Christmas and Milestones

We hope everyone had a great Christmas, we sure did and it's not over yet for us. Don't be offended that you didn't get a Christmas card from us this year, no one did! Sorry, couldn't quite get it together this time around. :) Annalee was so much fun this year. She is a pro at unwrapping presents...doesn't leave one bit of paper or tape on the box! Santa brought her a kitchen set for her big girl room (we're slowly making the transition to a new room). Lucky for little sister, she gets Annalee's nursery just like it is, minus everything that is personalized with big sister's name! Speaking of names, I think we've made a decision...Grace Katherine. Sorry to disappoint if you were expecting another double name!

We've had a few milestones within the last couple of weeks. First, I started feeling the baby move about 2 weeks ago, but it has gotten a lot stronger in the past few days. Micah was even able to feel her for the first time a few days ago! I love this part of pregnancy. Also, in case you were wondering, I am finally feeling like myself again. Just after Thanksgiving my nausea came to an abrupt stop and I haven't stopped being thankful for that blessing since!

Annalee is weaned from her pacifier!! It happened by total accident and it has been shockingly easy. We had slowly been loosing them here and there (they're silicon so they bounce and roll for miles!) We were down to only one left and I just hadn't bought any new ones. We had eaten dinner at Red Lobster and accidentally left the last one. Once we got home it was time for bed, so we just made the decision that it was time to say goodbye to "pappy." We told her that the fish in the tank at Red Lobster had it and she was totally cool with it! She has only asked for it a couple of times since and every time we remind her that the fish have it and she says, "oh yea." What!? I was so worried about weaning her from it that I hadn't even thought about when we might try, and then boom, it happened and it's over!

Now on to the pictures!!

Brittney gave her this adorable chef outfit for her birthday, but she didn't open it until Christmas morning. It was one of the first presents she opened, so she wore it the rest of the morning!

Micah and Blaine each received a chin up bar at Terry and Jodie's and Annalee had so much fun acting "strong."

I just love this picture with JoJo!

The Big Bash

Although Annalee's actual birthday isn't until next Saturday, we had her party yesterday. (I'm still trying to figure out how I can possibly have a 2 year old!!) We celebrated at The Little Gym and it was well worth the money! They literally took care of everything from unloading/loading my car to writing down Annalee's gifts and everything in between. The favorite activity was the inflatable trampoline, think bounce house without the walls. There were balls flying everywhere and an endless stream of bubbles. Thanks to everyone who took the time to help us celebrate during this busy time of year.

The Cake

You may recall from last year that Micah likes to get me funny cakes for my birthday. I had the best birthday gift this year, finding out that we are having another baby girl and that she is healthy! The cake was very fitting for the occasion, a girly barbie one. Thanks hon!

Pink or Blue??

Annalee has a message for all of our blogger buddies out there!!

In case you didn't catch that, she said, "It's a girl!!"

We are overjoyed with the news and can't wait to meet another daughter! She has everything she needs except a name!! Suggestions are welcomed. :)

Tagged

Summer tagged me a long time ago to do this...sorry it took so long friend! I'm supposed to write 6 random things about myself...



1. My middle name on my driver's license is spelled wrong because they "can't put punctuation on drivers licenses." I think that's untrue!



2. I hate wearing closed toed shoes...rain, sleet or snow, you can probably find me in my flip-flops!



3. I have really weird eating quirks. For example, when I order a hamburger at a restaurant I get mustard on it, but if we make burgers at home I can't stand mustard. Also, my list of don't-likes is way longer than my list of likes. I don't like pb and jelly, milk, mac and cheese, any drink that's hot, most sauces, dressing on my salads. I could go on and on.



4. I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell (magnified a zillion times when I'm pregnant). I once said, "I just want to find the source of the stink." and Micah uses that as my signature statement. I'm constantly commenting on the smells of things.



5. I am a complete glutton for back rubs. I will sit for hours and let you rub my back. I've had way more professional massages than I can recall or count.



6. I get itchy at night when I get tired. I also rub my feet together when I first get into bed, not because I'm cold, just because.

Sneak Peek

I took Annalee to have her 2 year pictures made with a fun, new photographer that I discovered (thanks Macy and Cassy!). Check out her blog for some sneak peek pics! I can't wait to see the rest. http://www.kristincookphotography.blogspot.com/

Disinfected!

That is what my house is today. Be very glad you haven't seen me or my family this week...we had the stomach bug!! Why do we have to get this every year, and why does it always start with Annalee? I'll spare you any pictures this time...it just wasn't cute in any way!

Caught in the Act

It was eerily quiet today, so when I went to investigate this is what I found!



My child decided to scale the toilet and hop into the sink. I guess I startled her when I caught her...hence the crying!

My Crazy Husband

Today Micah and Ryan participated in the Mud Run. It was exactly that, a run through the mud! Actually, they had to run a total of 7 miles and complete obstacles along the way that involved lots of mud. For me, that sounds totally unappealing, but they had a blast and so did thousands of other crazy people! Annalee and I showed up at the end to cheer the guys on and witness some of the craziness.

This picture doesn't do justice to how dirty they were by the end. Micah's pants are supposed to be camo.

The fire department was there to hose everyone off as they finished.

Happy Halloween

We had another super fun Halloween this year. We just hung out at the house, cooked out, went trick-or-treating and passed out tons of candy. It took some bribing, but Annalee let me put her hair in piggies for her Dorothy costume! She had three suckers in her mouth by the time we were finished, but I was willing to do whatever it took.

Sweet girl waiting for the rest of her costume.





The three suckers, two in one hand, one in the other!




First stop, Ms. Suzie's house. She had a special bag just for Annalee with her name on it! Annalee loves her Suzie.



I couldn't get her to actually say trick-or-treat, until we were back at our house! Oh well, maybe next year.



This was her trick-or-treating limo. She rode from house to house in it and then got out to walk up to the house. David was a good partner to ride with!



Thank you JoJo for making Annalee's costume!! It was a hit!

First Prayer

I just have to write this down to remember it. Today I was sitting on the couch and Annalee climbed up in my lap, clasped her hands, closed her eyes and said, "Thank you God for Mama, Amen." Oh my goodness, my heart just melted! We pray with her at night and I know she prays at school and church. It was so sweet to see her doing it on her own.

Yuck

Sorry I've been M.I.A. lately...it's because I've been S.I.C.K. I'm sad to report that the morning (and noon, and night) sickness fairy has not been very gracious towards me. Yes, I've tried vitamin B6, eating small meals all day, getting up slowly, peppermint, zophran, and even shock therapy-not kidding. Nothing is helping! Boo. I just had to have a little pity party.

An Annalee update it coming soon because this gal is hilarious! She is speaking to us in sentences now! Her first one was "Dada, clean up!" ha! And her second one was "Mama, get up!" Wow, that shows you how lazy and pitiful I have been lately!

What the Beck???

If you happen to see me soon and think to yourself, "dang, that chic is gettin' fat!" don't worry, I'm just pregnant!!! :)

We are super excited about the news and so far things are looking good. I had my first appointment and sonogram today and we saw the little heartbeat just pounding away! Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated as we continue this journey.

Umm...is 7 weeks too early to be wearing maturnity clothes, because I really want to-they're so comfy!

Mini Carnival

Today we ran across a mini carnival in the parking lot of Chili's. We had to stop by for some good ole fun! Annalee wasn't a fan of the bounce house...she decided to just sit and watch Caleb run around and have a good time.





However, the baby pool filled with water and ping pong balls was a huge hit! In case you were wondering, no it was NOT intended for swimming, but somehow the kids ended up completely submerged. The teenagers running the booth were taking pictures too, so it wasn't a big deal. Micah was proud of me for just going with the flow and letting Annalee have a good time (I knew we were going straight home and straight into the bathtub!). Afterall, that was probably the last swim of the year. I wish I would have taken a picture of her diaper after that!

Party Bus!

