The Allens

Valentine's Pictures

2012-02-14T15:12:00.000-06:00

Kristi was offering Valentine's mini sessions the first weekend in February. I signed Aaron up because it was a really good deal and I thought I could call them his 'Three Year Pictures'. Except Aaron ended up being sick that day and there was no way he could go. I didn't want to cancel on Kristi so I grabbed Ole Blue Eyes and we took off.

It worked out so well. The pictures went so perfectly with the Pink Heart theme we were doing for Abby's birthday!

I had ordered a pink heart-shaped cake for the party, but when I saw these pictures I decided to use one on a sheet cake instead. The bakery did a great job with the switch.

I was also able to use the pictures as decorations.

This is what ended up on the cake.

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T13:49:00.002-06:00

We didn't do a whole lot for Valentine's Day, but I did dress everyone in red and we met Jory for a Valentine's lunch!

Before we went...Aaron wanted to take the cinnamon from the kitchen

Doesn't Abby look like she's guarding her stuff? (We were taking the changing table with us to drop off somewhere.)

Lunch time!

Random Phone Pictures

2012-02-14T13:46:00.001-06:00

I had some pictures on my phone that I down loaded today...random. Here is Aaron in swim class.Doesn't this look like trouble?

Abby's party favor

The rest of the party

2012-02-14T13:05:00.000-06:00

Abby had such a good time at her party! She was such a good Birthday Girl! Here she is watching everyone sing to her.Trying to figure out what's on her head now.

CHEERIOS!

We had such a good time visiting with the people we love. We really enjoyed this day!

Abby had to break for dinner - the girl doesn't miss dinner, now! Catherine put her headband on Abby. It matched her hot pink pants perfectly.

The next day - in one of her birthday outfits from Dee - playing with her kitchen.

The Party!

2012-02-14T05:48:00.000-06:00

Grandad and Mimi were the first to arrive to Abby's party. They had a little while to play with her before the rest of the group showed up and she had such a good time getting that attention.Patty cake

Dancing with Mimi. Abby is a little dancer. Every time she hears music (even if it is from my mouth - and it's debatable that anyone would call that music) she starts dancing. Most of the time she just moves her shoulders, but she smiles real big when she's doing it. It is the cutest thing and it reminds everyone of Ray Charles, so we have taken to calling her Baby Ray. I am afraid it's sticking!

Presents were so much fun!

She got the hang of them real quick! She'd throw them on the flower and sign "More, Please"! HA!

Tissue paper was the best!!!

Mimi used one of the present bows to make Little Girl a bright pink hair bow.

She got SO many books because everyone knows Aaron won't share his - Abby needs her own!!

She is loving this Night Night doll from Mimi and Grandad.

But the Kitchen took the cake! Aaron helped Jory and Papa bring this in as the Grand Finale. Little Girl is loving it!

Birthday Party Day

2012-02-13T18:38:00.000-06:00

We had such a good day on Sunday. We kept telling the kids that it was Abby's Party Day. Here is the Diva at lunch!Aaron was super excited, too.

He made these strawberry cupcakes for "Abby's Party"

While the kids were napping Jory and I decorated the house.

And munched on heart-shaped candy

Abby woke up from a good nap in a wonderful mood!

She had a Cheerios snack and was cracking us up.

We dressed her in pink for her pink party.

Complete with her bright pink kickers! Then we waited for the fun to begin!

Abby's First Birthday Party

2012-02-13T10:43:00.004-06:00

We had Abby's party on Sunday afternoon. Her birthday is on Wednesday this year so the party was going to be several days before or after it. We thought a Sunday afternoon get together with family and close friends would be nice.I have a lot of pictures from the party, so I am dividing them into several posts. This is all the decorations. I found very cute evites with pink hearts that I fell in love with and Abby had a pink heart party. TOO easy this time of year! The food table had strawberry heart marshmallows, pink heart cookies and valentine candy corn. The picture behind the cake is a collage Kristi did of Abby playing with pink blocks that spell LOVE - the 'o' is a heart.

On the gift table we had her photo albums and scrapbooks from her first year. Below are the favors - conversation hearts in bags tied with pink cards with Abby's name.

The pictures I took each month of her first year.

The living room where everyone ended up.

The food table again with the very pink punch I made. Even the cake had raspberry filling. It was pink heart overload, but I think it turned out cute.

A close up of the cake with a bright pink candle!

Birthday Girl

2012-02-11T14:17:00.000-06:00

Can you believe this Little One is going to be ONE this week? Here are some more pictures that Kristi took. Kim got Abby this Birthday Girl shirt and I thought it would be cute for some pictures.Grandma Sheri got her the bright pink kickers. She wears them with everything!

The Mother Goose book in the background was mine. It has the artwork to prove it!

I think she has something to say!

I don't remember Kristi getting this of Abby underneath the dining room table, but I thought it was cute.

Aaron's 35 (!) Month Interview

2012-02-11T08:31:00.002-06:00

Can't believe this guy is going to be THREE next month! What is your name? Aaron

How old are you? Two

What is your favorite color? Blue

Who is your best friend? Daddy

What is your favorite animal? Cow

What do you want to be when you grow-up? A firefighter

Who is your favorite person? Daddy

What is your favorite book? Backhoe Book

What makes you happy? Daddy

What makes you sad? Mommy

What is your favorite food to eat? Daddy's Cereal

What is your favorite song to sing? ABCDEFG

What do you like to play? I think Backhoes

Black and White

2012-02-10T18:25:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of the pictures Kristi took in Black and White.

One Year Pictures

2012-02-10T17:08:00.000-06:00

Our friend, Kristi, at Two Pink Boots Photography came over in January to take pictures of Abby. These are some of my favorites.

This is in a rocker that has been in my family for a long time.Kathy, one of my favorite people (and the mother of one of my very favorite people) got Abby this dress. I LOVE it. I had pictures made in it at Christmas, too. It may be her Easter dress, as well.

This is in her room. I love the way her nursery turned out and I wanted to memorialize it. This dress was smocked by Kim's best friend, Vicki. It is precious! She may wear it to her birthday party!

This is also in Abby's room. Her Aunt Carolyn gave her these letter pillows. And the dress is a hand-me-down from Kristi!

More Swim Pictures

2012-02-10T14:00:00.002-06:00

Here are some more pictures of Aaron's swim class. He is getting quite acquainted with the water!

Waco

2012-02-09T06:51:00.001-06:00

On Friday I took the kids to meet Meg, Brennan and Kensie at the Children's Museum in Waco.As always, I had a wonderful time catching up with Meg. She is my kindred spirit.

And Aaron had the BEST time making this sweet girl laugh!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T05:13:00.002-06:00

Priceless

2012-02-07T06:49:00.000-06:00

I walked in the house the other day and heard all kinds of noise coming from the upstairs. At the top of the stairs I found this. Without looking up from his work, Aaron said "We're fixing this ladder."

