January 2015

We had a great January...below are a few pics (some still from Dec) from what we were up to!

I don't think I included these in my Dec post-the cousins after church in Lex.

Our attempt at a family photo after church. Why is it so difficult to get these to work out?

For our small group Christmas party Grandpa and Peggy kept Henry overnight for us. He had an awesome time at the farm. They totally spoil him. Is this picture cute or what?

And this one of Grandpa and Henry hand in hand? Precious!

While we were in Lex for Christmas, Heather wanted to take her kids to get their pic with santa. I was thinking I would get one at our outdoor mall (for free!) when we got home since that's what I've done for the past 2 years. Once we got up there after waiting in a huge line, though, I caved and decided to get a real one. I'm so glad I did!! It rained and was nasty everyday afterward in HSV. I'm not a huge santa person, but there is something about the yearly picture that I do love!:)

The kids had fun playing with their Christmas gifts and being at home in Jan. Annie got really good at hitting the button on her new elephant to make the music start and the balls pop up over and over.

Henry had lots of new puzzles to work on!

He's always so proud of the finished product!

We watched the TN bowl game at Ben and Mel's. We were all decked out in UT gear of course.

We had our annual Walker Christmas gathering over New Years weekend at the lodge in TN. We failed to get an actual group pic this year (grandmother would be so disappointed!), but everyone was there and it was a great time as always. Above are some of the cousins (Jeff, Nicole, Ellie, Annie, Brad, and Mary Ellen).

We have such fun hanging out and just being together. It is such a relaxing way to have a family Christmas! Above is Tim, mom, Henry, Abbie, and Josiah.

Kids cuddling with mom in front of the fire!

Henry took a special liking to Brad...kids always love him and ours was no exception! Even afterward a couple of days later, Henry would volunteer, "Mommy, I like Brad!" SO sweet!! Can't believe he and Jeff are seniors this year.

Back on the home front, Henry is constantly setting up little areas around the house and I try not to let it drive  me crazy...here he laid out all his blankets and Annie's too, then lined the two of them up like a train and asked for their pic to be taken.

Again he wanted them to lay beside ea other on the floor and for me to take a pic:)

For Kaia's bday weekend, the Bushes decided to make a trip to TN. We got to spend the day Sat together and have a little party for her. The girls liked watching Annie eat her baby food here.

Baby girl got lots of attn from all 3 cousins!

Here they are all 5 together!

Sweet girls. They all 3 fight over who gets to hold who. My kids don't know how lucky they have it to have such sweet cousins. I hope they'll be lifelong friends!

It was such a nice day they went out to fly kites. Henry was SO into this. Steven let him have the end and run with it. Of course it got away and ended up where kites always do...it the top of the highest nearby tree!

Here he is still trying to process what happened with Grandpa and Daddy laughing about it.

Grandma came to help celebrate the 10 year old!

A big milestone for Annie!! She learned "so big" while we were there! I'd been doing it with her for some time, and she always gave me big grins, but she finally decided to show off and raise her arms up! I was so glad she did it with all the family around so everyone could see her. So big, indeed.

After church on Sunday!

Annie was fine with being held by Grandpa as long as she was being faced OUT!

The next week (I THINK?) grandma came for a night to hang out. She was put to work hemming curtains for me while she was here....we are so lucky to have a seamstress in the family!! Henry loved "helping" grandma, and Annie was happy just to sit on the floor amidst the action. Grandma kept commenting on what a good, content baby she it. And she's right! Annie is a pretty laid back girl. I put her in her shirt that says, "Don't make me call Grandma". She stayed with the kids that evening so Steven and I could go to a movie, too. So nice!

Annie is getting lots of hair-enough for bows and for bed head, too! I had to snap these morning pics of her crazy hair.

And this is a classic Annie move...she is always blowing bubbles. Even when she just wakes up!

Sweet baby...Hard not to take photo after photo of her!

You can't beat those cheeks!

 

This isn't the best picture, but I wanted to document anyway that Maggie turned 8 in January! We went to the pet store and picked out a few special treats for her. This is her sitting while Henry hands one over.

We have had several pretty days in January. We try to get outside when this happens-we are excited to explore out new big yard! Annie certainly approves!

And so does the boy, of course!

I love the sweet looks on both of their faces here:)

Another milestone for Annie-she took her first "real" bath! We used some of her Christmas money and bought her a tub seat, so now she and Henry can bathe together. She fussed a tiny bit at first, but quickly warmed up and loved it!

Gotta love that fresh out of the tub baby!

