Three Girls and a Daddy

CoverGirl

2011-05-18T13:24:00.001-07:00

I've been doing a new campaign on BzzAgent for CoverGirl - check out their Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/covergirl

Starbucks

2011-01-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

Hats and scarves, courtesy of Auntie M and Claire...my God, aren't they adorable?!?!?

Christmas

2011-01-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

Megan's beautiful Christmas dress, made by Ma

Anna's beautiful Christmas dress

Anna baking a cake with Nunny

Nunny and Gramps had the house all decked out for the girls

Sweet Ma :)

Mimi's little present

The whole Wheeler/Carnell/Wright clan, in one picture - quite an undertaking!

Anna got skates and a robot from Santa

and Megan got a bike and a doggy (not a real one!) from him. She was sorely disappointed she also didn't get skates like big sister, but after trying them on and falling about 15 times, she understood that Santa is a wise, wise man :)

Sunset

2011-01-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

Megan's silhouette

Anna's silhouette

My sweet girls hugging

Whomever says that West Texas isn't beautiful needs only to look at its beautiful sunsets...

Junction

2011-01-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

Mimi and Pops invited us to spend part of a week and weekend with them in Junction while they are finishing reconstruction on their patio, and we sure did enjoy the escape! The girls loved "helping" with the construction of the patio, and we all had some nice rest and relaxation.

Smores were had by all, thanks to the new outdoor fireplace

Hard at work

Thanksgiving

2011-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

What a lovely time we had at Thanksgiving - it was our first time to host, and it went very calmly, for how crazy it could have turned out!

Southwestern Homecoming

2011-01-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

We went to SU's homecoming for my 5 year reunion in November and had a blast - saw a lot of people that we hadn't seen in many years, and caught up with all of our good friends. We also got to participate in the chapel's 60 year anniversary, and SU invited all of the couples who have gotten married in the chapel to renew their vows on Saturday morning. We got to go with the girls and Will and Audrey - it was very sweet and touching to be there, 5 1/2 years later, saying the same words to each other, now with our two sweet daughters. Life is beautiful.

Keegan is in LOVE with Megan - I wish that I could say the feelings are mutual, but I think it's just friendship on Megan's end :)

5 years later, in the same courtyard

I loved this - Will & Audrey have this same picture from their wedding and we recreated it

Halloween

2011-01-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

Sometime this summer, Megan began telling us a different version of a story that she had been telling for many months, and it ended with a word we didn't recognize. The word sounded like "sorry," but after her telling us that no, it wasn't sorry, we finally deciphered it that it was "strawberry," and it was her name for herself. Since then, she only refers to herself as Strawberry, once of the most precious parts of her beautiful self. Mimi found the perfect Halloween costume for our Strawberry - the Strawberry Fairy - and Anna pronounced that she was going to be the Little Mermaid, and that is how we ended up with these little sprites in tow on October 31st...

The girls' friend Katherine the Kat :)

A long time coming...

2011-01-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've been a bit out of the loop on posting, so I'm just going to do a bunch of posts at once and hope that I catch us up for the end of the year!

Here are some random pictures from the fall of the girls:

Mud Bowl, 2010 - Megan really enjoyed getting dirty!

Look at the seriousness in her face, painting this pumpkin :)

There was no seriousness for this little girl - there was paint everywhere!

Anna with her friends Aaron, Emma and Caroline at the fire station

Parker came to visit us for a playdate, and boy did the girls have fun!

First day of school

2010-09-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness - the first day of school! The girls were so excited to get to their classrooms and get started - but they had to pose for mom first :)

Ouray

2010-09-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad took us on a fabulous trip to Ouray, CO last week for their - THEIR - anniversary. How many people in the world would take their kids and grandkids on a trip for their anniversary?!? Only because they are amazing did they, and we had a wonderful time. Here are some of the best pics - a lot more are posted on my business site, http://www.laurawrightphotography.com.

Megan Elise is 2!

2010-08-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

Today is Megan's 2nd birthday, and I have to say that I'm a lot more sentimental about it than I could have imagined. My baby is two! And what a sweet, sweet girl she is. We knew early on that Megan was a laid-back, loving little girl - she loved to cuddle even as a little bitty baby - and that love of cuddling continues on while she gets busier and busier as a toddler. She also has an amazing aptitude for music. She can repeat any sound you make perfectly after hearing it only once, and she refers to almost everything by the sound it makes (for instance, a phone is a "hello", a cat is a "meow", a dog is a "woof woof", a car is a "woo woo" (she can't quite say vroom vroom, but that's what she's trying to do)). She is an adoring little sister of Anna - she just recently started being able to call her "Anna" but still occasionally calls her "Basha", which we just figured out was Megan-talk for "Bossy" - she only calls Anna that when Anna's being bossy to her! Ha!

Megan's b-day party last weekend at our neighborhood clubhouse was lots of fun with friends and family celebrating our little sweetie...

A new business

2010-07-05T13:38:00.001-07:00

Sorry for not posting lately, but I have been busy putting together my new business - Laura Wright Photography! It's something I've wanted to do for a long time and just now have the means to do it (and the time!), so everything is finally underway. Check me out:

www.laurawrightphotography.com

I will continue to post pictures of the girls on this blog, but probably will also post there, too, so check out both sites for updates.

Hooray for Auntie M, MSW

2010-06-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

So, a bit overdue, but a few weeks ago Jimmy and I went to see Auntie M graduate with her Masters in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. It was a wonderful weekend and we are so proud of her! Here are a few pictures (and please, no judgments on how ridiculously blurry the actual graduation pictures are - trying to photograph from a balcony with an inconsiderate woman standing right in front of you is not easy!!! Not that I'm still holding a grudge or anything...)

The proud family, the graduate, + Claire, Melissa's fabulous girlfriend

Watering the garden

2010-05-14T08:14:00.001-07:00

Don't tell these girls that our garden is automatically watered by our sprinkler system...they can do it by themselves!

I'm not sure what Meggy was upset about, but I love this picture...full of drama

Anna's b-day party

2010-05-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, I can't believe that in just a few short days, my baby is going to be 3. It just doesn't seem possible. The little sweetie that used to stare at me for long hours into the night at 8 weeks, daring me to look at her so she could smile and stay awake a little longer now speaks in full sentences, can dress completely by herself (buttons, shoes, hair and all), spell anything written out for her, and memorize long stories, songs, and directions to places around town. She is precious beyond words, an amazing big sister and daughter, and we are so blessed to have her in our lives every day!

