Freeze Frame...

This video captures several things that have captured our hearts lately:

1. your precious pigtails
2. your imaginative play (notice each baby is on a pillow going "nite nite"
3. your own spin on words as you begin to talk up a storm (Madisas is your name right now)

You fill our hearts with joy!!!

Christmas videos

We had a great Christmas this year! Grammy and Grandpa Tom were here and we went to church on Christmas Eve and then opened presents Christmas morning. You weren't sure of what was going on with Santa at first, but once you got into it, you loved your new kitchen and floor piano! We finished a great day with a yummy dinner (Uncle Paul and Shel joined us).

The video above is you coming down the stairs and seeing what Santa brought you.

The video above is you opening your presents from Grammy and Grandpa Tom on Christmas Eve.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0r3Mb5D2-4pbVZ6NHhxUl9TY0txZFIwOThpUk4tQmRFUmtv


The last video is of you playing with your new piano floor mat. It came from Daddy's phone and won't open in anything but Google drive for some reason, so hope this link works. :)

We love you so much and had such a great Christmas with you! We can't wait to create new memories each holiday season with you!!!

Five things to remember about right now...

1. You walking around saying "I see ya" and playing the game with your dolls and stuffed animals.

2. The look of pride on your face when you went pee-pee on the potty for the first time (12-8-13)

3. The look of wonder on your face when they lit the Christmas tree in downtown Alpharetta.

4. Your secret language, especially when you say "dubadubadubaduba" over and over again.

5. The way you put your arms in the air and say "hey" at the end of "Jingle Bells."



We took family pictures a few weeks ago and had so much fun at the photo shoot with you. Here are some of the pictures:

The Happiest Halloween!

This about sums it up: 

What we'll miss about this stage (17 months)

1. The way you say "peez" for please and just nod your head up and down when you are thanking someone.

2. You saying "babies" 100 times a day and putting your dolls in the high chair to feed them and put them to "bed" while patting them on their backs.

3. The way you run everywhere you go...you only have one speed!

4. Your alfalfa sprout of a pony tail on the top of your head.

5. Your face when you read a book...it lights up and you follow each word and picture with your eyes as you "read" along.

6. You picking out books by name or subject when we ask you to get them to read.

7. You liking broccoli over sweets (we realize this may change)

8. You sitting on your potty chair (fully clothed) and making a "ssshhh" noise like you are going tee-tee.

9. Your love for flipping off Daddy's lap/ riding Daddy like a horsey.

10. The way you ask for your "pass" (pacifier).

11. Your mischievous look when you are about to do something you shouldn't (like climb up the side of your high chair or go close to the fireplace)

Here are some recent pictures:

and a fun video:

Fall catch up...

It's already September and you are back in the swing of daycare. Your teachers put superlatives up on the door recently, and we were proud but not surprised to see that you were voted "most likely to be valedictorian." This will be fun to look back on when you are in high school (no pressure though!) :)

Football season is here and you say touchdown and put your arms up in the air and say "go Tigers!" You stayed with Aunt Stacey this past weekend while Dad and I went to the Ga/Clemson game and then Grandmommy and Grandaddy will keep you the last weekend in September when we go back for homecoming.  You love football and throw your little football to daddy and tackle him (although sometimes you get confused and tickle him instead).

What you are saying at 16 months: mama, dada, bite, dog, woof woof, up, down, this, in, out, baby, wa wa, bye bye, your version of I love you, touchdown, go tigers, hi, cracker, cookie, more, um, banana.

What you are doing: giving kisses and hugs around the neck, jumping into the pool, playing "nite nite," playing with Rocky the dog, using anything as a phone and talking, making imaginary food and giving bites, climbing up on things, knocking over blocks after stacking them, destroying puzzles and then giving us the pieces to put them back together, reading, singing all the time!

Our prayer for you at this stage of your life is that your playful nature continues forever and you enjoy your life and laugh as much as you do now! We love you so much!

This is you "standing like a flamingo" at 15 months.

Summer of 2013

Dear baby girl,

Mommy is having so much fun spending the summer with you! We have been using sidewalk chalk, splashing in your new pool, and running errands together. We've also had plenty of fun play dates with friends and gone on some fun trips and have some to come still.


