Anna's First Halloween!

No trick-or-treating for this babe, but she did look so darn cute sitting around the house! Thanks Gweneth for letting us borrow your outfit! (Next year, we're going to have a little Anna Banana!)

Off To The West Coast!

We did it! We braved the raised terror alerts, the fires, and a red eye flight with a newborn to travel to Anaheim for my Arbonne training conference. It was wonderful! Anna was a perfect little baby. She didn't cry on the plane (cross country flight from Atlanta), she was so good during the trainings, and my team was the best helping out.

After this weekend, I feel so empowered as a mommy. I feel like I can do anything. I also feel like I've been blessed with such an amazing gift in Arbonne. This company has changed our life. There is so much integrity and hope from the people involved. I'm so thankful I decided to take Anna (with much encouageent from Matt). Next trip: Atlanta in April!

Tummy Time!!!

Our Little Pumpkin
You guessed it! Anna took her first trip to the pumpkin patch on Saturday. We headed down for a scenic autumn drive on Route 8 along the Ohio River in Kentucky. In the past, there were several farms to choose from, but this year there was only one - Windy Acres. It was set up perfectly with an apple barn, a bluegrass band, a pumpkin patch, and haystacks. We ventured into the pre-made "pumpkin patch" in front of the barn and set up Anna with her blanket. She looked adorable, but stared at us like she was embarassed by her dorky parents. Maybe that's why she would hardly crack her pretty smile for us. You can be sure we still got some very cute pictures though!

Hi guys! Hey, thanks for checking my blog and watching me grow up to be so cute. (Remember you can leave comments about my cuteness if you want). Have a great weekend! Who Dey!

A Day at the Races....

Anna was wonderful for her first trip to Keeneland (Grandpa would be so proud). She enjoyed the tailgate and then slept in the wrap for about 2 hours. She fell asleep again after "Dreaming of Anna" lost by about 2 lengths in the 9th Race. She was worn out rooting for that horse all day and the disappointment was too much. However, her spirits were quickly lifted with the Cats' amazing victory over LSU in triple overtime. Daddy taught Anna her first C-A-T-S cheer and as you can tell she loved it! Future wildcat for sure!

Anna LOVES her hands. It is so darn funny to watch her discovering them on a daily, even hourly basis. It's like she forgets that they're attached to her. She waves one in front of her face and you'd think it's the first time she's seen it. She gets so excited and concentrates so hard. Today she laid down and I had a ball watching her for about 30 minutes. She just played and played. (Being a mommy is the greatest!)

Anna is smiling a lot now. However, we still can't get the camera to capture it very often. My new technique is to just snap the camera over and over and it's created some very cute photo journaling of her sweet little movements.

Naptime?
It's kind of funny when I think that Anna is 12 weeks old and she has only taken a handful of "naps". A great majority of her life has been spent literally in my arms. I have a terrible time putting her down when she falls asleep in my arms and when she's asleep other times, it's usually in the car, in her swing, or when we're out somewhere. This photo is a rare moment when I put her in her pack n play (which she still sleeps in - the top bassinet part - in our room). It was wonderful because I ended up cleaning and getting a lot done. Imagine that ~ I accomplish a lot more when I have two arms available....But she's just so darn sweet, I can't stand to put her down!

A Walk in the Park...

We met Maria and Josie and Tina and Jack up at Devou and took a nice, much needed, long walk. It's such a blessing to have wonderful "mommy friends" with whom to share advice, excercise, and life. Josie was born June 25, Anna July 25, and Jack August 27. It's great to watch the babies go through each stage right after one another. We're learing from Josie that we definitely want a running stroller. Isn't she adorable in it! We're not sure how long she was riding with her hat like that, it was hilarious though when we finally figured it out!

Future Prom Date?

Anna spent two days in a row last week with little Jack Linnemann. It was so fun to watch Tina with her precious baby boy. Anna looked so much older compared to him - moving, talking, wide awake - and she only has him by one month. Wow~ it is so amazing to watch them become little people so quickly! One month makes such a difference at this tender age. It was fun Jack! Anna had a great time and I loved when your daddy handed you to me to spit up all over my shirt. (I said if it wasn't Jack's, it would've been Anna's - oh how life has changed!)

Just had to add this picture from the aquarium because it's so beautiful!

"Something about the ocean..

...makes me rise up and praise, Something about the heavens makes me stand in awe again, Something about the sunrise reminds me of Your faithfulness, Something about the ocean and I'm lost in love again." These song lyrics are from "Ocean" by Ten Shekel Shirt, a great Christian band. I love this song because there is truly just something about the ocean that can't help but make you stand in awesome glory of God.

We took Anna to the Newport Aquarium on Tuesday. She absolutely loved the contrast in colors of the fish tanks and lighting and she was so engaged in all the movement. It was such a fun family outing for me and Matt - our first "family activity"! - and Anna had a blast.

Daddy, I'm ready for the game!

Monday night football at Paul Brown Stadium ~ enjoyed by Matt and Jennifer, not Anna.

Many Blessings....

Anna visited our beloved St. Patrick's for the first time on Sunday. We are loyal St. Pat's "11:00-massers" but we decided to keep the babe away for awhile. We felt pretty good about taking her this weekend. Of course, we received many "congratulations" and people loved seeing her. She was dressed in her pretty pink dress which she was able to wear for the first time. She was so beautiful. God blessed us tremendously when He chose US to raise baby Anna...