not sure if these are cute

And we probably all sound like weirdos but Raggedy is even cuter in action.

party's over

good night, Gator fans!

You can't spell HALIween without A-L-I!!! (yes, that's a stretch. I'm aware of that.) Seriously, how talented is she? Anne had the best costume on the block! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

wildest florida-georgia yet!

well we did tailgate from 9-2:30, but this is what my friends are doing now:

I'm off to pick up candy as I seem to have forgotten it's Halloween! I confess. I took a quick nap too!

happy halloween but more importantly

Happy FL-GA!! More pics to come. We are having the best day :)

up to no good

She is as sweet as ever, but she is certainly figuring out how to get in trouble!

We don't have too many rules, per se, but one hard and fast rule is "no climbing up on the fireplace" (said many, many times per day):
Yes, she is reaching into the dog food bag for food; but no the food is not for Toby:

Can't resist the water bowl (this is, I believe, a common baby problem!):

went to the dentist today

this is very random, but EVERY time I go to the dentist I think, wow, they must really hate tongues. I mean, they are always in the way. Always.

I hope she doesn't expect this every year

Annie had quite a first birthday. THANK YOU to everyone who came. It meant a lot to us, and we had a wonderful weekend. I wish we saw you guys all the time!

Gwen and Josh, thanks for the triple birthday!

cute little family:

lots of fun visitors:

Joshua and Annie loved the bubbles:

birthday letter to Annie

Hello big girl!

It was just over a year ago that Dad and I realized what we had been missing from our lives - YOU! I cannot put into words the joy you have brought us this year. It has been a remarkably easy transition from a couple to a little family, mostly because we have had a LOT of help. You would not even believe how many people love you and I hope you will remember the beauty of having four generations of women together.

At age one, you....


...love playing peekaboo
...eat everything except lettuce and some raw veggies (leaves and petunias, however, are fair game)
...seem somewhat serious and reserved but that is because you are trying to take in everything
...are long and lean
...have a small amount of light blonde hair that does seem be curling
...sing, dance, and say uh-oh
...are definitely a daddy's girl
...chill out in your stroller for long walks just taking in the scenery
...crack us up with your cheesy "angry baby" smile
...are a laid back, easy, little girl
...love books - you like them to be read to you and you like to "read" them yourself
...are generally adaptable and interested in new things
...are so proud of how you can walk across the room
...have a farmer's tan
...are great company and just fun to be around

You have changed our life 100% for the better. There are no words to describe the love a parent has for a child, and I hope you experience it some day (in the far future - 30 years would be good). If you don't have kids, that's OK too. I hope you stay happy and curious and enjoy all the good things life has to offer. I can't wait to see you every step along the way!

it's official - she's a genius

Annie did two amazing things today. The first thing she did was see a cat and make a meowing noise. The second amazing feat happened when she came to my office this afternoon. I have a picture of her and Chris and she walked over to it and said, "dada!" Then she carried the picture around with her and talked to it. Then I pointed to Chris and asked, "who is this?" and she said, "dada."

I could not be more proud.

formal one year pics

They are small, but aren't they precious?

baby's first popsicle

She loved it.

alive and well in blogland

Trying to capture Annie's new face (she stops as soon as the camera points to her):

And captured:

I can't stand the cuteness.

if I were a talking doll

My three phrases would be as follows:

"Toby, move." He is always underfoot, always.

"Will you please turn it down?" Chris listens to tv and music at obnoxiously loud levels. Or maybe I am a grandma (but the type who hates loud music, not the type who is deaf).

"No, Annie, we don't eat leaves in this family." The girl likes to eat leaves.

I know, long time no blog! Our computer has been dead for about three weeks, but thanks to a little help from Steven P. at Heather's work, absolutely zero help from CompUSA, and mostly Chris's genius, we are in business. More pics and updates to come soon.

big month

I've been the worst blogger during a big month! We had our first "family vacation" to South Florida, and Annie can now crawl, pull up, and says her first consonants (bababababababa, papapapapapapa NOT mamamamama or dadadadadadada!!) On the Thursday before Easter, Annie officially crawled and started with the bababababababa. She pulled up for the first time in Key West. Since then, she's been out of control, AND, she knows she is funny and that everyone is watching her. New nicknames: Tannie (she seems to tan nicely despite the 50+ Water Babies) and Hammie (hamming it up for anyone who is watching).

Annie and Grammy on Easter:

Annie and her crazy uncle in Miami:

Yes, that's a mustache (and yes, it's gone):

In Islamorada for Brian's 30th:

rocking back and forth and back and forth....

so stinking close to crawling

great week

What a great birthday and a great week all around. 1. Chris and I had a fabulous birthday dinner out at One Ocean. I didn't even know I had been missing the time out of the house with Chris. 2. My Sunday birthday was awesome. 3. My real birthday was great with sushi and thai and homemade ice cream. 4. I finally got new glasses and I love them (these are not birthday glasses - they just happened to arrive on my birthday).

29 was a no-big-deal birthday. Maybe 30 will be tramatizing, but I still feel young and hip at 29 - HA!

Here are my new glasses in action and a variety of Anne pics from my real bday. I love, love, love her dress. I fear she is going to grow out of it before it is really weather for it (and look at her farmer's tan!).

the gate

We came, we ran, we drank free beer, we were sore and tired, we said we would do better next year, we had a blast. Annie and Pops and then the whole crew (yes, with some very exciting out-of-towners):

on the move

She's not crawling yet, but the girl can get around! I love our wood floors, but I found myself halfway wanting soft, plush carpets on which Annie could learn to crawl and walk. Well, I don't know how walking on wood will go, but wood certainly lends itself to sliding. Annie can go anywhere she wants by rolling and pushing herself backwards. Not surprisingly, she ends up in corners and halfway under beds all the time:

little beach girl

I think that yesterday may have been The Best Day of Annie's Life. She got up early, went for a walk with me, had little bits of pancake for breakfast, took a nice, long nap, went to the plant nursery with Chris and me, and then went to the beach, where she played in the sand, played with a bucket of water, and swam in the pool. She had a blast and was absolutely zonked by the end of it.