Turkey Time

Jacob picked out this turkey in September and was so excited when it was finally time to put it on our porch. I have it standing in front of the small window next to the front door and Jacob likes to turn its head so it is looking inside. :) Here's our sweet boy smiling big with his turkey. A mower was cutting the grass in our neighborhood and the kids were transfixed watching him and waving "hi".

Anna getting up close to check out the turkey. Jacob was all smiles and asking to have his picture made. I love this boy's big smile!

Daddy and Jacob had so much fun raking leaves on Saturday.

Anna also enjoyed being outside and watching the boys rake. Later she joined Jacob for some jumping and playing in the leaves. We love fall!

Halloween!

Halloween was so much fun! I'm pretty sure I had the most fun of all! :) Our Halloween festivities started out with a pumpkin hunt at Jacob's school. Jacob was super excited Monday morning about getting dressed in his cowboy outfit, Anna getting dressed in her cow costume, and all the fun that lay ahead.

Our little cowboy playing at school How cute are they?! Back row is Grant, Jacob, Noah, Tucker and Daniel. Front row is Amelia, Cameron, Hannah Belle, Jane, and Eva Belle.

Anna quickly found a toy to chew on

I'm pretty sure Jacob picked up 15 different pumpkins before finally settling on the one to take home. He loved taking Anna and me around the playground.

Jacob always tells me how he shovels and rakes leaves and mulch on the playground during recess. It was fun to see him in action!

After school the kids played with Anna's birthday balloons. Anna was amazed as Jacob tapped the balloons to keep them in the air.

Jacob was very excited there was a leftover cookie from those we'd made for his class party.

Nana and Gramps came over for pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating.

Daddy drawing the jack-o-lantern's face

Our sweet family with the finished jack-o-lantern

Gramps and Jacob switching sweet treats

The cowboy and cow "double teaming" the dog

Anna's victory smile

Gramps giving Anna some trick-or-treating tips

Ready to go trick-or-treating!

Our first stop! Jacob did great and said "trick-or-treat" clearly and "thank you" after he received his candy.

We didn't go to that many houses but everyone was loading Jacob up. His bag got heavy quick! We asked him if he wanted to put it in the stroller. He responded with a definitive "No!"

Jacob annouced he was tired and ready to go home. Jacob's last trick-or-treating stop was our house where Gramps was handing out the treats.

Showing off his loot

Giggles on the porch

Daddy stealing some kisses from the birthday girl

One last shot of the birthday girl!

Guess Whoooo's One?!

Our sweet Anna turned one on Halloween! We celebrated by partying with Nana, Gramps, and Uncle David on October 30th. Anna had a wonderful time at her party and she looked adorable in her owl dress that was made by Nana!

Anna opening her baby doll from Mommy and Daddy. She was so excited!Anna was so sweet with her baby, giving her lots of hugs. It was too cute! Jacob "bought" Anna a stroller for her baby doll. He was so excited about picking it out and couldn't wait for her to open it. Our precious Anna with her baby in her stroller. After presents it was time for cake! My mom helped me make the chocolate owl cake. Anna wasn't very excited about her party hat........or the lighted candle.But she was a fan of her owlet chocolate cake with chocolate icing!Here's a shot of Anna's owlet "smash" cake which Nana made. Gramps and Nana with the birthday girl

I was amazed at how excited Anna was opening and playing with all of her presents. In addition to her doll and stroller, she received blocks, dishes, an interactive tea set, a ferris wheel, a big dog, and a monkey. Here she is giggling and playing with Uncle David and the monkey he gave her. Here are Daddy and Anna playing with the big dog Nana and Gramps gave her. Anna has had lots of fun "pouncing" on big dog!

We had so much fun celebrating Anna's first birthday! Anna is such a joy and continues to be such a happy, fun baby girl! In other one year old news, Anna received another great report from the pediatrician and is now 20 lbs and 29 inches (both between the 25th and 50th percentile).

Anna is such a loving girl. She loves to be held, cuddled, tickled, and chased. She also loves to "pounce" and reminds me of a little tiger cub when she is playing with Daddy and Jacob. Anna's favorite game is peek-a-boo and she plays it with anything made of fabric: curtains, blankets, clothes, washcloths, toys, etc. She thinks peek-a-boo is so funny and laughs and laughs. Her laughter is infectious!

Anna is into everything! She is crawling, pulling up, cruising, pushing her car, and starting to stand up by herself and climb stairs. She loves to practice standing up from a sitting position when she thinks no one is watching. She cracks me up because as soon as I say "Yay Anna!" she smiles and sits back down.

I love Anna's ruffled bottom!

I caught Anna opening the gate (it has now been tightened) and contemplating going up the stairs. She was too timid to try on this occassion but she's now crawled up with my help and Jacob's instruction and encouragement.

Anna has four teeth on top and three on the bottom. She loves to eat and continues to crack us up with her excitement over mealtime. Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese but oatmeal squares soaked in milk, chicken pot pie, and fruit pouches are up there as well. She is a great eater so far and has already switched to cow's milk with no issues (except for the constant messiness of milk on the kitchen floor).

Anna continues to love bathtime and gets so excited when the water starts to run. She loves to splash and dump water out of cups and doesn't mind water being splashed or dumped on her.

Anna babbles and will say Mama, Dada, and some sound that I know means "Jacob". She continues to have quite the vocal cords and it is quite evident to anyone within earshot when she is not happy!

We are so overwhelmed with love for our sweet baby girl and are so excited about all the fun ahead! Happy 1st Birthday, Anna! We love you so much!!