Our small group took Pat and James, a couple we help, out to dinner for a post Christmas celebration. They chose Golden Corral which was a mad house, but we still enjoyed getting tgthr with them.

Sweet girl after nap one day-she always wakes up so pleasant.

Random thing....Henry had a dentist appt and did super just like last time!!

Another random thing...he LOVES to get his haircut (as you can see here!). He is all smiles and talks to the lady and everything. He will even ask me if he can go get a haircut sometimes. He's a funny boy!

December 2014

We had a wonderful Christmas season, but I will be the first to admit that it was far from normal! We were in the midst of moving, so we were packing up rather than unpacking Christmas decorations! See below for a few (certainly not all) December happenings.

We didn't decorate for Christmas in our old house, because it went on the market on December 3, and we moved into our new house exactly one week before Christmas, but we did manage to get out our Nativity Little People set. Henry had lots of fun setting it up and it gave us a chance to talk about baby Jesus quite a bit. It plays Away In A Manger, and he would dance around to it as it played.

Annie practiced sitting up in December with pillows or boppy behind her a few times, but then on her own with no problem rather quickly!

She was pretty happy about the new found scenery!

With the  majority of toys packed away, we got creative with our play!

What a good dog.

We took every opportunity to wear Christmas PJs!

Annie's first Christmas-what a happy girl!

Henry is happy to pose with his sis anytime!

This ended up being our Christmas card. I wasn't going to do one, but after I started receiving everyone else

's I couldn't resist.

Henry is all about setting up photo shoots for him and Annie. This is one he did himself (he told me where to put the Bumbo). Then he says, "Take our picture, Mommy!"

Sweet siblings

The weekend prior to Christmas we went to Lexington to celeb

rate with Steven's family.

Annie ended up with an ear infection, so she and I spend Saturday morning at their pediatrician while everyone else saw the girls in the Nutcracker, but we all went to Camden's basketball game Saturday night and then did Christmas celebration (opening gifts and eating an yummy brunch) on Sunday before church. Kaia is so good with Henry and he loves her, too!

Sunday night we went over to Diana's for dinner and to open Grandpa and Grandma DeWitt gifts.

We had Christmas morning at our new house! We put ornaments on the fake pre-lit tree on Christmas eve!:) We also went to Christmas eve service and did our last Advent reading together. Henry loved "doing" Advent each night and opening up the little cardboard door to get out his piece of chocolate each evening.

Annie got a baby stroller walker as one of her gifts. She also got an elephant ball popper (Henry is playing with it in the background) and some Eric Carle stacking blocks.

Maggie got all excited when we started opening stockings, but I totally forgot to get her something! Normally she has her own stocking with a rawhide in it. Good thing she easily forgives.

Henry got a power wheels Jeep (given to us!) as his big gift. He was super excited that Annie could get in it, too. He was also pumped that it had a key and a radio!! His other gifts were puzzles and magnetic wooden letters for the fridge.

Here he is taking it for a spin on Christmas morning! Side note-he has lots of fun with it, but we are going to have to work on teaching him to steer his power wheels! It is pretty powerful and all he wants to do is push on the gas pedal, so those things don't always mix!

Annie got some books in her stocking along with some baby's first Christmas ornaments. Henry got chap stick, a lollipop, bubble bath, a net, and a chocolate truck in his.

On Christmas morning, we put Annie in the high chair for the first time. She loves the straps!!

We made a birthday (breakfast) cake for Jesus, and sang happy birthday that morning.

We had a fun morning together-look at the happy look on Henry's face over that cake!

The next day we went to my folks for the day to eat and open gifts. Here is Emma helping Annie out.

Everyone had fun opening gifts!

Lee and Marie got Henry this cute train set.

Henry loved "helping" Emma with her bracelet maker.

I had lots of kitchen help each day!

On December 10th, I went to Henry's Mother's Day out Christmas program and they sang a few songs for us-very cute. Henry sang each word, and I took it as a good sign that he was smack dab in the front center of the entire group of 2 year olds. :)

Afterward we had pizza and snacks together-I got to meet some of his friends' moms and the kids were so cute interacting together!

While I didn't do as much as always, we did manage to do SOME holiday baking!

This is just one of many pictures I've taken of Annie doing her very favorite activity at the old house. I would put her on the counter when I was cooking and slowly but surly she would get a hold of the paper towels and get more and more until she was flailing a big wad of it all around. Her face would change from pure joy to pure concentration as she worked on this special project!

More cute Christmas PJs!

This was Henry's expression when I told him we were going to visit cousins.:) He loves them!