Target Treasure

On a trip to Target today, we discovered a little treasure for Anna Kate. We took it off the shelf and let her try it on for size. She loved this comfy chair...a perfect fit for our little girl! I bet she will add this to her birthday wish list.

Attack of the Cheerios!

When Anna Kate started eating Cheerios, I thought...Fun! Now she has a little snack she can eat herself and it is good for her. Little did I know that these wholesome o's would begin to take over our home. After serving Anna Kate a yummy breakfast of Cheerios and some banana, I sweep under her highchair and dump the ones left on her tray. Returning to the living room, I notice several that migrated onto the carpet and grab those too. Hours later, I find more in the seat of her high chair which are now soggy from the remnants of baby food that dropped down there too. Then while doing laundry these o's appeared on the floor of the laundry room. I turn around and there are more on the kitchen floor. While picking those up, I notice some on the counter. Frustrated, I do a clean sweep of the kitchen and dining room areas. Whew! Got all those o's....right? No, even as I am writing this post, I just eyed one lone lost Cheerio under the coffee table. If I did not know better, I would think these guys are multiplying. How can one serving of cereal wind up all over the house? Back to work...me against the o's!

Finger Food Fun

This week Anna Kate has ventured into the land of finger foods. With Cheerios, banana chunks, and lumpy sweet potatoes, she knows how to make quite a mess. What fun!

Family Pic

In and Out

Yes, we love those burgers. But this post is about some fun visitors we have had the past several weeks. First, Brian and Aimee Davenport came to catch some San Diego sunshine.



We showed them some of the city and they had fun playing with Anna Kate.



She loves her new cow hat!

Soon after the Davenports' departure, Jonathan's sister Robin (better known as Aunt ChiChi) came to see her favorite niece. 



We went to the beach, the zoo, and spent some quality time at home while Anna Kate napped. What fun to have some adventures with Aunt ChiChi! She even taught Anna Kate a new song...we like to dance dance dance!

Now we have our friend from Waco, Donelle Sauer, staying with us. She is here with some other friends from our church in Waco who are doing a mission trip here. Donelle has been such a joy as she jumps in to help with Anna Kate and around the house!

After this week, we will return to a slower pace for a little while until Anna's first birthday!

Day at the Beach

Since we live so close to the beach, we have visited often with Anna Kate. Surprisingly, this was the first time that Anna Kate actually enjoyed the water and sand. We put her down on the beach so the waves would wash her just a bit as she sat on the shore. She would giggle every time the cold waters touched her legs. Then we took her into the ocean where every wave brought a smile and squeal. Once on the beach, she dug into the sand. We could not keep her from scooping little granules into her mouth. Anna Kate loved her time at the beach!

A Hard Day's Work

Now what should I blog about today?



My beach trip...my day at the zoo...



Mo-om, no more pictures! You are interrupting my train of thought.



Ok now back to work...



I wonder how you spell hippopotamus?



Snack break!

My Favorite Things

These are some of my favorite things...

Reading my book that lights up and plays music



Looking out the window



Playing with my Dad...he gives great tickles!



Soft, cuddly blankets



Chewing on my elephant's nose



Eating in my high chair...bring on those sweet potato puffs!

Happy Birthday Suzanne!

Suzanne celebrated her 26th birthday on June 27! Jonathan had many surprises in store and made it such a special day. The highlights were going to the San Diego County Fair, having a friend babysit Anna Kate so we could go to a movie, and a backyard bbq dinner with friends. Here are a couple of pictures from the night. Notice Anna Kate reaching out for a taste of frosting...she has not even tasted chocolate but knows it must be something good!

Home Sweet Home

After being gone from our home for almost all of July, we are unpacking and ready to be in San Diego for the fall! We spent a weekend in Missouri for a friend's wedding, then headed across the ocean to Germany for a missions conference with our sending organization. We came home for a day and then traveled to Amarillo for a week to connect with friends and family. Whew! As you can imagine, we were so thankful to sleep in our own beds last night.

Our conference in Germany was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with friends who work in other countries and to be refreshed by God through worship, prayer, and powerful teachings. We were equipped, filled up, and sent back out to accomplish all God has for us in San Diego. Anna Kate is a pro traveler now, handling long flights with the greatest of ease...ok, maybe there is a little crying in there, but for the most part, she did amazing! With the help of a portable DVD player and the bassinet the airline provided on the overseas flights, we were so blessed with a smooth trip with an infant.

Anna Kate turned 9 months while we were gone and is still the cutest gal on the block. No teeth have shown up yet, but we are sure they are on the horizon. We know she is glad to be home as she slept 13 hours last night and is already 2 hours into her morning nap! We are looking forward to her crawling season beginning soon.

Jonathan and Suzanne are thankful to be settled back at home. Jonathan hit the ground running with the purchase of a keyboard for the church and is reconnecting with people from our church. Suzanne is conquering the mountains of laundry as our bags from Germany did not arrive until after we left for Amarillo. We are looking forward to several visitors from Texas in the next few weeks and after that, starting a new lifegroup! Blessings on you today~we will post some pics once we get through all the suitcases!