eleven months old

Annabel is 11 months old today. It is hard to believe that she will be one year old soon.

I wouldn't say that she is officially a walker yet, but we have seen her take 1, 2, and even 3 steps at a time. She usually just resorts to crawling or creeping along furniture now though.

She is quite a dare devil and loves to climb. Jared (with help from our friends and my dad) brought the play set from our old house to our new(er) one and reassembled it. We figured that she would love the baby swing, but she also loves sliding and being in the "fort". She can even climb up the slide to get into the fort with out any help. This is actually a little scary to me. We can't take our eyes off her. She also climbs on top of Maddie's little wooden chairs that go with her table. I have repeatedly found her standing in them facing backwards.

My aunt and uncle passed on a lot of baby toys and furniture to us when Madison was born that we have gotten so much use out of. This little ride on car that they gave us has been one of Annabel's favorite modes of transportation.

Annabel also loves playing with (0r on) Wrigley. I am not sure that he loves it, but he tolerates it really well.

This is the first picture we have of her standing without assistance. She is getting more and more confident with it.

A day at the ranch

Today, one of the owners of my company invited everyone to his ranch to play and enjoy a crawfish boil. We spent about five hours there and had a great time. Madison found a new favorite activity. We didn't get there in time for the hay ride, but we still had fun playing on the trailer with all of the hay bails.

There were three labradors that made the girls feel right at home.

Annabel crawled and cruised around the ranch, having a great time.

Fun on the swing

Madison got to ride the horse twice. I led her once on another horse, and after dinner she was begging to go again, so I got to take some pics as Jared led her around.

We spent a lot of time on this swing. It was under an awning and the shade was wonderful.

We also took a couple quick videos of Madison riding.

What a great afternoon!

Cowboy day at school

Today was cowboy day at Maddie's school. We had fun getting her ready. Jared took her to get a hat yesterday and last night she and I found some boots. Here she is just before leaving for school.

Cowgirl hugs for Annabel.

Oh, and you will notice that she has a crayon in her hand in every one of these pictures. Madison is really into drawing, tracing, and writing now. She is learning how to make her letters. At school they have been working on these and on writing their names. For the last couple of weeks, this is typically how she wants to play before I go to work and in the evenings.

Peas

Just in case anyone wondered what Annabel's opinion of canned peas is:

She used to eat the baby food version of peas without any trouble. To be honest, I don't like canned peas either, so I can't blame her.

More fun from last weekend

Baby girl playing hard.

On Saturday, we went to the carnival. My dad and I took both of the girls on the carousel. Annabel started on a horse, but they moved up and down pretty fast and scared her, so I held her for most of the ride. Madison loved it though.

My mom and Madison rode the tea cups.

These were so much fun she wanted to do them again. This time Jared and I got to go.

Madison and I went through the obstacle course/giant slide twice.

The girls ready to shop at Gander Mountain

My parents are troopers. They both crawl into the back seat of our Yukon to ride around town when they come to visit. This is great for Annabel who typically just faces the back of her seat. She has a captive audience.

It didn't take her long to discover that she could repeatedly throw things on the floor and Grandpa would pick them up everytime.

There is always a lot of competition for Grandpa's attention. Wrigley (notice the dog in front that blends in to the black rug) tends to be the most demanding of the three. He is certain that he was the first grandchild and should be treated as such. My dad always ends up spending a lot of time in the back yard throwing his ball.

Fun with grandparents

My parents got to visit this weekend, and we had a great time. Madison got a new movie and she and Grammy watched it on the computer.


Grandpa and Annabel

When we went to Kohls, Annabel did a little shopping. She swiped some stacking cups off of a shelf, and Grandpa and Grammy decided to get them for her. She has been having a blast with them.

Grandpa and the girls first thing in the morning.

We also went to the carnival. This was Madison's first time, and I wasn't sure if she would even ride any rides, but she had a great time. Pictures to come.

This last one was actually before my parents got here. I thought it would be fun to get a picture of the girls because they had on (sort of) matching outfits. Somehow, I will have them both looking at me and by the time I snap the picture, this is what I get.

Just playing