McDonald's

2012-02-06T06:39:00.000-06:00

Aaron talked us in to taking him to McDonald's for dinner Sunday

He seriously loves this place!

Abby likes it okay, too!

The last week

2012-02-05T17:58:00.004-06:00

Thursday January 26, 2012
Little Girl watching the swimming class before hers. She is still loving swimming. She has a really good time, but WOW does it wear her out.

Friday January 27, 2012

A little outdoor playtime. We had a lot going on last week and we took Friday as a day to be home!

Saturday January 28, 2012

Hanging at Dee and Papa's!

Sunday January 29, 2012

Lunch after church. She is wearing the bib. She and Daddy had quite a battle of the wills over that, but Daddy reigned victorious.

Monday January 30, 2012

We had MOPS in the morning and then Aaron asked to eat his lunch outside. In the afternoon he had his swim class and did really, really well.

Tuesday January 31, 2012

We met Laura, Braysen and Brock at Chick-Fil-A for lunch. All Aaron wanted to do was play with Brock - he loves babies! I loved that the weather was warm enough for short sleeves. I realized how much I miss seeing my boy in his short-sleeved polos. I think that's how I always picture him - in his short sleeves playing in the backyard.

Little Girl checking out the play area.

Wednesday February 1, 2012

We had a doctor's appointment for Aaron and Abby ended up stuck in her stroller for two hours! She actually did incredibly well!

Thursday February 2, 2012

At home with Mama!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T05:12:00.001-06:00

Look what I can do

2012-01-30T05:52:00.000-06:00

Aaron was way older than a year before he even considered crawling up on a couch or chair by himself, but Abby has been a climber almost from the get-go.The other morning Aaron had taken the cushion off this chair making it a little lower to the ground and Abby quickly seized the opportunity.

She scrambled up without a second thought and then took to showing off!

Fun Stuff

2012-01-29T05:32:00.000-06:00

We have a park in our neighborhood that we take advantage of a lot. Several families from our Sunday School class also use it often so it's a fun place to connect. These are some pictures from last Sunday - Aaron just recently graduated to the big swing!

On Tuesday the kids went to the dentist. They did so well!

Aaron asked for a bagel treat afterwards and I obliged!

Swim Lessons

2012-01-28T16:13:00.000-06:00

Abby started swim lessons last week and is loving it! I don't have any pictures of the actual lessons because I am in the water with her, but here she is all suited up and ready to go!Aaron is now in his third round of lessons and has graduated to the classes where I don't have to get in the water with him. He is doing great - we can not believe his progress in just one year!

We love to see him enjoying himself in the water.

He can swim about six feet on his own.

Abby

2012-01-27T06:21:00.000-06:00

Oh! Our little girl is growing up! She had her one year pictures taken recently and she wore this 'Birthday Girl' shirt. I can't believe she is about to be a Birthday Girl!

Last weekend she started standing up on her own in the middle of the floor with nothing to pull up on or support her. And she has started to 'cruise' holding onto furniture.

She's starting to really notice what other people eat and she's starting to gain opinions on her options!

She is chattering ALL the time. Wow is she trying to talk. She is picking up more signs, too.

She gives high fives and she waves bye and she claps her hands. She also pumps her fist when I say 'Rejoice'!

And don't you love this picture? Her Papa took it in front of her Christmas Tree!

The Stock Show

2012-01-26T16:02:00.002-06:00

On Friday, John and Kim took Aaron and Abby (and Mama, too) to the Stock Show!This is a tradition they started last year and it's a blast. Aaron, of course, was more interested in the backhoes than the animals!

Learning to drive

Watching a llama show. He really wanted to get in there and play in the dirt!

Abby checking out the animals with Dee.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T08:20:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T06:55:00.000-06:00

11 Months Old!

2012-01-15T16:02:00.002-06:00

I don't know why these pictures came out so dark...

This is the craziest post I've ever done. I absolutely can not believe that Abby is 11 months old. One month from today we will celebrate the first year of her life! To me she is still a little baby.Abby is fun and sweet and smiley. She is into everything and everything is in her mouth! She is a super crawler and she loves to climb, but she is nowhere near walking. She pulls up, but she doesn't even try to walk holding on to furniture and she doesn't stand alone.

She is a big eater. At this point she mostly eats vegetables, but she has tried and liked turkey and ham. She doesn't have the vegetarian bent her brother does, but she does LOVE soy 'meats'. She loves fruit except for raspberries. She likes beans. As far as grains go she eats Baby Oatmeal and Cheerios though she did have her first piece of whole wheat toast this weekend and she really liked that. She is still nursing...ummm...a lot, but I have started in the past couple of days trying to wean her down to four times a day. Once we get in a groove with that I'll start really working on weaning her. We did introduce the sippy cup this weekend and she is working on that. She did not reject it the way her brother did and we are seeing pretty good progress already.

She wears 18 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She sleeps from about 6:30pm until 6:30am without waking. She takes an early morning nap around 8 and sleeps for an hour to an hour and a half. She takes a nap right after lunch and sleeps about an hour and a half.

She's got six teeth in and she may be working on a few more.

She enjoys books (chewing on them and listening to them being read). She loves the Alphabet Train she got for Christmas and Silly Town (the absolute best gift EVER. Aaron got it from Grandma Sheri and Grandpa Tom when he was nine months old. It has been played with almost every single day since. I have plenty of Blog posts with Silly Town in the background). She loves looking outside and being outside. She loves watching her brother and playing with him. It is so fun to watch them interacting now. She LOVES to play peekaboo. Not only does she hide her eyes, she crouches down and ducks her head so she is really hidden. HA!

I got my camera back!

2012-01-12T15:22:00.000-06:00

Wow was I excited!

Here are a couple of pictures of Abby loving the car that Mimi and Grandad gave Aaron when he was little.

She was a big fan! Aaron still is, too! I am amazed, but he can fit in there just fine. Except when he tries to crawl in while Abby is in it!

Aaron's 34 Month Interview

2012-01-11T15:09:00.000-06:00

What is your name? Aaron

How old are you? Two

What is your favorite color? Blue

Who is your best friend? Daddy

What is your favorite animal? Cow

What do you want to be when you grow-up? A firefighter in a fire truck

Who is your favorite person? Daddy

What is your favorite book? Backhoe Book

What makes you happy? Daddy

What makes you sad? Daddy

What is your favorite food to eat? Fruit Snacks

What is your favorite song to sing? ABCDEFG

What do you like to play? Backhoes

Aaron is very sweet. When his sister asks for more food he is the one jumping up to get it. When she cries he brings her a toy. When she's tired he brings her a blanket. When I am nursing her he strokes her hair.

His verbal communication is expanding by leaps and bounds daily. And yesterday, for the first time, when I asked him if he wanted something he said, "No, thank you." I honestly heard angels sing.

Aaron is incredibly organized and structured. If he sees something out of place he needs to correct that, immediately. I'll be preparing a meal and he'll be putting things back in the refrigerator before I've had a chance to use them. If something is almost empty he wants to just go ahead and throw it away. He is often tidying, organizing.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T06:32:00.000-06:00

So I won't forget

2012-01-10T06:53:00.000-06:00

Aaron loves to clean tables and counter tops!Given the opportunity, he would do this until he ran out of cleaner!

New Stuff

2012-01-09T20:24:00.002-06:00

Aaron got this Barney Backhoe plate set in the mail from Grandma Beth. Aaron LOVES Barney Backhoe (and I know that none of you are familiar with the great Barney Backhoe. It's a John Deere character. Really. He has books. We have them. Yes, THEM). Anyway, this is pretty much the greatest thing ever. We don't actually eat off of any of them, you understand. We play with them. Very exciting stuff. When it came I told him to call Grandma Beth. You know, to thank her. Anyway, I called and got the answering machine and asked if Aaron wanted to leave a message. He said, "Yes, I do." Then he took the phone and proceeded this way (she can verify this), "I GOT A NEW BACKHOE PLATE! IT HAS BARNEY BACKHOE ON IT! IT IS A VERY GOOD PLATE." I then whispered that he should say Thank You and he looked at me like I was nuts. He was just calling to tell her about his new stuff, but he did say 'Thank you', though not with nearly the enthusiasm as the rest of the message. And Abby got this Abby Cadabby outfit in the same package. It is an outfit with pink pants and it is super cute. It came in so handy today because it was cold and rainy and we had MOPS. I learned that Abby loves hoods! She thinks they are awfully fun and she actually leaves them on her head. Aaron loves hoods, too, by the way.

And this is Abby's Columbia ski jacket for when we go to Breckenridge this Spring. Isn't it SO sweet?

Chuck E Cheese!

2012-01-09T07:02:00.000-06:00

On Friday Rebekah was in town with this sweet girl, so the kids and I headed to Chuck E Cheese to spend some time with them!Aaron rode this ride most of the time - we have a TON of pictures with the mouse

And Cilla pretty much stayed on this ride!

Abby spent her first Chuck E Cheese experience munching Cheerios

and getting some lovin' from Rebekah!

Christmas with Grandad and Mimi

2012-01-08T18:44:00.000-06:00

On New Year's Day we headed over to Robert and Wendy's for our Christmas Celebration. I want to note that when we returned from Ohio I sent my camera off to have it repaired. Every picture upon our return has been taken with my phone and it's pretty hit and miss. Little Miss checking things out

Opening presents with Grandad!

Christmas with Dee and Papa

2012-01-08T06:36:00.001-06:00

On New Years Eve we headed to John and Kim's for our Christmas Celebration. Abby's Princess Tree was the highlight!

The Princess herself checking it out.

Her very own shopping cart.

Papa reading her new Abby Cadaby book

First time in the sand box. Aaron has to be told that it isn't actually just his sandbox - Abby's name is on it, too. Once he got used to the idea it worked out fine and Abby knew just what to do!

Enjoying a Texas December!

More Christmas Memories

2012-01-07T18:20:00.000-06:00

In my haste to get all of the details of our Ohio trip on record I think I got a little bit too robotic. I have a nice time line of events, but not enough of the special moment memories. Like how much Aaron enjoyed opening presents this year. He definitely 'got' that - and was good at it - but hasn't grasped Santa yet. Like Jory reading the story of Christmas straight from the Bible to Aaron over breakfast on Christmas Day - just like he did last year. Like Uncle Doug getting a tired girl to sleep and then joining her.

Like Aaron running through the airport when he saw his Grandpa Tom on the other side of security.

Like the joy on our kids faces all week and the love in our hearts as we celebrated Jesus' birth with them.

Last Day in Ohio

2012-01-07T09:31:00.000-06:00

Tuesday December 27, 2011

We left around 11 this morning. My brother came for one last visit and then we headed to meet Grandma Beth for a ride to the airport. I had to get one more day of Christmas clothes in.

Love these sweet pictures!

Both the kids slept on the way to the airport - they were beat! The flight back was awesome. Aaron played the entire time with something Uncle Doug had got him specifically for the plane ride. You can tell he has kids! I followed his instructions on how to get my daughter to sleep on the plane and she slept the whole way! Wonderful! And when we got home Dee and Papa surprised us at the airport! A sweet ending to the Christmas Trip!

The Day After Christmas

2012-01-06T21:28:00.000-06:00

Monday December 26, 2011

We headed back to my mom's in the morning and had a nice visit.

We went back to my dad's for naps and then went to my brother's for a little visit before meeting Grandpa Tom and Grandma Sheri for dinner.

Then we went to see the Christmas Lights and Music at the Courthouse. Aaron loved them!!! He said 'Whoa!' and 'Wow!' a lot.

Then it was time for bed for all of us tired souls!

Christmas Day!

2012-01-06T09:17:00.000-06:00

December 25, 2011

First picture of the day - in Christmas PJs!

Opening the gifts from Santa. Both of the kids got the coolest collage of all of their grandparents. I can not imagine how long Santa worked on that.

And Aaron got a very cool Elmo playdoh toy and Abby got a precious outfit I love. Santa did well!

We headed to church. The kids had a great time since my Aunt Pam and Cousin Nicole were in charge of the nursery and my kids were the only two in it! They had a blast and Jory and I got to worship God.

We came home for lunch and naps and then got ready for the next round!

Hanging with Grandpa Tom.

What you talking about, Willis?

Playing and waiting for the cousins to descend.

Love my grandpa!

In the evening, we had a wonderful family Christmas celebration with a full house. It didn't get started until it was almost time for the kids to go down, but they got to enjoy a bit of it.

Lovin' from Grandma Sheri!

Aaron got the coolest present ever! A real live (okay, not really, but close) crane!

I can not begin to describe this thing and how much Aaron loves it. It has picked up everything in our house!

What a blessed Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T21:12:00.000-06:00

Saturday December 24, 2011

On the morning of Christmas Eve we went to my brother's for a bit. Here's Addy!

Then we headed to my mom's to celebrate Christmas with her and Mike. Doug brought Peyton, Dillon and Addy. It was a really nice time.

Aaron and Abby playing with Grandma Beth's toys - I think a lot of them used to be Uncle Doug's!

Dinner at Grandpa Tom's

Some play time in new PJs from Uncle Doug

Writing a letter to Santa

Leaving out cookies and milk

And heading to bed for sweet dreams.

Ohio, Day Two

2012-01-05T09:07:00.000-06:00

Friday December 23, 2011

My brother brought three of his kids over this morning and Grandma Sheri and I took all five grandkids to look at some bows for Abby and then head to get my kids haircut. Aaron was first. He did great!

And I thought Danielle did a great job. She was wonderful with the kids.

Smiley Sue watched the action and then we attempted to give her a First Haircut. Wiggle Worm made that too difficult, so we just got a little bang trim in.

We were going to take all the kids to lunch but mine were ready for naps so we headed back for a light lunch and rest.

