Anna at the Park

 Following the kids through the tunnel

 

 Peek-A-Boo

 Assessing her descent

 Head first was definitely her favorite

 

Now where did those kids go?

13 Months

Anna has entered the phase when she is awake she wants and needs our full attention. The more mobile Anna gets, the less I get done. :) 

 

She is pulling up on everything from stairs to people.  She is up and down up and down from the minute she wakes up until we put her down for a nap/bed.  She has figured out how to push a few things and move with it so she does not fall flat on her face.  One time she transferred from Uncle Bill to me and walked to me holding my fingers.  

She wants to be with the kids so bad.  If she hears them she starts yelling for them.  She says "Hi Ate" every morning.  She cries when we drop the kids off at preschool. When she hear the bath water running she flies into the bathroom and attempts to get in. When the kids are doing art projects she likes putting crayon to mouth (I mean paper).

Kate says Anna is "Curious like a monkey (curious george)" because she is constantly pointing and asking, "this?" or "that?".  She is collecting words quickly, mimics animal sounds, and seems to be associating words with the correct things.  She says "tay too" (thank you) at all the right times.

Such a fun time for all of us.

Thanksgiving Brunch

One thing I really appreciate about my family is that they do not care when we celebrate a holiday, finding time to get together is celebration enough.  Liz, Bill, and Emma came from Greensboro and my parents and Aunt Sue drove up again from Wilmington.  We had an amazing brunch thanks to Peter.  The kids had so much fun playing with cousin Emma.  The Grandparents spoiled all the kids with treats to celebrate the holiday season.

 

Turkey Day

  Happy Thanksgiving

We had a fun and relaxing day at home with family.  The kiddos had fun playing outside with Papa D and Aunt Sue.  Max loved watching football with Papa D. Kate and Anna loved the extra attention and audience. :)

I was super excited about setting our dining room table for its first Thanksgiving. We even used the special silver from Peter's Grandmother.

Seriously, Peter's traditional Thanksgiving meal was AMAZING!  Classic "file box turkey" and a favorite side dish for all!

Thanks Mom, Dad, Abigail, and Aunty Sue for making this an extra special Thanksgiving.

Full Tub

Kate and I decided that it was time for Anna to join the fun 

before she fell in with her clothes on!

Knitted with Love

One of Lana's many amazing creations...

Thanksgiving Feast

One of the fun parts of preschool this year is that the kids get SO much more excited about upcoming events.  The preparation in class leading up to each event builds the anticipation.  Max has been counting down the number of naps he had to take before "the feast" since last week.  This event is so cute because the kids are all Pilgrims and Indians and the parents are assigned different parts of the meal. So we end up with a tons of kids in really cute costumes they made themselves and a LOT of food!

Frog Class

 Kate, Ainsley, Max

Excited to see Mimi

Special Necklace

 

Indian Vests

 Cute neighbor Emma

 Ms. Eleanor and Ms. Ninette

Anna and her Buddy Collin

 Kate and Max requested we sit with James - cute!

Mimi shared her "mashed potatoes" (i.e. cookie) with Anna!

My Little Sillies

Magic Kingdom - Part 1

No words can describe the time we spent in the Magic Kingdom.  The kids' faces and actions brought me to tears on more than one occasion (Peter got a little misty too). It was truly a magical time.  

Bus ride to the Magic Kingdom

Kate and Max were telling everyone they were going to Disney (like no one else was). 

Kids' seeing the castle for the first time!

Dream Along with Mickey

 

Rides

Dumbo - It's A Small World - Winnie the Pooh - Aladin's Magic Carpet Ride

Stroller Situation

Most of the time Anna was in the Bjorn but occasionally she got to ride in the stroller with Max as the "Pilot" so she could get in her naps!

 Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade