Welcome to our World

I love this guy. He is my favorite person in the whole world. I'm so grateful David & Sandy treated us to PF Chang's for Dan's birthday & that Shannon doesn't charge for babysitting. (: The next day we had a little family get-together with the cake Shannon & Kaelah made while we were out on our double date. Once again, Kaelah loved the frosting. (: Since she had already swiped some frosting, she had a tough time waiting for us to cut the cake. Laughing... I'll save my mom the embarrassment of telling you what we're laughing about. I'm glad she took this picture b/c I got my hair chopped the other day! Daddy's happy children. We love you, birthday man!

“He took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them” ( Mark 10:16). On Sunday, January 3rd, Daniel Jakob received his baby blessing. I have been waiting to find the words to describe just how much I love this little guy, but somehow giving myself almost a month has not made me any more of a communicator. Let's just say, 'what's not to love?!?' Danny has grown up so much this month. In January he got his 2nd buzz cut... how ironic that his sister didn't need her first hair cut until after he did & she's no where near needing another one. He began getting in a sitting position all on his own. The biggest event is that Danny is now crawling!!! I'm so happy for him. He doesn't go far but he is steady & quite deliberate. And of course the best thing to crawl to is me. (: We love you, Handsome! P.S. Thank you, Shannon, for his special white outfit!

So I realize most families don't do anything for their child's "half" birthdays, but may I remind you I was an only child? And, that we really don't have dessert very often, so it gives us a great excuse to have a special treat. We celebrated Kaelah turning 2 & a half a few days early to allow more time between her half & Dan's real b-day. *My, I can remember her as a 1.5 year old so well! Life has changed so much for us in the past year!* Baking on a Sunday afternoon as a family is so fun. Both our children loved the Cool Whip/Vanilla pudding filling. Singing in front of a Boston Cream Pie. Who says you have to have cake for a half b-day? Danny & Kaelah are like, "Woah... a candle that plays the birthday song!" And yes, my daughter is a pro at swiping frosting. Can you tell she enjoyed the cake? Every few bites we would hear, "yummy!" Happy half birthday, Kaelah bear! We are so lucky to have you in our family.

Kaelah loves painting with Grandma! Showing off those 2 teeth! Nap time! My preppy enjoying playing with toothbrushes. Probably not the best place to set a baby for a photo now that I look at it. It was momentary, I promise! Kaelah just sooooo happy to be wearing the hat Sabrina made her for Christmas! Kaelah & 'baby doll' looking like twins in their matching outfits & hair. She insisted on taking the picture in front of the computer b/c she liked the desktop photo. So now you all have a little peak at what Dan bought himself for Christmas! (See http://www.apple.com/imac/ if you would like a better look.) Kaelah strapping Raggedy Andy in for lunch. She has become the mommy to all her dolls lately. It is so stinking adorable to watch her carry a doll around close to help it stop crying or watch her put her dolls down for a nap or change their imaginary diapers. She is a natural! Seems like now is about the perfect time to become a big sister. Oh wait, she did t...

January 13, 2010 found us at our favorite park enjoying 50 degree weather. What a wonderful day! Danny loved this bench for some reason. (: Since there was only one other family there Kaelah was as brave as can be & enjoyed going down our park's biggest slide over & over. She nicknamed it, "Kaelah's slide." (: Happy swinging children! On Saturday the 16th our family biked to Blue Skies park & had a picnic. Kaelah was thrilled to be riding a bike for the first time in months. I think this was also my first real exercise in months! On the way home we biked up a hill & I turned around & told Dan to remind me never to gain 50 pounds. lol. This was also baby Danny's first time in the bike trailer as it was designed to be (not rigged for the infant car seat). He really enjoyed being able to see out, but in excellent fashion fell asleep almost instantly regardless of the new view. (; I love having Kaelah to get me out & doing things...

Our little girl loves to sing. I love how she makes up her own songs.