After naps I took Abby over to see Uncle Doug's house and hang out for a bit. Aaron was definitely feeling the effects of Day One's travel and short nap, so he stayed back. That meant Abby got a special treat - dinner alone with her grandparents! We missed having Aaron, but it was so fun to just focus on Abby. She doesn't get those moments by herself very often. I was remembering bringing Aaron to dinner with his grandparents when he was just her age and it was sweet to do the same thing with Abby. At the same restaurant!

After dinner I took Abby to see her great grandparents. I was so glad it was just Little Girl. My grandparents got to really enjoy her and I wasn't trying to keep a two year old still in a small space!

I really loved watching my grandparents interact with Abby. Grandma was so excited to play with a little girl!

Abby with Grandpa Bill.

When we got home Aaron was in bed but my niece Leah was there. This is about the sweetest, most mild mannered child ever. She is precious!

Day Two down!

The Beginning of the Christmas Posts

2012-01-04T20:58:00.000-06:00

I have so many pictures and memories from Christmas that there will be several posts.

Thursday December 22, 2011

We headed to Ohio for Christmas with my family. I have been so looking forward to this for so long. This is in the car on the way to the airport. Aaron was so excited to get in an airplane and even more excited that Grandpa Tom would be waiting on the other end.

Walking to the bus - we parked in remote parking and got shuttled to the terminals.

The plane ride went well. It took us a bit to get our groove and figure out what seating worked best for everyone and no one slept, but there were also no tears so we figure we came out on top. The kids briefly slept in the car on the way from the airport, so naps were short that day. We got to Grandpa Tom and Grandma Sheri's and had some play time with Buddy before we headed to an early dinner - we were all very hungry (and a little ready for bed, too)!

Organizing at Bob Evans.

Little Girl at dinner. If you look closely you can see a Christmas Tree on her onesie. Papa John had this onesie made for her. He took a picture of Abby's First Christmas Tree that Dee decorated so that she could show everyone in Ohio!

After dinner it was back to the grandparents for rest.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T09:35:00.000-06:00

The Polar Express

2011-12-28T07:05:00.000-06:00

Right before Christmas we took the kids on the Polar Express train ride. Kids are encouraged to wear their pajamas. It was cute and fun.As we were walking to the train there was snow waiting for us and lots of trees.

Walking to the train with Papa.On the train.

Aaron love riding the train. I see many more train rides in our future. The Polar Express part of it (the shows) he didn't notice. He was just so excited to be on a moving train!

Abby did great. I don't think she realized she was on a train, but she had a good time.

Santa came on board and gave the kids bells. They both loved those!

Afterwards Aaron found some rocks!

Fun time!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T06:57:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:03:00.000-06:00

Here is our 2011 Christmas Card!

The rest of the Christmas Pictures

2011-12-24T12:46:00.000-06:00

Christmas Pictures

2011-12-23T12:35:00.001-06:00

In October we had our Christmas pictures taken. I haven't put most of them on here yet because I was waiting until our Christmas cards went out. I am also going to put a picture of our card on here so that I have it.The card only had three pictures on it.

We used this one of Abby

This was the one we used of Aaron. I love it, but it's also got a story behind it. During our very first set of pictures Aaron took off an climbed a hill. This was the picture when he got to the top. And he was FILTHY. Thankfully Jory had suggested we bring an extra pair of pants. And we got a great picture to boot!

This is the family picture we used.

We have a few more that I will post tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

Aaron's Christmas Party

2011-12-22T12:50:00.000-06:00

On the last day of school before break Aaron's class had a Christmas Breakfast. The parents got to stay for a little bit and it was so fun.

The kids performed for us. It was precious and we also got to see a little bit into what their morning looks like.

They all had jingle bells to shake while they sang the song to us!

Aaron got so into the jingling of the bells!

Sweet Mary and Aaron enjoying a bagel breakfast!

Abby got to hang around, too! So much fun for a little one!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-21T14:46:00.000-06:00

Our Week

2011-12-16T12:35:00.000-06:00

These are mostly pictures of Aaron for no apparent reason. It's just how it worked out.

Monday December 12, 2011

Jory and I decided to have a Date Night 'In', so the kids and I headed to Central Market to get some yummy stuff for dinner.

Tuesday December 13, 2011

Aaron's class won a contest at school and got a Popsicle as a reward. I absolutely made him eat his outside. It was 50 degrees and kind of drizzly. Yay for Mom of the Year.

Wednesday December 14, 2011

Dee came and brought Christmas goodies!

Including a Frosty the Snowman book that sings the song!

Aaron convinced her to play in the drizzle and the mud.

That day Jory got home early so he went to swim with us. Normally I am in the water with Aaron, but it was so nice to sit on the sidelines. You can really see his skills when you are not up on him and it was great to see Jory's reactions. He hasn't seen Aaron swim since summer and he was so impressed. After swim we took a drive and saw some Christmas lights.

Thursday December 15, 2011

Aaron had his Christmas party at school so Abby and I got to stay for a little bit. It was fun to watch him play and interact as the other children showed up.

10 Months Old

2011-12-15T22:57:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday, Abby! I can't believe you are ten months old! It is unreal to me that almost a year has gone by since we were blessed with you.

You are sweet, funny and full of life. You are 'talking' quite a bit now and you are full of claps and cheers!

You wear a Size 3 diaper and 18 month clothes. You sleep 12 hours at night and you take two naps during the day totaling about four hours.

You eat three meals a day and nurse with each of them. You also nurse before you go to bed at night and one other time during the day. You love vegetables, but you eat almost everything (you don't like raspberries). You are a good eater.

We love you, Abigail Elizabeth!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T09:00:00.001-06:00

A Great Weekend!

2011-12-12T10:04:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was just a wonderful weekend. We had family time, we did some stuff, but we were still able to relax and enjoy ourselves. The kids were great and it was such a wonderful time!On Saturday morning the kids slept in until 7. That is just crazy in our house. Once we got up we went to a breakfast cafe we have been wanting to try.

We got done right around 9. We have a big outlet mall near our house that normally opens at 1o. It was opening at 9 starting Saturday for the holiday season. I had two stores I needed to go to and we were thinking we could sneak in before people realized it was open early. We were right! We had the mall almost to ourselves. I got to do a little shopping thanks to a very patient husband. Then we headed home and had lunch. During naps Jory got his haircut and ran an errand. When the kids got up we had some play time while I made a couple of things for our Sunday School party. That night Jory and I left the kids with Madison (a wonderful babysitter from our church) and headed out for a great evening of fellowship. We had a wonderful time!

Sunday morning Jory was performing in the church choir's Christmas program. John and Kim came to watch. This is Aaron and Abby waiting by the front door for their arrival. This is after I pulled Aaron in from waiting outside for their arrival!

John and Kim brought Abby her first pair of Mary Jane's! Aren't they precious?! The program was fantastic. Aaron got to watch a bit of it during the second service and I was so proud of him! He was mesmerized and did great. We got home and the kids fell right to sleep.

