It Pays to Save...

I remember my mom always telling us that she didn't have any of her toys from growing up because her mom didn't save anything. She promised us she wouldn't throw anything out and instead let us make that decision when we got older. Boy, am I glad I have a daughter to pass my things on to....crates and crates worth.

It's been so fun going through my old memories and now watching my own little Anna start to enjoy them. She especially loves her "dollies" (pronounced in her sweet little voice 'dah-ees'). She does the "help" sign constantly to ask us to help her carry the one that's her own size. She has already proven that she will be an excellent big sissy soon caring for a new little baby!

And playing with a real baby...cousin Myla!

Our First Trip Away...

Matt and I have both enjoyed nights away on our own since Anna has been born, but never have we gotten away together. We headed to Louisville for a friend's wedding a few weeks ago and ended up making a trip out of it. We went to the Makers Mark Distillery, Bardstown, and hung out in Louisville. It was much enjoyed and MUCH needed. (We figured if we didn't do it now, our first "trip" away without Anna would be to Good Sam to have another baby. We opted to try now.)

Oh, and don't worry about the pictures. The baby only tried one shot =)

This video is from the Bengals first pre-season game. Anna's quite smart and learned how to do "touchdown" very quickly. As the season has progressed, we let her do "touchdown" for other teams b/c she doesn't get to practice much with the Bengals. Now she claps for herself after she puts her arms up.




First Reds game, first concert (Mercy Me), first Bengals game (pre-season of course

Anna knows over 30 signs right now and a few words. Although she said "mama" and "dada" noises for awhile, the first words she said in context were "baby" and "apple" (this video is from early September)

Anna's favorite games = hide and seek, jumping on the bed, "up", and "boo!"

Anna Banana's monkey costume. Indi was definitely intrigued by her new little friend in the house. Anna had enough after about 1.5 minutes and politely told us by using her "all finished" sign.

If There are Any Fans Left.....
If you're actually reading this, Thanks! I've given you zero reason to stop by the blog for the last TWO!!?? months. Needless to say chasing a curious, excited, walking little 14 month old leaves little time for focused sitting in front of the computer. (Especially when you're pregnant!)

Yeah, BABY NUMBER TWO is probably some noteworthy news to put up, but I've honestly forgotten to post that. We are 25 weeks along and due January 25. We are very excited and can't wait for Anna to be a big sister! We are going to be surprised just like with Anna and think that was the greatest moment in the delivery room.

I'll try to catch you all up with some pictures and captions rather than a novel. Anyway, I know all you care about is pictures =)

Happy First Birthday Party!

Of course, the celebration wouldn't be complete without a first birthday party full of monkey balloons, bananas, and a sweet monkey dress for Anna Banana. We had the party on Saturday with friends and family. We had a difficult time limiting the number but thought it worked out wonderfully. There was a traditional cake with ice cream for guests but Anna had her very own strawberry shortcake cake. This has been her mommy's favorite birthday dessert for as long as she can remember so we thought we'd pass it to Anna and see what she thought. She loved it!!!

After partying for about 4 hours, our precious baby girl was wiped out. (By the end she had even lost her clothes - this is the only birthday this will be happening at.) Needless to say, she slept perfectly that night. She had to rest up for her big birthday outing to the zoo with mommy and daddy the next day =)

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY ANNA BANANA!!!!

July 25th was the big day! It was wonderful with so much happiness and so many mixed emotions. We started the day with our Friday trip to Stroller Fit where Anna brought a birthday treat of her beloved Mum-Mums crackers to all of her baby friends. We then headed home for nap time and awoke to toys, Daddy, great first birthday gifts, birthday dinner of pasta and watermelon, and a wonderful walk with her favorite doggy.

Mommy had her heart set on a doll named Anna for Anna's first birthday gift and Daddy was set on a basketball hoop and a play tunnel/tent. She loved it all but after "kissing" her baby doll, she went right back to b-ball. That's our girl!

WOW! Has it been that long?.....

The answer is yes. It's been a VERY LONG TIME since this blog has seen any activity. If we still have visitors left, here are the much anticipated updates of our lives. I'm sure you are all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting.

The last post said that our baby niece and cousin Myla was born. She's such a cutie! We were able to take a trip to South Bend late June and we also saw her this past weekend here in town for her Baptism. It's such an exciting time to watch your siblings become parents - and Matthew and Kasey make fantastic ones!!! We can't wait to see her again in the fall and also to stay updated via the web cam.

We took Anna to Myrtle Beach with Matt's family mid-June. What a moment to witness your child seeing the amazement of the ocean for the first time. Even at her young age of 11 months, Anna was in awe of the water. She absolutely loved touching her feet and hands in the waves with Daddy and had so much fun splashing in the pool. She didn't care for sitting in the sand too much, but we managed to get a few pictures before a wave came and knocked her over (oops!). She also was a very big girl on the airplane and did quite well (of course her parents are to be credited for the good baby that everyone dreams of traveling with =)

Another big event would have to be Anna's first Fourth of July celebration. Last year she definitely experienced Uncle Andrew's fireworks as she kicked mommy very hard during the display. However, this year she got to fully appreciate this grand American holiday.....from inside the family room door cuddled very close to mommy. She didn't mind them so much when she didn't have to stand right next to them and hear the loud bangs. She was a trooper and managed just fine. We headed up to the Independence Independence Day (not a typo) parade on the 5th with "the girls" (Indi included) and they both loved it. Indi especially enjoyed the dog treats that the float-riders kindly threw to her. Anna loved waving her blue and silver pinwheel. Definitely good ole' fashioned USA fun!

Finally, to Myla's Aunt Kelly: I hope this helps catch you up =) Thanks for the encouragement to jump back on the train!