We had her 3rd birthday party with her friends this weekend and what an extravaganza it was! It was held at the Children's Museum, complete with a magic show, cotton candy and slime.

No news show is complete without a woman on the phone (upside down of course) and a man eating a hot dog on air

Mommy was quite pleased that the princess wand and hat were such a hit!

Austin for Spring Break

2010-05-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous Spring Break with the O'Neills in Austin - the kids had a blast spending time together, and I, as always, loved getting to spend the week with Audrey and Will and my beautiful godkids.

Easter

2010-05-05T13:28:00.001-07:00

Easter was so much fun this year - both girls loved all the festivities, and we loved really getting to celebrate with them. They wore their beautiful dresses that Ma made them last year for pictures to church, and on the Saturday before, we went to the country club with Mimi and Pops for a very fun brunch where the Easter bunny made an appearance, along with a magician, a face-painter, and lots of candy :)

Daddy Jungle Gym

2010-05-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

We now have a tradition in our house - it's called "Daddy Jungle Gym Time", and it comes after dinner nearly every Monday and Wednesday night before Daddy has to go to his MBA classes. It's a welcome 30-45 minute respite for Mom, and it's a great time for the girls and Daddy, who spend their time listening to loud country music, "stomping guts," climbing all over Daddy and generally just roughhousing. The other day I got some great pictures of their escapades.

Fun in Rankin

2010-05-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

We've recently made several trips to Rankin, and had lots of fun visiting with Ma, who always provides plenty of popsicles and plays outdoors with the girls to their hearts' content. Nothing is better for a three year old and near-two year old!

Superheroes

2010-05-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

Anna decided a couple weeks ago to become Superman (I think she hears a lot about him from the boys in her class), and of course Megan wanted to join in. Here are their adventures:

Finally!

2010-05-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a little behind on posting (!), so bear with me - this is not going to be chronological, but at least I'm going to get caught up!

Jimmy and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas a few weeks ago and had an amazing time, thanks to Nunny, Ma, Mimi and Pops who kept the girls for us. We slept, ate, and relaxed like we haven't in years, and so enjoyed ourselves. What a great trip - we're now desperately trying to come up with a way to go again!

The view off our patio in Miami

Atlantis in Nassau

New camera!

2010-01-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, my parents gave me the best gift - a Nikon D60 SLR, which I have been using so much lately that Anna told me the other day to "take it off my face." (!) But how can I resist when I have such a fun toy to play with and the most beautiful subjects in the world all day long to photograph? Here are some recent photos of our exploits:

I'm in love with the way this camera photographs hair - and of course, the girl who owns the hair I'm photographing :)

If you'll check out Anna's (Jimmy's) right boot, it's decorated to the hilt with glitter stickers

Bathtub time for Meggy, who seems to be taking smiling lessons from her big sister

I asked them to splash, and I definitely got what I asked for

Megan's hair refuses to stay down - she has a constant cowlick these days. I find it utterly precious and take as many pictures of it as possible - and who can resist those eyelashes?

The best photograph of the bunch

Tonight Anna gave me the best gift ever - she was grocery shopping in the playroom, and talking to herself. I asked her what she was doing with her big basket of alphabet cards in the grocery store, and she told me that they are her coupons! Mommy couldn't be more proud!

We have been going through my old kid jewelry lately, and Anna has been pronouncing everyone "late" or that it is "closing time"

Megan learned how to play ring around the rosy in Musikgarten a couple weeks ago, so we had to teach Anna. Now we do it at least 300 times a day!

As far as photographic quality, this is my favorite - I'm just amazed by the detail (and isn't she beautiful?!?)

Christmastime

2009-12-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

I just love Christmas. Jimmy knows when I'm getting into the Christmas spirit because I start listening to Christmas music around Halloween or earlier! It's especially enjoyable this year with the girls being old enough to really be excited about all of the presents and Christmas tree, but also the meaning behind Christmas, as well.

We went to visit Santa on Saturday and Megan warmed up to him immediately (she's such a ham!) Anna couldn't be convinced to come close enough for a pic, though.

We had snow in Midland earlier this week, so I followed my mom's cue and made snow ice cream! The girls loved it, though I realized after they ate almost all of it that I forgot the vanilla - oh well, next time!

Meggy having fun in the snow

Our Santa babies

Anna had quite a fabulous time making snow angels

Anna really likes to layer clothes right now - so I thought I would show you one of her ensembles. Nice blouse, black pants, and pink jean short overalls. She just looks so dang cute, though, that you can't help but help her put it on!

Megan couldn't stay awake long enough to help us put up our tree last weekend, so she was quite excited to see all the decorations when she woke up the next morning.

Anna helping Daddy put on the star

Anna and Megan have their very own tiny Christmas tree all to themselves this year!

Halloween for a whole week!

2009-10-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

We have been lucky to get to celebrate Halloween for a whole week this year, starting with this weekend's birthday party for Parker (the girls got to dress up), the neighborhood Halloween festival Saturday evening, and the church Fall Festival on Sunday evening. This Thursday we've got Anna's school Pumpkin Party, and then it's trick-or-treating on Saturday evening. WOW! Luckily, we have really fun costumes this year that Anna at least loves being in - Megan's just not a costume girl. Thought you all might like to see some early pictures of Sulley and Mike Wazowski...

Megan is a serious horse lover - something we didn't know until we got to the Fall Festival at church on Sunday and she about had a baby heart attack if we took her away from the ponies. We rode them at least 15 times...too cute!

She is also a serious artist - and not being biased at all, I'm pretty amazed at how advanced she is in her scribbling ability!

Mike Wazowski

Sulley riding a swing. Anna loves her costume, so we have had a hard time convincing her that everyone doesn't wear their costumes all the time. To her, being Sulley is just part of waking up in the morning!

And here they are, that indomitable duo, in the only picture I have been able to snap of the two of them fully garbed!

I also wanted to share a couple new(ish) videos with you - one of Megan walking, which she has been doing for about 6 weeks now and I've just been lazy in putting it up. It's been so fun to see how excited both Anna and Megan are that she can walk - it makes playing so much more fun! The second video is of Anna "reading" The Napping House, one of her favorite books. She really likes to read to me now, which I think is endlessly entertaining. I know that all of her words aren't easily caught by people who aren't around her all the time, so some main phrases she says from the books are "In the Napping House, where everyone (or at the end, no one) is sleeping." She also talks about the characters - the Granny, the child, the dog, the cat, the mouse, etc.