When they got up we headed over to the Fisher's house for our annual Christmas get together with them. We had a wonderful time. We just truly enjoy them.

Then it was home for dinner and bed. A full and wonderful weekend ended!

Aaron's 33 Month Interview

2011-12-11T21:53:00.002-06:00

What is your name? Aaron

How old are you? Two

What is your favorite color? Blue

Who is your best friend? Daddy

What is your favorite animal? Horse

What do you want to be when you grow-up? Horse

Who is your favorite person? Daddy

What is your favorite book? Animal Hide and Seek

What makes you happy? Daddy

What makes you sad? Daddy

What is your favorite food to eat? Green Beans

What is your favorite song to sing? ABCDEFG

What do you like to play? Toys

Here is something that I am noticing a lot with Aaron lately: he seems to have a good sense of where he is and directions when we are driving (if you are related to me it is okay that you just laughed out loud). We will be driving somewhere and he will know which way we are going to turn. Depending on where we are, he will point different directions and say 'my school is that way', 'swim is that way'. He knows a couple of streets: Kimble, Southlake Boulevard and 'the road that goes to Dee's house' (114 W).

Growing and Changing

2011-12-10T14:02:00.001-06:00

Aaron amazes me on a daily basis at this point. Every day brings new words and new ideas. He is growing, learning and changing so quickly now that I can't keep up!For a while his favorite sentence was 'What that is?" But know he says, "What is that?" He wants to know what everything is and what it does. He also wants to know everyone's name. We always get the cashier's name at the store. It has made me notice others more and take the time to call them by name. What a wonderful thing!

He is very sensitive to his sister - most of the time. If she's crying he brings her a blanket and rubs her head. It is so sweet.

He is talking constantly. We have a play-by-play all day long. He's started to get a handle on concepts - far away, not very full, etc. And his use of pronouns, etc. is really quite good. For his age, he is generally quite patient. He is especially patient when we can not understand what he is saying. He works really hard to make us understand. He doesn't get frustrated - but he also doesn't give up until we get it right! Love this Little Man!

Picture with Santa

2011-12-09T14:01:00.000-06:00

Meeting Santa

2011-12-08T13:55:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, the Grapevine Fire Department put on a wonderful, free event for the community. All you can eat pancakes and a visit from Santa! We weren't sure how Aaron would react to Santa, but we knew he would love the fire trucks, so we gave it a shot.

While we were waiting to meet Santa, Aaron kept asking if he could go outside and see the fire trucks! The kid didn't care a lick about Santa! But we waited anyway. When we got up there we were greeted by Rudolph who was not unlike the cow from Chick-Fil-A who my son is terrified of. I was aware of Rudolph one beat too late and Aaron melted down and wouldn't get near Santa. He reminds me constantly that he "really, really doesn't like Rudolph". Take One, not stellar, but we did see some cool fire trucks.

Take Two was at TCU - a very Not Free event that we registered for a long time ago because it sells out. And we paid for pictures, so these kids were gonna smile! HA!

This really turned out to be the coolest thing! We got there early and Aaron was wandering around checking things out. He saw a long hallway with a French door at the end and he ran down it to see if there were any backhoes out there. Really. When he got there he pressed his face up to the window looking for backhoes and you will never believe who walked up! Santa just waltzed right through that French door and there we were in a big, empty hallway - just us and Santa! Oh it was awesome! Aaron just stared up at him all wide eyed with his mouth open. Santa was so kind!! He talked to Aaron and told him all about his trip to the school and talked about Christmas and Aaron and when he told Aaron that he collects smiles Aaron gave him a big one!

Aaron was so looking forward to sitting on Santa's lap at this point that the 40 minute wait in the line did not phase him a bit. Jory and I were both so pleased by how well the kids did. And the picture turned out great - I don't have one to upload here, though.

After the picture we had some cookies and Aaron got to make an ornament that he was so proud of.

It really was such an enjoyable day. We were glad we went and glad the kids had such a good time.

They both fell sleep on the way home - the excitement of Santa was too much!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T06:40:00.000-06:00

What Abby's Been Up To

2011-12-06T13:38:00.005-06:00

Sunday November 27, 2011

I have been loving putting Abby in her Christmas dresses for church!Later that day, Mimi and Grandad came to visit.

Wednesday November 30, 2011

Abby got her first pair of Nike Shox! From Dee and Papa.

Thursday December 1, 2011

Eating some corn. Abby has gotten really good at feeding herself. I am impressed with how quickly she has progressed with that.

Saturday December 3, 2011

Meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus for the first time.

And eating more corn.

Sunday December 4, 2011

Helping Daddy in the nursery at church

The exersaucer passed inspection

Checking out TCU's Alumni Center.

Monday December 5, 2011

Eating beans

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T06:10:00.000-06:00

The day after Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T06:19:00.000-06:00

This was such a great day! We loved taking the kids around Texas A&M!

Ready to get going!

Breakfast at the hotel

Time with Papa

Picture with Bevo

Walking campus

They have backhoes there!

Love this picture!

And we finally made it to the Century Tree where Jory and I got engaged. Jory said he really loved seeing the children there. These were special moments.

Family picture at the bench where Jory proposed.

After a day of exploring and shopping we loaded up, had an early dinner and hit the road. We had a great weekend with the kids and their grandparents at A&M.

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-27T06:04:00.000-06:00

We drove to College Station on Thanksgiving morning. The Texas A&M/University of Texas game was at 7 and John and Jory had tickets. I didn't get a picture of the kids all loaded up for the drive (3 1/2 hours), but this is as soon as we arrived. The babies were so happy to see their grandparents!

We headed to Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving dinner and Dee and Abby did some shopping while we waited for a table.

Abby had turkey for dinner and she loved it!

Aaron waiting patiently.

When we got back to the hotel we had play time for a bit in Dee and Papa's room. They had brought the kids these Reveille pillows that the kids absolutely adored!

We put some First Thanksgiving gear on Abby

This outfit says My First Thanksgiving. It was too small, but we put it on her to sleep in.

The boys headed out to the game and Dee and I watched it on TV while the kids slept.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-26T17:53:00.002-06:00

I took such a ridiculous amount of pictures this weekend that I have to divide my Thanksgiving Post into several posts. This was actually the day before Thanksgiving. We were all ready to go out of town and found ourselves with a free day so I decided to take the kids to BassPro. They have Christmas things set up for children from now until Christmas.

Aaron wore his snowman pants and Christmas tractor shirt. He was very proud of the outfit! There were so many things to see...before we even got into the store!

Abby wasn't sure what all the commotion was about. But we had a nice time and we ran into my friend, Janice, and her two kids. The boys enjoyed the train set very much then we rode the Christmas Carousel and headed for lunch.

Daddy came home from work early and the kids enjoyed play time with him.

Then we hit the sack to rest up for our holiday weekend!

