beautiful and modern! I love people who got the hook ups (I love Sue anyway, but definitely an added bonus). Check it out. www.olive8.hyatt.com

If any of you have been to Seattle before, please pass on great restaurants, great shopping, MUST SEE's and DO's and if you know of any great bridal boutiques, that would be extra awesome too!

Monday at the Zoo

This past Monday, both Cam and I had the day off (almost unheard of these days). We really wanted to do something fun with Isla, so we decided to take her to the zoo. As most of you already know, Isla LOVES animals. She can point out almost any animal you ask, complete with their corresponding sounds. She is just the cutest, sweetest little animal lover. We are thinking of buying her a fish for her birthday. Anyway, the sun was shining and we had a blast! We rode the train, we went paddle boating (which was not Isla's favorite but I think it had little to do with the paddle boat and more to do with the life jacket), and went into the petting zoo. Anyway, it was a perfect way to spend our long weekend... as a family!

loves of each other's lives.

watching the tiger.

us.

my deep sea diver... who apparently turned african american. 

making our way through the seaweed.

Isla & a parrot! 

taking a train ride. *choo choo*

giving the goat some love.

petting a rat *barf*.

adventurer of the sea.

my beautiful family.

what she REALLY thought of the life jacket.