Monday, May 30, 2011

Laughs and Crafts!

My SIL, Whitney came up with the idea of a craft night with a bunch of us girls.    Her mom used to do a craft night at church with all her friends and as Whitney remembers, made all kinds of fun crafts back in the day....including some "nerdy reindeer".  When she mentioned this I was so excited....I love getting my craft on and I love that it gives us all a reason to get together!  So after seeing my burlap and rosette inspired front- door wreath, Whitney put together this craft club.  We now have our very own artsy fartsy club called "Laughs and Crafts" (name given by Ashley).  We had such a blast!  I gathered supplies for a couple of the girls and most of the others got their own (there are quite a few girls that are very creative!).  I basically taught them how to make the fabric rosettes and then guided the rest of the wreath making.  It was so neat to see how different all the wreaths looked when we were all finished.  They were all fantastic!  We also had a fabulous time chatting and laughing (poor Whitney had us rolling after some tragic craft "situations").  If you want to read more on this, hop on over to Whitney's blog.  She has most of the details.  :)
Ashley and I showing off  our rosettes
My SIL Laura made some adorable fluffy rosettes!  We were amazed by her skills! 
Whitney and Kelly....notice the aloe.  Ouch! 
Heather! She got the award for quickest crafter!
Krystal getting her craft on with her clever jellyroll fabric 
Our group picture with all our wreaths.  So fun!

 
It was such a great night hanging out and making memories.  I seriously can't wait until the next craft night hosted by Ashley.  We will be making a 4th of July paper lollie wreath.  Woo hoo!!
  

Monday, May 23, 2011

Memphis in May Triathalon

We spent a fun weekend with the friendlaws (word coined by Whitney this weekend) in Memphis.  It was really nice to have a little get-away for a few days and just enjoy ourselves!  I don't think I've laughed quite so hard in a long time...between Ryan's outbursts, Whitney's humor and imaginary games, to Jason's spoofs.  Not to mention, poor Whitney had to pump every three hours...no matter where we were!  Oh, how I remember those days!
The whole purpose in going to Memphis was to cheer on the boys as they did their 2nd triathalon.  Unlike their first tri, this was the real deal.  There were referees, professional tri athletes, and the distances were ligit.  They both did amazing....especially considering the rain, thunder, and lightning that ensued while they were performing.  Whitney and I were a little worried about their safety and our own as we watched by the sidelines!  Thankfully, they both finished safe and unharmed!
The view of the start from our hotel room
Ryan and Jason before the race 
Me and J 
Ryan and Whit
The swim portion of the race (1 mile)! 
Jason running out of the water and pulling his wet suit off

 
Finding his bike in the sea of bikes 
Ryan starting his run portion 
Jason and Ryan's post race pic.  They were so happy! 
Group pic...Whitney and I were soaked! 
Jason beat Ryan...which has only happened very few times, so of course Jason needed the record to show who came out ahead this time.  Ryan gets a break though...he does have a newborn at home! Ha!  We got even more exciting news when we arrived home....we found out Jason had qualified to go to the triathalon U.S. Championships with his 6th place Clydesdale division finish.  He was shocked and so excited!  We are obviously so proud of him!  Good job, J! 

The weekend was so fun and we can't wait for another get-away with the friendlaws!

Friday, May 20, 2011

My lil Ice Princess

She looks too grown up in these pictures....her hair all pulled up in a ponytail!  What happened to my little girl?!
The sun was a little too bright for an open-eyed picture 

I found this shirt in Ansley's closet and was so sad that I hadn't put it on her for the winter!  Boo!  So...we're rockin' the ice princess shirt in the spring...oh well. 

I hope one day she IS my ice skating princess.  We will see!

 

Monday, May 16, 2011

Playdate with Evy Kate

My friend, Ashley asked if I could watch little Evy Kate a couple weeks ago and we gladly said 'yes'!  Ansley and Evy are about the same age and really had fun playing together!  We first read lots of books (little Evy is an avid Disney princess girl and I let her down!  I learned very quickly that my Disney book supply is NOT where it needs to be, epecially when I'm raising a girl myself!).  What kind of mom am I?!  After finding some Disney books, the girls had already decided they wanted to go outside.  So we took a wagon ride.  They absolutely loved it!  They giggled the whole way and the only reason we came in was because it got a touch too windy out!  These girls entertained me the whole time and I can't wait to have another playdate with Evy....I mean, Ansley can't wait to have another playdate with Evy!  Ha!  So fun!
They were way too busy to smile for a picture.
Learning to share....
Sitting together is so much fun.
The wagon was a hit!
I mean...big deal!
They decided to lounge in the wagon.  They were resting their tootsies.
Back inside for a little game of tag.
What a fun afternoon with 2 little friends.

Ansley Harper: 22 Months!


The two year old mark is coming soon for little Ansley Harper and my heart just can't take it!  These last 22 months have gone by too fast!  I love this stage of life she's in right now and wish everyday we could just pause a little longer in this moment.  Here are a few of the new things she's doing....

*Well, new words pop up left and right these days.  She says anything from "Oh gosh" to "boob" (thanks Uncle Ryan).  She is counting to three and saying her alphabet to about the letter J (her alphabet song is too much for words).  She has started jabbering a lot.  We can make out most of it, but some of the in between words...she makes up.  It's like she's trying to imitate our full sentences and she uses her hands to get her point across.  Her little phrases and mannerisms just about do us in...they are hilarious and sweet all wrapped into one precious nugget. 

