Thursday, August 13, 2009

Birthday and Friends!

Auntie Car loves me!Andy and Auntie EshMags - so happy to be at the party!Uncle B and MillerCar, Ali, Bets, EshAuntie Ali and Auntie KP (with buddy Tyler in tow)Auntie GabelMol and Nickers!Birthdays are so much fun!Ron, Ali, Esh, and CourtCar, Bets, Rob, Allison, Kyle, and Grandma ConnieGrandpa Alden

The Cake!

And the whole reason we take pictures on first birthdays...the CAKE! Thanks to Uncle Ryan for taking the pictures!
Can you tell that I am excited???Andy waiting for the cake...doesn't look as excited : )Singing Happy Birthday!Callie waiting in anticipation, Andy starting at the candles Thanks for the help Callie!Hmmm, not sure what to thinkMom and Dad excited, Andy preoccupied with the candle and frostingTwo fist-fulls of cake and a squeal of excitement!What? Do I have something on my face?Big mouthful with dad's helpOkay, this is pretty cool!What do I do with all of this stuff on my hands?ALL DONE!

ONE YEAR!

Happy Birthday Anderson! We made it a year : ) As everyone says, it's amazing how time flies. One year ago, we had a newborn in the hospital. I get teary eyed thinking about my reaction when I first heard Andy's cry when Dr. Rogers removed him from my belly. I couldn't have prepared myself for the overwhelming emotion that I experienced hearing my baby, alive, outside of me, and healthy. I also couldn't have prepared myself for the amount of deep love I feel for Andy today as a one-year-old. Kyle and I just returned from a week in Orlando. While I was working, Kyle took Andy to Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney...and just played in the pool. As a family we went to Epcot. I never have seem Andy so excited and it was Kyle's and my first "family" experience at Disney. Andy was giggling non-stop, something I wouldn't have expected from an almost one-year-old. As our trip makes me excited for what we have to look forward to, I also hold onto today, and what we get to experience with him each day. I am truly blessed.

Here are some factoids about Andy as a one-year-old:

Andy LOVES to scoot around (baby gates are in full-force). He will climb on anything, grab anything, chew on anything...definitely an active little guy. When given some help, he loves to walk and stand, but I still think we are a ways from walking on his own. He has 6 teeth and a couple on their way (3 on top, 3 on bottom). Since Andy is our first, we don't have others to compare to...but we have been told he is a mellow guy. We are lucky to be able to take him on the airplane, to weddings, to parties, to dinners out...and he pretty much just hangs out. We also are lucky to have a full army of friends and family always willing to help out when we need it. Like I have said MANY times - it takes a village! My favorite times of days are still walking in to wake him up from a nap and having his face light up when he sees me. I also love when Kyle walks in the room (and Henry) and Andy's face just beams. His vocabulary is his own...lots of ga, ba, uh (for uh-oh), ugga (for dog), kha (for lots of things...golf, Ka, ball, or just to make mom happy in response to a noise), da (for daddy)...but still no mommy. Oh well, my time will come : ) Andy's favorite food is avocado, bananas, crackers...but he still isn't crazy about finger food. He likes to store his food in his cheeks and eventually pull it back out. Oh, our little chipmunk! I would say his favorite activity is anything in the water - baths, pool time, or anything that involves splashing. I take that back, his favorite activity is bumping his head...on anything. He will crawl to a wall, a door, and bump, bump, bump. So, we call him "Bumpy". Andy sleeps well in his own crib, but does not enjoy the pack-n-play. He sleeps from about 9pm - 9am, which I can't complain about! Life with Andy is pretty darn good - and we look forward to many birthdays to come! Hooray for this big milestone in Andy's life and in ours!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Orlando

We made a family trip out of my annual Ernst & Young Orlando Trip (Intern Leadership Conference). The flight down went well - we were luck to have an extra seat next to us! Our first day in Orlando, we went straight to Sea World to visit my cousin Kristi. Kristi lives in Orlando and trains Shamu, trains horses, and even trains her puppies! We only were able to see Kristi for a short visit, but we had a good time. I had to work starting Thursday, so Kyle took Andy to downtown Disney and the Animal Kingdom. On Friday (Kyle's birthday), Andy and Kyle played in the pool and then we went as a family to Epcot Center. We went on a few rides - and Andy was adorable. He was giggling and pointing - eyes wide open! We didn't know what to expect out of a one-year-old at Disney, but Andy loved it - and we loved it even more - ha! Kyle and Andy flew home while I stayed and worked - but we had a great time as a family while they were there!
Waiting for the show to start in Shamu Stadium
Shamu!
Kristi in action!
Downtown Disney - Lego Land
Kyle and Andy at Animal Kingdom
Is Andy sleeping or watching the animals?!?
Cooling off from the humid weather!
Epcot
Andy - eyes wide open on the ride - either freaked out or excited...
Family shot on Kyle's 30th!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Andy in August!

We had a great weekend at Whidbey before we headed to Orlando. Here are some pictures of Andy.

Our version of Seafair

Instead of staying in Seattle to celebrate Seafair - we did what we always do - we headed up to Whidbey! It was a HOT weekend and we took advantage.

Hanging out with daddy!
On the sound - yep, that's Henry driving...
Best buds!
Nice goggles Callie!
The girls going for a ride...
Betsy excited...Callie already giving the "slow down" sign
Callie and Uncle Andy
The Lentz Crew enjoying the water

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Tinkerbell

Maggie took drama camp this summer and was Tinkerbell in the play Peter Pan. Now, Maggie was one of about 5 "Tinks", but she definitely stole the show! I was crying from laughing so hard both in amusement and because I was so proud! Watch out Hollywood - Maggie has a talent in the making!
The Grand Entrance...can you tell she is excited?
Tinkers on stage...she definitely was the queen of twirling!
Even waiting her turn to go on stage, she was waving to the audience...she was doing this the whole time - too cute!
Maggie's one line...she nailed it!
All of the tinks were supposed to be off stage, but Maggie had to do one last run in front of Peter Pan...again, stealing the show!
Brandy Tonkin and the Pirates...this is right before Brandy broke down in tears. He was such a trooper!
Maggie taking her bow...she stayed there for about 1 minute. Notice the other tinks aren't really participating. Maggie knew every one's part!
TINKERBELL
With Mom after the show - flowers for her first performance
Proud Mom and Dad with Tinks
Callie thought Maggie did a great job - Callie was dancing on stage after the show
Kylee and Quincy