Saturday, March 26, 2011

Baby Brynn is Here!

Introducing......

Brynn Elise Bandermann
(our niece!)

Our brother and sister-in-law, Ryan and Whitney had their first baby, Brynn Elise on Tuesday!  She is precious weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz., 19.5 inches long and beautiful jet black hair.  She is so tiny and adorable!   
This was Ansley with Ryan and Whitney before Brynn arrived.  She was so excited to meet Brynn...look at that smile!
 When she finally arrived, Ansley found this stool and demanded to hold her.  This is what she started doing to let us know she wanted to hold "N"
 We let her have a few seconds with her.  She kept saying...."awe...baby!"
 She was giving her loves....so precious!
 She wanted just one more glance!
Brynn is absolutely amazing and we are so excited to see her grow into a little girl.  We especially can't wait for her and Ansley to be best of friends!  Squeal!!!  We are thrilled for Ryan and Whitney....their lives will forever be changed!  Little girls are so much fun!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Ashley's Baby Shower!

This weekend Ansley and I went to my friend, Ashley's shower at the Elks Lodge in Cape. It was such a gorgeous day and a beautiful shower! Ashley is due to have a sweet baby girl in May and I know she will be spoiled rotten! Here are a few pictures from the afternoon....
Ashley is in the pink....we have 2 preggers in the group.  Whew! 
During the shower Miss Priss started dancing in her boots!
And then she got a balloon!
"Noon" as she says it. 
After letting her know it was time to go...this is what I got. 
What a great shower for a great girl!!
Favorite food:  Blueberries!
My favorite part is seeing her face when she realizes that I've bought her blueberries!  She squeals and the smile doesn't go away....unless there's a handfull of blueberries in her mouth!
She likes to just eat right out of the container.  One right after another, there's almost no breathing involved.  She inhales them! 
This is how happy it makes her...how can I refuse?!
This year we'll be picking some blueberries at the Whitener's farm to freeze! Actually, I think she might need to get a job there when she's older, so she can work for her blueberries. Ha!

Ansley Harper: 20 months!

This little girl has done some growing up in the past couple of months...seriously!  She is literally RUNNING everywhere she goes and TALKING clearer everyday.  Here's what she's been up to...

*No more are the days of small, simple words...Ansley is saying short phrases now.  Her favorites are....Where did daddy go?  Alleigh sit!!!  Oh no, momma!  Bless you (after a sneeze or cough.  She even blesses herself!). She is really learning to communicate with words and it is so fun to see things click.  We are loving this new stage!

*She still loves her babies, cooks some yummy meals in her play kitchen, loves to teeter-totter with Beatrice, sings like an American Idol in the car, could play with bubbles all day, watches the Nativity story on video every night before bed in her little pink chair, and thinks it's so fun to sit on the potty chair in the hopes of getting a sticker (on occasion she actually goes to the bathroom!).  She is a hoot!  

*Recently, we all got the stomach flu and thankfully it wasn't the same night.  We all took a turn and as it made it's way around, Jason and I each needed to be isolated to the bedroom.  Well, since that time...if anyone is missing around here (Jason's at work or I'm out couponing :)) it must mean that we're sick.  Ansley will look for one of us and then tell the other...."Oh no...Mommy's seeeick".   We just about die.  It is the most hysterical thing ever!  She has the most southern accent when she says sick and we can't help but ask her over and over to say it.  "Now who's sick, Ansley?"  And then she repeats her seeeick.  Unfortunately, there will probably come an end to this southern accent, but we love it while it lasts!

*I attend Bible Study Fellowship on Wednesday's and they now have a children's program.  It is so great to see what they learn.  It is exactly what we are learning in our own study.  When we are leaving, Ansley and I always discuss our study of the week.  Today's comment from Ansley when asked what she learned about....she replied, "Jesus" (while pointing to the sky).  My heart melted!  So I asked her, "where does Jesus live?"  Her response was "sky" (while pointing up).  Oh, my heart could have just burst!  I'm praying for the day she says, "In my heart".

*Ansley is about to be joined (on the Bandermann side) by a new cousin, Brynn.  It is so sweet to see Ansley find Whitney's belly and say, Bwynn.  However, I'm not so sure what she's going to say when she gets here!  She's going to have a little bit of competition for attention I'm afraid.

*Ansley's got a new dance!  She loves to move it and shake it to music.  Her dance used to be just a cute little knee bend.  Now, she full-on sways, shrugs her shoulders, tilts her head from side to side, and bends her knees!  I can't even do it...she gets down right jiggy with it!

*Ansley got to experience ice skating for the first time.  It was such a high for me!  She loved it too!  She would have skated the entire day if we would have let her.  I was thrilled and can't wait to get her back on!  Jason, however, is starting a savings account ;).

*We've started having a few tantrums lately and they usually are surrounded by a bunch of "NOs".  We've mastered that word pretty well.  They can sometimes be pretty nasty, but they don't last long.  Even when she's sassy, she's still cute!

*We've been making several trips to the park recently and she loves it! The swings are her favorite, but the slide is a close second. On a recent trip, Ansley and I were playing on the slide and when she got off she, for whatever reason, started running toward the car. Well, unfortunately, there was a huge mud puddle that she didn't see and she fell face down in it! She was absolutely covered from head-to-toe in mud, but thankfully she wasn't upset about it (usually she hates anything on her hands).  Needless to say, the fun at the park was over. We stripped her right there (thank goodness Jen was there to help) and headed home. Whew! What an adventure!

*Jason and Ansley have been getting some quality time in lately...in front of the tv, that is!  Ansley has become a lover of "ball" since March Madness has started and daddy coulnd't be happier!   


We are truly thankful for the gift of sweet Ansley!  God is so good and we praise Him for giving us the joy of raising her!  We love to watch her grow and learn and can't wait to see all her new milestones!  Life is so good!   

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Hope/Heart for Africa Banquet

We had the priviledge of going to the Heart for Africa banquet (a local organization that helps care for the orphans in Swaziland) this past Saturday with a bunch of our friends.  It was such a fun night with friends AND we were able to give to a great cause...2 for 1! We were able to see an amazing artist paint a portrait of Christ holding a child, listen to Colby Coburn sing, and we were also able to hear about the children of Africa and the medical clinic that they desperately need to build there.  It was a great evening and really made Jason and I realize the need they have in Swaziland.  It was definitely emotional!
Here are a few pictures from the evening..... 
All the girls! 
Jen in the Redhawks helmet the Mayhew's bought for Whitney's dad 
Sheri and I 
Our picture with the boys 
We had a great evening and the Heart for Africa raised $78,000!  Yay!!!