Super fun weekend in Chicago!

This weekend we packed up the car and headed up north to see our friends Leah and Bob, and their kids, Maggie and Rylan. Maggie is about 6 months older than Annabel, so it was really fun to watch them play and also to see what Annabel is going to be like in about 6 months! And Rylan is only a month old, so that was fun for Mommy to get to squeeze an itty bitty baby again. We only had one jealous episode from Annabel, which was about what I expected. She threw a big fit at first when she saw me holding him, but once she saw that it wasn't going to change anything it passed pretty quickly. He was such a sweetie, I just couldn't put him down!

Maggie and Annabel played pretty well for the most part - they had their moments of course where they fought over the same toy or chair, but all in all it was a success. It makes me excited to get together again soon, to watch how they change.

Here are some pics from our visit:

Annabel "helped" Maggie ride her tricycle. Sorry about the scuff marks on the wall, Leah! :) My little girl is getting so big!

So I know when we go to the pediatrician I will have to fill out a card where I mark 'yes' or 'no' next to various development skills. You stop at 3 'no's', and then that supposedly gives the doctor an idea of where she is compared to other kids her age. One of the ones that has always been a 'no' so far is "eats with a spoon and fork without making a big mess." I was hoping we would master that before she turned 2, but I only have 2 months to go.... so what do you think? (really, she normally does much better than this)

Sweet little baby!!!

Maggie and Annabel had fun at bath time! Nice hair, ladies.... :)

Maggie and Annabel had matching pajamas - how fun!

Thanks for hosting a great weekend, Leah and Bob! Although I didn't get any pictures of the adults, we all had a lot of fun, too. :)

On the way home, we stopped at my parents' house to watch the Colt's game. My mom decided to play dress up with Annabel, so she spent the afternoon in a tu-tu. So cute!

This was at snack time. She's playing peek-a-boo with Grandpa

This face cracks me up for some reason

Annabel got a little stir crazy, so we went out for a walk during the game. It was a little colder than we thought, so it was a short one. The tu-tu went, too!

Annabel watching the game - Go Colts!!!

Dancing Queen

And this, is what we do on Sundays.....




....And for those of you who might be wondering, Elmo is wearing whitey-tighties. You can direct any questions or concerns to my husband.

A typical Friday night at our house....

I remember what Friday nights used to be like.... getting home from work, dressing up to go out to dinner, maybe a bar or a movie. Usually some drinks, and bed late. Now when I get home from work I get a big hug from Annabel, we have dinner, and then we play. Bed around 9:30. This last Friday night the first game of choice was hide and seek. Annabel will hide behind something and then you'll hear "Ah-bel, Ah-bel" - that is your cue that you should be looking for her. I think this game will become a little bit more fun when she figures out how to expand her number of hiding places beyond the current 2. :)

After she got tired of hide and seek, we gave her a "new" toy that we got from Nate's sister, Gretchen, that her kids have outgrown. Since Annabel is obsessed with our camera and taking pictures, we knew she would just love the fisher price digital camera. She doesn't get the concept of aiming yet, and because of where the button is to snap the picture, she always holds it facing her. So she just ran around snapping pictures of her own face from about 4 inches away. You'd think the flash would bother her, but not at all! Instead, she laughed hysterically every single time. At the end of the night it was hard to get her to part with it - we had to "put the camera to bed" in order for there to be a peaceful goodnight.

So that's how I spend Friday nights now..... And I've got to say, I wouldn't have it any other way! Looking forward to the next one!

Hide and seek!

I found you!

This was Annabel's reaction when she first got the camera - I don't know if I've ever caught such pure joy from her on camera.

Check out my new camera, mommy!

I think this face came as a result of a flash in the eye

Maybe she's not doing this quite right....

Thanks for the great camera, Aunt Gretchen!!!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

My birthday was last Saturday, and I got exactly what I wanted and needed - a nice quiet day at home with Nate and Annabel! The best part of the whole day by far was when I woke up and walked into the living room to be greeted by Annabel, who said, "Happy birthday, Mommy!" She was so proud of herself, especially when she saw how happy it made me. She proceeded to say it throughout the day, just to see if she would get the same reaction. Nate was also very proud, because I guess they had been working on it before I got up, and she managed to say it all by herself. :) Thanks for the sweet present, Nate!

