This week in the life of Anna...

"Grandma and Grandpa, I like the fridge phonic you gave me. I've figured out how to get the letters into the sun and then push it to make it sing. Mom and Dad might go crazy listening to it!"

Yesterday was in the high 7o's which was great for out door water play...

Anna was soaked, and it was really fun watching her splash to her hearts content.

Our favorite activity at the local park

Free ride!

Trying out crayons, with no success for the time being.

We've started seeing a few new things recently:

• waving "Hi" and "Bye"
• signing "all done"
• giving a high five
• placing small objects inside of larger ones
• and emptying out any cupboard that can be opened.

Gotta love following her from room to room doing clean up!
Maybe she'll help with that, someday (maybe?).

THE Shoes!

Anna's got a new pair of shoes. She loves them. And there are other virtues of these shoes too:

-They're soft soled (recommended by many Dr.s and specialists, Dr. Sears included)
-They stay on while she's moving around, and she doesn't try to pull them off.
-They're made of all leather.
-They're grippy and don't slide on slippery surfaces.
-They're So cute.
-They're $5 a pair !!!! (for a limited time, see explanation below)

Eric and I like them too. In fact we like them so much that we got a pair for Anna to grow into and three pairs of boy shoes too. NO we are not expecting a baby (boy or girl), but someday we might have a boy and I don't want to put him in pink shoes with butterflies. We also like them enough to share our find with you.

The lady that we got these adorable shoes from (Joanna) is going out of business and is selling off her stock out of bins in her garage, which is why the price is soooo reasonable. If any of you would like to get a few pairs of them for your little ones (or for baby showers) please let me know via comment or email! We'd be happy to pick up and send whatever you'd like. At $5 a pair, it's a steal!

The Facts:
-They come in sizes 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, and 18-24 months.
-There are a variety of styles, we have a few pictured here.
There are others styles, but these are the ones that I liked for us.

-The leather is machine washable, but the preferred method to cleaning is a soapy toothbrush and then wiped with a damp cloth.

-We looked for soft soled shoes online and our findings were 1) much more expensive or 2) just a pattern to make them for ourselves.

Hope you like them as much as we do!

Walking?!

Okay Anna, slow down. Mom and Dad aren't ready for this yet!

Nine Months!

"Ooooh!"

The story behind this...we went out to dinner last night and had cheese cake for dessert, well Eric and I ate the cheese cake, Anna just had the cherry topping. As you can see she liked it (understatement).

Pictures are courtesy of Eric's handy camera phone.

Better Days

I don't claim that there is strong theology behind these words, but I find it interesting that a secular band (the Goo Goo Dolls) has a song that expresses the outward reaching love of Christ to the world. It seems God can use anyone to express his love (no sarcasm intended here)... something Christians would do well to remember.

Better Days by the Goo Goo Dolls

And you asked me what I want this year
and I try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
'cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
and designer love and empty things
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words and sing out loud
'cause everyone is forgiven now
'cause tonight's the night the world begins again

I need some place simple where we could live
and something only you can give
and that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive
and the one poor child who saved this world
and there's ten million more who probably could
if we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

So take these words and sing out loud
'cause everyone is forgiven now
'cause tonight's the night the world begins again

I wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words and sing out loud
'cause everyone is forgiven now
'cause tonight's the night the world begins again
'cause tonight's the night the world begins again


If you'd like to listen to it, Click here

Gotta love library books.

Twice now we've gotten books from our local library for Anna, and both times she has enjoyed seeing something new, even if it's just for a time. Today she looked through this penguin book several times. It's fun to see her experiencing something new for the first time, even a simple touch and feel book.

Our yet un-named additions...suggestions?

P.S. There are two of them. "Lunch" and "Dinner" are not options ;)

Ooh, the camera! Can I play?

Rainy days of winter

Ever since we moved to the central coast we've enjoyed the weather. The weather here is generally a sunny, constant 50-70 degrees year round. Of course there are the foggy days in summer and the (now) rainy days of winter to "deal with", but all in all there is nothing to complain of. This is not said to rub it in the face of those of you living in areas where snow and cold are the standard. It's just a statement of fact.

This past week we've been having a rainy time of it, and truth be told, I like it.
With out the rain it just doesn't feel like winter & thus a perpetual spring. And although I am enjoying living here, I apparently like to see seasons. Humm, sounds like fodder for future moves.

A toy that's not.

Pics from the new camera

The video on our old camera started going haywire lately, so we've got a new one...and it's awesome so far.

And it has a killer zoom on it!

Anna is loving being moble.

The more she goes, the more toys end up all over. What Fun!

"Hey Mom! My nap's done, I'm sure of it.

Come and get me. Mom? Are you out there?"

On the move!

On the brink of crawling; just after I took this she sat down. So close!

Checking out the pictures on the digital picture frame after her bath.

First, you have to know how Anna gives kisses. It's an open mouth, lips to someones cheek. Anna was going to give Eric a kiss, but then when I got the camera out she was distracted by it and Eric was reminding her as I snapped this. The result looks like "Who can yell the loudest?" although they were pretty quiet.

Anna update @ 8 months

For those of you who come here to see pictures of Anna and/or know what she's up to, here is a little update. I'm not at all sure where the time has gone to, and I know that time will only get faster as she ages, and although it's something every parent knows, it's just something I had to say.

Anna is now 8 months old!!! She is on the brink of crawling and loves to stand and walk along furniture. We have found her edging her way along anything that is solid enough to hold her weight and sometimes that means we find her near things that we wish she would leave alone.

She is slowly learning what "No" means and will stop reaching for something if we tell her not to touch. She is a good eater, and the only thing we have found her not enjoying is ground peas or beans. She'll eat them solid, but is not crazy about them all mashed. She also enjoys chicken, pork and beef (in tiny pieces of course), anything fruit, and loves arrowroot cookies.

She claps her hands, gives kisses, makes fish faces and is determined to eat her famous sunglasses rather then wear them. Anna is over 20lbs and over 27 inches long/tall (exactly how much is still to be determined at her next Dr.'s appointment).

All in all, she's a joy and we are soooo enjoying our gift of her life being meshed with ours.

Bell Play

This last week I let Anna play with a silver bell. She loved it.

Not only was it an interesting new chew toy, but she figured out how to make it ding.

I was using the manual setting on the camera, so I didn't have to use the flash; but as you can see, Anna was moving a little to fast for the camera to capture her image correctly.

Actually, I kind of like them; they show her in action!

Anna's favorite way of playing in her toy basket.

How in the world can this be comfortable?

Shoe Fetish

As we mentioned before, Anna loves to stand.

The other day she was standing at the sliding glass door looking out into the back yard and it looked like she was standing unassisted, so out came the ever ready camera.

And who can resist these chubby little hands?

A new way to hike.

This short hike was a few weeks ago and as you can see from the pictures,
Anna was very comfortable in her new pack.
Her little eyes were so heavy on our way back that she checked out for the end of the hike.

Swinging at the park

"Mom..."

"Would you mind, Mom? I'm a little tired of the camera"

"Mom, seriously! I wasn't kidding!"