Thanksgiving in Ruidoso

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!