Anna's Adventures

Update

2009-01-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

Well, we're back in the swing of things after the holidays. We had a great time in Albuquerque visiting family this holiday season. Even though we were sad to get back to our routines, we're finding it comforting. Anna is loving her day care/preschool. They've moved her in with the "older" kids a bit early, and she seems to really be thriving in that environment. She's still in the same area with her best friend, Ross. They are so cute together! When I took her back the first day after break, he saw her and gave her a big hug. It was so sweet. I didn't know kids could form such a bond at such a young age. I posted just a few pictures highlighting the past month and a half. More later!

Children's Christmas Parade

2008-12-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Festival (big event in Natchitoches) was this past weekend, and we took Anna to the Children's Parade for the first time. She seemed to really enjoy it. You can see in the pictures that she was practicing her "parade wave," which is actually just the way she waves right now. It was cute. When people in the parade waved, Anna waved back. I also included a few pictures of the parade itself. Kevin and I tried not to laugh too hard at some of the people in costume walking with the parade. Bless their hearts for entertaining the kids!

Who, me?

2008-09-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

Anna is doing so many funny things lately, so I thought I'd post a few of the highlights. She is excited to sit on the potty (most days). She has also started to really enjoy coloring. She gets pretty serious about it, as you can see in the picture. She says new words every day--it's crazy. She repeats the last word or two of everything you say to her--or to someone else. She likes to say HI! to people in the grocery store. We get mixed reactions on this one--it's kind of funny. She also likes to play with her cell phone. She says, "Hi!.....doing?" Very cute.

Summer's over...

2008-09-07T18:57:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a while since we've posted anything. We're back at school and into our busy schedule, but I intended to post some of the pictures of our trip to Pennsylvania and Denton from early August! So, even though it's almost a month later, I'll post them. We had a really great time on our trip. Anna was a great little traveler. The weather in Pennsylvania was beautiful, so we enjoyed a lot of time outdoors (parks, hiking, etc.). Anna also got to pet her first real, live horse in Denton! I need to take some new pics of Anna, so I'll do that soon and then post them!

Summertime fun!

2008-07-26T12:02:00.001-07:00

Anna's pre-school had a water play day on Friday. Kevin and I got to go and participate--we had a great time. Anna loved running around and screaming in the "sprinkler." That is, after she got used to her water shoes. She walked around like a dog with socks on for a few minutes when we first put the shoes on her--which we did the night before, thank goodness! She just kept high stepping and saying, "Off!" It was hard not to laugh--poor baby. Anyway, she got used to the water shoes and loved playing in the water. We were also excited for her to try watermelon for the first time. She, however, was not as excited. Wouldn't eat a bite. But she still loves cataloupe, apples, oranges (which she calls "asha!"), and--her all time favorite-strawberries. So, I think we're covered on fruit for her.

Cool kid

2008-07-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Not much to update on--summer's moving right along these past few weeks. Anna is discovering new toys at her preschool. She doesn't want to leave when I go to pick her up! She loves the play kitchen and sofa and chair set. She also loves dancing to "Ralph's World" now. It's pretty funny stuff---Kevin and I enjoy it too! We'll be getting a CD or two of his soon. Here are two recent cute pics of our cool kiddo. (I brought the sunglasses back from Kansas City for her...she likes them, but doesn't keep them on for too long.)

First Haircut...well, trim.

2008-07-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

Anna got her first haircut this weekend. Her little bangs were really in her eyes and starting to bother her, and since she won't let us get anywhere near putting a barette in her hair--we went for a little trim. I was sad to see her little face look kind of different with her new bangs, but it's nice to see her not be irritated by her hair in her eyes. She didn't seem afraid at all--was a good girl while her hair was being cut.

Time flies!

2008-06-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Time has flown since the last blog! We traveled to New Mexico to visit family and friends and had a great time. We got up to the mountains one day, so Anna had her first "hike!" She enjoyed it very much. She wanted to step on every rock and tree root to test it out. We had such a nice time, and our time there flew by. We wish we could've spent even more time with family and friends. But we're looking forward to our next visit. Not much else to report around here. Malena is getting ready for the Clarinet Conference next week. She's performing for the first time so is a little anxious. So, she's practicing and rehearsing a lot this week. Anna will stay with Daddy while Mommy is at the conference. Kevin will be Super Dad!! He's great with her, so things will be just fine. They always have so much fun together. Anna continues to amaze us with how quickly she seems to be learning to talk. She tries to say just about everything and is lately focused on her colors. Such a funny girl! Here are a few pics from our trip.

Swimming!

2008-05-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Anna started swimming lessons this week! She's enjoying it. She is very relaxed in the water, which is great. Unfortunately, she's so relaxed much of the time, that she doesn't really want to kick or move her arms, but she does enjoy being pulled through the water and "jumping" around in it. There are 2 other little girls in her class who she calls "babies," even though they're around 4 years old. She loves watching them and will sometimes imitate them. (I added a bonus picture just because I thought it was cute.)

Puppies!

2008-05-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

We went down to the riverfront last weekend, and the Humane Society was having adoptions! Anna really enjoyed seeing all the puppies and kittens. She wasn't sure she wanted to touch them, but she loved looking at them and making doggie and kitty noises. She was a little superstar. A lady there asked if she could take some pictures of Anna looking at the puppies because she was so cute. :)

Mother's Day!

2008-05-19T20:27:00.001-07:00

We had a great Mother's Day. Here are a few photos of Anna bringing me a card in the morning and of the two of us later that day. We took photos of Anna and Mommy last year for her first Mother's Day (and then with Daddy for Father's day). We liked them so much, that we did it again this year.

Update

2008-05-19T20:22:00.001-07:00

So, it's been a while since I blogged last. Anna has been a busy little girl: parties, walking, almost running, reading any book she can find (or asking Mommy or Daddy to read it to her), and growing way too fast. We've had a busy month so far and are looking forward to settling down a little now that the semester is done. Anna starts swimming lessons this week. Other than that, we are just cleaning house and trying to get some rest. The pictures are from the past couple of weeks.

Lost in play

2008-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

Poor little Anna thought it would be fun to crawl under the table to play. It was...for a little while. Poor thing. I promise, we didn't let her be trapped for long. She also likes to store things in the "cookie sheet" cupboard in the kitchen now. We find something new there every day. Funny girl...

Springtime fun!

2008-04-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying the spring weather (when it's sunny out!) as much as we can. Here are some pictures of Anna getting ready to go on a walk (she holds her hat on her head...we're not sure why) and Anna in her new swing for the first time (likes to swing high and fast...oh dear!). She is really trying to communicate more and more with sign language and words. She says her own name now sometimes while patting her chest--so cute! Today was the first day it was pretty hot and muggy. I think we'll get the summer outfits out! She is also walking around really well now! The bumps and bruises have begun--she fell 3 times the other morning, resulting in a fat lip and bump on the head. Poor thing--she tries to get going faster than her little legs will go!

Reading and playing with Daddy

2008-03-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. Here are some pics of Anna reading with Daddy, and then playing peek-a-boo and "climb the mountain" with Daddy. She is becoming more and more animated each day! She seems to have to words, signs, or other ways to communicate every day. I enjoyed having my Spring Break at home with her. We got into a nice schedule, which we will try to keep most of when she returns to day care. They are really pretty good at keeping her on a schedule, so we appreciate that. I took Anna to the library last week for the firt time. It was so cute to see her eyes get wide as we entered the kid's section--she pointed, said, "Bou, bou!" and wiggled to get out of my arms. We chose 3 books to bring home. Daisy the Duck's Favorite Things is her favorite. It's big with bright pictures--it's the one she's reading with Kevin in the pictures.

Easter

2008-03-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter weekend. On Saturday, we put Anna in her Easter dress to take some pictures around town. We went to a couple of places, including the river front so that Anna could play with her "walker" in a bigger area than her play area at home. She loved having so much room to "walk" in!! She's taken a few steps on her own, but she loves walking with her "walker." As you can see from some of the pics, she was also very interested in the leaves on the ground. It was difficult to get her to look up because she was studying the leaves so much! On Easter Sunday, we dressed her in her cute spring outfit from Grandma and Grandpa Hobart--it fit her perfectly! We spent the morning at home. She was interested in what the Easter Bunny brought her---especially the plastic eggs filled with Puffs! Then we went to our friends' house and had a fun Easter dinner outdoors. The weather was beautiful--so it was really nice to enjoy a meal on the back deck. Before dinner the kids played croquet, and Anna liked checking out the stick at the beginning of the course. She doesn't seem to be afraid of the grass anymore because she was crawling and walking around (with help) on it quite a bit. We ended the day with some wonderful homemade apricot "cakes" that our friend made--similar to a Slovak traditional desert (her family is Slovak). Anna enjoyed these too! Then she fell asleep in my arms (earlier than we expected). She had a fun-filled day. We all did. How lucky am I to have these two wonderful people in my life? ...and our great friends on top of that!

