Christmas, Part 2

We had a great Christmas at our house! I was the only one to get up early (I was too excited to sleep any longer!) so I had to lounge around and wait for Kris and Annie to get up. Kris had to work till late the night before, so he was pretty tired. And Annie...well, she didn't know there was anything different about Christmas day, than any other day.:)
Here's Annie in her (last-minute) Christmas jammies. I had a hard time finding her size...so these are about 2 sizes too big. She can't crawl in them, or her legs end up coming out of the leg of the pajamas.

Annie got lots of fun things. She got a Ball Popper from Santa, and then some Little People, a V-Tech ball (it's crazy...it rolls by itself), and another ball (she LOVES balls!). Grandma Hunter sent her a Winnie the Pooh Christmas ornament. Of course, the wrapping paper and bows were the greatest part of Christmas for Miss Annie...but that's to be expected!

Kris got a Boise State Football shirt, which he has proudly worn just about every day since Christmas. Bring on the Fiesta Bowl!

Christmas, Part 1

Since we got our tree out of the box and ready to put up, I'm suprised at how helpful Annie is! She wanted to help put up the tree with Mom and Dad. Okay, maybe not help. But she was right in the middle of it all!


She does love to help wrap presents. I'm really looking forward to Christmas morning when I don't have to take the wrapping paper away from her. Guess how many rolls of it she's destroyed...:)



We had our Ward Christmas Party 2 weekends ago. Unfortunately, Kris had to work, so Annie and I were flying solo! Annie was excited to go. She got to play at Grandma Vesta's house while I went to the church to help set up (Hail the Conquering Activities Committee!). She had lots of fun there, she helped to un-decorate the Christmas tree (okay, maybe that wasn't so much "help" as just being a nuisance), taking out the trash (again with the nuisance...), and folding laundry (that's help!).


This year, we had a soup dinner (yum!) and a short program, followed by Santa, of course! Annie loved to watch the Primary kids up on the stage. I was suprised at how well-behaved she was for the whole program! Unfortunately...she did not love Santa.

One of our favorite Christmas activities is to decorate cookies and take plates of treats to our neighbors. Annie helped with that, too!

This is my favorite picture...after a long afternoon of frosting cookies (note that we had to change her shirt...pink frosting on yellow? Thank you Oxyclean!), Annie was exhausted.

9 Months

Annie had her 9 month visit to the doctor this month. She weighed in at 21 lbs. 8 oz. and is 28 inches long. She's in the 80th percentile for her height and 90th for her weight. She's going to be tall just like her Dad (6'4", thank you)! So far, she's got 4 teeth and she's doing lots of fun tricks now, like crawling and rolling around and laughing and she's even started pulling herself up on the furniture.

Annie is such a happy baby...we're really lucky. Oh, and she's freakin' adorable...

San Diego, CA

The first week of November, we packed up our car and headed to San Diego! Kris and Annie had never been there, and I haven't been there for years, so we thought it would be a fun little family vacation. We packed Grandpa in the car, too, to help entertain Annie.

We got to San Diego on Monday afternoon, after stopping in Yuma to see Aunt Mervie. After we got settled, Kris drove us down to Mission Beach...the scenic route! It was too cold to go very far in, but I took Annie and we splashed (okay, I splashed) for a little bit. It was great to feel the sand in my toes...I miss our annual family vacation to San Diego!

Tuesday we spent the day in Sea World. Annie's favorites were the penguins, the beluga whale, and the Sea Lion Show. She clapped right along with everybody (I think she thought they were clapping with her, though!) and smiled and laughed at the silly sea lions. She was a real trooper, getting in and out of her stroller all day. Kris and I rode Shipwreck Rapids twice...we were soaked! Thankfully we brought jackets and it was a sunny day. He also convinced me to go on Journey to Atlantis...which I did not love!

On Wednesday we drove to La Jolla to see the temple, and then to Coronado Island. Kris was dying to see the bridge! We spent most of the afternoon at Seaport Village. We didn't buy much, but it sure was fun to walk around and see all the people.

By Wednesday night, Annie and Grandpa were bushed! This is my favorite picture!

We came home on Thursday. Kris has been talking about all the vacations he wants to take, going back to SD included! We just got involved in this timeshare deal, so hopefully that makes it a little more convenient for us to head out for some more road trips! We had so much fun!

Halloween

For Annie's first Halloween, she was a bumblebee! And boy, did she make a cute one!:) Aunt Sara gave her this super cute onesie that she wore all day till it was time to get dressed up in her costume.

After Kris went to work, Annie and I went down to the Stake Center to meet our friends for Trunk-or-Treat. Annie had lots of fun giving out candy to all her friends!

What We've Been Up To...

Back in August (yes, I know I'm behind!) we spent a week in Idaho visiting Kris's family. I finally got pictures from Eric, so here we go...

Annie was so excited to get to see her Grandma & Grandpa Hunter again! She hadn't seen them since April when they came to visit. I got her the cutest outfit, but totally failed to get a cute picture in it. Oh well! The onesie said "Off To Grandma's". Annie did great on the plane...she even slept, which was awesome, since we were so worried about annoying the people around us. When we got into Boise, we had lunch with Grandma & Grandpa at Cracker Barrel, and then headed on to Twin Falls.

We got to stay with Eric, Leah and the kids, which was so much fun (thanks guys!). During our week, we had a BBQ at the park, went swimming at the YMCA, went to Miracle Hot Springs, and went to Bancroft to visit Annie's Great Uncle Clyde and Great Aunt Norma. She loved them and their beautiful home! We also threw a birthday party for Uncle Eric at Shoshone Falls. We ate some good food, yummy cake and played.

