A "MINI" vacation to Charleston

This weekend has been fabulous! We took a trip to Charleston to pick up my new car. I have been driving the Buick for a while and I have really REALLY disliked it. It was too huge, though it served it's purpose well for Anna's first year. We took it three times to PA, but I have to say I really didn't like driving it. I have always been a "car" person not a big SUV person. So, I was ready to get back to a car....especially one with a manual transmission. I am not a fan of an automatic. So, I have ALWAYS wanted a MINI Cooper but I knew they were completely impractical for a family....but then last October, I discovered the MINI Clubman (I am part of MINI's email updates) and I knew I would eventually want to have that car as my family car. It is basically an extended version of the Mini Cooper. It has three doors (an Anna door) and extra storage space in the boot. Matt and I worked really hard to save money ..... in other words limiting our eating out and trips, eating cheap meals at home, and using coupons every chance we got to save money to pay off our Buick. After we did that, we started the search for my Clubman. There were three different dealers within 100 miles that were bartering for our business which really helped us get the best side of the car buying deal.

After we picked up my car.....we decided to take Anna to the Charleston aquarium. She absolutely LOVED the big tanks and the fish. She would squeal and laugh when they would swim by her stroller. We were so glad we decided to detour through downtown and risk the crowds from Spoletto. She was in toddler heaven!!!

Our new Mini

Matt driving the "oompa loompa" car haha

Here is a video of Anna enjoying the wind blowing through her hair from the open sunroof!

Matt taking Anna to the touch tank in the aquarium

Anna and I at the aquarium

Anna waving at a boat while getting her picture taken

Look at my cute baby crocs!

Anna and her new turtle from the aquarium

She decided she didn't want to talk across the bridge by herself. ;)

It was such a great weekend!

Little Dancer

Summer is almost here!

Sorry for the delay in posting folks! It is the end of the school year and boy is it crazy! I am so ready to be out for the summer. It has been quite a year! The lazy days of summer are definitely calling!

So, this week we had a baby checkup appointment and Anna Kay is officially 31 inches tall and 21 pounds. She had her first MMR shot and she was not crazy about that. She has handled the immunization well so far though. She's growing very fast and is still in the 95% for height, and only 40% for weight. She is still predicted to be a tall girl! More power to her....her Mommy wishes she had a couple extra inches every now and then! :)

This is a pic of me entertaining Anna at the doctor's office.

Anna is doing all types of amazing things these days. She says "hey!" to everyone and waves like she is in a parade constantly. She "chats" with any one. Our child is definitely not shy! She has started trying to miss one of her naps a day and has basically dwindled the naps down to just one a day.

On the way home today from Gran's.......definitely a tired girl!

She as recently become a fan of throwing food at mealtime which has resulted in her losing her tray a time or two. She really loves to feed the dogs from her highchair and watch them scurry for the food. She can climb a full flight of stairs if you let her. She will stand independently and take a couple steps. She still isn't crazy about walking from here to there yet. She prefers to have something to hold on to. She pushes her tiny stroller all over the place. She also is obsessed with the show Martha Speaks. It's her favorite! Well, actually the theme song is her favorite part....but when she hears it she goes nuts!

Sitting in her Disney princess chair and watching TV. Those pj's are the cutest.....they are "Life is Good" and say "nightowl" on them.

Gran took the girls to the park! Here is Anna getting pushed in the swings!

Our sweet girl cheering me on at my 5k race! :)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I'd like to wish a Happy Mother's day to all the amazing women out there. I am fortunate enough for this to be my second Mother's day and my how life has changed during that year. Anna Kay was only a couple weeks old whenever I got to experience my first Mother's day. I believe I was still in total shock at the time of actually becoming a mother. I was in the midst of changing diapers constantly, feeding every two hours, and exhaustion from the lack of sleep that comes with those first few weeks. I learned the sweet feeling of snuggling a newborn that wants your warmth to soothe her to sleep and mastered the art of swaddling to keep her there for at least three hours (maybe!). I read books and books on childcare and bonding, sleeping and behavior. I found myself sleeping with one arm over the bassinet more often that not just to make sure Anna was still breathing through the night. I can't tell you how many times my arm fell asleep during those nights. Then she advanced to the crib and I had to adjust to not having her there....Matt will tell you I didn't. He will also tell you that I spent the first night on the floor of her nursery sleeping on the floor.

Now, just a year later, we live in a different world, one full of finger feeding and sippy cups. Size four diapers, tantrums, and toys galore! We get to watch her try to gain her independence by standing, walking, and feeding all on her own. Gone are the days of sitting on laps contentedly for periods of time for they are now traded in for playing chase in the living room and dancing to every tune she hears.

I have watched her learn to smile, recognize voices, roll over, crawl, babble, stand, and take a few steps. I am anxious for all that is to come as I know each new phase will be just as exciting as the one before! I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a mother to the best daughter in the world!

Here is a small list of things that I love about being Anna Kay's Mommy:

* Hearing her "talk" to me in the car on the way to and from places

* Always having a constant companion

* Her infectious smile..she makes everyone smile....they can't help it...she's so cute!

* She is the BEST snuggler - hands tucked in and head on the shoulder!

* Hearing her laugh....the sound is amazing!

* Watching her experience all of her "firsts"...

* Knowing the hard work you do daily is helping shape a life!

Look at how much she has changed in just the past year!

Mother's day 2009