Happy Birthday!!

2008-03-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Anna had a great first birthday! We had a really nice time--invitied a few friends over, cooked yummy food, and enjoyed hanging out. Anna loves to be around people, so she enjoyed having everyone over. She wasn't too impressed with the cake. I had to put a Puff on it to get her to touch the frosting, and then she wanted the frosting off her finger. So funny! She had a small bite of the cake and wasn't very impressed by that either. She managed to get some frosting in her hair with the spoon, and she enjoyed opening presents. I think her favorites were the baby doll Grandma Hobart sent and the Glo Worm. Thank you, everyone, for the great and very generous birthday gifts! She plays with all of them, and loves having the variety of toys in her play room. She's growing so quickly. It's exciting and sad at the same time...

Spring has almost sprung!

2008-03-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Anna and I went on a little outing to the riverfront. I had planned to take her picture in front of one of the excellent tulip "displays" they always do on the river front this time of year, but the tulips had not yet been planted. So...I took her pictures by the tulips anyway. They were too pretty...even in their containers. Anna was very interested in the dogs (and people) walking around. It was a beautiful day, even if it was a little breezy. Kevin also took some pictures of Anna in the front yard today. She enjoyed sitting in the grass, moving her feet around. She wasn't sure she wanted to stand on the grass, but she was fine to sit in it. We can't believe her birthday is this week!! We'll post pictures after the big day.

Plugging Away

2008-02-24T15:11:00.000-08:00

Things have been crazy busy these past few weeks. If I recount all of it here, I might get overwhelmed again. So, suffice it to say that we've been busy on all fronts: work and home (we moved to a new house! Pics to come soon.). Anna is growing so fast and doing so many new things! She's not walking yet, but she's trying so hard to talk. She says something new almost every day. Now, it's usually just one syllable words or the first syllable of a word, but we can understand her. Her most recent sayings include, "Thank you! (Tin too!)" and "Good Girl! (Guh Ger!)" and "More Puffs! (Mo *p* *ff*!)" We're enjoying the new house, and I know we'll enjoy it even more when all the boxes are put away and we're all set up and decorated. We're also planning Anna's first birthday party! We can't believe it's right around the corner... Time flies. It's bittersweet---so fun to see her doing new things and communicating, but sad to put away little outfits I loved on her and socks that don't fit her any more. I remember thinking that she was SO TINY for her car seat--and now we're buying her a new one! *Sigh*

Funny face!

2008-02-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of Anna's favorite faces to make lately. We don't know where she picked it up--but she does it when she's being silly and wants to get you to laugh with her. It works!

Anna's First Mardi Gras!

2008-02-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

Saturday was our Mardi Gras parade here in Natchitoches. We went down to a friends house (he lives on the parade route) and watched the parade. Anna was very intrigued by the big floats and the music. We had a good time catching beads. Anna and I stayed toward the back most of the parade and Kevin caught beads for us. Although, we managed to do pretty well, too! (Sorry one of the pics is sideways!)

Growing Fast!

2008-01-27T10:21:00.000-08:00

I was looking at pictures of Anna at Christmas time, and she looks like a different baby to me now! She's growing too fast. She's doing well back in day care. She still plays with her buddy, Ross. She's been having some trouble with nap time, but I think she's starting to settle back into a routine. We're back into our semester schedule full swing now. The next month will be pretty busy--lots going on at work. Anna is cruising on the furniture like a pro! She even lets go sometimes and turns around. As soon as she realizes she's not holding on to anything, she sits back down. She loves her little "walker." I'll try to post a video of that soon. She pulls herself up on the handle and just starts walking! She's very proud of herself...it's so cute. She is also enjoying having books read to her more and more. She's starting to use her signs really well, too! She is telling us when she wants a diaper change, when she's done with one thing for dinner and wants another thing (puffs or wagon wheels usually). She is even trying to say words! She says book (without the "k"), "bok, bok" for her stuffed chicken, "wo, wo, wo" for doggie/puppy, "mao" for kitty cat, "bah-bah" for bye-bye while she waves... It seems like she's doing something new every day! And now she's up from her nap, so I'll write more later!

Long time, no blog!

