Photo with Santa

Favorite Christmas Memories

Last night I got to share one of my very favorite Christmas movies with Ansley. I pulled her chair into the living room, right in front of the TV, and let her watch Rudolph while I fed her. As you can see, she was much more interested in Molly, but I'm looking forward to years of watching the movie with her in the future. I want to start holiday traditions that she will someday treasure. My favorite memories of Christmas are of making ornaments and cookies with my mom, going to my Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas Eve, and waking up as soon as Santa was finished putting out the gifts to open them with my sister, brother, and parents (yes, it was in the middle of the night). I can't wait to see Ansley's excitement as she finds the gifts that Santa has left for her. But I also want to make sure that she understands that the importance of Christmas is not Santa or the gifts, but her Savior and His birth. And I want her to have a joyful heart for giving to those that are most in need. These are all precious lessons that I look forward to teaching.




A friend of hers came to visit yesterday. His name is Sterling and his mom and I used to teach together. He's 10 months old and is walking very well. Ansley was so taken by him and just watched him walk all around the room without any help or furniture to hold. She must have been thinking it was so cool and wondering how she could do that herself. The last time she saw him he was just beginning to crawl. I know it won't be long before she's doing it herself. In just four months my sweet baby will be 1! Where has the time gone?

8 months old

Another month has quickly come and gone and Ansley is changing so much. Here's a little bit about her at 8 months:

-She has two bottom teeth. It's amazing how quickly they grow...one day they weren't there, then all of a sudden they were. Now you can see them when she smiles.
-Sleep is a touchy subject. This child thinks she doesn't need it and it's only gotten worse since travelling for the holidays. It's going to be a long month.
-Ansley loves dogs. She chases Molly around the house and laughs when she gets close enough to touch her. And Molly is so patient with her, even when Ansley gets a little rough.
-She's wearing 12 month clothes.
-She loves being outside, especially sitting in the swing or rocking chair with Grandpa.
-Ansley eats really well and has gotten the hang of puffs.

I had to take her to the doctor yesterday because this sleep situation is out of control. I found out that she's not getting enough liquid and we may have to go to formula. I'm holding off on that as long as I can. I had resolved to go ahead with the formula after we left the doctor's office, but then I got really emotional thinking about it and am not ready. So, I'm following the doctor's advice to put diluted apple juice in a bottle once a day and then transition to a sippy cup. Ansley loved it when I gave it to her yesterday. I did try a bottle of formula for her last feeding last night, but she would have none of it. I guess she wasn't hungry enough to like it.

Thanksgiving

We have had such a fun and busy week. We visited Jeff's grandmother and aunt and uncle in San Antonio Sunday through Wednesday. Tuesday night we took Ansley to the Riverwalk and ate at an amazing restaurant and visited the Alamo. We headed to the Dallas area Thursday for a delicious lunch at my Grandma's and had another feast Saturday night. There may have been a little Beatles Rockband involved too. Let's just say that my mom really should stay away from the mic.

So we have only a month until Ansley's first Christmas. We're trying to talk Daddy into putting up the lights on the house soon. Our whole street is lit up by Christmas lights.

Aggie gameday in the rain

Want to know what we did today?



Ansley enjoyed mixed vegetables and pears with pineapple while watching the Aggie band march into Kyle Field.



Then Daddy tried to take some pictures of us, but she was only interested in trying to pull my nose off my face. She loves this game.



Then Daddy finally got a good one.




It was so cold and rainy that we decided not to go to the game, so we came home and enjoyed our first fire of the year.




With the house smelling like cinnamon and the tree lit up, it feels a lot like Christmas here!

What's New?

Lots of new stuff going on here:
-Ansley has a tooth!
-She's eating puffs now and loves them. They'll keep her entertained for a while and that's really good. It's so funny to watch her eat them because they sometimes get stuck to her hands and she has a hard time getting them off. She also tries to stick her entire fist in her mouth.
-She's learned how to feed Molly puffs (and Molly really likes them too).
-Ansley has really mastered pulling up to standing and is constantly working on that all day long. She falls a lot though. Not hard or enough to hurt, but I wonder if she gets tired of it.
-I found her standing in her crib this afternoon, crying, pacifier on the floor. UH-OH!
-She has started begging for food like a little puppy dog. She does this thing with her mouth that makes her look like a catfish out of the water and does that when she wants a bite. Every time I put my spoon to my mouth today, there she was with her little eyes looking up at me with her mouth open.

She and I decorated for Christmas this past weekend and we're really enjoying it. I have loved showing her the Christmas tree and her stocking. I even wrapped some of her gifts and put them under the tree. She was really quiet earlier today and I found her trying to open one of her boxes. She definitely is my child. I ordered her the most precious doll from www.babybeblesseddolls.com and it's supposed to arrive this week. This is the most special Christmas gift we've gotten her and I can't wait to wrap it up and put it under the tree.

We got dressed up tonight (when I say dressed up, I mean out of our pajamas) and went to the Thanksgiving potluck at our church. The food was all so yummy and we enjoyed seeing some of our friends get baptized. I love our church family! And we're looking forward to more Thanksgiving food next week!

More with Ansley

So, I haven't written in a while because not much has been going on here except for chasing after Ansley. She's gotten really quick and has realized that she is not confined to the living room and has an entire house to explore. I'm having so much fun getting ready for the holiday season. In fact, I'm decorating for Christmas this weekend. I know it's pretty early for that (especially since I just finished decorating for the fall), but Jeff will be hunting and I'll have lots of time to fill and figured why not now. I LOVE getting the house ready for Christmas and can't wait to share it with Ansley. So, I know plenty of people will think I'm crazy for doing it, but I'm excited and will get to enjoy it all even longer this year!

Oh, one more thing. Ansley is pulling up to standing on her own. It's one thing after another here!