Karson and I took the girls on a little shopping trip the other day...this was their mode of transportation!! They were absolutely loving life! It doesn't get much better-snacks galore, drinks for everyone, toys, and staring your BFF in the face for 2 hours! Fun times.

For Sale!

Hey friends,

If you know anyone in the market for a used treadmill...send 'em my way. I am trying to de-clutter my house, and unfortunately, my treadmill is viewed as clutter! It's next stop is Craig's List if I don't have any takers. It works great (although I have had some complaints from the male gender saying that it shakes when you run on it.) It also folds up for storage. There's nothing fancy to it, but it gets the job done. I was thinking $75 would be a heck of a deal (or best offer!). I'll even throw in the mat that I have underneath for extra cushioning. Leave me a comment if you are interested and we'll talk!

Little Cowboy Fan

Annalee and Micah are excited about football season. Micah bought her a Marion Barber jersey to wear during the games! Let's hope the Cowboys do well this year!

(Scroll down to see her first day of school)

First Day of School

Today Annalee and I had our first day of school. She did awesome!! I was really worried about how she would do (because she cried for a couple hours straight last week at Ladies Bible class). Her teacher said that she had a great day and even went to sleep on her nap mat, or nat nat as she calls it! She also loves her "pack pack" but it almost made her topple over because it was too heavy. My class is great also. I only have 12 kids right now, and 2 weren't there today, but somehow 10 four year olds made me very tired by the end of the day!

Sad Day

Today we were shocked to find that Sadie had died in the backyard. We have no idea how it happened, but we are sad. Micah went out to feed her and mow the grass and discovered her. She would have been 8 years old this year in November.

When we were in college, Micah wanted a bulldog for Christmas. I couldn't afford one, so I picked the next best thing...an adorable weimaraner! I met a really sweet lady at the Embassy Suites to pick her up. My mom went with me and we had such a great time loving on her sweet little face and belly. She was a perfect angel on the hour long car ride, until we stopped for fast food and then she turned into a crazed beast trying to get to our food. From that day forth, her appetite ruled her day! Somehow she managed to eat an entire quiche, a chicken fried steak, a bowl of grease, a week's worth of protein bars, a basket full of rolls, and many many other things that were left unattended in her presence. She loved to cuddle, so it was a sad day for her when Micah and I got married and she was officially kicked out of the bed! She was full of energy, a excellent guard dog, and an all-around great dog. Orange was her signature color. For some reason I always bought her an orange collar, I thought it looked good with her gray fur. Here are some pics of our Sade.



this is my favorite one of her and Micah...sitting in his front yard in college


this was right after I picked her up at the hotel


Merry Christmas Micah (sorry it's sideways!)


her first birthday...yes, we had a party


and yes, there were doggy guests!

Back in the Saddle

Goodness gracious it's been a crazy month!! The main things that have kept me running like crazy were Micah's oral surgery (to have his wisdom teeth out), Micah's 2nd surgery to have his infection cleaned up, Rachel's wedding, workdays for pre-k, open house for pre-k, major computer problems, Annalee's sleep troubles, working and shopping the greatest consignment event for babies and kids and just trying to maintain a decent household!! I have pictures for most of these occasions, but they will have to wait until I have more time! I will leave you with a cute pic of Annalee and her cousin at Rachel's wedding. She was the flower girl and he was one of the ring bearers.

First Piggies!

I never thought Annalee's hair would be long enough for pig tails, but now it is! The only problem now is getting her to sit still long enough to fix it!

I don't know why I can't get this picture to be turned right, sorry!

We managed to make it back to Colorado this summer! This time around we brought Annalee, Mama Jo, and Papa. We had such a great time in the mountains. The weather was amazing...I don't think the temperature ever got above 75 degrees! We went on 2 multi-mile hikes in the Rocky Mountains, went to a James Taylor concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater, saw lots of wildlife, ate yummy food, shopped a little, and just enjoyed the outdoors and each other. A big thanks to Mama Jo and Papa for all their help with Annalee!