Megan's 12 month pics

2009-09-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, our wonderful photographer Rachel Parkhurst came to Midland to take pictures for Megan's 12 month pics. It's hard to believe that a journey that began back in July of 2007 (when we did our first pics with Rachel - Anna was two months old) is finally over - we have taken family pictures every three months for over two years!!! We are so thrilled with all of our pictures and so thankful to have these beautiful snapshots of the girls growing and changing - they are precious!

As always, Rachel did a great job - as you can see for yourself. Go to parkhurststudios.com, click on Enter Site, then go to the Clients tab. Our password is megan, and then click on the Family 2009 album to see the latest photos.

I don't have our CD of photos yet, so I can't post my favorites onto the blog, but I will soon. As I'm sure you will agree, the photos of the girls in the tub are beyond adorable. I also love them in the dresses that Ma made them, and playing in their playroom on their airplanes. Hope you enjoy!

Megan turns ONE!

2009-08-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

I truly cannot believe that our sweet little baby has already turned one! Megan is a joy every single day, and that is so apparent when you are around her. She is very kind and sweet, with a loving heart and winning smile. What an amazing blessing she is and an incredible joy in our lives!

Here are some pictures of her actual birthday, which we spent with Mimi, Pops and Auntie M at the swimming pool, and of her birthday party a few weekends ago (in addition to some random pics from the last month - you'll have to bear with me, since I couldn't get these to go in any kind of order):

Pudding painting

Caught in the fridge

Megan and Avy down in Junction

Enjoying the cool river

Isn't this adorable?

It's Auntie M!

Sidewalk paint time

The fruits of our garden - the biggest zucchini ever and a few green beans

Anna with one of our tomatoes from the garden

Megan loved her cupcake

She loved all her gifts, but this Cookie Monster is the enduring favorite

All of Megan's buddies, ready for gifts to be opened!

My daughter KNOWS how to eat a cupcake

Scratch that...BOTH my daughters know how to eat a cupcake!

The birthday girl with her daddy

Long overdue update

2009-06-28T13:21:00.001-07:00

We have been having a wonderful summer around the Wright household, but of course that means we've been extra busy! Here are a few pictures from the last month or so:

Megan with her Aunt Connie, who came to visit us this weekend.
Anna, Zach, Megan and Nate - if you are thinking "Megan is standing very precariously on that couch!", don't worry - Amy was squatting behind the couch and ready to grab her at a moment's notice :)

The Lipps, the Lipp boys and the Wright girls in Ruidoso last weekend

We went with Steven and Lindi to Ruidoso a couple weekends ago and enjoyed the horse races from our prime seats in the jockey club

Megan's little head peering over the table in Junction - she's a little too small to be eating here, but it sure makes for some cute pictures!

Anna in Pops's hat by the river in Junction

Shannon, Sarah and I with the kids at a Memorial Day barbecue at our house

Gerry, Todd and Jimmy with the kids - I particularly love that all of the guys came matching to the BBQ

A new business is born...

2009-05-17T21:07:00.001-07:00

So, it may surprise some of you (oh, who am I kidding - it's going to surprise everyone!) that we have a new business in the family - and Jimmy is not running it!!! I've opened an Etsy shop for my photo blocks - you can visit my shop by clicking on the gadget on the right. If you are already a member of Etsy, I would love it if you would make me your "favorite" and I'll make you mine! Take a look and tell me what you think :)

Happy 2nd, Anna!

2009-05-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

We had Anna's 2nd birthday party this weekend and had a total blast. There were a ton of friends and family here at the house, and the birthday girl enjoyed eating a BUNCH of cheese (like mother, like daughter), splashing in the pools with the friends, opening presents and eating "cake!"

In the pool with Keegan

After everyone left, Anna decided to head back out to the slip 'n slide. Unfortunately, her non-swimmer diaper held her back :)

Anna and Keegan. I think Anna likes her trike!!!

Showing off her new trike to the boys in the neighborhood. Check out that fancy tutu she has on - thanks, Auntie M! I have a feeling Alex and Mitch have never seen anything quite like this before... :)

Mimi and the girls

MMMMM....cupcakes!

Mommy and Daddy with the birthday girl

And here are some photos from the last week or so:

Megan showing off her new skill - standing up! She is a pro at pulling up on everything

What is it with the Wright girls and sunglasses?

I can't believe I have two little girls who are big enough to stand next to each other!

Anna spent most of one afternoon last week running around yelling "dog hat!" while wearing her dog costume.

Fingerpainting in the bathtub

Megan's 9 month photos / Boston

2009-05-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

We got Megan's 9 month photos done a couple weekends ago in Austin, and as always they are darling. Check out this website:

http://parkhurststudios.com/

The password is "megan". I don't yet have the CD of the photos, so I can't post any on the website, but I will try to do that soon.

This last weekend, Jimmy and I took a belated "babymoon" to Boston to visit our friends Will and Mary Beth. A special thanks goes to them for hosting us, and to Donna Audrey, Avelyn, Mimi and Pop for keeping the girls while we were gone. We had such a blast! Here's some photos from the trip:

Jimmy and I always end up doing the "prom pose" for pictures - so we decided to shake things up a bit for this pic in front of Walden Pond
Will (good photo, huh?!?)
Eating canolli and a black and white cookie (yes, Seinfeld fans, that's right - I got it) in front of Mike's Pastry (famous for their Italian treats)
The four of us inside Old North Church (scene of "The British are coming!") This is a terrible photo, but it's the only one I got of all four of us. I guess I don't take pics anymore unless they're of my daughters!

The cherry trees were blossoming in Boston, which was a highlight for me

We went for seafood at a great place called the Barking Crab on Saturday night, and this is what our table neighbors ordered - a 10 pound lobster. We were just shocked by how huge it was.

Megan crawling

2009-04-28T15:08:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the length on this video - and for the high pitch of my voice throughout! - but here's a video of Megan crawling. She's so funny, never in any rush. She likes to take frequent breaks, just like her mom :)

Easter and other excitement

2009-04-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend with Jimmy's parents, Nunny and Gramps (or "Pimp" as Anna has started calling him!). Here are some pictures from Easter and other events in the last couple weeks...

Egg hunting, Megan style
Anna likes to say "Hmmm..." and scratch her chin when she's thinking - she did a lot of this during her easter egg hunt

On the move

All dressed up for Easter morning church

The easter bunny cakes I made for the girls

The four of us at our neighbor's house, after the first easter egg hunt of the weekend - check out Anna's covert donut eating mission, as captured by this photo!

