New Shoes

Anna got some new shoes this week. At her 2 year check-up we mentioned to her doctor that she's still walking on her tiptoes. She didn't start doing this until she was about 16 months old which is odd because most of the time babies start this when they first start walking. So, her doctor recommended we get her some very good hard soled shoes for her to wear all the time to help break her of this habit. This week her new shoes finally came in and she's been wearing them a lot. Hopefully they help as they weren't cheap. She likes them which is good and thankfully we were able to find a pretty neutral pair that will go with almost anything.

She's got the modeling part down.

Advertising for Stride Rite :0)

See my shoes?

Visit with friends

This past weekend we had so much fun visiting our friends in Il. Quentin and Paula were our neighbors when we lived in TN and now we finally live closer to one another so we can visit much more easily.

Quentin, Paula, Elliana, and Jessalyn Bath time fun Reading a story together On Saturday morning we headed to the John Deere World Headquarters and had so much fun playing on all the equipment and getting to see it all up close.

Daddy would love to have a lawnmower (toy) like this to play around on. :0)

On Saturday afternoon, we went to a fun waterpark and all of the kids and adults loved it. It was definitely plenty warm so playing in the water felt great. They had many different slides, fountains, and pools for all ages.

Anna LOVED the waterslide. We'd get to the bottom and she would immediately start asking for more. She even went down it herself! Michael and a lifeguard put her on it at the top and myself and a lifeguard were waiting for her at the bottom. She came out head first on her back, went under a little bit, and asked for more as soon as I picked her up. She's such a dare devil and definitely loves the water!!

Bike Ride

On the 4th we went to the state park for a bike ride and to play on the playground. We had a good time and missed the rain but it was so humid! We were all soaked with sweat and so hot by the time we headed home. As you can see, Anna's teeth (24 month molars) have been bothering her and she's been letting us know!

Anna liked climbing but wasn't so sure about the big, enclosed slide. After going down a few times, she seemed to enjoy it.

Putt Putt Fun

Daddy and mommy enjoy playing Putt Putt Golf and after playing just recently on their vacation, decided it was something Anna would enjoy too. So, last night we decided to go as the weather was awesome and we weren't able to go anywhere on her birthday with it raining the entire day.

She's got her bright pink ball and purple putter ready to go. Getting a lesson from daddy. She loved chasing after the ball. She used her putter more like a pool stick, trying to push the ball around rather than hitting it.

A few times she actually got it in the hole.

But most of the time, she just dropped the ball in the hole and then cheered for herself. :0)

We had a fun time although I don't think Daddy will be wanting to go again for awhile. He's quite competitive and when Anna ran down the green and moved our balls each time, he gave up keeping score. She even threw his ball in the water once. Of course mommy had many laughs! We went to Anna's favorite place to eat, McDonald's, afterward and she screamed with delight when she saw her hamburger. She actually calls McDonald's "hamburger". We've not taken her there many times, maybe 4 or 5, so that must be why she loves it so much. To finish out the night, we stopped by Toys R Us and let her run from aisle to aisle taking her time playing with all the toys. For all of you bargain hunters, they have their clearance summer clothes marked down another 50% off the clearance price so we found some great deals on clothes for her to wear next spring/summer. You might want to check it out if you like to buy ahead and save money like we do. :0)

2 year check-up

Anna had her 2 year check up yesterday and she's growing like a weed! Of course she loves playing with all of the fun things in the waiting room like the car above. They've really made it kid friendly with movies playing, coloring tables, ride on toys, etc. She's very healthy and measuring in the 80th percentile for weight, 29 lbs. 4 oz., and height, a hair shy of 35 inches. The doctor said there's a theory that if you take a child's height at the age of two and multiply it by 2, that will give you an idea of their adult height. So with that, 35 x 2 = 70, we can expect Anna to be 5' 10" when she's done growing. That's pretty tall for a woman although daddy's 2 sisters are right at 6 foot each so she just might get there. She'll be soaring over her mommy but most people do. Thankfully she's a healthy little girl and we are greatly blessed!

A new sand table

We got a great deal on Anna's birthday present. Aldi had only the display sand table left as all the others were gone so we got this one, mostly put together, for $39.99. I had looked at these at Toys R Us and they were $79.99 there. We definitely found a bargain, Praise the Lord!

It's a toss up between which she likes more; her sand table or swing but thankfully she has some things to do in the back yard now. We were able to put her swing under the trees in the back yard so it's been great that we can swing her in the shade all throughout the day.

Birthday Party

We celebrated Anna's birthday last Saturday with both of our families at our house. We were so excited to have everyone come to our house as that's not happened before with us living so far away. Thank you everyone for driving 2+ hours and spending the day with us. We had a great time and hope you did as well!

The Elmo cake turned out good and quite yummy! Mommy is obviously not a professional cake decorator but thankfully it didn't look like Anna decorated her own cake. :0)

Anna got a chest full of new clothes for her Bitty Baby, also known as Julie, and she's had a wonderful time this past week taking the clothes off of Julie after mommy puts them on for her.

She'll be enjoying the outdoors in style!

Anna and Kenley played great together. They even got into trouble great together as they made a few escapes up the stairs. Of course Anna would get to the top and then clap her hands, cheering Kenley on as she climbed. :0)

A family gathering is never complete without sharing a bath together.

A special day

It's been a special day in our home. Anna was queen of the house today with it being her birthday. Daddy brought her flowers, mommy serenaded her with the birthday song this morning, mommy painted her toenails and fingernails, and she got to wear a birthday crown while opening her presents. She also had a chocolate chip cookie, warm out of the oven, before dinner!!

What a lucky girl to have such a sweet daddy...her very own flowers!

Check out those pretty fingernails and toenails!

She's very good at saying "Happy Birthday" now. Thank you to those of you who called to sing to her. I heard her playing this afternoon and she was saying, "Happy Birthday, thank you". :0)

Anna is 2!

Our baby is growing up so fast!! She's 2 today and sadly we don't remember nearly as much about the last 2 years as we'd like. A few hours old 1 year old 2 years old...boy how she's changed!!!

Vacation

A few weeks ago Daddy and Mommy went on vacation for an entire week all by themselves. It was so nice to go out to eat, sleep in, and just be lazy bums laying on the beach. :0)

Daddy preferred doing his devotions on the balcony to the sound of the ocean.

While we were gone, Anna stayed with Grandpa and Grandma Bills. She did great while we were gone although it took her awhile to adjust once we got back. She tried to pretend that she had forgotten all of mommy and daddy's rules. :0) She was able to spend time with her cousins...Kenley, Grace, Eli, Wes, and Drew.

Anna loves to teach Kenley all of her tricks! They've snuck up the stairs together more than once and I'm sure there will be more times in the future. Monkey see, monkey do!

Congrats "Unca Nate"!

Nathan is now headed to bigger and better things... like living close to us! Yea!!

Poor kid with 3 sisters!

Seriously now!!