Travel/Move Schedule

The time has come once again for us to pack our bags and head to a new duty station. We have loved our time here in Germany and are truly sad to be leaving. However, it is time for Jeff to take another sea duty assignment. As most of you know, we are moving back to Virginia Beach. It will be good for us to be in a familiar location and on the east coast close to family. I know everyone is really looking forward to us being in the same time zone again. We will be buying a house and getting settled as fast as we can, but there is always a few months of transition. We will be with out a phone for a while, but emailing is always a great way to keep up with us while we are in transition. I also am going to try to keep the blog updated. As soon as we get a temporary address and cell phones in Virginia, we'll email those out. The movers are coming tomorrow and we fly early next week. We'll be spending some time in Maine and then arriving in Virginia at the end of August. Keep us in your thoughts as we complete a trans-Atlantic move with two small children!

Snowman in July

Here are a few pictures of a day in the life of Lily. Playdough is one of her favorite activities. She loves snowmen and even made one a birthday cake, complete with singing. She enjoys arts and crafts projects, dress up, painting and coloring, puzzles and games. As tough as having a two year old can be, I am really enjoying this stage of independence. She is truly a sponge and wants to learn and explore every day. We have lots of fun together and can't wait for Emma to join in on all the fun!

Emma's 2 Month Stats

Just wanted to post Emma's stats from her 2 month well baby appointment on Thursday. She is already 12 lbs., 2oz., 23 inches. She is a big girl and we love it. The doc said she looked great and is a healthy baby. Unfortunately she had her first round of shots. She cried, but then slept most of the day. Just wanted to get them out!

Knock On Wood

Well, knock on wood!! Our little pumpkin has figured out the whole sleeping through the night thing. She has been sleeping like a champ 8 to 9 hours a night for over a week now. She LOVES sleeping in her crib and Jeff and I are happy to have our bedroom back to ourselves. Babies are so noisy! She wakes up in the morning all smiles and giggles. I really feel like one of the best gifts you can give your child is a good nights sleep in their own bed.

Happy Birthday Josh!

Happy Birthday Josh! We hope you have a great day today. We can't wait to see you in a few weeks.

Emma is 2 Months!

Well, our little girl is already growing up so fast! Today Emma is two months old. It's hard to believe that two months ago I was in the hospital giving birth. She is such a sweetie, Jeff and I can't imagine our lives with out her.

Here is a snapshot of Emma at 2 months.

She loves:

- Watching Mommy, Daddy and Lily

-Laying on her play mat (most of the time)

-Being held

-SLEEP (she has slept through the night the last 4 out of 5 nights. The last two nights have been 8 hour stretches. Daddy and I are very happy!)

-Being bounced on the exercise ball

-Bath time

-Being swaddled

-Sleeping in her crib

She dislikes:

-Being put in her car seat

-The swing

-The occasional diaper change or getting dressed (much better now)

-Sitting still

-Being cold (after her bath especially)

She is cooing, smiling and laughing a lot now. Her fussy times have really decreased and she has many more alert, happy times during the day. This month her "firsts" include; her first time sleeping in her crib (she loved it), first Baby Einstein video (wasn't that interested), received her very first passport(s), slept through the night (first time 11-5).

She has her two month well baby appointment on Thursday so I'll be sure to post her stats. As you can see she is getting really big. I love the chubby cheeks.

Things Mommy and Daddy love:

-Hearing you laugh and coo (it melts our hearts)

-Your sweet baby smell

-Holding you
-Watching you interact with your big sister

-Watching you sleep peacefully

-Being a family of four (we're finally getting the hang of it)

We love you so much Emma Rose!! We can't wait to see what month 3 has in store for us!

Lucky Us!

Jeff and I are so blessed to have two beautiful, happy, healthy daughters. Here are some recent pictures of our little girls.

Play Group

Well, I have finally managed to get back to Lily's play group, just in time to move. It only took me seven weeks to feel comfortable getting out with two small children on my own... hee hee hee! In my defense, it does take a small miracle packing up and getting them both out of the house.

Lily loves being able to hang out with her friends again. She has a real special group of kids that she plays with every week. Here are pictures from some recent play group events. Happy Birthday to Solden, we all had a great time at your Construction party. The other pictures are from a pool party that Kati organized. Thanks for the great day ladies. Lily and I will really miss you!

Lily's favorite things, playing with trucks, swimming and hanging with her friends!

Playing With Her Little Sister

Because the videos have been such a big hit, here is another!
To hear the sound better, hit pause on the blog music on the left side.

Pool Time Fun

It's has been a pretty rainy summer here in Germany. Last week the clouds finally parted and the sun has been shining for days. The only down side, it went from the 60's to the mid 90's...VERY HOT!! Here are pictures of the girls enjoying the sunny weather this weekend. Although we are in the middle of many projects for the move, we knew Lily still needed some fun in the sun. She loves the water and asks to go swimming in her pool every day. She is a little fish. She especially liked sliding down her slide into the pool (always a dare devil). As soon as we get settled in Virginia Beach I am going to start her in swimming lessons. Enjoy the pics...

New Addition!

Meet the newest addition to the Kouhoupt family....Princess, an 8 week old Aussie puppy!! Congratulations sis! What a sweet little puppy!

Lunch?

Daddy: Lily, what do you want for lunch today?
Lily: Ummmmm.......ketchup?
Daddy: OK, what else do you want?
Lily: Ummmmmm.....cake?

Happy Girl!

Our little pumpkin is really coming out of her shell...

Combat Lily

Emma, 7 Weeks

Here are some recent pictures of Emma. We can hardly believe that she is 7 weeks old today! She is getting so big, as you can see by the pictures. She has more alert periods and seems to enjoy her play mat and tummy time leaf more and more. She is sleeping four to five hour stretches at night and two nights ago she even slept from about 10:30 to 5! Jeff and I were so excited. Although she is still waking at night, it seems to be a quick feeding and back to bed. Mommy and Daddy are lucky in that regard.

During the day she is has her fussy times, mainly around feeding time. She gets really gassy while drinking and gets upset. We are working on modifying my diet and doing our best to burp her really well. However, we are definitely seeing more of Emma these days. She interacts with us a little more and seems to be interested in her surroundings. Lily especially loves hanging with and helping her little sister. It is really sweet!

She still dislikes the car seat, swing and lotion. Diaper changes and getting dressed are better and she loves her bath and cuddling with Mommy and Daddy. We are so happy to have another sweet little pumpkin to love!

Emma & Mommy

One of my favorite times of the day is the just before bed. Besides the fact that I am exhausted, I love my one on one time with Emma. Although she has been a bit fussy these first 7 weeks, her alert, happy moments are increasing each day. I love when she hears my voice and turns to look into my eyes. She seems to be showing us more of her personality with her many different facial expressions (see post below). Jeff and I just melt when we see that big, flashy smile!