One year anniversary of Jacob's adoption!

Earlier this month we celebrated one year of adoption for Jacob! Daddy made banana pancakes for our family breakfast celebration, and Jacob got to eat off the "you are special today" plate. So thankful we get to celebrate this day with our precious boy!!

Go Outside

This week--keep up the outside play! We have been playing outside almost every day for the past two weeks. Yay for cooperative weather. My kiddos are so much better behaved when they have had time to run off energy in the sunshine!

Happy Birthday to Me

We celebrated my birthday last weekend.

Stack of cards waiting for me, Annie's handwriting on top is my favorite


the munchkins helped me open my presents from Honey and Poppa (who babysat Saturday afternoon and then took us all out for dinner--yum!)


present from the Gent that we shopped for on Saturday :) a real, leather grown-up purse!


breakfast pancakes


flowers from the Gent


birthday cake


Sunday night date

Annie's five year old check-up stats

Age 5:
Height: 3 ft 4 1/4 inches.
Weight: 36 pounds.

For reference, at age 4 Annie was 34 lbs and 3 ft, 1 3/4 inches tall.

Looks like L'il Bit will continue hanging out in the 10th percentile. Thankful for my happy, healthy five year old girl!

Get Back on Track

This week's goal is a personal one for me: get eating and exercise back on track. We have all been sick off and on for the past week, and eating well and exercising have fallen by the wayside. Weight is holding steady since I finished Body for Life nine months ago (!!!) but I need to tone up. Today is off to a good start: I ran hard at the gym, drank a bottle of water, and now I'm enjoying a cup of decaf. Smoothie and Greek yogurt for breakfast coming soon. Now to keep it up through Friday. ;)

Long Weekend with Friends

A dear friend of mine moved last summer, and we got a chance to go visit a couple of weeks ago. Our kids had so much fun being together again, and the mamas did, too! When we met she had two kids and I had one. Now we have eight between us, ages 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 8 months. We had a blast checking out their new city together!

fun at the park








cruising in the jeep


playing at the art museum


ice cream!


checking out his reflection in his sunglasses


she's serious about it


two mamas and our eight(!!!!!!!!) munchkins


worn out from the weekend

Photos from Annie's Actual Birthday

I think I'm through with her birthday posts now. Her doll house was in the living room when she woke up and came downstairs. This dollhouse was mine many years ago. The Gent did a little repair work, and then I sanded and painted every nap time for 8 days. It turned out really cute, though, and she loves it and plays with it for at least an hour every day.

before


after


Can't find a picture of the inside but it is adorable.

Is it for me?!


admiring


investigating


Daddy made a special pancake breakfast and she opened her cards.


five!


then we went to the children's museum with her best friend


followed by a picnic lunch in Daddy's office


Finished up with a quiet afternoon at home playing with her new dollhouse, Nana coming for a visit, and Olive Garden for dinner. Her choice. Annie had a pretty awesome birthday!

Drink More Water

I drink water all day long, but my kids hardly drink anything at all these days. Going to try to get them to drink a Camelbak of water each day.

Nora: 13 Months

Thirteen months! We took these pictures almost two weeks ago and I am finally posting them. Nora does not like wearing shoes. She refused to stand with them on.


Sock feet is so much better!


At 13 months, Nora is continuing to babble and talk to us. She has a word for Jacob but I'm not sure what it is, exactly. She continues to say her favorites Mama, Dada, bye-bye, uh-oh, and dog-gie (emphasis on the "gie"). She can walk holding my hands or pushing her doll stroller. She can stand by herself for a long minute, but hasn't tried any independent steps yet. She loves to swing and giggle and read Wild Animals over and over again. Her big sisters are now including her when they play dollies. She is prone to dramatics--throwing herself on the floor whenever I set her down, sweeping the green beans off her tray with a flourish, outbursts of tears when she gets buckled into her car seat or high chair. Poor fourth baby--she gets no reaction from her parents when these things occur. :) Happy 13 months, Nora! Watching you grow is so much fun!

Tea with the Queen: Annie turns 5!

Annie requested a queen party for her fifth birthday. I had fun figuring that one out. :) We settled on "Tea with the Queen." Family and a few of her friends gathered at our house to celebrate. The kids decorated crowns and made fruit loop necklaces. We dined on madeleines, bacon cheese tarts, carrot sticks and hummus, grapes, goldfish, deli pinwheels, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, with pink lemonade and sweet tea served in teapots. I let the little girls use real teacups and no one broke any. I made a crown shaped cake and served it with vanilla ice cream. Yum yum yum!

invitation


dining room table


madeleines


birthday cake for the queen


Honey-made banner


necklace making


and fruit loop eating


tea party


Sophie loved drinking from a real tea cup


love all these sweet little girls


blow out those candles!


she loved her cake


and presents, of course


special card from Mama Rita and Papa Gene


Nora hamming it up with Mama Rita


Jacob and Aunt Anna


Nana made this doll for me when I was a little girl. Passing it on to the next generation!


family photo


Nora Mae and Mama


birthday girl


Nana and the great-grands!


Aunt Anna and Uncle Andrew


Mama Rita and Papa Gene


Honey, Poppa, Bebe, and Papa Rick