Annie: Twenty-four Months

And just like that, she's two.

Insert some mama sadness and gladness here.

Sad that she's not going to be the baby much longer. Glad about all the new things she's learning and experiencing.

This month Annie learned to sing. Her favorites are "ABC" and "You are My Sunshine." She moved from her crib to toddler bed and now to her big girl bed in her big girl room. Annie still adores books and dolls and clothes, especially shoes. She loved her birthday party and enjoyed being the center of attention. She now fully understands the word "present." Annie loves to talk and wants to be part of our conversations. She is learning about taking turns. :)

Annie Kathryn, you bring so much joy to my life. You truly are my sunshine, with your happy personality and determination. I can't believe you are two already, and about to be a big sister. I'm in awe over all the things you've learned over the past two years. It is my privilege to watch you grow and guide you along the way. I love you with all my heart, and I thank God every day for blessing me with you!

Annie is Two!

Annie turned two yesterday! When you ask her how old she is, she will tell you, "twoooooooooooo." She likes to drag out the "oooo" sound. We let her open her gifts from Mama and Daddy first thing in the morning. Love the bed head. :) She adores her new tricycle. She's been riding it all over the house. This weekend we will take it outside and let her give the driveway a try. She also received a doctor kit and lacing beads. She and JJ have been doctoring all the stuffed animals they can find. Annie and Mama went to Panera in the morning for a birthday pastry, and then we all went to dinner at our favorite Mexican place. Annie loves chips and quesadillas so she was a happy girl! (see Instagram photos for proof)

Pixie Party

Happy second birthday, Annie! We will be doing some fun things as a family today, but her big party was on Saturday. We celebrated with a pixie party. It started with these adorable invitations and went on from there. As always, Honey was a huge help. She made Annie's photo display and the banner on the mantle (among other things)--too cute! Thanks to our family and friends for coming to celebrate with us!

Monday Snapshots

A few snapshots from our weekend - big birthday party post coming tomorrow!

A visit from Bebe and Papa Rick!


Reading a new Frances book with Daddy


JJ napping

Master Bedroom Complete!

I finally have the master bedroom I've wanted since we moved into our new-old house. I kept trying to re-work things we already had but it just wasn't working for me. The day after Christmas Mom and I went shopping and boy did we have fun. :) We found all new linens, a few accessories, accent table, and chairs. The final details (curtains, headboard, and light fixtures) took a bit longer to come together but the Gent finished it all up for me this weekend. I love, love, love the way everything came together. Long-term, the electrical in our room still needs to be re-wired (so just ignore the couple of cords you can see, those will be moved eventually) and we are going to put up crown molding someday.

I didn't want the linens to be a matchy-matchy set. :) Mom and I pulled things together from Stein Mart and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They came together beautifully! The sconces are very basic from Home Depot but they complement the room well. The mirror is from Home Goods and adds a bit of glam. The headboard . . . my hubby really loves me. I ordered it from Overstock but it came in black and I thought it looked cheap. Many, many, many coats of paint later, its perfect. Good job, Gent!


New accent table on clearance at Target, chair from TJ Maxx, throw from Stein Mart.


Curtains sewn by the talented Mom/Honey. They took up a lot of her time but they finish off the room beautifully! Fabric was 60% off at Hancock and the seamstress was free or I couldn't have afforded these.


My dressing corner. The Gent hung some pegboard for my scarves and necklaces, and I purged my purse collection so it fits on this coat rack. This area is behind the bedroom door so you don't see it too much, but I still wanted it to be decent looking. In an old house you have to get creative with storage, but I'm finding that I still have way too many clothes (that I rarely wear) and every season I give away or consign a bunch. Perhaps someday I will achieve wardrobe balance.