Some family pics

I have been meaning to post this family photo. We took it several weeks ago and it's the first one where I actually like everyone's face in the picture. Obviously Annabelle looks adorable! Does she ever not?? Also, there is a three generation picture that I love. I am sure there will be a lot more family pictures after this weekend: Annabelle's Baptism and ND's first football game.  Can't believe summer is coming to an end and football season is about to start.

Happy 30th Birthday to Daddy!

James' 30th birthday was on August 5th. For a birthday celebration I surprised him with a Colorado wilderness weekend: a hike he always wanted to do called Conundrum Hot Springs. It was a 9 mile backpacking hike that lead you to the most gorgeous natural hot springs in the country.  Another surprise for James was that his brother and sister flew in to participate in the backpacking trip! He was very surprised and excited to share this experience with his siblings. The hike was much more strenuous then any one of us thought, but with lots of self motivation and determination we all made the 18 mile, two day hike (although our bodies felt it for a lot longer than two days!).

Even though I would have loved Annabelle to join us, of course this was not a baby friendly hike, so Grandmom and Pappy Wenck came to babysit while the parents had a weekend away. It was a lot harder to leave Annabelle then I thought, it took a lot of self control not to cry when I was saying goodbye to her. And throughout the hike James and I kept on guessing what Annabelle was doing at that moment, maybe playing on her mat, jumping in her Jumperoo, or even eating some sweet potatoes! Those thoughts made us smile.

Grandmom and Pappy had a great time with their Annabelle. They took walks in the park each day, went out to brunch a couple of times, enjoyed grilling out once little Annabelle was in bed, and overall soaked up every minute they could with their granddaughter. You can tell Annabelle knows Grandmom and Pappy are special people in her life because she lights up whenever Pappy smiles at her and loves to cuddle with Grandmom. It's a great feeling to watch your parents light up with happiness when watching them with your own daughter; Annabelle is one lucky girl!  Grandmom came a few days before Pappy and stayed several days after Pappy left, so she is definitely getting her Annabelle time! It has been a great couple of weeks with lots of adventure, family time, and many smiles and blessed feelings.

Seven Months!!

Turning seven months didn't seem like a big deal to me, of course my family made it a big deal and kept saying how fast I was growing and how time is flying by. I guess I agree, but I am too busy playing with my toys and discovering new things.

My new favorite thing is playing in my Jumperoo. I love to jump around and make all the noises and toys dance around. I jump so hard sometimes my Daddy thinks I might jump right out of the seat! Rolling around on the floor is also fun. I just from my stomach to my back and back again, I love it! I can sit up a little, but only when I use my hands as support. I think my Mom really wants me to sit up because she keeps putting me in that position and letting go.

I also love to eat my solid food. My Mom is still making me homemade baby food and I love it! I get oatmeal with fruit in the morning and then a vegetable in the evening. I have tried lots of different foods, but my favorite is still sweet potatos, my least favorite is green beans, yuck! I will only eat those when they are mixed with sweet potatos.

Mom and Dad also tells me that I am learning sign language. I haven't quite figured out what they are doing with their hands or what I am suppose to do with the hand motions, but it definitely intrigues me. They seem to be doing the hand motions when they give me a bottle, eat solid food, drink from my sippy cup (which I can't do very well yet), or when the dog and cat come into the room.

I got my first ear infection this past month, it was not fun. The first dose of medicine didn't work so I had to try something stronger and that seemed to do the trick. But it was three straight weeks of not feeling well. I hope that doesn't happen very often.

I was happy to learn that seven months didn't involve a doctor visit and/or shots. Being seven months has been fun, I just can't wait to learn what next month has in store for me.  

Virginia Beach 2011

Annabelle got to experience her first Helms' beach vacation! It was a wonderful week where memories were made and family time was never-ending. Describing each memorable moment would take forever, so I will just talk about some of the highlights.

Annabelle spent everyday at the beach and sometimes went to the beach and the pool. Besides the first day (it was way to hot for the babies), she enjoyed herself. Her favorite beach activity was sitting on the edge of the water with her Uncle Ryan and playing in the waves. Only once did Uncle Ryan miss a wave and Annabelle got splashed all over (a hot girl was walking by and he lost track of the waves, go figure!).

She also loved hanging with her cousin Brady, although she got a stern warning from her Uncle Tony because she kept kicking and pulling Brady's hair.

Chillin' in her beach chair was also fun. She would watch the water, watch the boys play washers, or even take a little afternoon nap. 

Corona's on the beach were an everyday occurrence, she wanted to join the fun!

When not on the beach or at the pool, Annabelle was hanging in the huge house that all 30 of us occupied. It was chaotic at times with four little ones, two of which were running around, plus all the Uncles whose maturity level is not much higher than the babies. Annabelle wasn't running around, but she liked observing from her play mate or the jumperoo. She got to spend ample time with her Pappy and Grandmom. Grandmom even volunteered to get up in the morning several days so Mommy and Daddy could sleep. By the end of the week whenever she saw her Pappy she would get the biggest smile on her face, she knows the people who love her the most!

Because we were in Virginia and only four hours away, my best friend Pammy took a drive down for two nights. It was a lot of fun and wonderful to see Annabelle finally meet her Aunt Pammy!

Everyone was sad to see the week end. We all felt so lucky to be part of such a wonderful and loving family. Already the countdown has started for next summer's Helms' beach vacation!

Stats from Six Month Visit

I had my six month visit on July 17th. I was told that I weighed 14 lbs 1 oz. I was 26 inches long.  I am still in the 12th percentile for my weight, but in the 50th percentile for my length, so the doctor believes I am growing very nicely. I got all positive marks and the doctor said I was perfect, duh I could have told her that!!