Anna and the boys - our neighborhood has about 25 boys in it and Anna. They call her "the girl" She has so much fun with them, and they're so sweet to her!

The ladies

Getting ready for the hunt

Megan is pulling up (to her knees) and crawling. Can you believe it?!?! I will post a video of this soon.

This is my favorite photo I've taken in a long time :) It just makes me smile to look at it.

Megan's smile could break even the hardest heart - my goodness, she's beautiful! (not that I'm biased or anything)

Swagbucks

2009-03-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't like to do this, but I just can't help myself any longer - I've found a great new resource on the web, and I want to share it with all of you. It's called Swagbucks - it's a search engine that "pays" you in credits to use them. Basically, when you use it, you can earn credits that you can then put towards getting their prizes - which range from gift cards to iPhones. Anyway, I've been using it for about 6 weeks now, and I've already gotten a $5 gift certificate from Amazon and am almost ready to get another one.

If you want to sign up for it, please use this link:

http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=310345

It allows you to become my "friend" and I get credit for bringing you to the website. So, yes, I'm not doing this completely selflessly - but I really would highly recommend the site. It uses Google and Ask as its search engines, so you get good results plus ways to earn free stuff!

Okay, end of spiel - I promise it will be a LONG time before I use this blog again for anything other than pictures of the girls. Which, speaking of - here are a few new ones:

Pops and Anna in the tent in Junction
Our precious Megan

Dress up time!

Megan's 6 month photos

2009-03-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

I know, I know - it's already been a month past her 6 month mini-birthday, and I still haven't posted the password to Megan's photos! Sorry about that...if you'll go to http://www.rachelparkhurst.com/, look under the Clients tab and type in the password "megan6" to see them. They're wonderful, as always! Here are a few of our faves:

Moved in

2009-02-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

We're all moved in! All in all, it was a very good moving experience and we're SOOOOOO happy to be in our new home. Everyday I say to Jimmy, "Have I told you how much I love this house lately?" Everything about it so fantastic. Here are some photos of the house, and what we've been doing in it, the last couple weeks.

Our new bathroom - you can see the jacuzzi tub and walk-in shower in the mirror
Our new kitchen - my gosh, I love it! I don't miss our tiny pantry, miniscule oven, or ugly countertops for a second!

These pics were obviously taken before we moved in, but this is our living room

Our new home

Making Daddy cookies with Mommy's new stand mixer, in Mommy's new kitchen - wow, isn't Mommy lucky?!?!

Megaroo in her crib

I'm not sure what character Anna is in this photo - she loves playing dress up!

In our backyard. We've never had a proper porch or backyard for the girls, so it's been a ton of fun to see them enjoy being outside.

Nunny and the girls in their new playroom - thanks, Nunny, for making the playroom look so nice!

Introducing...Megan, sitting up!

2009-01-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

Since Anna got her own blog post last time, I figured it was about time to give Megan her own. And there's plenty of excitement to report in Megan's world right now. The new latest developments are that she is sitting up without assistance, as of a few weeks ago, and she is eating solids for the first time. She has had cereal, peas and squash so far and has liked all of them. In fact, she gets so into her eating experience that she grunts as soon as she swallows the bite she has in her mouth and will not stop until another one comes in. She's obviously a bit of a foodie like her Mommy :)

Like her sister, Megan is fond of mushed peas
This was taken a few weeks ago, when she first could support herself...she's much more upright and steady nowadays. Will have a better picture up soon.
Playing in the new playhouse (she especially likes it when Anna peeks in the windows at her!)

A video of Megan's first bite of solids - rice cereal

In other news, Anna and Megan are really, for the first time, able to play with one another. Up until now, Megan was just a little too little for any play with a toddler. Now, though, she's durable enough to endure Anna's enthusiastic loving. Nothing makes my heart clench up with love more than watching them play together. Here are some pics:

This headlock Anna has Megan in looks painful, but Megan just thought it was hilarious

Megan and Anna "talk" a lot - who knows what they might be saying?!?

And finally, just some random pics from the last few weeks...

Me and my beautiful girls - isn't this a great photo Jimmy took?Animal cracker coma

No drama here... :)

A beautiful West Texas sunset out our window

Last but certainly not least, we are MOVING! We have sold our home and have a contract on a new home. We will move on Feb. 13th and will post lots of pictures once we get in. We are so excited to be in our new house - it's fabulous!

Myself

2009-01-07T08:19:00.001-08:00

I am so proud of Anna! As my mom puts it, she is going through the "myself" phase - she wants to do everything herself. Although sometimes this can get frustrating for me, most of the time it is just wonderful to have her complete tasks that, up until now, I was responsible for. Check out the video below of her using her spoon and feeding herself yogurt...I love that she is such a neatnik and cleans her hands and tray at every opportunity!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

First off, we have just gotten new family pictures taken by Rachel Parkhurst (the best photographer EVER!). These include Megan's 3 month pics, pictures of the girls in their baptism dresses, and pictures of our family and the O'Neills. Check them out at http://www.rachelparkhurst.com/. Go to the Clients tab and use the passwords "midland" and "midland2" to view.

As I hope all of you did, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. For the last four years, we have spent Thanksgiving with our fabulous best friends, Will and Audrey and their kids Keegan and Avelyn. This was the first year to have four kids - last year there were only two and two on the way! - so as you can imagine, it was quite hectic and crazy. However, it was a ton of fun, as always. We went to Fort Davis for the long weekend and stayed in a great little house all together. We're so thankful, this year and always, for our friends and family who bless our lives with love and beauty.

Here are pictures from the last few weeks - Thanksgiving, baptism, and everyday pics.

Megan is getting to be such a pro at lifting her head and turning over, from front to back and back to front. It's amazing how much more quickly she does these things than Anna did - I'm sure it's from watching Anna be so active around her all day.

I can't help it - I have two beautiful girls, and I have to dress them in matching outfits. It's just too irresistible...
They are so sweet together - such good sisters.
I like Anna's posture in this pic - totally relaxed

Check out the Dorothy shoes - Anna insisted upon them!

Anna with her Mimi - she just started saying "Mimi" today at lunch!

Aren't those bonnets adorable?!?!

Cowgirl Anna

Reading with Megan and Keegan

Anna, Jimmy and Keegan having fun outside of our house in Fort Davis

Anna really enjoys sitting in people's laps right now - poor Keegan had to endure this during his Saturday morning cartoons!

Megan has the best laugh - she really gets going about halfway through this video.