Playing with Uncle Eric at the park

Swimming with Mom at the YMCA

Kris...what else can I say?:)

Annie's Great Uncle Clyde & Great Aunt Norma

Kris with his cousin Kathy...she's the oldest cousin and he's the youngest

Kris & Eric at Eric's birthday

I have so many pictures...but I'll keep them to a minimum!:) We were sad to go, since we don't get to see everyone very often, but we had so much fun! Annie was glad to get home to her Bobo and her own bed.

In September, Annie sprouted her first two teeth! She's been a trooper...no fussing, no crying. You can't see them very well in this picture, but they're not grown in fully yet, either.

We also have been spending some time in Mesa with Annie's doctor. She will be getting fitted for a headband this month to help the shape of her head. While we were there, Danielle babysat for us so we could go to the temple. Annie and Addi are only 5 months apart, so they had lots of fun playing together!

This month we're making ANOTHER trip to Mesa, plus there's Halloween and some other fun things going on. With any luck, maybe we'll take a trip soon that doesn't involve a doctor!:) We just got Internet at home (haven't decided if that was a smart, or dumb, decision!), so hopefully I can keep this deal more updated!

6 Months

The day Annie turned 6 months old, she had to have a CT scan for her little neck. She has a crooked neck and a flat head, and they wanted to make sure everything was otherwise normal. Annie was such a trooper! She had to skip breakfast Monday morning, just in case they had to sedate her. I thought she would be super grumpy, but she fell asleep in the waiting room. Thankfully, that meant no sedation! They wrapped her up like a burrito in a sheet and put her head in the brace, and 3 minutes later...she was still lying totally still! If I could've bought her an ice cream cone afterwards, I totally would have.

For now, she doesn't have to have a helmet. The doctor showed me some stretches that make her scream, but they already seem to be helping her neck. Of course, they require two hands, so I'm the only one that can do them. Kris tries to help, but making my baby cry is pretty devastating to me! We go back in 6 weeks, and hopefully she's making enough progress that they won't have to fit her for a helmet.

After Annie's CT scan, she finally got to have breakfast! She was starving. We stayed at a hotel near the hospital, since we had to be there early in the morning. After breakfast, we went swimming. Annie loves to swim! Needless, to say, she was totally exhausted when we got back to our room.

At Annie's 6 month appointment, she weighed in at 18 pounds 8 oz. (90th percentile) and was 26 1/2 inches long (75th percentile). Mom was a trooper for these shots...I didn't cry at all this time!

Now that Annie is 6 months old, she is trying all kinds of new things. She loves pears, applesauce, squash, sweet potatoes and peas. Hopefully soon she catches on to using a spoon!

This past weekend we went to Mesa for a mini-vacation! We had so much fun. Friday night, Kris and I went to see "Wicked" at Gammage. My aunt watched Annie so Kris and I could enjoy our date (thanks Aunt Jayne!). Kris didn't think he would like it, but we both loved it! I've been waiting to see it since 2006, when it was last in AZ. We were in Row 9, and the seats were incredible.

We stayed with our friends, Craig, Bethany & Eden, out in Queen Creek all weekend. Saturday morning we all went swimming at Craig's parent's house. It was Annie's first time...she loved the water! Kris bought her an innertube with a little pouch for her legs to go in and a sun-shade over the top.

Saturday afternoon, Bethany and I went to the temple, and then met our husbands and the kids for dinner. It was great to have a little break (thanks boys!). That night we went swimming after the girls went to sleep. Sunday we lounged around, and tried this great frozen yogurt place! Yum!

Monday was Annie's doctor's appointment at Phoenix Children's Hospital. Annie did great for the doctor. We'll be going back in a couple weeks for a CT Scan of her neck, and to hopefully get her fitted for a little helmet. She has this crazy crooked neck and a flat head. Poor kid has to have shots during that same week! Luckily, the next week, she gets to go see Grandma! Hopefully that makes up for it.:)

Family Pictures

We had our first family pictures taken at the beginning of this month. They turned out great, and we are so pleased with them!

Things That Melt My Heart

4 Months

Annie turned 4 months old last week! People always say how she's still so small, but I can't believe how big she's gotten. At her checkup, she weighed in at 15 lbs. 2 oz. (80th percentile) and is 24 1/2 inches (40th percentile) long. She's flip-flopped from her last visit, when she was above average for her height and a little low on the weight side. She's still healthy and growing like she's supposed to.

Since the 4 month mark, Annie has discovered bananas and rice cereal. I thought it might help her sleep through the night, but no such luck. She'll work it out on her own time. And in the mean time, Kris and I will keep taking naps!

Annie has also begun talking. Of course, it's really just cooing and babbling, but to her...she's keeping conversations with Mom and Dad. The ladies in Relief Society think its the cutest thing when Kris gets her talking and smiling and laughing. She's also learned to enjoy having a bath (thank heavens...bathing a crying baby is SO hard!). She loves to stand on our laps, on the couch, on the floor...pretty much anywhere you put her feet. My favorite thing is that she's finally learned how to roll over onto her tummy. When she lays on her back, she throws her legs up in the air to get onto her side, and then flops over. Of course, she hasn't figured out how to get from tummy to back yet, and that's sometimes upsetting to her!:)

On the Street Where You Live...

Almost every evening Annie gets to go for a walk around our little neighborhood. She loves to go out in her stroller, and gets so excited when we get outside!

One night while we were walking down our street, we saw these drawings on the asphalt, out of asphalt. I love that our street has a little spunk!