NOT Coming Soon to a Mailbox Near You

The following is what happens when one mom tries to capture a simple Christmas card picture of her daughter. Professional photographers be advised: we WILL be using your services next year!



First, a LOOOONG series of awkward pictures as mom tries singing (among other silly methods) to get a smile.

Tired of hearing mommy sing, Baby Girl grabs a New Testament off the bookshelf- not so subtly reminding her mom that cute pictures on cards have nothing to do with the REAL reason we celebrate Christmas! Mom quickly adjusts her attitude ;)

Silly mommy thinks a nap and a basket (to stop the running away) might help... more awkward faces are captured.

Baby Girl convinces mommy that the flash is permanently damaging her eyes.

24 hours (and a wardrobe change) later, Baby Girl has realized what it means when mommy gets the camera out, and apparently it means act as silly as possible!

In order to show Baby Girl how much '"fun" it is to be in pictures, mom jumps in a couple of shots too. Does she look convinced?

Then it all ends with the "I'm all finished with pictures and I REALLY mean it" face.

Did we finally get a good one somewhere in there?? Check your mailboxes soon to see ;)

Better Late Than Never, Right?

Finally, some pictures from B's birthday party...

Directing during the singing of "Happy Birthday."

First taste of the birthday cake. She started off slowly...

But quickly figured out a better way!

That is one happy 1 year old!

Please notice her crossed feet in the picture above. She does this ALL the time. She has since she was born. I love it!

Showing off her boots from Aunt Lee Lee.

I love my little family!

So I know everyone told me to enjoy the time she was a baby... and I listened, I really did, but I feel like it passed so quickly! I should have enjoyed it more. BUT, I am LOVING this stage. B is so much fun right now...

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  She is saying lots of words now. "Dog" is still her favorite, but she also says "bye" (anytime one of us is getting off of the phone and says bye, she echos us), "hey", "baby", "duck" and she can tell you what lots of animals say. My favorite is the turkey. Ask her next time you see her ;)


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  She is also signing lots of words- "more" and "eat" are her favorites


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  What I love most is how much she understands... When I say "daddy's home," she runs to the door; when we say "time to eat," she runs to her highchair; when we say "bring me a book," she runs to pick one out; when we say "do you need a clean diaper?" she runs back to her room


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  Ummm... she runs A LOT!
  
  I can't even begin to put into words how much we love this precious gift. She keeps us on our toes and ALWAYS keeps us laughing!
  

Pumpkin Patch

Still catching up around here...

We went to a local pumpkin patch with B's friend Mac a while back. Here are a few pics.

Mac didn't care much for B's lack of respect for personal space ;)

Helping Daddy find just the right one

We found it!!!

How I Spent My Birthday...by Blakely

I turned 1 on October 12th!

The day started like most of our days... Mommy and I took Mav for a walk.

Then, as a special treat, we ate lunch with Daddy!

I sure do love him!

Then Mommy took me to the store where I got to pick out a cupcake. I picked out this cute little doggie. (Dogs are my favorite, in case you didn't know).

When we were leaving, a nice lady gave me a sticker.

It was DELICIOUS!

After Daddy got home, he and mommy gave me a new toy,

and I got to eat my doggie cupcake!

I wasn't sure what to do at first,

but I figured it out eventually.

It sure is great being 1!!

So Much To Say...

Our computer has been out of commission for a while, so we've got lots of blogging to catch up on. In an effort to keep things organized (for me) and less boring (for you guys), I'm not even going to attempt to put everything into one post! So be patient with me while I try to catch you up on our busy October...
At the beginning of the month we took Blakely to the Lee County Fair. We weren't sure how she would do, so we went with no expectations. We decided that if we got there and she melted down as soon as we walked in the gate, we would just turn around and go home. As it turned out, B would have stayed all night. We started with the carousel. Then rode the big slide. Then B went for a pony ride. Then the rain came. Mommy and Daddy were the ones who decided we were done. I wasn't about to stand around waiting on the rain to stop. I did however wait in the rain to get a candy apple before we headed home! ;)

What a Year!

On this day, one year ago, our lives were changed forever. Thinking about that day brings such a mixture of emotions for both of us- there is no way to even begin to describe it. When we look back over Blakely's first year, the thing that stands out the most, from day one, is God's faithfulness. We've enjoyed looking back over the past couple of days at the journey, and we wanted to share our favorite picture from each month with you...

Newborn

One Month Old

Two Months Old

Three Months Old

Four Months Old

Five Months Old

Six Months Old

Seven Months Old

Eight Months Old

Nine Months Old

Ten Months Old

Eleven Months Old


ONE YEAR OLD!!

Big Girl!

What a BIG girl!!

Busy Days are Here Again

One of the things I love most (and also get the most frustrated with) about fall is how busy we are. Lately we've been filling our time with lots of friends and family, and it's been SO fun!

Blakely and I were able to eat lunch with sweet Mac, who is now a WHOLE YEAR old, and his mommy! BTW- If you live in the Hoover area (or even if you don't) we ate at The Egg and I, and it was DELICIOUS!!

We also got a visit from one of my closest friends, Naomi, and her precious little boy, Patrick.

We went to Montgomery to celebrate Jim's grandmother's 91st birthday!

Blakley has also been going to "Baby Gym," where we sing songs, do art, and play with some fun new friends.

And of course, there's Auburn football...

Soon we'll have a couple of days to lay around and do nothing as a family, but for now we are loving every busy day together!!