Friday, January 25, 2013

Christmas 2012

Here is a look at our Christmas in pictures: 

A blurry family photo Christmas Eve

Decorating our tree after Thanksgiving

Successful first ginger bread house

Christmas party and carols with friends

Christmas cookie making 

Visit with Santa


Sweet sisters

Our easel from Mimi has been wonderful!

Christmas morning 

Gifts from Santa


Aunt Josephine comes over to see what Santa brought

Playing, playing, and more playing

Annie is 1!

On 12.12.12 our little Annie girl turned ONE.  So hard to believe.

At 1 year she weighed 19 lbs 11oz.  
Somewhere between 12 and 13 months, we stopped formula and switched to whole milk.
Figured out she prefers sippy cups with a straw, so this week we have dropped the bottles and just use our sippy cups with straws.  

Foods she dislikes are scrambled eggs, avocado, and potatoes.  Seems to like everything else.  

Right now we are starting to drop our morning nap.  Some days she takes one and some days she doesn't - really just depends on our day.  Seems to work well for her though.    
Her favorite word right now is "whoa!"
She can also say mama, dadeee
She is very good at shaking her head for no when you ask a question and she thinks it is hilarious.
And my favorite is when she says, "eeesse" for cheese when I get out my phone for a picture.

On her actual birthday, we met Daddy for lunch and cupcakes. 

We really celebrated on December 2 though.  Annie's baby dedication was that morning at our church. So, afterwards we had family over for a small birthday and dedication celebration. 

Annie, you bring so much fun to our lives everyday. 
You are cute, charming, and mischievous.
When I tell you "no" you look right up at me with a big grin and it is hard to get frustrated at that look. 

You have always been laid back, chill, and easy going.  
You know how to raise your voice when you want to be heard though. 
Right now you seem pretty fearless and love to get into anything you can get your hands on.
You still do not have much interest in walking.  You will stand for a while on your own and then hit the floor and take off.  I think your little feet cannot keep up with how fast you want to go, so crawling seems better.  I think you will run before you walk.  

Although you are going through a stage of not liking to be dropped off in a nursery, you are super friendly.   You love to smile and wave at people.  You love to crawl up to new people in your music class every week.  

You love to clap your hands, play peek a boo, and shake your booty when you hear music.  

You love your Mimi and your Grandma

We are so thankful for this first year of your life.  You are sweet, patient, and very content.  I have loved having you as my "baby," but look forward to seeing you become a big sister and toddler this year too.  We love you to pieces Annie girl and cannot imagine life without you!  
Happy 1st Birthday!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

2012

I will go back to Christmas and Annie's first birthday next, but first some highlights of 2012.  

In 2012, we adjusted to life with 2 kids and enjoyed making memories as a family of 4.  

February
Caroline and Annie were able to meet their cousins for the first time. 
Also, the first time Christian, Linsey and Natalie met Annie.  

Caroline 2 years 
Triplets 10 months
Annie 2 months

April

Brooklyn, Bates, and Gracie turned 1 on April 1, 2012.
Their first year of life was an amazing journey and we are so grateful for all three of these blessings. 
We loved being able to join them in Virginia to celebrate their first year.  

July
It might be silly to put a concert on this list, but going to concerts is something John and I have always loved doing together.  Seeing Coldplay in July was a highlight.  It was our 3rd show and they get better and better.  A must see.     

August 
Matt returned home from his 8.5 month deployment with the Navy.  
Thanks to my sister in law's flight benefits, I was able to make the quick 24 hour trip to Norfolk and see his ship come home.  It was truly an amazing experience.   



August
February 2012 was our 5 yr anniversary and we celebrated in August by taking a trip to Antigua.  It was a heavenly 5 days away and one of our most memorable trips.  

September 
Caroline started preschool 

September 
We found out we were expecting baby #3.  
We really shocked Daddy one evening after work with the news!


October
Caroline turned 3

December 
Annie turned 1

We are so grateful for these girls and another year of life with them.  
We absolutely love being their parents! 

We look forward to what God has in store for 2013. 
Happy New Year!


Roaring Gap Weekend

For some reason, pregnancy and blogging do not go well together for me.  I cannot get my act together to blog while pregnant, but I don't want to forget all the fun memories we are making right now either.

So, in an effort to catch up, I bring you a post from over 2 months ago. 

In mid-November, mom drove over from Bham and we all hit the road to meet up with Christian, Linsey, and the triplets.  We went back to Roaring Gap, NC.  Same place we met up last February when we got snowed in.  This is a place John grew up going with his family.  It also just happens to be exactly half way from Atlanta and Virginia (where C and L live).  

It is perfect spot to meet up and getaway!   

The weekend was quite busy with five mobile little ones all over the place.

It was still a great fall weekend and the weather was just right so we could be outside and play too.  


One of John's cousins has a farm down the road.  She had us over one afternoon to let the kids feed the animals.  All was going great until the carrot in C's hand dropped to the ground.  The donkey didn't know it and took a bite/nibble of her little finger.  It was bit frightening to look down and see your child's finger stuck in a donkey's mouth.  Thankfully it wasn't too bad.  John pulled it out quickly and after some bandaids, tears and candy,  she was good to go.  

It is actually a hilarious story now and Caroline is not scarred at all.  She loves to tell the story of "Apple Butter," the donkey who bit her finger. 

Thank God for tetanus shots too!   


Caroline was too busy playing and not in the mood for pictures.

The kids all love playing together!


We couldn't do these trips without Mimi!


We hope Matt and Natalie will be able to join us next fall!