Home really is ...

the happiest place on earth! At least it sure is for our little family. We just returned home from a trip to Disneyland...the so called happiest place on earth. But as Anna Kate showed us during our trip, she really prefers to be at home. One day we took off for the park and got to see so many fun things and characters. Most of the time she was pretty grumpy. But as soon as we went back to the hotel, she was playing on the bed and having the time of her life. I couldn't help but think we just took you to Disneyland and you would rather play in the hotel room. Hilarious!

All in all, we had such a great trip and Anna did perk up and enjoy a lot of the park. Her favorites included: little spray park shooting water everywhere in the Bug's Life area, swimming in the pool at the hotel, running around the big riverboat on the Mark Twain ride. Her not so favorites: It's a Bug's Life show (kinda scary), riding in the stroller (prefers to be held), and sleeping in her pack n play (moved over to mom and dad's bed halfway through the night).

Jonathan and I took turns going to the "big kid" rides and loved getting to sample the treats around the park...popcorn and yummy yogurt parfait. One evening after dinner Anna Kate felt asleep in the stroller so we got to spend a little time talking by the fire in the Grand Californian hotel lobby. What a treat! We also loved the new it's a small world ride. At the very end, they have all the children from all the nations together dressed in gold and white...it reminded me so much of the scene from Revelation. What a sweet Disney preview of what is to come...every nation, tribe, and tongue worshipping at the feet of Jesus. Amazing!

New baby doll

As an Easter present from her grandparents, Anna Kate got a new baby doll that makes baby sounds and then a sucking noise when you put her bottle or paci in. The pictures below are when Anna opened it up. She loved it from the beginning! Anna Kate enjoys holding her, putting her paci in her mouth, and giving her pats (her form of affection). The only surprising thing is when I am walking through the house and the baby will start to make noise and scare me! It is a good first step to prepare Anna Kate for her little sister.

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Daddy and Anna in the yard

Once we got new grass, it had to have a lot of TLC before we could play in it. But now it is the perfect condition for some Daddy and Anna playtime. Jonathan will give Anna Kate lots of tickles and she will roll around, popping up every now and then to sign "more". She definitely loves playing with her dad!

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Happy Birthday Lauren!

As I sit in the grass this afternoon, I am thinking of you and wishing you a very happy birthday! Love you, Anna Kate

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Happy 55th Birthday Grandpa! We love you so much!

It's a girl!

Anna Kate will have a little sister and she is so excited! Our newest baby had her legs crossed the entire ultrasound so we thought our revelation would be delayed. But at the last minute, she got into a better position and we were able to see that she is a she!

Happy Birthday Ab!

We hope you have a great 60th birthday! Love you!

A month in review

Anna Kate will be 18 months at the end of the month! Her vocabulary grows daily but it usually takes Jonathan or I to translate. We are encouraging her to "use her words" rather than whine to communicate her needs and desires. It was music to my ears to bend down today in the kitchen and hear her say "uh-uh" (her words for up please)! She is definitely getting it. 



Anna Kate had several friends from around the country come visit her this month (with their parents in tow). She had a blast playing with so many girlfriends her own age. All the parents remarked at how their noises are all the same but their personalities are so different! We had so much fun swapping parenting stories.



Anna Kate loves helping Mommy with all kinds of household chores. She loves to unload the dishwasher and pull the wet clothes out of the washer. She even jumped in to help clean the bowl after we made brownies. Yummy!



Anna Kate loves balloons and was overwhelmed with a whole bouquet of them when Suzanne's parents came to visit. What a treat! She can spot balloons as soon as we walk into any store. You would be amazed at where she can find them. One from the grocery store makes her day.



Our church took a mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico last week. Anna Kate loved being in a new place with new people and new places to explore. Every time we went back to the hotel room, she would stand at the door five minutes after coming in because she was ready to go outside and explore some more. The pictures above show a funny sight...Anna was so dirty after running around Mexico all week. We gave her  a bath every night but it did no good to keep her clean through the day. She had a blast!

So now we are home and excited for April! Thanks for sticking with us!

Catching up...

Yes, March passed us by without much of a blog entry. Sorry! We are still here and baby #2 is still growing. We will find out this Friday whether it is a boy or girl! I hope to use the next few entries to catch you up on what we have been up to the past month. Enjoy!

My New Do

After crying through my entire haircut, I now have a new do!



As you can see, I am still not very happy about it. But needless to say, the hairdresser did her job expertly in the midst of my tears.

Oh No...

I need a haircut!



Stay tuned...