Santa...I'd like some rice cereal :)

We took Ansley Harper to see Santa last Friday and we're pretty sure she would have gone back to the North Pole with him.  She loved him!  There was no sign of fuss or aggravation at all...she simply smiled and cuddled with the skinny Santa (he had no round tummy :( ).  It was hilarious!  She must have thought he had some food under that suit.  Ha!  Speaking of food, Ansley will be getting her first taste of rice on Christmas Eve.  Merry Christmas Ansley!

I wish these pictures weren't as blurry, but it's the best we have!

Jingle Bell Run

Jason and Ryan participated in the annual Jingle Bell run at St. Francis hospital this past weekend.  Aaron (the Bandermann boys' God-brother) and Marissa were in town, so of course, Jason wanted them to be a part of the festivities.  They all did well...Ryan finished first in their little group, just barely getting beat by a young girl (I've never seen Ryan sprint so fast :) )and Jason finished second with Aaron and Marissa in tow.  Ansley and I waited at the finish for them all (freezing I might add) with the Shoaf family...grandma Betty, Katherine, and Jacob.  Good job runners!    

Ryan desperately trying to beat this girl :)

The running crew

Ansley slightly frozen...

Katherine loving on Ansley

Aaron won a track device...he was stoked!

Marissa...you guys need one more ;)

Little Jansen's Shower

Of course, it was really a shower for my brother Kyle and my sister-in-law Laura, but little Jansen reaps all the benefits!  They definitely received lots of goodies from family and friends and we all had a great time visiting.  We are so excited to soon meet and squeeze on Jansen...he is already loved so much!  I'm also excited for Ansley to have a little playmate...family get togethers will never be the same :).  Here are some of the pictures from the shower.

The cute parents-to-be

The adorable cake

Jansen's little farm animals

They received books instead of cards...yay!

Do you see the glow?

The dads

Sonya and Ansley

Our best gift :)

My cousins

Ansley liked Uncle Jim's beard

Mimi and Ansley

Laura's family

Sweet smile

Asleep on Pamaw

White Elephant Gone Bad

We love our life group class!  Our Christmas social was tonight and it was...oh...so fun!  We always do a white elephant gift exchange and most years it gets a little crazy...especially if you're married to Jason Bandermann!  He likes to do some pretty outlandish things...example 1-a kitchen apron with a blown up picture of Jason and I on it (who wants that?!), example 2-white mouse in a box (Kara didn't appreciate this), example 3-Chrisy's fur coat (one year we forgot to bring 2 gifts, so we had to go searching through people's cars...Chrisy's fur almost went home with the neighbor :)  This year Jason's white elephant gift was license plates...not so funny...until everyone realized they were from their own cars!  Let me just say, it was hilarious!  Brother Mark and Mrs. Karen also joined us for awhile before scooting off to their next party.  Before the Anderson's left, Jason and Bro. Mark ended up drinking some baby formula that was part of a gift-ugh!!!  Sometimes, I'm not sure what gets into Jason and I'm pretty sure Mrs. Karen didn't know what had gotten into Bro. Mark!  Regardless, we were so glad they came and were able to participate in the white elephant exchange...Mrs. Karen, not so excited...she went home with a mighty fine purse (actually I think she "accidently left it").  Here are some pictures from the evening.

Alex explaining the game

The Bollinger county back scatcher (courtesy of Ryan and Whitney)

Mrs. Karen's face is priceless...Bro. Mark just drank the formula!

Bro. Mark and his moo-moo

Christy afraid to open the Major's gift

Andrea got a sombrero and some nice placemats :)

Sherry with a nice going out wig

Andrea hit the jackpot somehow

Those zebra pants were a hot commodity

 Thanks to the Ogburns for hosting the annual Greene life group Christmas party...until next year!

I shall not covet....

It is now an official tradition...the Lutheran Family Home Tour is a must!  Pam, Whitney, Rene, Kelly, and myself piled in the car and booked it from one house to the next.  When I say booked it...I mean Mrs. Rene has a lead foot and I love it!  She already had a game-plan mapped out for us, so we could make the best of our time.  It was so fun to see how people decorate for Christmas and their overall tastes in general.  Not to mention, the size of the homes...we are talking massive (question...who needs three staircases in their home?!  I hope it was a really large family, but I'm guessing not!)  This was our prayer before we began...Lord, please don't allow us to lust over these incredible homes!  I'm still praying about that....:)


The Lynwood home tour was also that afternoon, so my friend, Kristi and I went to a few of the homes on the list.  Ryan and Whitney's home was the first home we visited and it was adorable!  Whitney has such a great decorating style...loved it!  We also visited another house in Ducks Landing...enough said.  No really, it was gorgeous.  

The whole day was so fun...I wish we could look in homes every weekend!  It was a great way to get new ideas for my home, so on that note, I'm off to figure out what my next Christmas project will be!  

Ansley Harper: Month 5

What? Did someone say Ansley was 5 months? No way! No how! Oh..but how absolutely wonderful these last months have been! Here are some highlights:

*You can usually be found with your hand or fingers in your mouth (this includes your favorite left thumb) and you love to have your burp cloth or blanket in your mouth. Teeth are coming soon!

*You are loving your exersaucer. You're a crazy little girl in it...you flail your arms everywhere and spin on your seat!

*You are definitely more hungry these days!  Mommy is having a hard time keeping up :).  We will be starting cereal very shortly!

*You do so good at tummy time! You are pushing up on your hands like a pro and finally rolled over by yourself on November 28th! We haven't seen it since though...we're thinking you're pretty content on your back and side.

*My favorite time of the day is getting you from your crib...you squeal like a pig! We laugh hysterically every time!

*You love to talk, smile and giggle...you are such a ham!

*You are starting to grab your feet now and bring them up towards your mouth...we think we might have a contortionist on our hands :)

*You are starting to sit up with better stability, but we still like to surround you with cushy pillows.

*You love to grab anything that's in front of you! This includes mommy's face and hair while nursing...nothing is more adorable.

*Daddy is still the best at making you giggle...you think he's so crazy!

*You have attended 2 baby showers (Magin's and Angi's) and slept through both...they both happened during naptime.

*We celebrated Mimi's 55 birthday and gave her a picture of the two of you (I'm pretty sure she loves it!)

*Mommy's 28th birthday was this month too and we celebrated by having a big bonfire at our house.

*You were publicly dedicated at church on November 22nd. It was a special day for our little family.

*We celebrated Thanksgiving with you for the first time. You give us a wonderful reason to be thankful!

Business meeting with Ansley

Before I even desired to have babies, you know...pre baby-dreaming days...I remember thinking to myself what an amazing dad Jason would one day be. He's just always had this way with kids...like he has some sort of sign on his forehead that says..."Hey kids, I'm super fun to play with!" It's actually one of his best qualities (aside from his stellar good looks, love for the Lord, amazing personality, high intellect, and well...I better stop. We don't want him to get a big head!) Have I mentioned what a great daddy Jason is? Well, let me make myself very clear...he's got to be one of the best. No question.


This is one of the reasons why...

He drops everything and heads to see us

Suit, tie, dress shoes...the whole get-up.
He doesn't care about any of it...Ansley and I come first.
How adorable are they?!Just a little game of peek-a-boo...Jason style!