You went with Mommy for a week to see Grandmommy and Grandaddy in Florida.  We played in the pool, took walks, and went to see the Manatees. You were spoiled rotten and played with every second of the day!! On this trip you started to say "tickle tickle" as you tickled everyone's feet!

We also went to Uncle Mitch and Aunt Stacey's new house in Columbia, SC and are headed back in a few weeks.  You loved swimming in the pool, going out on the boat, but most of all you LOVED playing with Rocky the dog. You chased him and petted him all weekend long!

Last weekend we went to see Grammy in Darlington, SC. You had so much fun! You spent Friday and Saturday morning playing with Grammy and Tom. You also loved their dog, Bella and their two cats! The cats were not big fans of you chasing them and hissed at you. Now when we ask you what sound a cat makes you hiss rather than saying "meow." It's precious!! Grammy spoiled you rotten and played with you and you loved every minute of it.  Saturday afternoon we went to the splash pad with our cousins, Cameron and Erin and their girls, Kayden and Lilly. You loved playing with the girls and LOVED the splash pad. You had no fear and even when you fell several times and scraped up your head you just kept popping up and running through the water over and over again! We went back to their house and grilled out for dinner where you got to play some more with the girls and their dog, Prada! I think we have to get a dog soon based on your love of every single one you've met lately!

We are hoping to go see Uncle Jon, Aunt Mandy and cousins Brooks and Tate soon in Franklin, TN. We will then head back to the lake one more time before summer is over.

Mom and dad are going to get a new camera soon and vow to take more pictures of you. Out of all these trips, the above pics are all we've taken. We get caught up enjoying the moments with you and then realize after the fact that we didn't take many or any pictures. I hope you will enjoy the time we spent with you and not be too upset that we don't have a billion pictures!

We love you so much and enjoy spending every minute we can with you!!

Mom and Dad

Mommy's favorites...

Tonight while you were eating your dinner, Mommy had so much fun playing with you and caught you doing some of the cutest things that are her absolute favorite right now. Mommy's computer and phone are not cooperating, so you'll have to go to this link to see the video:

http://youtu.be/keYYPS-dXqI

One year old!!!

Sweet baby girl,

On May 4, 2013 we celebrated the first year of your life! It's hard to believe that you have been in our lives for one full year- time has flown by! You have enriched our lives more than we ever thought was possible! Your unique and fun energy has kept us on our toes and entertained us all year long. We look forward to many more happy birthday celebrations in the future!

For your first birthday, we had planned a teddy bear picnic in the park, but the weather had different plans so we had a teddy bear picnic inside Uncle Mitch and Aunt Stacey's house.  It was so much fun!

You loved the cake and cried when it was taken away- you would have eaten the whole thing!

April Catch up

What you've been up to lately:

Seeing: Everything that you didn't notice before. You walk very well and want to get into everything. You see drawers that you didn't notice before, cabinets doors to open, cords to pull on, windows to tap on, chairs to push around the floor, anything that the vacuum doesn't pick up, etc. You keep us busy and sleep well at night!

Smelling:  Sunscreen and chlorine from the pool at Grandmommy and Grandaddy's house where you loved to splash around and ride in your float.

Touching: The sand on your toes for the first time when we visited the beach over spring break.

Hearing: New sounds from your mouth each day. You recently said "hello" and "hot dog" and sometimes say "mama" and "dada" (usually sounds more like "dadaz" and you only say mama when you are crying out- I'm going to choose to believe that this is because you associate mama with comfort and not that I make you cry).  You babble and make different sounds just about everyday and it is adorable! Your laugh remains the deep "throaty" chuckle that it has always been and dad and I always say that if we could bottle it up we could live off of it- it is that precious!!

Tasting: Everything that is put in front of you and then everything that mommy and daddy or anybody else is eating. We are so happy that you are a good eater and don't seem to be picky so far.

Picture Catch up:

You like to move it move it!

Well, we knew it was coming and it happened a few weeks ago. You started walking all over the place at 9.5 months and get faster and steadier every day! Above is a video of you moving all around!

Happy New Year!!!

After Christmas we headed to Gatlinburg, TN to spend time with Grandmommy, Grandaddy, Uncle Jon, Aunt Mandy, Brooks, Tate, Uncle Chris, Aunt Nikki, Taylor, Brooke, and Grant. We had a great time! Uncle Chris was nice enough to take professional quality pictures of all our adventures for us. Here are some of them: