Instead of napping

Little Miss decided to only take a 1 hour nap today...and Rody is still sleeping...so this is what we did

We enjoyed the 70 degree November afternoon

Flashback Friday

Rody at 9 months!

I almost cried looking at some of these pictures...but here is Rody at the age that Anna Kate is now...such a sweet age! He spent his first christmas at Aunt Molly and Uncle Jason's house...looks like the start of a tradition? Anna Kate's first Christmas is this year...watch out M & J..we are coming your way!

The cousins...so much has changed. Everyone is 2 years older AND 2 new cousins are in the mix (Anna Kate and Kason) (and one other new cousin on Randy's side...sweet Lily...Stephanie and Ford's baby girl only 17 days apart from AK)

And my hair was SHORT!

Love his goofy smile!

Oh my heart!

Christmas Cards

Don't you just love getting Christmas cards in the mail? It is one of the things I look forward to the most. I remember when I was growing up I would take all the christmas cards that my family got and put them up on our walls in the kitchen. I loved looking at the pictures and seeing how people have changed and how children have grown up. Now as I have my own family and my own children, I look forward to sending one out just as much as I do getting some.

There are so many different places to choose from when making your Christmas card. I have used shutterfly before and will be using it again this year thanks to an offer for free Christmas cards to bloggers (that would be me!)

Just look at all of there adorable choices (over 700)! Here are some of my favorites...

I love the list of highlights on the right side of this card...I'm thinking of the highlights we've experienced this year!




A classic example

So sweet

I seriously don't know which one to pick! I guess I will play with the different designs and pictures that I will include (thanks to my friend Veryll). We have so many adorable pictures and I won't post them on here so it will be a surprise when you get your card!

Check out more of their choices here!

And, do you have any coffee drinkers in your family? shutterfly also has some great personalized gifts...what a sweet touch. Check them out here

And if you are a blogger and want to get in on this too, you can check my facebook page!

is it too early to say MERRY CHRISTMAS???

TOOFERS

All FIVE of them (all cut within 2 weeks of one another...4 of them in 2 days!)

LOVE it

update

The days are getting shorter on daylight, but it seems like more and more is on my plate right now. Life is full and I wouldn't have it any other way!

The children are doing well as are Randy and I...enjoying the cooler weather!

Rody and I raked and played in the leaves the other day...

It was fun...he is almost camoflauged in the leaves...see him?

And we bought the kids some hats (consignment) and it was so funny...AK just kept looking at Rody as if to say "what is on your head"? and I coudn't get a good picture of the two of them...

And here is AK after her afternoon nap...cookie time!

Yeah!

Would you like one?

mmm...tastes good!

Happy!

sneak peak

Okay, my lovely friend, Veryll, took some pictures for our family last weekend. I think she is so talented with photography and editing...and here are a few sneak peak pictures...I just LOVE a good picture...a picture is such a great way to freeze time...make a memory...that you can look back upon, remember...there are so many things I just want to "freeze" at times...take a mental picture and I can conjure up some of those, but for all the other memories that I will one day need a picture to help me recall, I'll have these...

This is how she rolls

Wow...so many changes since my Anna Kate: 9 month post...She has cut through 4 more teeth...Yes...4 more teeth in 2 days! Crazy....they are popping out all over the place and she is taking it all in stride...

And she is doing an army crawl thing...she can't quite figure out how to do belly off the ground and move all at the same time...

Step 1: focus on an object I want

step 2: butt up, head down, arm down

step 3: scoot forward

step 4: getting closer to what I want...dig in with knees

step 5: REACH

Step 6: victory!

oh, and this was funny...so she had a ball in each hand; she loves these little balls..and I offer her a cookie. She doesn't know what do do...she doesn't want to let the balls go..so, she leans forward

And makes due

ha ha ha..so funny

Anna Kate: 9 months old

Anna Kate: You officially turned 9 months old yesterday!

Your well visit is in a couple weeks, so I'll have your stats later.

Still not crawling, but getting closer

Still only 1 tooth, but some really swollen gums so I know more are coming

Still a great sleeper...We've put you and Rody in one room and everything is going great!

You love cookies and have started squealing more...

Still just babbling "mama, dddaada, nnnaannnaa"....not much else

You clap your hands, wave bye bye and sign "more"...

You are a big time mama's girl right now...you don't like me out of your sight...its really sweet..

Happy 9 months!

Halloween 2010

Halloween 2010 will always be remembered. It will be remembered for many reasons, but one is especially funny. So, there was all this confusion on which night halloween would be celebrated since it fell on a Sunday. Some places were doing Saturday, some Sunday. Back in September, I saw in the paper that the annual Cleveland Block Party was going to fall on Saturday, October 30th. I even showed this to Randy and his parents since they always come up for Halloween...they love it.

So, we all get dressed up on Saturday...relectantly on my part...and leave for the block party...see us here all dressed up?

For lack of inspiration, I was again a nun this year...just not a pregnant one this time :)

Well, we drove towards town and noticed how empty it looked...we kept driving..and driving....and then realized that we were the only crazy people dressed in costumes looking for a party that was not happening that night. sigh.

So we laughed and went back home to catch the end of the Georgia/Florida game...which we just shouldn't have watched anyway...and called it a night.

I was again reluctant to venture out on Sunday night, but did it for the kids
See...aren't they cute? There is one hotspot in town...in the historic district...that hundreds of people go to in order to trick-or-treat. So, we loaded up the wagon and joined the masses

Anna Kate...sweet bumble bee stayed close to me in the wagon..enjoying watching people...as long as they didn't get too close

While Rody stood in lines (yes, lines for trick-or-treating) to get some, in my opinion, not so good candy....but candy he likes..the dumdum lollipops!

These houses really go all out with fun decorations. I enjoyed looking at them

Our train conductor liked them as well

Having fun yet?

It was fun, but Randy and both agreed that we will do things differently next year. It seems like young girls and some older ones think Halloween is an excuse to dress like a hooker...seriously...and I've never been around so many people that smoke in all my life....it was crazy...

But, all in all it was a delightful evening. Everyone had a fun time and we made memories for us and our kids. I like looking back at pictures of my childhood, dressed up in Halloween costumes. My parents made it fun for us and we hope to continue that tradition!