Water baby

Second time swimming

She loves it!

Swimming with the girls!

Best friend Ellyann Thomas

Annaliese is sitting up (sharing a toy with Ellyann in this pic) and scooting like crazy.  Today she got some rug burn on her knees.  I'm sure her skin with toughen up and she'll just get faster from here on out!

Annaliese & Ellyann leaning watching sports with their dads.  Virginia and I are pretty sure that they'll be the girls that actually know what football penalty was called (and explain it to their mothers) and know who to pick in the basketball playoffs, yet will still be sweet and girly as well.

Summer yummer

I love the crunch of a FRESH green bean straight from the garden!

Getting a few awesome ripe strawberries just makes it feel like... Happy Summer!!!

This was one of those awesome what-should-I-make-for-dinner moments at like 6:30, went out to the garden, came back with zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and basil and tossed it with some whole wheat pasta and... wahla!  A super yummy healthy dinner without having to go to the store!

Andy made these awesome stuffed tomatoes today... these were stuffed with BLT & ranch and he also made some with guacamole.  We'll also be making more stuffed tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil.  

Dedicated unto the Lord

I am reminded of Hannah's story of God's faithfulness in 1 Samuel as we had Annaliese dedicated in our church yesterday.  It is amazing to think that exactly two years ago, we were mourning the loss of our first baby at 9 weeks into the pregnancy when the baby's heartbeat disappeared from the ultrasound just days before Father's Day 2007.  This came after a couple years of yearning for a baby and was followed by 7 more months of doctor visits, medication, ultrasounds etc.  In his own time, God again graciously granted us the gift of a child without any medication or other intervention and allowed me carry Annaliese in my own womb, even as we had begun the process to adopt in early 2008.  Now, she is a joyful baby, growing and learning new things almost daily and we couldn't love her more.  We give God the glory and humbly ask him for guidance and grace to be godly parents.  

As Andy has said before, we were already obligated to raise her up in the Lord and in our hearts we've already dedicated her to God.  But it was a blessing to share this with our family and congregation, especially on Father's Day.  She was a ham, smiling and waving both hands at the church and trying to eat Pastor Jim's microphone as he prayed for our family.

"I [Hannah] prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 

So now I give him [baby Samuel] to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." 

1 Samuel 1:27-28a

After the service we joined our family at my parents' house for a yummy meal.  Annaliese enjoyed her peas and as her Auntie Jenn Jenn said, she could be a Gerber baby commercial for peas (although I usually steam/puree them myself).  She loves vegetables although I've been trying to get her to eat more fruit to make things easier for her down below.  She prefers veggies so much that I have to sneak the fruit in by mixing it with veggies!  I hope that she continues to love veggies, but I also hope that she gets some relief from having to push so hard!

Lazy

So, I never posted pictures for our weekend in May with our UNITE friends (young married fellowship from Calvary SLO).  It was SO MUCH FUN... we've grown from 5 couples to 5 couples with 5 kids and 1 on the way!  Anyway, at least Kayla has pics on her blog.  

P.S. A funny story about bath time with the 4 older kiddos (Logan 2 1/2, Lucy & Tobin 1, Annaliese 6 months)... after the bath they were all in the living room dancing in the buff to the stereo music supplied by Chris, when Justin said "Ok, first one to pee wins!" 20 seconds later, "We have a winner!" and Annaliese got the prize!

Also, here's a link to the rest of the photos from the Texas trip, y'all!  

Texas (part 2)

Annaliese got to meet her Great Grandmother & Great Grandaddy for the first time and she had a ball with them!  Annaliese liked to try to tweak Great Grandmother's nose and would laugh and giggle with her.

Annaliese and Grandaddy looked like they planned their outfits together!  

Andy's grandparents have given us such a legacy of God's faithfulness to continue.  

Aunt Leslie and & Uncle Andy were such gracious hosts and we loved staying with them!  Oh, and the food!  We enjoyed Joe T's (mexican), Railhead BBQ, Aunt Leslie's famous dessert of many names (Turkish Delight, Crack Bars), black berries, and much more!

MOTHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

:)

Ok so maybe it was a two-way tie!  Ha ha! 

Anne Marie and I hung out all weekend and hit it off like we were old friends.  Anne Marie ended up teasing me frequently about my hippie California ways (using cloth diapers, making baby food, etc.) but was pretty impressed with a burp that escaped from me that sounded more like one of the guys!  She was relieved to learn that not all of us Californians eat sushi and tofu everyday.  So fun to be right at home with Andy's family!  Can't wait to see you in AL, Anne Marie!

Kissin' Cousins (Texas part 1)

Glorianne (daughter of Andy's cousin Anne Marie) loved playing with and kissing her new cousin Annaliese!  I guess the girls are second cousins?

Annaliese & Gabrielle (6 weeks) chilling on the floor together.

As any one knows, it is near impossible to get multiple kids to sit still for a portrait, but we tried it anyway at Target... for almost 1 1/2 hours!  That poor sweet photographer!  It turned out cute, with a little "personality," and the great-grandparents will love the picture of all 3 of their great-grandkids!  Sorry it can't be posted here, but it will be hanging at 908 Creekdale soon!

Anne Marie hooked us up with everything we could possibly need for the kiddo so that we were actually able to carry our luggage on the plane (since checking costs extra now, this was particularly great).  She brought stuff we don't even have at home, such as this suspended bouncer - which quickly became her new favorite toy.  

Actually, Andy and I didn't see too much of each other because he was visiting hospitals with his Uncle Andy who was the on call orthopaedic surgeon on this holiday weekend.

More to come...

The first spoils