All Dolled Up for Church

Anna's Sixth Birthday

Oh, how the days are long, but the years are so short!  Can it really have been six years already?  That seems crazy to me!!  But, alas, it is here.  We gave Anna her birthday present from us the night before her birthday because Thursdays are a little hectic with soccer practice and we wanted her to have time to play with it.  She has read and LOVED the Little House on the Prairie series this summer so we were trying to find her some other book series that she might like.  She has wanted an American Girl doll for several years now and we knew the historic ones came with book sets.  We showed them all to her online and let her pick.  She picked Kit, who lived during the Great Depression.  The ironic part is that Kit looks so much like her!  Anna was thrilled!

Look alikes!

So excited!

New books!

Can't.stop.smiling.

Matching nightgowns, too!

Birthday morning muffin!

Anna, we are so proud of the girl you have become.  You are such a special part of this family and we are so blessed to have you as our daughter.  We love you so very much, no matter what, and can't wait to see how you grow and change in this next year.  

We love you to pieces,

Mommy and Daddy

Anna's Pool Party

The pool where we belong did a fantastic thing this year--they opened the middle of May and stayed open through the middle of September.  That meant we could have a pool party for Anna's 6th birthday!  She was so excited!!  We invited the family and a few of her friends and had a blast on a Sunday afternoon.

Around the Lazy River

They were not too cool for the baby pool!

Yummy pizza and fruit!

Bathing babes...and Jack!
Mia, Leah, Audrey, Anna, Ellen, and Jack

I can't believe she's six!

Make a wish!

Sweet Caroline!

A Barbie beach house from Nannie and Pops!

Lip gloss from Ellen

Lalaloopsy from Leah--what a reaction!

Soccer Barbie from Aunt E!

Pinterest, eat your heart out!
Anna saw these while I was looking on Pinterest
months ago and wanted a butterfly themed party.
  No changing her mind on this one!

First UNC Home Game of the Year

By the end of the game, this was my child that doesn't nap...

...and this was the one that does.  Go figure!

Jack These Days

Jack is such a precious, spunky, hilarious blessing to our family.  Although he's two and is WIDE OPEN the entire time his eyes are open, he makes up for the exhaustion with his endearing little personality.  Towards the end of the summer, he started talking NON-STOP.  Now I have competing voices in the back seat and sometimes he will turn to Anna and say, "Stop talking, Sissy. It's my turn!" And indeed it should be!!  

He is big for his age (around 95th %ile for height and weight) so I just bought 4T shirts and 2T or 3T bottoms for school.  He wears a size 8 or 9 shoe.  He has absolutely zero interest in potty training, so I'm not pushing him.  He will eat anything and wants to eat ALL.THE.TIME!  There are some things that he doesn't care for, but he will always taste a bite first.  He is a bottomless pit--there are some mornings that he will eat breakfast three different times!!

He is so sociable and personable, saying hello to everyone while we run errands or walk down the hall at church.  He loves being with other kids, especially his Sissy.  And did I mention that he talks non-stop??

He still loves his tractors and his trucks and his trains and will let me know if we pass one on the road.  His knew love, though, is Diego and Dora.  He has started asking us to say words and phrases with him, just like they do on the show and is quick with a "Swiper, no swiping!"  It's hilarious.

He's also just recently made the amazing discovery of stoplights.  Now I am fortunate to have a running commentary in the back seat on whether the light is green or red and what we need to do about it.;) Two is such a fun, exhausting, but rewarding age!

We just love our little man so much and in the light of our recent circumstances, he has become even more of a little miracle, our ray of sunshine smack dab in the middle of our miscarriage experiences.  I thank God every day for the beautiful gift we have in Jack.

Loving being the "only child" while Sissy in at school!

Cool dude

He was in heaven when Mr. Jake
let him drive the big tractor!

Not a little tadpole anymore...

Jack's First Day of Preschool 2013

So excited!!

 Since Sissy had already started school, Jack was raring to go by the time preschool finally started after Labor Day weekend.  He was so cute with his backpack on!  He has the same teachers that Anna had at two that we love.  They were so excited at open house because of how much he was talking.  He was excited about the tractors, cars, and train table that were in his classroom!  Mommy is excited because he gets to go in the carpool line instead of being walked in!!  Woohoo!!  Here's to a great year!

Sister Love

He wasn't so excited about taking this picture--he wanted to go in!

Big man on campus!
He just strutted himself right down that hallway.;)

Too enthralled with the train table to look at the camera.
We love Miss Susan and Miss Jane!

Jack's First Gymnastics Class

Jack has sat and watched Sissy do gymnastics for the past two years, with me barely keeping him off of the gym floor.  He has wanted to be out there so badly!!  Well, it is finally his turn!  This year, on Tuesday mornings, we started a parent/child gymnastics class and he LOVES it.  That first morning, I could barely keep up with him as he bounced around from station to station, showing Miss Gaylyn all of the things he has learned from Anna.  It was too cute!