2008-01-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

I have been really bad about keeping up with the blog. Like you guys haven't noticed that! We had a great Christmas trip home to Albuquerque to visit family. Anna got to meet her aunts and uncles and cousins. She had a great time meeting everyone--really didn't have much "stranger anxiety" for the most part. She liked playing with her two cousins, Riley and Jacob, who are 5 months older than her. They all played more "near" each other than "with" each other. I'm sure as they get older that will change. Santa was very good to Anna this year. She was needing some more interactive toys (lights, buttons, music, etc.), and she got 'em! She loves them. Playing with toys has reached a new level. She also has one of her top teeth breaking through as of this morning! The other one is not far behind. Watch out Cheerios, here we come! She has been so much fun to watch this past month and a half. She is blossoming every day--discovering things, becoming more mobile, her expressions are PRICELESS, her laugh is so great, and you can just SEE her learning and figuring things out. I'm a little sad that I have to go back to work this week. I've enjoyed having all this time with her. She seems to have lots of fun at day care--and I'm sure she'll enjoy playing with the toys and her friends even more now!

Bundled Up!

2007-12-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

Kevin and Dalton put up our lights last weekend. It was actually pretty cold out! Anna was very curious as to what was going on on the porch, so we got bundled up to watch Daddy and Dalton put up the lights for a while. I took some pictures before we got outside. (I'll post a picture of our lights later...we still have to take some!)

First Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T07:53:00.001-08:00

Anna had a great first Thanksgiving! She was very happy to sit at the big table with everyone. She didn't eat much but did enjoy contributing to the conversation and laughing when everyone else laughed. She is such a funny little character.

Fireworks!

2007-11-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to the opening ceremony of the Christmas Festival and the lights in Natchitoches. It's a really fun time of year in Natchitoches--lots of family activities, etc. We found a good spot on the grass by the river and watched the lights come on and fireworks! It was Anna's FIRST fireworks! We weren't sure how she'd react, but she seemed to like them. She didn't act scared at all. Here are a few pictures from the evening.

Fall Photos

2007-11-17T13:59:00.000-08:00

We're finally getting a new post up! These are some photos taken about 2 weeks ago on Front Street by the river. The city puts up these decorations, and they seemed like a great place to take some pictures. Anna was such a good sport. There was a little breeze off the river, and she seemed to be enjoying that. I can't believe she's 8 months old now! She's standing up while holding on to things really well. She's a crawling pro--goes everywhere. She loves to pull herself up to standing. We also discovered that she does NOT like peaches.

Halloween in Natchitoches

2007-11-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Anna had a fun first Halloween! We went to the kid carnival on Front Street as soon as Kevin got home from work. They closed off part of the street--it was packed! Then, after dinner at home, we went to the first half of the Halloween orchestra concert. She enjoyed it--seeing all the students dressed up, looking at all the people, and watching the orchestra play--although she watched the people in the audience more than the orchestra. She fell right to sleep when we got home--just in time for her bedtime! It was a great day, and all 3 of us had a great time!

Anna rocks!

2007-10-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Anna played Guitar Hero together the other day. She's getting the hang of it! :) Medelee medelee medelee medelee meeeeee!

All done!

2007-10-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

I finished my dinner, guys!

Just because...

2007-10-23T18:58:00.001-07:00

This was taken last week. It's one of my favorites of her.

4 things about Malena...

2007-10-23T18:34:00.001-07:00

This is from my friend Shannon's blog, and I thought I'd participate! Four jobs I have had in my life: 1. Haagen Dazs ice cream shop. (dangerous....but yummy!) 2. Blockbuster video. 3. selling Kirby vacuum cleaners door to door. (so sad) 4. Fajita Factory restaurant. 5. (bonus) the film library at University Hospital in Albuquerque. Four places I have been on vacation: 1. Scotland (a couple of times, once with Lynda and the second time for my and Kevin's wedding and honeymoon---it's our favorite place!) 2. Lido Key, Florida (with Lynda and Cheryl to celebrate our doctorates!) 3. Amboise, France (with Lynda) 4. Venice, Italy (with Lynda...same trip...so great!) Four of my favorite foods: 1. homemade bread (thanks, Shannon!) 2. red chili and potatoes/eggs with homemade tortillas. 3. mandarin oranges. 4. ice cream. 5. (bonus) paprika chicken and platke (Dennette makes this traditional Slovak yumminess!) Four places I would rather be now: 1. somewhere in the northeast where the leaves are changing and it feels like fall. 2. in Scotland (near Stirling/Callenadar) with Kevin and Anna. 3. watching sunset on the sea cliffs on the Isle of Skye. 4. hiking the foothills during sunset in Albuquerque. 5. (bonus) Victoria, British Columbia.

