Happy Birthday Anna

A year ago today this little 6 lb 3 oz beauty joined us and immediately stole our hearts.

I can't help but smile when I think about the moment I first saw my little Anna and how she has brought such joy to us over the last year.

Our first family photo

We of course have taken thousands of pictures over the course of this year but I tried to pick out just a few to highlight Anna. 

2 weeks old

3 months

6 months

9 months

Last month

A couple days ago

 Anna we love you so much and we look forward to seeing what the next year brings. 

Anna's 1st Birthday Party!

Last weekend we celebrated Anna's birthday with a party. Our theme was "Our little pumpkin is turning One" which is why you will see lots of pumpkins.

I made iced pumpkin cookies (not my grandma's exact recipe but it received her stamp of approval so I was pretty proud of that). There were pumpkin shaped sugar cookies which I did not make but they were very delicious.

 

 There was also cake! 

Kevin worked on a slide show of pictures from Anna's first year. It was crazy going through them and thinking about how much she has grown and changed. 

Anna enjoyed the gift opening portion. She loved the cards, the paper, the toys, books, clothes, and especially the stuffed animals. She gave each one she got a HUGE kiss on the face. 

A family photo!

Anna's new wagon. Not exactly meant for real babies but she enjoyed being put inside of it and pushed around.

Not exactly sure what we were expecting from Anna with the cake but I think with all the people looking at her singing Happy Birthday she was a little overwhelmed. 

She played in the icing some and tasted it a little bit but that was about all we got.

I made cupcakes for her actual birthday so we'll see if that is more manageable.

We were so happy that so many friends and family were able to make to help us celebrate our little lady. Anna seemed to enjoy herself and we had a nice time visiting with everyone that made it. Still can't believe our baby is not going to be a "baby" anymore!

 

November fun

I've been a terrible blogger this month! My only post was from Halloween! My goal is to get several posts up before the end of the month. Here we go!

November has been a pretty busy month. Anna got to see the buffalo out at the farm for the first time.

Kevin and I spent some time in Kansas City house hunting. We found a few that we've liked but we haven't made any offers yet. Still waiting for the "right" one to come along. There aren't any pictures from those trips so instead you get a picture of Anna in a basket!

Spent some time watching Daddy and his brothers play football in the front yard. There was more playing with legos than watching them but we had fun outside.

I couldn't believe I got this picture so it had to get posted.

It's been getting colder outside so we've been trying to stay warm. I really wish this child would leave her little socks on in the car. Luckily we have a couple pairs of shoes that she'll allow us to put on which helps the sock situation tremendously. 

Loving my little cutie bug in jeans!

 We try to enjoy any sunlight whenever we can! This hat is actually Hailie's and it was a miracle that Anna allowed it to stay put!

Another basket shot!

This little lady has become so animated with her expressions and gets cuter all the time....at least I think so :)

Somebody got some new cowboy boots....

Cheese!

Stay tuned for Anna's 1st birthday party....can't believe our little bug will be turning one this week!

Anna's 1st Halloween

I'm a little behind in getting this post up but I figured better late than never! We had so much fun with Anna on her 1st Halloween. The day before Kevin's work was having a trunk or treat event for all the kid's so Anna and I made the drive to Lenexa to check it out. We thought it would be a good opportunity for me to see where Kevin's been spending his days and to meet some co-workers.

It was pouring rain so everything got moved inside. It was a little crazy for the older kids hopped up on sugar but it was nice for the younger ones. There was a cool fish tank in the common area and Anna loved it. 

Kevin made it home a little earlier than usual on Halloween evening so we could take Anna around in her costume. Before heading over to my parents though we had to have a little play time. This girl just wants to touch that keyboard!

Sporting the candy corn leggings AND her strawberry costume.

Happy Halloween Grandma Paula!

Hailie and Seth were already out trick or treating by the time we made it over and they pulled in some pretty good candy! A little later we took Anna across the street and next door to see the Sack's and Sexson's. I may or may not have eaten her candy :)

Kevin borrowed a banana costume and I had originally planned to be a fruit farmer. I never really got around to it so I went as myself. Perhaps next year I'll get a costume together. 

Anna's hat was a little small but I think that had it fit she wouldn't have left it on anyway. This child pulls her socks, bows, and hats off the second she can get her hand to them.

It was a fun day! Looking forward to next Halloween when Anna is walking around!

11 Months!

For Anna's 11 month pictures we thought we'd take Anna to the pumpkin patch for the first time so we headed out to Gary's Berries. Anna was a little tired going into it but we still had fun. She really enjoyed looking at the baby goats.

She thought it was cool when Daddy would feed them since they would stand up on the fence. 

The pumpkin patch itself was lacking a little bit so we sought out some decent pumpkins and found a better place to take pictures. Anna was a little distracted by the people and especially the tractor that was pulling people around.

This last month it seems that Anna has refined a lot of skills that she previously had. She crawls faster and more smoothly. She pulls herself up and goes back and forth between pieces of furniture almost effortlessly. She's dancing more frequently and with more enthusiasm. The way she grabs things you can tell her dexterity has greatly improved. It's fun to see her progress and there are times I look at her and think she seems so much like a little girl instead of a little baby. 

We've started seeing Anna stand without assistance sometimes. Usually she'll do it and once she realizes she isn't holding on she'll grab whatever is closest. That's what this picture is showing.

All better now!

Our little bug has decided she does not like to wear bows or socks. You can get a bow on if you distract her but the second she realizes she's wearing one it is off in two seconds flat. The same pretty much goes for socks. I'll put them on her when we go somewhere and we rarely arrive with with them on. 

We are still waiting for official first words to happen. There have been numerous times where we thought she said an actual word directed at someone/something but then hasn't repeated them enough times for us to really call it her first word. It's seemed like she's said "Dada" at Kevin, "Hi", and "Anna". Lately we feel like she's trying to say "Dog" but it comes out "Da". I think she's building up and will be saying numerous things before we know it!

Right now Anna is working on her top two teeth and I expect them to come in any day now. Anna has also been enjoying more and more table foods these days. She's fairly adventurous but I would say she loves bread the most. Don't you dare make yourself a bagel or toast without offering this girl some or you will hear about it!

Anna has also been imitating people a lot more lately. It's fun getting her to mimic sounds and blow kisses back. This is such a fun and interactive stage and besides the teething part we are loving every minute!