That night my friend Helen came over to babysit for us, and Nate and I headed out for a nice dinner. All in all, it was a really great day!

Here are some other pictures from our weekend:

While Mommy wanted to stay home all day on Saturday, Annabel got a little bored. So she had to play dress up to entertain herself.

On Sunday we went up to Merrilville to meet Nate's aunts, sister and nieces for lunch. We had a great time, took up a lot of space, and left a big mess (and a good tip, I hope!).

Annabel borrowed Hannah's hat, and showed her how she should wear it if she wants to be "cool" at day care.

SNOW! Take 2

Last week we finally got enough snow to really be excited about - probably about 4 inches. I braved the cold and went to get a sled for Annabel. So after work, while Daddy went out to shovel the driveway, Annabel and I decided to head outside as well. Getting ready to go was quite the ordeal, and once Annabel was dressed she could hardly move.... but she was warm! When we finally got outside, Annabel was psyched! She absolutely loves the snow... and she is definitely her father's daughter in that she does not care at all how cold she is as long as she is playing and having fun. In fact, when I decided it was time to go inside (I was freezing my a** off, so I know she had to be cold too), I saw a temper from Annabel that I've never seen before. She was so angry with me that she didn't know what to do with herself! One second she was swatting at me and the next she needed a hug because she was so upset. I just watched and laughed on this inside. I knew something was coming after all, because she had made it clear that she was not ready to come inside! But I'm not sure I was ready for the ferociousness of the storm. :)

So, long story short, Annabel is a snow bunny. It's a good thing for her that her daddy loves the snow too, because her mommy does not! We've already discussed that snow will definitely be his job.... I'll be ready with the hot chocolate.

Aunt Gretchen, these snow pants fit great! Thanks!

Come on guys, I'm ready!

Faster, Daddy!

Annabel loved shoveling the snow almost as much as the sledding. She watched Nate for a little while, and then decided she wanted to help too. Not sure how much 'help' she was, but she definitely had fun doing it!

Taking a break from shoveling, Daddy taught Annabel another use for the snow shovel.

The news says that the snow is going to start melting tomorrow. Annabel will probably be sad, but I'll be glad that I don't have to fight with her every time it's time to get in the car. I've had to make sure I keep the garage door closed until she is in her seat, so that she doesn't make a dash for the driveway! Goodbye, snow!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010!!! Is that even possible? Annabel was born in 2008, and surely it hasn't been that long...... but I guess it has! So I have to open with a comparison picture of Annabel, wearing the same Happy New Year hat as last year. I was hoping to get a shot that was more similar to last year's, but Annabel was a ball of energy this morning, and had absolutely no interest in posing for a picture in this hat - so this was the best I could do.

This is Annabel on January 1, 2009....

.... and this is her January 1, 2010. To me, it looks like she's grown two years in one!

Yesterday we finished out 2009 with good friends.... in the morning Brooklyn and Amber came over to play, and in the evening we had several friends over to ring in the new year. It had been a couple of weeks since the girls had seen eachother, and they were SO EXCITED. I really love to watch them become friends. They played hard to make up for lost time, and the favorite toy of the day was definitely the ball pit. Here are some pictures of them.... I think it's evident by their faces how much they were enjoying themselves.

Even though they would be coming back that night for a new year's party, we decided to try to get their picture with their new year's party hats in the morning, assuming our odds were better of success. So we plopped them down in the ball pit, put on the party hats and asked them to give each other a hug..... they were so stinking cute, they sat there for probably a minute easy hugging, smiling, and cheesing for the camera. If I had a better camera, I think the picture could have been even better - but you get the idea:

A picture from earlier that morning with Annabel in her party hat. She wasn't really feeling it, but I like this picture because I think she looks like such a big girl.

Annabel didn't last long at the new year's party, and was pretty tired and cranky while she was awake. So we only got one picture of the girls at the party, but I think it was a pretty good one. I had already pulled out Annabel's jammies when Brooklyn came in and said "I have monkeys, too!" She was right, they just happened to be wearing the same pair. Pretty fitting for these two monkeys, I'd say!

Nate and I had some friends over to ring in the new year.... here is a shot of the two of us just after midnight!

Today, while Daddy spent a little down time watching bowl games and the PU basketball game, Annabel and I went to visit my mom and dad. Not too many pictures from the day, but I did snap this one on the way up. I thought she looked so sweet.....