Christmas Card rejects

Let's just pick up as if we never left off!  Here are a few reject, yet funny, pictures in our quest for a Christmas card pic this year.  There are plenty more where these came from...but here are the most entertaining.  Pretty tame if you ask me.

Lillie's 3rd Birthday

It has been celebration central around our house this week.  That really just comes with the territory of having a holiday birthday, I guess.  It was three short years ago when my water broke at 11 pm on July 3rd just as we were going to sleep after a fun night of ice cream feasting.  Our lives haven't been the same ever since she came into the world and my how we are so very thankful for this this little bundle of firecrackers!

This year Lillie was more aware of what having a birthday means.  She knew that she was only two (picture her giving the peace sign here) and that she was turning "free!" and then it all went downhill from there.  She then moved straight to losing teeth and being a BIG girl from there. 

Here are some highlights from the week.  Maybe (and that's a big maybe) I'll get to post some pics from the past year.  We have somebody else's first birthday to celebrate soon!

We started off the morning right with a big wake up call from Dunc

Birthday presents were first because we all couldn't wait to see her excitement

A big girl bike...with no missing teeth!

Swim time with friends

picnicing with friends to finish out the week

Kitchen help

Help?  Ummm...no.  I still wouldn't have it any other way!

Long day...

of play ahead.

Sous chef

Back at blogging

...with a big maybe in there.  I last posted over 6 months ago and I'd like to say that blogging is like a great friend.  That friend that you haven't seen in a while and when you come back together you pick right up where you left off. 

I doubt that's the case here.  Bummer, because a lot has happened.  And while I love to enjoy every minute with my family, I also like to be able to look back at pictures and my blog to remember it.  So here goes nothing...

Lillie:


Slooooow down there, girl!  Our sweet little almost 3 year old is growing up way too fast for me.  Although, she is becoming a super side kick and I'm so thankful for all of her help.  I often find her saying the same things that I say to Duncan and trying her hardest to pick him up and comfort him or guide him away from something she has seen me tell him is dangerous. 

She's also full of an imagination and excitement (if you know her, you know the excitement has always been there) now with stories to tell and made up places to go.  It's a ton of fun to sit back and watch what she comes up with. 

And the drama is kicking!  She tends to have a good sense of how things usually go and as soon as she starts to get the feeling that it's not going as expected, no worries, she'll make sure to let us know.

Duncan:


Duncan is now 10 months old and such a little sunshine.  While he's much more laid back than his sister, I've come to realize he'll likely not have much of a problem being the little brother considering his size.  He's got such a warm, cuddly personality and fat rolls that 'll make you want to squeeze him a little too tight.  Sometimes when I'm holding him I jump up and down to just release the joy.

He feels free to adventure around the house.  We keep the bathroom door shut, all of the toys with hair or fuzz on them off of the floor (he just adores planting his face in them and knawing away), and the fridge door must be closed almost as soon as it is opened.  If he makes it there in time we'll surely be tearing him away.

There's so much more to our sweet family, but here's what I came up with on the fly since I'm getting some good quiet time around here.  Here's to hoping that I can share more...

artist at work

The cold weather hasn't really set in but we aren't doing as much of this these days.  I love to let Lillie try different activities but my Type A tends to get in the way for stuff like this.

getting outside

I'm not sure how much more time we'll have like this outside before the cold sets in here in Florida.  I know it only lasts for, what, 2 months but I sure do enjoy that warm weather.  And I really love taking pictures of my kids outside because they usually come out so clear and crisp...and show how absolutely beautiful they are.

C is for cookie

First of all, ignore the mess in our living room.  It's not that things are always so neat and tidy around here but Lil was close to the end of this crazy week long, throw up, have diarrhea in the middle of the night bug.  We spent the whole week at home doing nothing more than disinfecting and trying to keep fluids in Lillie.  Thankfully no one else got it.  It sure didn't stop her from being Duncan's entertainment committee though.

Have to go now

Hopefully this isn't too hard for you to understand.  Little Mama is telling Baby Brother that she has to go (do what, play with toys?!) and that he should stay with mommy and play with his toys (that she just ripped away from him).  I know what she's saying because she's mimicking what she hears from me.  Oh dear.

3 months

Oopsy!  Thought I had posted these...

So glad

Lil often tells Duncan, "I so glad you!"  I love catching her facial expressions that show how glad her little brother makes her.

ABC's

Duncan- 2 months old

Here is Duncan at 2 months old wearing a few pieces passed down from his daddy.  Next month I'll make sure not to take pictures right before bedtime.  He screamed the whole time.

At 2 months, Duncan is:
15 pounds, 85%
24 inches, 97%


He doesn't like the idea of boys wearing a gown, I guess



I couldn't catch the cute little puff on top of the hat but I was just happy to catch him not crying



Oh come on, Gilligan

Love

This is obviously an old picture, but I love seeing my buddies together.

No worries, Mom...

I've got him.

Duncan- 1 month

He's here!

Okay, so he's been here....for a month and some change and he's so absolutely precious.  I woke up about 5 am on that Sunday morning and didn't even think that those odd cramps could mean anything.  I'm still not sure what I was thinking then.  I even tried to send John to church because I was too scared to be that wife that cried "labor" only to still be pregnant at the end of the day.  Thankfully, we have some wonderful friends at church who came by around 10 to take Lillie with them.  John and I arrived at the Birth Cottage at 10:30 am and he was born soon thereafter.  It was just that easy!   Psssh.

John Duncan
7/17/2011
11:45 am
7 lbs 6 ozs, 19 3/4 inches









Now that he's already 1 month old, I'll try not to be a month late in posting some 1 month pictures.

You can never nap alone around here...

Daily delivery

Each day when John heads out to get the mail he has a little shadow following him to the mailbox.  He pulls out the mail and hands it to Lillie and then becomes her follower so that he can catch what she drops on the way back.  Even if she only ends up with one piece left at the end of the trip she's still super excited to deliver it to me when she gets back.  Her sweet smile sure makes getting a hand full of bills much more pleasant!