A giant, overdue post

2008-11-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I have to admit that life with two little girls is a bit busier than I could have ever expected - thus, I haven't posted in awhile. Here are all the pictures from the last month...we made a trip with my parents to Ruidoso, the girls and I visited Austin for a week, and Jimmy, Megan and I went to Tampa for my birthday. Random pics from the month are scattered amongst the event pics!

Beautiful Avelyn on her baptism day

Anna and Jimmy at Avelyn's baptism

The whole family during Avelyn's baptism

Pops and Anna reading in Ruidoso

Anna at the Pumpkin Patch

My preppy girls
Isn't Avelyn adorable in her little bear outfit?
I was so proud of Anna! She was so brave and went to the very top of the Chick-fil-A playground by herself in Austin. She was so excited when she got to the top - she must have waved at Audrey and I for 30 minutes - so adorable!
Argh! Anna was a pirate princess for Halloween. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of Megan in her chili pepper outfit - it lasted all of 5 seconds before she started screaming. It was cute for those 5 seconds, though!
That's Keegan under that robot costume - isn't it great?!?
Avelyn in her penguin costume
Megan has a great smile which she shares all day - I love her so much :)
Anna enjoys using her finger when we're scolding her - we're not sure where this comes from, since we're pretty sure we don't shake our fingers at her, but she thinks it's really funny. It actually is, most of the time...!
Bathtime in the kitchen sink
Megan on her first plane ride
Tampa was so beautiful - white sands, blue sea, gorgeous weather
Jimmy and Megan at lunch on Saturday
She wore a little bitty, teeny weeny purple polka dot bikini...
Ah, happiness - my baby, a strawberry daiquiri, and the ocean
I love this picture
Maci and Anna during a playdate - they're so sweet to each other!
If you can't see her shirt, it says "Potty Like A Rock Star" - thanks, Percy and Linda, for the gift :)

Girls, girls, girls

2008-10-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

I love Megan's face in this - as if to say "Mom, I don't think you should trust Anna to hold me just yet. What are you thinking?"
You can't really read her shirt, but it's straight from Wagamama's in London, my fave restaurant - thanks, Mimi and Pops!
I love that smile!
Anna's so fancy - she's got a polo dress, a pearl necklace, and a cute barette - all thanks for Aunt Amy and Uncle Scott!

This video is to showcase two of Anna's most recent accomplishments - walking backwards (which is about the cutest thing I've ever seen) and singing. She's also dancing (which consists of her bending down and shaking her booty), saying "Mmmmm-oooooo" when asked what a cow says, and has finally learned to say "no" after many months of only saying "yeah!" Needless to say, Jimmy and I are rather sad that no is part of the vocabulary now - everything was so easy when she agreed with us all the time!!!!

Visits from friends and family, along with fun daily pictures

2008-09-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

My girls in purple

First family pic since the hospital
Megan just loves watching Anna run around
What a cutie!
Getting ready for sprinkler time!
I was so excited to catch her smiling on camera!

Paw-Paw holding Megan
Ma holding Megan
Mike and Julie came to visit us over the weekend - we had such a great time!
The following video is of Anna "talking." She babbles constantly and often sounds like she's really saying something. I don't think it's going to be long before she surprises us with all sorts of words...she already says 9 (mama, baba, egan (for Megan), block, book, ball, yeah, no, anks (for thanks)). I'm amazed at her verbal abilities - can't imagine what it'll be like in a few months.

New pics, plus house reno post

2008-08-31T12:54:00.001-07:00

I'm posting twice this Labor Day weekend - once to put up new pictures of the girls, who are both doing great, and once to put up a slideshow of our house renovation work. We have been living here for a year and a half, and have done an enormous amount to the house to make it more "us" (as well as more safe and livable, of course!) It's been fun for me to look through the photos that we took of the house before we moved in - and it's totally amazing to see what all we have done.

Have a happy Labor Day!

Amy came to visit!!! Anna(belle) and Megan were so glad to see their aunt!
Megan reminds us so much of Anna when she sleeps like this - both of them are fond of this position at this age
Anna at the shower Mimi threw Megan - she was showered with big sister gifts, which included some flashy jewelry :)
This is Anna's favorite face right now - it's her thinking face, her tantrum face, and her face every time Megan cries. She's such a toddler now - too funny
Food time with Daddy

Nudey-tudey girls everywhere
Auntie M and Anna striking a gangster pose

Daddy and Anna mowing the lawn
We're still a little cross-eyed, but we're getting more focused every day :)

Our House

2008-08-31T12:53:00.001-07:00

One week old!

2008-08-19T19:31:00.001-07:00

We have had a wonderful first week with Megan Elise here! The O'Neills spent all of last week with us, which was completely chaotic and totally fun - we enjoyed having them here so much. Anneta (aka Nunny) is now spending the week with us, so we're trying to take as many pictures as possible each day. Here are some of the updated pics:

I love this picture of Mimi and Megan - one of the few where Megan's eyes are open

Anna, Megan and Avelyn, the three girls

Jimmy teaching Will and Audrey to play Wii - this was absolutely hilarious to watch

All 8 of us. Seems impossible that there is one kid to every adult now!

From left to right: Avelyn, Laura, Megan, Audrey, Will, Anna, Jimmy and Keegan

Anna with her ponytails

Such sweet sisters

I'm amazed at how good Anna is with Megan - so sweet, gentle and loving

Megan Elise is HERE!!!

2008-08-13T13:37:00.001-07:00

Megan Elise Wright

Born August 12, 2008 at 4:52 PM

8 lbs. 4 oz.

19 3/4"

We are so, so blessed to have Megan join our family - she is very healthy and absolutely gorgeous. More pics will be posted soon!

Recent pics

2008-07-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

All wet after a dip in the poo-pool (I don't know the actual name for those play pools - that's just what I used to call it when I was little)
Despite being my daughter, Anna seems to love all girly things - especially necklaces and makeup. Here she is wearing my faux pearl necklace around the house.
All dressed up - though you can't see it, she has an eyeshadow brush in one hand and a bottle of Clinique face wash in the other, while wearing the pearls. Isn't she adorable?
Mimi and Pops have been letting us have weekly date nights before Megan's arrival, so this is from one of those evenings. Anna just loves her baths!
Mimi and Anna, post-bath

Well, we are officially T-minus 2 weeks and 4 days for Megan's due date - so keep your fingers crossed that I magically start going into labor on August 3rd (my sister is home and Dr. Madden is back in town that day, so that would be perfect). If that doesn't happen (and my guess is, it won't!), our "plan" is to induce on either the 8th or the 15th, depending on circumstances. We can't wait to see our new little girl very soon!