Anna's and Daddy's Adventure

2007-10-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I played with the Rapides Symphony in Alexandria. So, Kevin and Anna spent part of the day walking along the Red River. Kevin got some great pictures of Anna enjoying the day. Anna is beginning to climb up onto us if we're sitting on the floor with her. She loves to stand up (but still needs help)! Here's a picture of her pretending she doesn't need anyone's help to stand up. :) This weekend I'll be cleaning out her clothes again--she has outgrown almost all of her 3-6 month clothes. We've gotten some very cute outfits in the mail--so we're excited to be able to start wearing those! (Especially since it's actually starting to get a little cooler here...finally!)

Anna Banana!

2007-10-20T14:15:00.001-07:00

This is Anna's Halloween costume. Perfect, huh? We thought we'd try it on to see how long she'll stay in it so we can plan our Halloween activities accordingly. We plan to take her to the first half of a Halloween Orchestra Concert. She might make it through if we take the "banana top" off during the concert.

Bath time!!

2007-10-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

This was taken a couple of weeks ago. Anna likes to play in the bath now. So fun! She doesn't splash a lot yet, but she has begun trying to climb out of the tub. Slippery baby = scary! She's figuring it out. She likes having her face wiped now. Loves to be clean.

I'm ready!

2007-10-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, guys! I'm ready for my bedtime story!

Oh, Daddy--you're so funny!

2007-10-07T08:28:00.001-07:00

Daddy was making Anna laugh.

Morning Play Time!

2007-10-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

This week Anna is starting to pull herself up--mostly on Mommy or Daddy. She is very proud of herself when she gets to a standing position! We also think she's close to getting her first tooth. She's been pretty miserable a couple of days this week--biting on everything and loving her cold teething rings. We added carrots to her repertoire of foods last week--she liked them very much. This week is pears. Her favorites are still sweet potatoes and squash, however. She has a new little friend at "school" this week--Amber. Amber is a couple of months younger than Anna, so she is no longer the "baby" at school. Amber wears bow wraps around her head, and Anna looks at them as if she's plotting the day she'll crawl over and take it off of Amber's head. Of course, Anna thinks everything must go into her mouth now, so I'm sure that's why the bows on Amber's head are so interesting--they are something she has not yet been able to taste. Anna's favorite friend at school is still Ross. He's a couple of months older than Anna, so he can show her how to move around a little more than Amber can. They sit on the floor and play together. Ross isn't crawling yet, but I'm sure that when he does, Anna will be even more motivated to get going herself! She is starting to pull herself forward on her tummy--just in the past couple of days. She can also go to all fours from sitting and then back to sitting again. We think she leared this from Ross. The teachers at her school all say that Anna is much older than her age--so much personality and great communication skills already! We can't believe she'll be 7 months old next weekend!

Just because...

2007-10-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Nothing terribly new or exciting has happened this week, but I thought I'd post this picture just because it makes me smile so much! It was taken a couple of weeks ago.

Good Morning!

2007-09-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Here is Anna shortly after she woke up this morning. Funny girl...

Play time!

2007-09-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

Anna is playing with so many toys now! One of her favorites is still the good ol' oatmeal container. She had her 6 month shots yesterday, even though she's 6 1/2 months old. (She had an ear infection/fever last time we went, so her shots were postponed.) The ear infection is gone, and she's doing well! She is 16 pounds now. We've started having a regular breakfast time with her, and she is very happy about that. She surprises us every morning with how much cereal she wants for breakfast!

She's growing so fast and continues to be such a fiesty little personality!

Dinner time!

2007-09-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Dinner time is a new adventure at our house!

Soon....

2007-09-23T13:58:00.001-07:00

Anna is looking forward to when she can go outside and play. Soon, Mom and Dad....Soon...

Six Months Old!

2007-09-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Anna is growing so fast! She is talking up a storm today (lots of "ba" and "wa"). She loves sitting by herself, being helped to stand up and walk, and playing with her rings. She also loves her trusty oatmeal box--go figure! She is eating a variety of solid foods now: cereal, squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, bananas, and we're trying applesauce this week. Her favorites are squash and sweet potatoes. She seems to be enjoying her "school"--is usually smiling and playing when we pick her up. We are enjoying every moment with her!