Anna is 4!!!!

My little Annabelle is 4! I truly cannot believe how fast these 4 years have flown by! Anna is a girl unlike any other. She is passionate, adventurous, spirited, stubborn, emotional, stylish, loyal, artistic, brave, resilient, loud, loving, and I wouldn't want her any other way! She came into our lives 4 years ago, and I can't imagine life without her. As I always tell her, if all the little girls in the whole wide world, were all lined up I would pick her every time. I love you Anna Lenore! Thank you for picking me to be your Mom.

Alexander The Great!

I find it very cute that Alex believes he has extra powers in his new superman shirt. If anyone needs a house lifted or a bad guy defeated, Let me know, I've got my own personal superhero! Just check out those muscles!

Anna's new baby

We have a new addition in our house! Over the weekend my mom, aka "Wild Gram" took Anna to the American Girl store. She chose a baby as well as red pajamas for herself to match the doll. She named the doll Caitlin, and let me tell you, she has not stopped playing with her! She is constantly feeding Caitlin, changing her, rocking her, and cooking for her! I love it because it so much brings me back to my own childhood and playing with babies. Thank you Wild Gram! Anna is over the moon!

First romp in the snow.

I know it is already the middle of January and we have had snow for over a month now but the other day Mateo and I went out to play in the snow for the first time. I figured we would be out there for a couple of minutes before Mateo would want to come in. Boy was I wrong. He loved the snow. He could barely walk because the snow was up to his knees. He fell down every few steps but continued to get back up (or put his arms up so I could help him up). It was so much fun. It was so peaceful. We seemed to be the only people outside at that moment. I love watching Mateo experience things for the first time. It helps me to remember that simple things can have such wonder.

Gratitude!!!

I am so grateful right now. Jake had a cardiologist appointment on Wednesday. After a long day of waiting, Dr. Vitullo called and said she wanted to see him in three months, but that things looked o.k. right now. One thing I have learned is that all any of us truly have is right now, this day. We may not be able to predict the future, but today we are smiling. I hope you are too.

Pure Joy

Tim left for his cousin's wedding in San Diego tonight, so I was on my own for dinner with the girls. Genevieve had Minnie Mouse at the table (she is never without a friend next to her) and I was holding Eleanor. Genevieve was having Minnie reinact a song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Eleanor let out the biggest belly laugh I have ever heard. When Genevieve heard her laugh, she started singing louder, even more animated, which made Eleanor laugh even harder. I started cracking up, which made Genevieve laugh, which in turn made Eleanor squeal. It was one of those rare perfect moments in life (except, of course, that Tim wasn't there to share it with us.) Sorry that I don't have a picture - I considered looking around for my camera to capture the giggles, but decided instead to just embrace the moment.

The Queen

I think Anna may have been a queen in a previous life. She got a dress-up trunk for Christmas, and has been very into dressing up several times a day, and choosing just the right accesory to match. The other day she said, "Mom I am a queen and I need a thrown." We decided to use the blue chair as her thrown and let me tell you, she relished the role! We referred to her as Your Heiness, and for the game, her wish was our command. ( She's so passive isn't she?:) )