March 2013

This month seemed to go on forever! That's not necessarily a bad thing. Robert was on an easy rotation so we saw a lot of him! I love spending time with him more than anything! I'm pretty sure Annie loves it too! Annie is now 10 months old.. awww! She is the best little buddy. She loves to be around people, especially other little kids.

 10 month check up: 80% for height, 10% for weight

 Naps with Annie usually end up like this!

 She loves to get into everything. She has a little mischievous side. 

 Her favorite toy is an old laptop that we have.

She is a very cuddly baby and I'm loving it. Sometimes I hold her during her naps. I know this stage won't last forever so I'm living it up! She is kind of crawling but she loves walking most of all. I find Annie's hand prints everywhere! It never gets old.

 Robert leaves fake bones around the house that he uses to practice surgery. Annie loves them and sometimes even sleeps with them.

 Robert gave me tickets to the NYC ballet for Valentines. It was amazing. It made me miss NYC.. for a sec.

 My 2 friends and 5 kids ventured to the STL St. Patrick's day parade. It was quite the experience but so much fun!

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Almost every Monday night we spend at Sheridan's house for a girls night. Annie loves all the attention and the chance to stay up late with the girls!

We had a full house the last week of April. Robert's two best friends from undergrad and their families came to stay for a few days. David and Bonnie drove up from Dallas and Brittany and Elias flew in from San Francisco. It was 5 days of good food, great conversation, and late nights laughing. I already miss them so much and can't wait until our next visit! 

 Robert cutting out a bump from E's head.. silly boys

 Annie was in heaven with all her little friends around!

 We enjoyed a beautiful day with some friends from church at the Cahokia Mounds.

 Annie's first Easter!!!

After church we went to the Landcaster's home for an egg hunt and delicious dinner.

Goodbye March... Hello April!

February 2013

February was a busy month. We tried to keep as busy as possible with small trips to keep the winter blues away. Annie is 9 months now and we can hardly keep up with her. Her vibrant personality is becoming more apparent every day. We have tried working with her on crawling but have quickly realized that she's going to do it when SHE'S ready! She doesn't like baby food but will gratefully accept anything off of our plate. Annie loves to laugh and have fun. She will stare people down until she gets their attention. We are still trying to decided which parent she takes after.

Keeping baby girl warm

Visiting Springfield Illinois, the home of Abraham Lincoln.

Valentines Date- We still got it :)

Annie Valentines gift from her favorite Valentine.

Her first Valentines date with Kellen

Valentines package from Grandma Staples

Annie got sick for the first time this month. Fever, cough, sniffles. She was a trooper and pulled through.

Robert surprisingly got 9 days off of work so we took advantage! We hoped in the car and started driving south. Our first stop was Memphis, TN. We went to the Civil Rights Museum, the death place of Martin Luther King Jr.

Memphis BBQ

We lucked out with two free VIP tickets to tour Graceland, Elvis Presley's home.

Annie loved to be in the hotels.

We continued on South to New Orleans. We pretty much ate our way through the city. Beignets, Gumbo, Jambalaya, Po Boy and fried chicken. 

Swamp tour. In my mind.. a once in a life time experience.

We then drove East across the Florida border to the beaches of Pensocola. It was a trip to remember and we are so grateful to have our daddy for 9 solid days to ourselves!