Winter Gear

As the temperatures drop, Anna Kate is getting out her winter outerwear. Thanks, Lauren and Bart along with GrandJan and Grandpa!

Thanksgiving Fun!

A few days before Thanksgiving, Jonathan, Anna Kate, and I braved the airport crowds and flew to Austin to visit my family. After a smooth ride with only one short minor meltdown, we arrived back in the Lone Star State! We were greeted by my mom, sister, and brother in law. Anna Kate was enjoying a snack as we greeted our family.



Shortly after we arrived at my parents' house, we were joined by my dad and other sister. It was a full house from the start! My mom then presented Anna Kate with her Christmas present...a little early. It was a jungle animal activity center with noises, lights, and balls rolling everywhere. What a dream come true for our little one year old! This toy is a must have for anyone her age. Anna Kate loved it from the beginning! Thanks, Grandpa and GranJan!



After much food and fun on Thanksgiving Day, we took our own Turkey Trot around the block with stroller in tow. Then early Friday morning, my mom and sister hit the stores to gather some Christmas gifts deeply discounted (the only way, in our opinion). Note: Lauren and I had already hit the CVS sale early Thursday morning and wowed the sales clerk with how much money we saved...sister, sister!

By Saturday, the guys took off and the girls went to the lake to celebrate Catherine's soon to be marriedness. While we were gone, my parents watched Anna Kate. They had a blast and Anna Kate loved being with her grandparents for a special night away.



What a fun Thanksgiving trip! A couple notes...you may be wondering how we get Anna Kate to smile so well in all of these pictures. The truth is as soon as she sees the red light of a camera, she goes into posing mode. Her smile gets bigger and bigger with each flash. She loves that camera! Also, yes, Bart she has not stopped talking about you ever since you left. The baby shark song left lasting memories. We have a feeling Bart will be her next word!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love taking time on special days like this to count my blessings. God has truly given us more than we could ask for or imagine, so it is only natural to bring praise back to him. He truly is the giver of every good and perfect gift. Happy Thanksgiving!

Latest on Anna Kate

Anna Kate is such a cute one year old! She is getting better on her feet and can now move from one piece of furniture to another. In the car, she loves to sing along to her DVDs. Her singing may not sound like anything much to most people, but it sounds beautiful to me. Anna is down to one nap as of this week, but it is more of a transition for me as I change our daily schedule. We are trying to get out and about more in the mornings, which is new for this stay at home mom. One of her favorite toys is a ball, but she cries and cries when it rolls away under the cabinet. I comfort her and reassure her that it is not gone forever! I am teaching her some baby signs and she can do "more" and "all done". She sometimes mixes these up, so it is hard to decipher exactly what she is saying. But it is so cute to see her smile and do her sign. Anna was going through a non-veggie eating phase, but I figured out that all she needed was some cinnamon in her carrot puree. Now she is back on veggies! She loves outings so most days you will find us at Target or the grocery store with Anna smiling at people from her little seat in the cart. Her favorite snacks are Gerber wagon wheels and Trader joe's cereal bars. Naturally, both of these are the messiest possible so we keep wipes on hand at all times. Anna has not met a fruit she does not like. And usually anything that we are eating, she wants a taste of. My current favorite thing is looking through the Christmas aisles with her at stores. She stares at all the lighted and moving objects and cracks up at the dancing singing stuffed animals. I love watching her respond to fun things that tickle her funny bone! She can say Daddy and Hi, and I think I can recognize an Uh-oh and dog, but Jonathan disputes the validity of these actually being words. Sounds like them to me! Anna loves to wave hi and goodbye to anyone or anything, sometimes she just waves to the house. She loves books mostly the ones where she can touch and feel the different textures. Though our pop up books are already not really popping up much more. We will be traveling with her next week for Thanksgiving so you can pray with us for a happy traveler!

I wish I was a yobaby...

One of my favorite things right now is yo baby yogurt. These little packages of organic, whole milk yogurt with fruit goodness are one food that Anna Kate cannot get enough of. Of course, I love them because they are a healthy, portable snack I can throw in my bag as we run out the door. I wish I had invented yo baby yogurt. At $5 per six pack at the regular grocery store, don't you know that some baby at yo baby is rolling in the dough (and it's not play dough if you get my drift). And now with o'soy added to the lineup they are ready for every child and every organicy mom that rolls their way. I read a blog the other day that showed how you can make yogurt in the crock pot. This two day process involves a lot of prep and a lot of waiting, but the cost savings were unbelievable. However, this idea as with most of this kind in my house, hit the back burner as I ran out to the store for another six pack of the good stuff. Yo baby takes no prep and as soon as you are done, the carton hits the trash (or recycle bin if you are so inclined). Talk about greatness in a carton! If you have a child under 2, pick some up today. You will thank me!

Bee Boppin' Band

Anna is our newest musician around the house with her bee boppin' band set. She can find anything to beat with her drumsticks.

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