These are a Few of Her Favorite Things...

Anna Lee is 16 months old now, and has several items and activities that are her favorites- some I have pictures of and some I don't. Here they are in no particular order...

1. Books/Reading

Anna Lee loves to read books. She has a bookshelf full of them in her room, and we have read every one of them so many times. She loves to go in her room and sort through the books to find the exact one she wants to read. In the process, she makes a really good mess! Here she is one morning, "reading" a book on her own.

2. Her Blankie and Passy

These used to be for bedtime only, but they are becoming more and more of security items...uh oh! (As you look through these pictures, you will notice the blankie in many of them.) Anna Lee's blankie is a blanket that was mine when I was a baby. She nuzzled up in it one time when we were in San Antonio, and she has loved it ever since. I have wondered if I should cut it in half, just to make sure we have another half in case we ever lose it....

Here is a picture of Anna Lee one morning when she realized her blankie was in the dryer. She was truly distressed! She stood at that dryer until it was done, waiting and watching for it to come out. She worked as hard as she could to get the dryer door open on her own.

3. Girly Things...Purses, Jewelry, and Make-up---already!

It has been amazing to see how Anna Lee has been drawn to "girly" things without being taught. She loves wearing necklaces and bracelets, and pretends to put on lipstick (ever since her Aunt Kasey taught her how). The other day I saw her put chapstick on her little toy puppy! Anna Lee especially loves purses, and is constantly going to my closet and asking me to get one out for her. She carries them around the house, and many times wants to take them with us when we leave.

4. Doggies

I don't have a picture for this one, but it is definitely one of her favorites. Anna Lee can spot a dog a mile away, and when she sees one, she immediately starts barking. There are many times when we are riding in the car that she starts barking and I can't find the dog for a long time. We will probably get one for Anna Lee at some point, but Jim and I will have to agree on the indoor/outdoor part first! Once we have one, though, it is all she will want to do!

5. Music

I have honestly been very excited about how much Anna Lee loves music. She loves rhythm, singing, dancing, and instruments. We put her in a baby music class one time each week, and she LOVES it. The class came with a CD of the songs, and we all know them now by heart! Anna Lee does the motions to the songs, and dances along, whether we are at home or in the car. Many mornings, we have a "dance party" of sorts and dance around the living room together. When I suggest that we go dance, she runs into the living room so excited. Here she is dancing to one of her Jana Alayra songs.

6. Swinging

Anna Lee loves to be outside...and she especially loves to swing. We get the most fits thrown when we try to get her out of a swing and leave a park. (Sorry to those of you who have had to experience this.) Sometimes she laughs and giggles in a swing, and sometimes she gets so relaxed she almost falls asleep. (I have decided that her love for swings comes partly because that is where she slept everynight for her first 6 months, since she had such terrible reflux!) My parents put up this swing at their house, and the last time we were there, she spent most of her time in it.

7. Making Messes---particularly with toilet paper

Oh how that girl can make a mess....and fast! I know I have posted a blog about this before, but it really is amazing how quickly Anna Lee can destroy a room! She is getting better and better about picking things up lately, and will usually help clean things up if I ask her. Her latest obsession is with all things bathroom. After many a spanking, she has finally learned to not splash and play in the potty---but she now has put herself in charge of keeping all of the lids closed and the toilets re-flushed. So far, we haven't had any items flushed down the potty yet...I know it is coming. Here is where I found her yesterday, as proud of herself as she could be. (Again notice the blankie...in the "cleanest" place of the house.)

8. Crackers and Chips

With all of her eating issues, Anna Lee LOVES crackers and chips. I have never seen anyone one love them more. She has a cracker in her hands most times throughout the day. When Anna Lee eats crackers or Cheerios, she likes to eat them while holding the box or bag. (This has been the cause of many messes lately- thank goodness for my Swiffer Sweeper!) I thought this scene was so funny this afternoon...Anna Lee hiding out in her playhouse...Baked Lays in hand.