Austin, Baby Shower, and 4th of July

2008-07-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure is true for all of you, we've had a crazy few weeks here in the Wright household. This weekend coming up is the first weekend in over 6 weeks that we haven't had any plans. I can't believe it! Of course, since we don't have plans, we'll be painting the nursery to get it ready for little Megan Elise. Never a moment of rest for the weary!

Speaking of Megan, this blog has been solely titled for Anna up until now, but now we have a new title - no new address, since that's too hard to make everybody switch, but a new title at least. :)

Below are some pictures of our trip to Austin for the fantasy football league (and for Anna and I to spend some quality time with Audrey, Keegan, and Avelyn during the week), Megan's baby shower, and our visit from Jacob, Amy, Nate and Zach this past weekend over 4th of July. What fun we've had the past few weeks!

A quite serious look for someone covered in birthday cake (we celebrated Anna's b-day with the O'Neills a few weeks ago)

Keegan is not as serious, thank goodness!

Looking pretty for Megan's shower

The adorable Mrs. Tony's cake

Anna, Parker and Maci playing at the shower

Me at 33 weeks

This is a great picture - Keegan has his eyes closed, Anna is trying to eat Avelyn's head - only Jimmy looks normal!

You have to look closely, but Anna's toenails are painted - she just loves painted toenails!

Anna and Zach playing in the pool

Anna and Nate playing in the pool - the three of them have so much fun together

12 month pics

2008-06-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hey all - Anna had her 12 month pictures taken a couple weeks ago, and they're now posted on our photographer's website. So beautiful! Take a look at

www.rachelparkhurst.com

Click on the "Clients" tab, then input the password: anna1

Enjoy!

N. Ireland

2008-06-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, we got back from our 12-day visit to Northern Ireland to visit my sister, Melissa (a.k.a. Auntie M). Meliss is working as a missionary for the Presbyterian Church in Belfast since August of last year. What an amazing trip! More than anything, it was wonderful to get to see Meliss again and spend time with her. We also were lucky to take a side trip to London and York with her while we were over there. Though we have many, many stories from our trip (you'll have to ask to hear them), it's better on the blog just to post the pics. So, here they are...

Happy reunion at the airport

In front of Queens College in Belfast

The tulips of the Botanical Garden in Belfast

All of us in a booth at Crown Liquor Saloon

Melissa liked the Children's Museum more than Anna, it seems :)

This picture is for Keegan - we saw a lifesize version of your puzzle at the Belfast Children's Museum!

This is just one of many drinking pictures Melissa and Jimmy have - ah, I remember the happy time when I used to be able to drink... :(

Ice cream at Harrod's in London

Picnic at Clifford's Tower across from our hotel in York

Melissa trying to stuff an entire profiterole in her mouth in one bite - you be the judge on how successful it truly was!

Too cool for school

York Minster

On the train back to London - Meliss entertained Anna the whole way by beatboxing, a skill no one evidently knew she had!

If you look closely, the rocky cliffs of Cave Hill in Belfast look like a giant man's face, which inspired Jonathan Swift to write "Gulliver's Travels." Being an English nerd, this was about the coolest tidbit I learned on the trip.

The view of Belfast from Cave Hill, where the Belfast Zoo is

I will post our videos soon - we have several that are great, but for some reason I can't get them off my camera today. Anyways, thanks for the great trip, Auntie M - we love you and are so proud of you!

Happy, happy birthday baby

2008-05-11T11:37:00.001-07:00

Anna Banana had her first birthday party yesterday, which was a ton of fun! We celebrated with Nunny and Gramps, Mimi and Pops, Ma and Paw-Paw, Todd, Parker and Scott. Anna was beautiful in her birthday tutu, and she loved the cupcakes (although she wasn't too wild about ice cream - she'll learn! :) Here are some pics from the day:

Pretty in her tutu
I was rather proud of my cupcakes :)
The decorations for the party
I just love what the blue tutu does to those beautiful blue eyes
Laughing with Paw-Paw

Anna was so happy to have Parker at her party!

Getting ready for the cupcake

Oh yeah, it was very messy - but totally adorable

We do NOT like ice cream
But we love our new swing set that Daddy made!

3D pics

2008-05-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Another blog I've been trying to post for awhile is our 3D pics of Baby Girl Wright that we did a few weeks ago. Jimmy and I had such a blast getting to see our little girl suck her thumb and move around. It's absolutely amazing that we already know that she's going to look a lot like Anna, based on these pictures!

Welcome to the world, baby girl!

2008-05-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is a few weeks overdue, but I've now tried three separate times to get something posted, and every time something goes wrong...so, here it goes again...

We welcomed our goddaughter, Avelyn Christine O'Neill, into the world on April 17th. She is absolutely beautiful, as you can see from the pictures below, and she and her mom are healthy and happy. Jimmy, Anna and I had a great time getting to hang out with Keegan while Will and Audrey were at the hospital, and we loved getting to be there when Avelyn came home for the first time.

The proud big brother - I love that smile :)

Daddy and Anna in their blue at the hospital

The new family of four

Jimmy, Anna and Keegan at the children's museum in Austin

Getting ready for Keegan's big brother party. Poor kid - we had to wake him up from his nap to begin partying. He enjoyed it once he got a little more awake!

Recent pics

2008-04-10T09:15:00.001-07:00

Just a smattering of recent pictures of our Anna Banana...she's almost 11 months old!

Sittin' pretty

Getting kisses from Baba
Easter weekend at Steven and Lindi's
Look at me! No hands!

Mmmm...pickles, my favorite

IT'S A GIRL!!!

2008-03-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

We went to Dr. Madden a week ago today and found out what Jimmy and I had already known (or guessed, is more accurate) - our new little baby is a girl! We are so thrilled to have two beautiful little girls in our lives, and couldn't possibly more happy with the news. Dr. Madden says she is going to be tall - she's already got long legs - and looks very healthy. She's not quite as active as her big sister was in utero, but I have a feeling with time, she'll be rolling and kicking with the best of them!

Here is the ultrasound pics from two months ago, back in January:

And here are the ones from last week (the top one is her long leg outstretched):

Isn't it amazing the vast difference in two months?

Speaking of the vast difference two months can make, our Anna Banana is growing, both physically and developmentally, in leaps and bounds lately. She is now standing up on her own, babbling constantly with all sorts of new consonants added to her vocabulary, and is always on a new adventure - whether that's trying to figure out why the refrigerator vent is so dusty (and what dust tastes like, I might add) or how many DVDs she can pull out of the entertainment center with one swipe. It's so much fun to watch her discover. Here are some new(er) pictures of her - I promise to update this soon with more recent pictures.

Anna's 1st Year, So Far

2008-03-13T13:36:00.001-07:00

Big News!

2008-02-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

There's big news for the Wrights - Anna's going to be a big sister! We are all so thrilled to be adding a new member to the family. I am about three months along (as of last Saturday) and everything seems to be going great. I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and had an ultrasound. Mimi and I got to watch the baby twitch and move its little hands and feet. Dr. Madden says we both look perfectly healthy!

I keep intending to scan the ultrasound pics we got so that I can post them, but with everything else going on, I just haven't found time. Promise I'll do it soon.

In other news, we had Anna's 9 month pictures taken this last weekend in Austin. As always, they are absolutely beautiful - is it even possible that there's a prettier 9 month old in this world?! (Okay, I know I'm biased, but she's gorgeous!) Check them out at:

www.rachelparkhurst.com

Click "Enter Site", then go to the "Clients" tab. The password is "annagrace".

Bookachila

2008-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

If you're wondering what the title of this blog is about, "book-ka-chi-la" is Anna's first official word!!! (I crack myself up) All day today, she has been repeating this. I think she's just figuring out that she can string all these random noises she's been making together to make a new, interesting noise. It's pretty fun - and if you just pretend a little, it actually does sound like she's talking!

Actually, the point of this blog is to post two videos demonstrating Anna's newfound sense of humor. She's been laughing and smiling for a long time, but in the past few weeks, she has really blossomed and finds so many things funny. She's also discovering that she has a sense of humor that she can use to make us laugh - as you can see from the "blowing bubbles" video. This isn't the best example of her abilities of blowing bubbles, but I love how mischeviously she smiles when she realizes she's being funny.

We're also having a blast at Musikgarten, which we started last week. This week, Anna regaled the whole group with lots of squeals and attempted clapping - she loves to "sing" and "dance"!

Pops!

2008-01-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

After much begging, pleading, and non-stop "popping," Pops has finally gotten his wish - Anna is saying "pop!" Here's a video to prove it - and congrats, Pops!

Holiday Catch-Up

2008-01-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

As I hope it's been for all of you, the Christmas and New Year's holidays have been a time of excitement, happiness, and non-stop insanity! We had a wonderful time with our friends and family, but I have to admit that I'm glad we're back to our normal routine today.

It has been forever since I posted, so I'm going to create a giant post this time with lots and lots of pictures from the last month.

Mimi and Anna looking pretty for a holiday party

Our Christmas Angel

Earlier in December, we decided to take swim lessons as a family - she loves the water, and is a great paddler!

Daddy / Daughter snuggle time

Opening Christmas presents at Ma and Paw-Paw's

Mid-splash in her rubber ducky bathtub

We love our tub time...

...because we frequently get very messy!

"Making" cookies for Santa (hey, I took the easy way out this year!)

Coming in to see what Santa brought. I wish I had taken a picture of everyone crowded around to see this event - there were about 15 people in our living room, all with cameras!

Getting ready to jump into the loot

With our new ball and pound 'n roll

All those toys, and all she wants to play with is the pieces of flooring!

I promise to post soon with videos of Anna talking, crawling and pulling up. She is now saying "bwa," "ba," "da," "ma," "fa," "ca," and making lots of razz sounds. As far as crawling, she is now so adept at it that we are constantly finding her in rooms that we didn't leave her in - this morning she followed me from her room to the bathroom to my bedroom to the kitchen, all without me helping her at all! Pulling up is her new thing, and she has mastered the safety gate on the playroom, her crib rail, and the walker Ma and Paw-Paw gave her for Christmas. Pretty amazing for a little girl who, just a month ago, was only saying "ma" and scooting around!

Thanksgiving in Ruidoso

2007-11-25T17:49:00.000-08:00

We just spent four wonderful days in Ruidoso at my parent's cabin with Will, Audrey and Keegan celebrating Thanksgiving. We all had a great time relaxing, snow tubing, shopping and eating, but the best part of the trip was getting 5 inches of snow on Friday night and Saturday morning. Ruidoso looked like a winter wonderland Saturday morning - how fun for the kids and for us!

Hanging out with Don Will and Donna Audrey

Reading with Audrey

Snowflakes in her hair

It's cold!
This is the view from the cabin - wow!
Don't you love her giant puffy snowsuit?
We were lucky to get snow in Midland this morning, too - so we made a cowboy snowman

Kansas City

2007-11-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we went to Kansas City with Mimi and Pops and had a great trip. It was Anna's first time in a plane and she did a beautiful job. We were all amazed at what a great traveller she always is!

The most exciting development for Anna as of the past few weeks is her ability to scoot. She has been performing for Jimmy and I in the evenings and we are blown away by how fast she is growing up. 6 months old! It doesn't seem possible...

Enjoy the pics and videos below!

Anna's first girl friend, Emily

In Union Station

Check out the beautiful fall colors of Kansas City

Be sure to listen to the sound on this video - I love all those little grunts!

Our little girl LOVES water :-)

6 Month Pictures

2007-11-05T07:58:00.000-08:00

Hello all! No pictures from me this time - but I wanted you all to be able to see Anna's 6 month professional pictures that we took yesterday. They're wonderful!

Just go to:

www.rachelparkhurst.com

Then go to the "Clients" tab. The password is "anna".

The Cutest Ladybug Around

2007-11-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Happy November! Last night, Anna dressed up as a ladybug for Halloween, and though she wasn't terribly happy about her costume most over the evening, I did get a few good pictures of her right after we put it on, thank goodness! I'm also posting pictures of us and our pumpkins we made, pictures of Anna taking her first few bites of rice cereal, and a video of her sitting up. Just in a week, she has improved this skill ten-fold and is able to sit unassisted for several minutes at a time. What a big girl she is!

Be sure to notice Jimmy's mouth in this picture (ha!)

Fall Fun

2007-10-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

How nice it is that it is finally fall in West Texas! The hot weather was beginning to get stifling, but now that it has cooled off, we are finally enjoying the outside again, much to Anna's joy :-)

We have taken a couple trips in the past week - both of them lots of fun. The first was a weekend to visit the Wright family. This was the first time that many of Jimmy's brothers and sisters got to meet Anna, so that was exciting. We had a great time visiting with them as well as some friends in the Dallas area.

Just a few days ago, Mom, Anna and I traveled to Austin to see Amy Tan speak at Southwestern. It was a fantastic event - Amy is a great speaker and we really enjoyed the night out. Thanks to Don Will for keeping Anna and Keegan for us!

There will definitely be another post in a week, since Anna is going to be a ladybug for Halloween. We've already previewed the costume on her - absolutely adorable, of course! Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the cool weather!

Uncle Chris, Uncle Ken, Nunny and Anna

Anna with her Gramps and Nunny

You looking at me?

Cute little smile - doesn't she look like Jimmy in this picture?

Sittin' in a patch of pumpkins

I love this picture

She's getting so close to sitting up by herself!

5 Months Old!

2007-10-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Anna is now 5 months old as of last Friday, which is absolutely impossible to believe. She is growing so fast now that people who see her on a weekly basis claim she's changed tremendously since the last time they saw her. Even Jimmy and I notice a difference on most days. I looked down at her this morning while she was asleep and could hardly believe how long she is!

Last weekend we visited Ma and Paw-Paw in Fort Davis. It was so nice to get out of the house for a few days and enjoy the cooler air of the mountains. Other than that little venture, we've been homebound the past few weeks, which has been nice. It's great to get good family time in before the craziness of the holidays hits us.

Sitting up! (albeit barely) :-)

Daddy's favorite shirt

Mommy and Anna

A little drowsy in the car seat

Paw-Paw, Anna and Ma

If you think after you watch this video, "Jimmy's torturing that baby!" - I promise, she totally loves it - the surprise of it usually makes her giggle!

Rolling Over, Part Deux

2007-10-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Last week, Anna learned how to turn from her back to her stomach - and in record time! According to "What to Expect," she is a full two months ahead on this feat, but of course, Mommy and Daddy are not surprised by this - we already knew she was a genius!

Here's proof of her new amazing ability:

Below, I'm posting a casual family photo, a pic of Anna all dressed up, a pic of her with Pops, and a pic of Mommy and Anna cooking together. Hope everyone has a great week!

Master of Disaster

2007-09-19T07:24:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for a couple days, but haven't gotten around to it until now. Anna wanted her Don Will to know how proud she is of his new job...and in honor of that, she'd like to say just one thing....

We love you, Don Will! Congrats!

Visitors, peek-a-boo, and other happenings

2007-09-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

It feels as though, over the last week or so, Anna's had an explosion of learning. She's fully laughing now, not just sort of wheezing like she used to. She also enjoys peek-a-boo, "sings" along while you sing to her, and is now doing half circles in her crib (meaning when I lay her down, a few minutes later her head is where her feet used to be). Her Mimi was over earlier today, and she commented that Anna is even beginning to scoot so that she can play with something - evidently, she was working to get at a little squeaky toy on her playmat and was pushing as hard as she could to get over there. It never fails to amaze me how quickly she learns and picks up on things - she's just a little sponge!

This last week, Anna got to meet her Aunt Amy for the first time, which was so much fun. Of course, I didn't get any pictures, because I'm terribly forgetful - but she really was here, and it was wonderful to get to see her. Our friends Steven and Lindi also came to visit this weekend - we did get pictures of them (!), so they're posted below.

I'm also posting a video of tickle time, as well as some pictures of Anna in her new playroom. Jimmy and I spent most of our weekend last weekend working on getting the playroom ready - the best part about it is that it has magnetic paint on the bottom half! We're excited to start teaching her letters and numbers on her magnetic wall.

All About the Hands

2007-09-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

The newest development for Anna over the last week have been all about her hands - she seems to have completely discovered how amazing they are, and so they are constantly reaching, grabbing (especially if you have long hair or hoop earrings!), and being gnawed on. A display of her new talents:

We had a wonderful trip this last weekend to Austin and Houston to visit friends and family. Anna was a great traveler, as usual, and we had such a blast seeing Will, Audrey, Keegan, Amy, Jacob, Nate, Zach, Mike, Julie, Chrissy, Emily and Uncle Ken. Unfortunately, Mom forgot to get new batteries for the camera, so we have zero pictures of the weekend! Nonetheless, we really enjoyed getting to see everyone.

More adorable pics of Anna below...have a great weekend!

Rolling Over

2007-08-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

I've been bragging about it for 6 weeks, but now I finally have proof - here's a video of our big girl rolling over:

In addition, I'm posting pictures of Anna playing in her Kick 'n Play (notice that her foot is blurred because it's moving so fast!), quiet time with Daddy, a pic of her with her foot (almost!) in her mouth, one of her looking rather surprised, and a sweet pic of her with her Ma. We had a great visit with Ma and Paw-Paw this weekend, and celebrated Anna's first visit to the big town of Rankin.

Finally, here's a pic of Anna on the beautiful quilt made especially for her by Hazel - thank you for the gorgeous blanket!

Saying Goodbye...

2007-08-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

Last week, we said goodbye to Auntie M (otherwise known to the rest of the family as Melissa, my sister) as she travels off to Northern Ireland for a year to do mission work with the Presbyterian church. While it's sad to see her go (and we'll miss her immensely!), she is truly following her calling, and we are SOOOO proud of her. We love you, Auntie M!

As a special goodbye, I thought I would post some of my favorite pics of Melissa and Anna today. Here they are:

I'm also posting an adorable picture of Anna in her Bumbo - her second favorite sitting place, behind her Kick & Play bouncy chair. Mommy likes the Bumbo because she looks so cute in it! In addition, there are pics of her with Mimi, Percy and Charlotte, and a video of her hiccupping and what I like to call "pre-laughing" (not really laughing, but sort of wheezing with the same tone of laughing - it's what she does when she's really tickled about something). Enjoy!

Lazy Sunday

2007-08-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hello all! After sending out emails with pictures attached for the last three months of Anna, I decided it would be easier to just create a blog so that I can update pictures anytime.

Today is Anna's 3 month birthday! It doesn't seem possible that three months ago today we were sitting in the hospital room with her, admiring how soundly she slept. Now she's all smiles and squeals! Below are some new pictures we've taken of Anna this month. No one could ever accuse us of not taking enough pictures of her - this month, we averaged 3 pictures a day :)

As you can see, we've been working a lot on tummy time the past few weeks. She can hold her head up like a champ now, and last Monday she rolled over 11 TIMES in the period of about 10 minutes!

Below is a video of her smiling, laughing and cooing. This is what she and I do about 90% of the day now - how blessed I am! Please excuse the extreme hick accent I have in this video - for whatever reason, my baby talk really brings out the West Texas girl in me.