Our little one year old!

Our little man turned one last week and as always it is hard to believe how quickly a year can pass. From the minute we met him on November 29, 2010 I fell head over heels in love with this little guy. He was a little squeaker in the hospital- so much so that the nurses wanted to keep a close eye on his squeaky breathing. A year later, and knowing his little mischievious personality, I think ole Pete just wanted a little extra time charming the pretty nurses.  And they did of course dote over the little guy for hours on end. Over the course of the past year, I’ve begun to realize that I am in trouble. This adorable little guy, with that “trouble maker” twinkle in his eye, and rascally side smile, I fear is going to have his mommy wrapped around his finger- making it easy for him to get away with anything.  Pete has an adventurous curiosity that makes you wonder what he’s up to. And we are learning, once he got to crawling and walking around that if we turn our back for more than a second, he is off looking for his next exploration. Either hightailing it to the closest unlocked cabinet,  dumping out a nearby drawer or basket, or his very favorite, diving into an un-lidded toilet. The boy loves to swirl his hands in that water- yuck!

Pete adores his big sister, giving us that wonderful giggle any time she does anything to make him laugh. Just seeing the look on his face as he watches her every move makes my heart want to burst. He is a very happy little guy, and I hope that his endearing charm and natural curiosity for everything stay with him for life. I couldn’t love him more and I can’t wait to watch him as he grows.

Halloween!

Another fun Halloween! We headed over to the cul-de-sac for the annual parade of costumes and some "light" trick or treating. Lots of fun...!


Night of pumpkin carving



Poor Pete.



Our pumpkins- mine is old school, Matt's "boo" is free hand-not stencil or anything!



Avery and Emilie getting ready to head to the parade!



Such little hams...



Not so sure about this trick or treat thing...



Em's trip to the aquarium

We took Emilie for her birthday to the Aquarium, while Pete went to "school".  She had a blast. 

of course, this purple fish was one of Em's faves

as you might can see, there is a man in the tank feeding the fish



these guys were huge!



the Beluga's always swam toward the window upside-down...not sure why

Quite certain the penguins were Emilie's favorite.  She couldn't stop laughing
at them.

We got Boo'ed!

Yesterday we got home from school to a very fun surprise- we got Boo'ed! Someone left a fun pumpkin full of lots of halloween treats at our back door. I love Halloween and this is just one more fun thing to go along with it. The tradition is that if you get boo'ed, you receive treats, a spooky poem, and instructions on how you must now boo! too neighbors. And you put a sign on your door so that people know who has been boo'ed and who has not. Such fun! Emilie and I talked in the car this morning about who we want to boo! next...be on the look out!

I can hardly believe...

It really feels like just yesterday that we were nervously bringing our sweet new baby girl home from the hospital. I really, honestly can't believe that we have a three year old daughter now. She amazes me every day with her sense of humour, her beauty, her cautiousness, and the wisdom that she's attained in just three years. There have been many times that I've been having a conversation with her, enjoying all the crazy little things she says, and I try to freeze the moment so that I'll remember it. You don't have to tell me it goes fast, I think I'm already realizing it. I'll pray every day to make sure that I'm the kind of mom this wonderful little girl deserves. And all that aside, she's already shown us what a tough, independant little lady she is, so I feel certain she'll have alot of her own say in the paths that she chooses to take.
All seriousness aside, we celebrated(and continue to celebrate) the big three with lots of fun! Her birthday just happened to coincide with her very first day of dance at school(ballet AND tap!) and she could not have been more excited.  She went to school for her class then mommy came and got them both for a fun lunch at chick-fil-a and a trip to Learning Express to pick out "one" toy. Friday we went to the Aquarium where Emilie fell in love with the penguins! She squealed with delight every time she saw one waddle out the side and then dip head first back into the water. It was hilarious. This past Saturday she celebrated with all her play group buddies with some painting and crafts at The Little House of Art- such a good ole messy time!  Mommy was more than a little excited over her birthday- really the first one that she seems to really "get" -so I took lots of pictures to document!




ballerina



birthday morning fun



Surprise!

party day!



Some recent goings on...

Been a relatively quiet couple of weeks to be honest. Hanging out at the lake and going to some GT football games.

Pete getting ready for some din and Em playing with
her beloved Play-doh

Pete's first haircut! 9 mos, 3 weeks

Pete and Anna's first GT football game. What a game
to be their first! GT puts up 768 total yards, 604 rushing
yards, and beats Kansas 66-24. Pete lasted for 1.5qtrs
and was D-U-N.

funny grin by Peter

on Sunday aft., we went to Kangazoom...a bouncehouse
for a birthday party for Parker Troughton...Pete
was a huge fan.

Pete having fun at Kangazoom

A few from the past

Since this blog sort of serves as a second "baby book" for the kids, there are a few pics from this year that never made it up here that I wanted to post. Just a few of my favorites of these little guys. (Matt and I could probably stand to get a few more pictures of ourselves too- but they are the lookers of the family after all. ; )

This one of Pete from June 2011 makes me want to scoop him up and smother him with kisses!

Emilie and her "peanut cereal".

Emilie's first tries at golf...Aptil 2011

Pete with his signature smile, June 2011

Dueling swingers -

Em and Pete rocking the swings at home-base park, Morgan Falls.  These kiddos love them some swingin...

Good work by AM to rock both of 'em at the same time!

Random

Misc. stuff that's been going on the last 2 weeks...

making a necklace out of Nanna's Shapes and Blocks

Em's first night game at Bobby Dodd.  Tailgating started
off with Yellow Jacket Alley and Em checking out the
cheerleaders!

The coaches and players make their way down YJA.

Em in her new GT dress.

Uh-oh...we've started playing with Play-doh.  Em
made some cheeseburgers this Mon. aft.  Taking a
bite!

an afternoon snack of chocolate ice cream...