9. Talking!

Anna Lee can jabber like I have never heard! She has long conversations back and forth with people, but it is all babble (at least to us!). If I can figure out how to work YouTube, I will post some funny videos of her talking. She has a lot to say!

What a joy it is to have Anna Lee as our daughter!

Friends and Flowers

We got to go to the Dallas Arboretum last week with some friends from church. It was such a beautiful day to be outside, and the flowers at the Arboretum were gorgeous! The moms and the kids seemed to enjoy the day outside, and it was fun to get some cute pictures.

Anna Lee got this flower headband in an Easter basket from my aunts and cousins in Ft. Worth...

I thought the Arboretum was the perfect place for it!

The older kids were all very interested in a duck that was asleep in the middle of the pond. I thought this was the cutest shot of them!

Anna Lee has a little "thing" for her friend, Bradley. She gets very excited when she gets to see him, and his name is one of the first that she has learned after Mama and Dada. The funny thing to me is that the feelings are mutual! They both love talking to each other and playing together. Bradley was very sweet to Anna Lee the while we were at the Arboretum, and walked alongside her stroller much of the time. If he was not there, she was calling for him. Bradley asked me if he could take Anna Lee to a little house that was by a garden where we ate. He held her hand and walked her there, and then carried her inside!

(As bald as she looks in this picture, she is actually starting to get some VERY blonde hair!)

Despite the sad face here, we had such a fun day with friends!

So Very Thankful

We spent this morning at Children's Hospital, where Anna Lee was having some tests run on her kidneys. The testing was a follow-up from an illness she had several months ago. What a morning she had! During her second test, she was strapped down onto a board while they worked on her. She had a strap over her forehead, torso, legs, and one holding her arms above her head. She was NOT a happy camper! It was so hard to watch the doctors work on her, and to not be able to do anything for her.

All of Anna Lee's tests turned out fine, and her kidneys are working perfectly. We are so thankful! As we were there at the hospital, I could not help but think about all of the other families who were there for much more difficult reasons. I said prayers of thanksgiving all day today...

Here is a picture that we caught this morning while we were trying to distract Anna Lee by showing her pictures we were taking with the camera. I thought this one ended up so sweet, as my mom was trying to console her.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Jim! Anna Lee and I love you so much, and we are so thankful for you!

An Assortment of Things...

My parents came in town for a wedding this past weekend. It was so fun to be together, and for Anna Lee to get to be with my parents. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful families, and as hard as it was to leave Nashville, it has been so nice being closer to them. I am thankful for each time Anna Lee gets to be with her grandparents.

Reading with Granddaddy

Playing basketball with GrandmommieA quick picture with my mom and sister before the wedding...Kara, we miss you!
Anna Lee has been working on her game of Hide and Seek lately. This was her attempt many times last week. When we would tell her to go and hide, this was the pose she would strike. A few days ago, she started to catch on, and will actually go around the corner or into another room to hide. I loved this somersault position! Notice the cracker in her hand (in many pictures, not just this one!)

We had a fun outing this morning with some of my closest friends from college. Hayley, Angie, and Julie all three live in the DFW area, and we enjoy the times when we can get our kiddos together. Clare and Ryan are having their 2 year old birthdays, so we decided to celebrate with a trip to the mall playground and cupcakes. Yum! It was so fun to be together....

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Happy Birthday, Clare!
But this is where we ended up at the end of the morning...at the doctor's office (again!) making sure we didn't have a concussion from our fall off of a toy at the mall. Anna Lee was riding on a pretend car, and all we saw were her feet flying through the air right before she hit the ground face-first. She has the biggest knot on her forehead! I guess we are just trying to make the doctor's office our second home! We went by just to make sure everything was ok before I put her down for a long nap. Everything checked out ok...we were told to just probably expect black eyes later in the week. I know it is inevitable that your kids will get hurt, but even with something as simple as falling off of a toy, it is scary. I am so thankful that the only thing we ended up with was a bump on the head.