Feeling Blue

2011-11-26T08:32:00.000-06:00

We had Christmas pictures taken in October and I couldn't resist taking this smocked dress that Kathy bought for Abby. I absolutely love it!!!!

Gig 'Em!

2011-11-25T08:24:00.001-06:00

So Thankful for our blessings!

2011-11-24T08:27:00.000-06:00

Aaron, Aaron, Aaron

2011-11-23T20:19:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T00:39:00.000-06:00

Abby, Abby, Abby

2011-11-22T18:08:00.001-06:00

Our Week

2011-11-21T18:11:00.009-06:00

Monday November 14, 2011

We went over to Dee's house in the morning to check out the progress on the Christmas tree. We have to get back there very soon to see the finished product!

Tuesday November 15, 2011

Abby and I spent the entire morning in the doctor's office trying to get her 9-month well check completed. She perfected her high-pitched squeal during the wait. Her doctor was very impressed.

Wednesday November 16, 2011

We were around the house and Abby set to exploring under the kitchen table.

Thursday November 17, 2011

Abby and I had lunch with Laura, Braysen and Brock while Aaron was at school. When Aaron saw this picture he said, "is that Chick-Fil-A???"

Friday November 18, 2011

I got my drivers license renewed - with two kids. Aaron showed everyone that he knows how to do The Wash. I think that moved me up the list.

We went to Costco.

Saturday November 19, 2011

Jory headed out to the deer lease,

but not before some play time!

We left for Walmart when Daddy left so we all pulled out together. Aaron dressed for the occasion.

And then...we got home and Aaron busted his head by diving off of our patio bench onto the concrete steps head first. So not a good idea. The on-call doctor at our pediatrician's office recommended Care Now.

You really can't see any reason for us to be at the doctor because it is under his hair and the bleeding had really slowed at this point, but there was quite a gash on that noggen.

All fixed up and enjoying Asian Cuisine at Stir Crazy.

Sunday November 20, 2011

Back from church and anticipating Daddy's return!

Gig 'Em

2011-11-21T17:16:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago was Football Jersey Day at Aaron's school He proudly sported his Aggie gear.

Then last week he brought me his jersey and asked if he could wear it to school again!

Just for good measure, the Sis is sporting her own get up. Good prep for Football weekend in College Station. Whoop!

More Abby

2011-11-20T12:59:00.000-06:00

She has got really long legs...they are just everywhere. Dresses become shirts and pants become capris. I'm afraid to try skirts...

She has really blue eyes. I always wanted blue eyes, but I never thought I would gaze into my offspring's blue eyes. Magical.

She loves stuffed animals and little toys.

She is pretty content in a stroller.

She has two bottom teeth and that's all for now. She's pretty proud of them!

Waving Bye to Daddy

2011-11-19T09:20:00.000-06:00

Part of our morning ritual...

melts my heart!

What Abby's Been Up To

2011-11-18T00:43:00.000-06:00

She's our little Fireball, that's for sure! Always on the go, always smiling, always into something. She still sucks the two fingers by her thumb on her left hand, as she has since birth. But it is not all the time like it was when she was younger. Usually it's only when she is upset or trying to fall asleep.She loves her baths! She loves to play in the water and she has no fear!

She loves to be free to get around. She isn't ever in a bouncy, a swing or anything like that. She's crawling, climbing and, generally, everywhere. She also gets out of everything you strap her into. Shopping carts are a special treat.

She puts absolutely everything into her mouth. Absolutely everything. I mean, everything.

She loves to have her picture taken. She sees that camera and she's 'on'.

Priceless

2011-11-17T19:22:00.000-06:00

Aaron in a long-sleeved polo shirt, diaper and Nikes (no socks) pulling his wagon that he loaded with stuff (he actually told me he put a lot of stuff in his wagon) up a hill. I'll be saving this pic for the wedding slide show.

Christmas Preview

2011-11-17T09:19:00.000-06:00

We had a potluck at church Sunday and I dressed both of the kids in Christmas attire. I saw two girls in Christmas dresses last Sunday, so I figured it was okay.

This is not a good picture, but I love this outfit! Grandma Beth bought it. I think it is a shirt and leggings, but it is probably a dress and tights. Who knows with Miss Long Limbs. In any case, I love it.

I was not going to dress Aaron for Christmas yet, but he picked out these Snowman Corduroys. They are dark green and covered with little snowmen. I realize he is wearing a short sleeve shirt with cords, but he didn't have a long-sleeved one that matched and it was almost 80 degrees.

We went to Kim's house Monday to see the beginnings of Abby's Christmas Tree. Aaron had the tree decorated in his honor for his first Christmas and Abby is getting the same royal treatment. Hers is full of feather boas and decorations fit for a princess. You can see Aaron's tree here.
Abby's tree isn't done yet, but here are some pictures of some of the ornaments I really liked.

I am looking forward to Christmas, are you?

Visit With Meg

2011-11-16T21:23:00.000-06:00

Last week we had a special treat. We went to Waco to see my sweet friend, Meg, and her precious babies. It has been a year since we met at the same Children's Museum and since then Abby and Kensie have joined their big brothers.

Abby is just big enough to have a little fun at the museum and Kensie got lots of stroller time.

Abby loved Miss Meg!

Meg had a great idea to pack a picnic lunch and eat outside at the museum. The boys had a blast running off steam (and out of shoes) and trying to climb little trees.

Lunch time!

Brennan tried on every hat there was. This is one sweet, fun little boy! And his sister's pure joy.

I dressed Aaron in Baylor Green in honor of the visit (the museum is on campus). We had a delightful time and I can not wait until the next visit.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T00:58:00.000-06:00

Nine Months Old

2011-11-15T18:56:00.002-06:00

Abby is nine months old today. It doesn't seem possible!She is all personality - People-Loving Personality, at that. She's got a smile for everyone.

She's not talking, but she is starting to use some signs. She also claps and plays peek-a-boo. She is a CLIMBER. She is also an expert crawler. She pulls up, but she doesn't walk holding onto furniture or anything else. She has just now got her balance to where she can stand alone briefly, but she's too shaky for walking.

She feeds herself vegetables and beans. She is eating three meals a day and nursing with each one. She also nurses once mid-morning and once before bed. She is sleeping about twelve hours at night and she takes two naps during the day of about 1 1/2 hours each.

She had her well-check today and she is TALL. She is 30 inches. That is as tall as an average 14-month old. It put her in the 100th percentile for height (again). She is in the 50th percentile for weight. She is wearing 12 month clothes and 18 month (!) clothes. She wears size 3 diapers.

We love this girl!

Papa Feeding Abby

2011-11-14T18:32:00.002-06:00

I literally laughed out loud when I walked in the kitchen and saw this!

Aaron's 32 Month Interview

2011-11-11T12:55:00.000-06:00

What is your name? Aaron

How old are you? Two

What is your favorite color? Orange

Who is your best friend? Daddy

What is your favorite animal? Bear

What do you want to be when you grow-up? Firefighter

Who is your favorite person? Daddy

What is your favorite book? Backhoe Book

What makes you happy? Daddy

What makes you sad? Daddy makes me sad

What is your favorite food to eat? Big boy cereal (Oatmeal) This is the one consistent answer!

What is your favorite song to sing? Apple Pie Song

What do you like to play? Backhoe

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T08:21:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday, Jory!

2011-11-08T09:26:00.002-06:00

I love this man. I respect him and I am so thankful to God to have him as the leader in our home. He works hard to have balance in his life. He works hard at a good job, but he makes it home to put the kids down and will stay a few extra minutes in the morning when Aaron needs help building a backhoe. He fully engages with us on the weekends and I am grateful that my husband is driving us to church on Sunday mornings.

His children ADORE him. Watching them love him melts my heart every day. He is a wonderful father who takes his parenting decisions seriously.

This is a kind, patient man with a good heart. He takes time to explain things to me and never makes me feel inferior. He leads me with gentle hands.

Jory, I thank God every single day for you. You are an exceptional man, husband, father and friend. We love you!

Happy Birthday!

Sweet Memories

2011-11-04T11:04:00.001-05:00

Every night before Aaron goes to bed, he crawls up into my lap and says "I want to hold you for a little bit"

He loves to share things with Abby. Not his books, of course, but his experiences. He loves to tell her what he did at school and, generally, what is going on in his world.

He got a new book that has pictures of 100 different trucks with their names. That's the whole book. He sat on the floor and showed Abby every picture and told her the truck's name. And - bless her heart - she listened raptly.

Today he ran into the room where Abby was saying "Abby! I've got to show you this Abby!" He had his Blog book from his first year of life. "Abby, these are pictures of me when I was little. Let me show them to you Abby. Do you want to see them Abby?"

He melts my heart every single day!

First Starbucks Experience!

2011-11-03T10:45:00.000-05:00

I don't think Abby's gained the appreciation for the Pumpkin Spice Latte that it so deserves.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T10:37:00.002-05:00

Halloween Pictures - Abby

2011-11-01T10:33:00.004-05:00

Let me start by saying that I didn't get good Halloween pictures of either of the kids which is disappointing. Kim and John came over and I haven't seen their pictures yet, so they may have something better.
During the day on Halloween I put Abby in this pumpkin shirt, black leggings and Halloween socks. They have black feathers fringing the ankles! Kim found them for her.

After we got sufficient costume pictures we changed her into this Baby's First Halloween onesie. It was almost 70 degrees and Abby's costume was a warm one.

Hanging with her Papa!

Naked flower!

Here she is in the entire flower costume, but you can't see her yellow feet.

Halloween Pictures - Aaron

2011-11-01T04:42:00.000-05:00

Rocking the orange socks!

Very serious about his golf game.

Trick or Treat is for the birds - I have dirt to dig!

Our Week

2011-10-30T10:41:00.000-05:00

Sunday October 23, 2011

Jory and I were in the nursery at church for two services Sunday. Can I tell you that all of the babies in the nursery were completely chilled out except for Miss Abigail? While all of the other babies hung out quietly observing, Little Miss was everywhere. Seriously. Everywhere. This child is a trip!

Apparently I didn't take any pictures Monday. It was a great day, though. We had MOPS in the morning and then our last Ladies Bible Study in the evening. We will be starting a new study after the holidays.

Tuesday October 25, 2011

Abby on her way to pick her brother up from school.

Wednesday October 26, 2011

Aaron took a long nap on Wednesday and Abby didn't, so she had the house to herself all afternoon.

Thursday October 27, 2011

Aaron has taken to feeding Abby and he is actually getting quite good at it.

Decked out in his 'costume' from the school festival.

Friday October 28, 2011

I felt like we had done a lot of running around this week so we took it easy Friday.

Saturday October 29, 2011

Abby decked out in Halloween clothes minus the socks that she took off in the car so she could eat them.

Kim came and kept the kids in the afternoon so that I could go see Ann's daughter, Rachel, in the American Girl Fashion Show. It was so neat!

Fall Festival

2011-10-29T22:16:00.006-05:00

Thursday was Aaron's Fall Festival at school. Kim came and stayed with Abby so that I could go to the Festival with Aaron and then work at part of the Festival.

This is not Aaron. This is Andrew, my sweet friend Elizabeth's son. Aaron loves Andrew.

This is Aaron's class patiently waiting to try the bounce house. Those are pumpkin tattoos on their cheeks.

The first Bounce House was really for older kids. It had a rock climb in it that went up to a HUGE slide. Aaron was the only one in his class able to climb it. Then he got to the top and wasn't sure he wanted to be there, but he did come down that slide. I was proud.

This is a rope of rings that the kids hold on to every time they go somewhere. It keeps them all in a line and accounted for. Aaron is definitely a child of habit. He always grabs the same ring and is just waiting in the ring line while all of the other kids are getting gathered up and situated.

Aaron was a 'Happy Camper'. This isn't his Halloween Costume, but I thought that was too cumbersome for his teachers and these PJs are so cute! John picked them out when he and Kim were in Jackson Hole recently.

Aaron in the 'Acrobatics Station'

They were pretending to be airplanes in the 'Motion Room'. They were mostly confused.

It was such a fun time and it was so sweet for me to see Aaron interacting with his friends and teachers. The school did a great job with the festival.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T09:21:00.000-05:00

Our Week

2011-10-23T08:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, this isn't from this week, but I thought it was funny. Aaron has to have a change of clothes in his backpack at school in case of an accident. I have an Aggie Outfit - basketball shorts and a matching jersey shirt. A couple of weeks ago Aaron got wet on the slide on the playground and the teachers decided to change his shorts - just his shorts. So he came home in his collared shirt and basketball shorts. Good look, don't you think?

Tuesday October 18, 2011

In honor of the Rangers starting the World Series on Wednesday Aaron wore his jersey to school. My husband has repeatedly pointed out that our children do not know what it's like for the Rangers to NOT be in the World Series. When he was growing up, he didn't know what it was like for the Rangers to have a winning season. He's not kidding.

Cutie Pie while Aaron's at school

Wednesday October 19, 2011

I knew Fall would eventually get here! This is Aaron (in a coat!) gathering leaves! He would fill up his little bag and then take it to the trash can to empty it and start over.

Later on we went to Kohl's to get Aaron a pair of non-sandal brown shoes. Being that it's fall and all. He insisted on pushing Abby. Luckily she's a tough girl.

Thursday October 20, 2011

There was a fundraiser at the Chick Fil A in Hurst that several of my friends were involved in. So we headed there for dinner. Aaron gets SO excited for Chick Fil A. Even though he only eats cole slaw, milk and the tomatoes off of my sandwich.

More than Little Girl gets to eat there.

Friday October 21, 2011

I cleaned all morning, so Aaron had to occupy himself quite a bit. He is VERY into pictures. He LOVES to look at photo albums and scrap books. And he loves to be given pictures to look at and organize. He will arrange and rearrange them and tell you who is in every one and what was going on that you can't see in the picture.

Little Girl occupying herself. Likely laughing at her brother. One of my favorite things right now is how much Aaron talks to Abby. He keeps her up to date on everything. It's a running commentary all day long:

Do you see those backhoes, Abby? See what I made, Abby? Do you want some cereal, Abby? Do you like those tomatoes, Abby? Not my book, Abby; here's your toy. Do you want to go Night Night with me, Abby? Did you have good Night Nights, Abby? You're okay, Abby. Do you want to watch me play outside, Abby?

We did get out in the afternoon and got Aaron's haircut...again...that boy's hair grows fast!

Go Rangers

2011-10-22T20:42:00.004-05:00

The family was in Full Ranger Gear tonight.

I didn't get a great picture, but I did get a cute video of Aaron doing The Wash. I couldn't get it uploaded here, but you can view it at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOi3ebr_pQg

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T09:46:00.000-05:00

Surprise!

2011-10-16T12:40:00.000-05:00

Kim and John returned yesterday from a week-long vacation. We decided to show up at the airport and surprise them when they arrived. I am SO, so sorry that I don't have a picture of Kim when she saw her Little Man running towards her! I didn't get very good pictures at all, but it was a good surprise and Aaron was very proud of himself!

Dee and Papa brought Abby this hat!

And Aaron got this one!

8 Months Old!

2011-10-15T19:29:00.004-05:00

Sweet, sweet Abigail, you are eight months old today. How is it possible?

You are still the sweetest, happiest baby! And you are a girl on the go! You still love to be held and you will crawl to people and beg them to pick you up!

You love all vegetables and like most fruits, but not pears. You still love mixed grain cereal. You eat almost 100% of your daily calories at dinner. You are eating three meals a day with a nursing and you have three additional nursings during the day.

You take two naps totaling about 4 hours a day. You sleep about 12 hours a night.

You wear 9 or 12 month clothes and size 2 or 3 diapers.

We love you!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T05:00:00.001-05:00

Best Books

2011-10-12T00:23:00.000-05:00

This is a post that I have been meaning to do for quite a while. Aaron loves books. I mean, he LOVES them. A book is one of the best gifts for him. He is so very excited to get a new book and he always wants it read over and over and over...and then he memorizes it. He can 'read' most of his books from cover to cover. When you read to him he knows exactly when to turn the page. He also knows if you skip a word. He also knows who gave him most of his books. He prizes them. But while every new book is a favorite, many of them eventually lose their luster. But there are a handful that have been loved every day for many, many, many days. And when one of those happens to be fun for us to read (or, at least, not annoying) all the better. Add to that the ones that teach something and you've got a winner. So, since I feel myself to be uniquely qualified to review children's books (as I have read more than several people's shares in the past two years) here are my favorites. Happy Christmas Shopping.

Silent Night - Originally given by the Fishers. Replaced by Grandma Sheri and Grandpa Tom

This book lights up and plays Silent Night (no words). Each page has a verse that starts with Silent Night, Holy Night, but the verses do not follow the song. They are sweet. Aaron got this before he was one and he still really likes it. It has pictures of animals and the baby Jesus. It is a good book and the lights and music are a hit with babies, but not overwhelming at all. It is a board book and it holds up incredibly well. The batteries do die, but you can get replacements for free (plus shipping) from the publisher. Once, however, the book stopped working and the replacement batteries did not bring it back to life. So a second book was bought, but the first one had been used A LOT, so I really don't blame it. You can get this online or at Target. There are also other books along the same line, but we don't have any of those.

Big Red Barn - Given by Dee and Papa

Love this book! It is very simple. There's no lesson to it, but it's fun to read and Aaron really likes it. This is one that he reads, Cover to Cover, a lot. It is also a board book and holds up well. Books that don't hold up well did not make this list because I don't consider that to be a stellar kids' book.

My First Toys - Given by Grandma Beth and Grandpa Mike

This is a baby book. It has one picture and one word on each page, but it is very good for the younger set. This was the first book Aaron could read and he was so proud of it.

Baby's First Bible - Given by Grandma Sheri and Grandpa Tom

Aaron got this before he was born and it has been wonderful! It also comes in Blue and Pink, but we didn't know Aaron's gender before he was born. He is now getting to the point that he can move a bit beyond this baby Bible, but it has been so good! It has simple stories - Noah made a boat and God made it float when water covered the Earth like a coat. Aaron loves his bible and it's because of this book that he knows who climbed a tree, etc.

Baby Einstein Alphabooks - Given by Dee and Papa

This is a set of 26 books - one for each letter of the alphabet. Each one has three pictures and words that start with the letter. The books are small - for little hands and Aaron knows his letters because of them. I don't recommend these for those under one year old. They get scattered and it is hard for young ones to get them all back in the box. But Aaron sure loved these when he was learning his first words.

Little Blue Truck - Given by the Cottons

LOVE this book! So cute and SUCH a good point! Highly recommend.

Baby Bug Magazine - Given by Grandma Beth and Grandpa Mike

This is an awesome gift! Aaron got this for his first birthday and it has been renewed ever since. He LOVES this. When a new Baby Bug comes in the mail, watch out! Each issue consists of several short stories and poems. They are great.

Snow Day - Given by Grandma Beth and Grandpa Mike

This is Aaron's all-time favorite book. It is the infamous 'Backhoe Book'. There are 55 flaps, so unless your child is very careful with books this may be something that should wait until he's 2 or 3. It is just a cute story and Aaron loves all of the flaps. Each one has something to read under it.

Aaron's 31 Month Interview

2011-10-11T18:01:00.002-05:00

What is your name? Aaron

How old are you? Two

What is your favorite color? Orange

Who is your best friend? Abby

What is your favorite animal? Ernie

What do you want to be when you grow-up? Firefighter

Who is your favorite person? Daddy

What is your favorite book? Backhoe Book

What makes you happy? Daddy

What makes you sad? Daddy

What is your favorite food to eat? Big boy cereal (Oatmeal)

What is your favorite song to sing? Jesus Loves Me

What do you like to play? At school

Day with Dee

2011-10-07T15:58:00.003-05:00

Last week Dee came over and we took the kids out together. We introduced Dee to the wonders of Chick Fil A!!!

I tried to feed Abby store-bought baby food and it was a mess. I guess I have never made my kids' food right because it was never this runny - even when they were little little. Oops. And this was before...

Abby did a header into the spoon! Dee and Aaron played in the play area and I was so impressed with Aaron. His socializing is changing so much now that he is in school.

After a parking lot dress change we headed to Wal-mart. Dee wanted to get the kids some Halloween clothes, but most of that wasn't out anymore. Instead, we got some Christmas and Valentine's outfits!

When we got home I mixed the rest of that store bought food with cereal. MUCH easier feeding.