*She says "Sorry, Momma" or "Sorry, Daddy" if she accidentally runs into you or maybe does something that hurts one of us.  The other day she dropped a toy on my foot and it took everything in me NOT to start crying.  I sat for a second while my toe stopped throbbing, meanwhile, she walked over to gently kiss my toe and said "I Sorry, Momma". I instantly forgot about my hurt foot and swooped her up to kiss her little cheeks....my heart was so full!

Another "sorry" story...Ansley was taking a bath one evening before bed at Pamaw and Pappaw's house.  They dried her off and while Pam was hanging the towel up, Ansley ran into the living room where she had previously been playing with her new dollhouse.  Most of the pieces were on the coffee table, so she decided to jump up there to get them.  As Pam walks out of the bedroom, Ansley says "sorry Pamaw"(she was standing on top of the coffee table in a puddle of pee).  Somehow the puddle didn't reach the mound of toys, thankfully!  We've learned...get a diaper on, stat!

*Ansley's renamed all her babies after her favorite girl cousin, Brynn. She is in love with "baby Ben" and asks constantly to see her.  We have to keep a good eye on her while she's around Brynn, but for the most part she's pretty gentle with her.  I know they will have lots of fun together when Brynn gets a little bigger!  Ansley's all giggles when she's around her! 

*Her favorite toys right now are her new dollhouse, babies (not sure if we'll ever be without a baby around), her slide and playhouse outside, play kitchen, and she loves to draw and color with pens and crayons.

*Ansley's new thing is she always wants a play pal.  She says "Come on, Daddy.  Come play!"  She'll cup her little hands and motion for you to join her.  It's really hard to say no.

*She's been such a good little helper around the house!  She loves to put the clothes in the laundry and helps me load the dishwasher.  I couldn't ask for a better sidekick...she makes the grueling task of doing laundry fun.

*Ansley consistently talks with her eyes.  I don't know any other way to explain it (maybe flirts?  Using this word, kind of makes my heart stop)...she will give you the sweetest looks with those eyes and you'll know exactly what she's trying to do.  Most of the time, she's trying to get away with something!

*She loves to go to her grandparent's houses.  Anytime we're leaving the house she asks if we're headed to BB's house or Pappaw's house.  She loves to visit them!   

*We've noticed that when we tell her to smile for a picture, she curls her bottom lip and squints her nose and eyes.  It's almost too funny to fix....however, we're pretty sure she's going to kill us when she sees these pictures later on!  We love it!

*Ansley weighs about 28 lbs. and wears about a size 18 months in clothes, 6 shoe, and a size 5 diaper.   

I get so emotional when I think back on the last 22 months.  Ansley is so special to us and we couldn't imagine our lives without her.  She makes us laugh daily with her goofy little phrases and melts our hearts with her tender little spirit.  We just can't seem to soak enough of her up.  We are loving this phase of life with her and can't imagine it getting any better than this.            

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Tyson's Wedding and Jason's Triathalon

A couple weekends ago we went to a wedding and Jason also did another local triathalon.  I have been so behind on blogging recently, I haven't even had a chance to post it.  So here's a few pictures of our fun weekend...
Ansley and Ryan getting down on the dance floor at Tyson and Meghan's  wedding.  She loved it!  
This picture doesn't do her dance moves justice, but her little leaning shuffle was so cute. 
Maeve and Ansley had a few dances too
A family picture by the lake at the Elks Lodge
Ryan and Whit with "baby Ben" 
Pappaw and Pamaw wanted one with the girls 
Cheeser 
Love this picture... 


Jason had a triathalon the same weekend and Ansley and I went after church to see the end of it.  Jason, Ryan, and Matt all participated and did very well!  Jason got 5th place in his division which was awesome!  It was the first time he had ever gotten a trophy in a triathalon...woo hoo!!!  We were so proud of him!  Ansley and Alex were clearly happy too!

Ansley holding her Daddy's trophy.  She was so proud! 

Monday, May 9, 2011

Mother's Day Fun!

I had another wonderful Mother's day with both families yesterday!  I was pleasantly woke up by a kiss from my little Ansley on Sunday morning bright and early.  She was holding my card in one hand and her bunny, Beatrice in the other.  "Here ya go, momma!" she said with the sweetest little voice.  It's those little things that make being a mom so special!  The card was from Jason and Ansley and of course, made me get all teary.  I LOVE being a MOM!  I probably don't say it enough, but I am truly thankful to be Ansley's momma.  I know there are so many families out there that are struggling to have a child of there own (we know the same struggle), so I most definitely DON'T take it for granted!  I realize what a blessing it is and pray for those families to one day be able to experience the joy of having a child! All this to say....Mother's day is very special to me and Jason and Ansley made it wonderful! 

We spent the morning at church (the sermon was wonderful...it was on how mother's are equipped for our job. Loved it and needed to hear it!) and then went to Outback for lunch with the Bandermann side.  After taking a short nap (Sunday afternoon naps are a MUST around here), we drove to the cabin to have dinner with my family.  Ansley had so much fun at both places because she got to see Brynn and Jansen in one day, so she was excited!  She also rode the four-wheeler through the fields with my mom and dad, which made my mom an absolute wreck!  They went turtle speed, but Ansley loved it!  We had to pry her off.  I think she would have rode all night!
I'm just surprised she loves that stuff...she can be quite the Miss Priss. Ha!

Here are a few pictures from the day.

 
Ansley lounging in the hammock 
What a life! 
My dad and Ansley riding 
Jansen didn't want to miss out on this party! 
I love this picture and she loves this dog. 
Sweet Ansley and Alleigh... 
Another fabulous Mother's day with the family!