My Little Artist

In March, Sam was chosen as one of about 20 kids from New Market to display a piece of artwork in the Huntsville Museum of Art Children's Gallery. He completed this piece when they were studying Picasso. He's always loved to draw and paint and it's amazing to watch his talent grow as well as his excitement to show us his work at the museum. We are truly proud of our little man!

One!

My little angel is one! It is completely unbelievable how fast this past year flew by and while I can't help but be a little sad that my "baby" is quickly becoming anything but a baby, I'm so excited for all the days, weeks, and years ahead that she can grow into a beautiful young lady. Aside from the nasty little case of separation anxiety we've been going through, Ellie has a wonderful personality and is the light of our little home. She absolutely adores her brothers and can't stop grinning when they enter the room or even when she sees a picture of them. They always return the favor with a quick hug or tickle - makes a mommy smile! At one year, Ellie:

• weighs in at 18 lbs, 1 oz (5 - 10th%) and 28 3/4 inches long (40th%)
• is crawling all over the place and is pulling up, but doesn't really act that interested in walking - she doesn't really need to when she has two big brothers to get her anything she could possibly want!
• is quite a momma's girl - this is kinda new to me - I wasn't home the entire first year with either of the boys, so a longer-than-seems-normal separation anxiety phase is new, but we're working on it! If anyone wants to volunteer to keep a sweet, adorable little girl that might potentially fuss the entire time I'm gone, let me know! In all actuality, I think she's fine when I leave, she just fusses if I'm in the room and she's not with me - ugh!
• is still learning to love new foods, and while she digs crunchy stuff - cheerios, goldfish, any kind of cracker - she's a little more apprehensive about things like chunk meat and veggies. She doesn't seem to be very picky though - a plus!
• has an expanding vocabulary - she's started repeating things that we say and even said "my birthday?" on her birthday itself - so cute!
• loves, loves, loves chocolate - that's my girl!
• adores music of any kind - she dances when a good beat comes on, sings along with me when I sing to her, tries to play the piano ALL the time, and bops her head if she's in her car seat and can't shake her little hiney. I love this about her!
• squeals, smiles, and crawls as fast as she can to her daddy as soon as he walks in the door - I tear up every time.
• truly completes our family - you know that feeling where it's just right - yep, that's us.

I can never express how grateful I am for all of my children and for the most amazing husband that chose to create them with me. I am one proud mommy.

10 months!

It's hard to believe my little angel is so quickly approaching the one-year mark. She hit 10 months on Monday and is doing so well! At her nine-month check-up she weighed in at 17lbs, 13oz (30th%) and 27 1/2 inches long (50th%). Unfortunately, shortly after her check-up she had a nasty fight with RSV, but after lots of nebulizer treatments and a tremendous amount of prayer from all our family and friends, she is fully recovered and is once again this smiling little girl. Right now, Ellie:

• Is all about Daddy - she started saying Dada a few weeks ago and can't stop smiling whenever Daddy is near (I love this!)
• Loves play time and will sit in the floor for hours playing with whatever she can get her hands on
• Continues to adore her brothers - she especially loves pulling their hair
• She isn't quite "crawling" yet, but manages to scoot herself all around the floor - when she gets up on all fours, she tends to go backward and ends up stuck underneath the couch!
• Is still the easiest, best baby in the history of the world - everyday we say prayers of thanksgiving for this little angel that we have been entrusted with and that she is healthy and happy!

Time to start the party planning!!!

Yet Again...

So here I am playing catch-up again...I'm beginning to think one of life's tests of patience is understanding that I will NEVER really get caught up on everything! So this is a collage of all of our family Christmas gatherings. We started the festivities in Decatur with the Hammons clan, spent time on Christmas day with the King side of the family, took a big trek to Colorado to visit the Lyons, and then wrapped it up on the 4th of January with the Coons/Gurley side. Thankfully, our Papa Don was feeling better after being in the hospital on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day and we had a fantastic time. It was a wonderful first Christmas for Ellie and she had the most fun playing with the bows her brothers took off their presents. Overall, we are so extremely blessed and a good bit spoiled too!

Does it get any better than this?

Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving this year and it seems only appropriate that we're eternally grateful for the most amazing gifts we've ever been given. Who else, but your children, can make you want to laugh, cry, pull out your hair, and jump for joy all in the same moment. I can never express my gratitude for these three little spirits that have been entrusted to my and Aaron's care. They are truly my angels here upon the earth.

Unbelievable - right?

That's how I feel about my first foray into sewing - it's unbelievable that I actually finished it! I've been wanting to try a little something here or there for awhile, but since both of my boys are past the "wear cute homemade stuff" age in general (with a few exceptions), I figured I might as well just wait for my little girl to come. So, I made Ellie a quilt back in the spring (finished it about two hours before I went to the hospital in labor!), but hadn't tried to sew anything until this month. A friend of mine from church convinced me to go with her to Sirs and just bite the bullet. So, with A LOT of help from my highly educated Mom and a good bit of encouragement from my sew-all-the-time MIL and SIL's, I tackled a nice, easy dress for Ellie and I did it! It's even fully lined! I'm going to work on some more stuff soon - let's see if I can expand my horizons!

Chicago notes

So, in an effort to get the post in, I totally forgot to put anything about our trip to Chicago in my "October" post. Aaron had to go for a conference and since I have been itching to get out of town, Ellie and I decided to go with him. She was FANTASTIC on the plane both ways and was a doll the whole time. We had time to do a little site-seeing and got to check out the Museum of Science and Industry, Navy Pier, and the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower). That was a ton of fun, although the glass "ledges" that you can stand in and be literally over Chicago were a little nerve-racking for me. We did, however, spend most of our time wishing that the boys were there with us - they would have had a blast! In short, we can't wait to get back on a real vacation!