Spring is here!

It feels like forever since I've posted anything, but it seems like life gets so busy that the days are just gone before you know it.  Since the last post Lily has continued to grow and learn more every day.  She is energetic, outgoing, happy and an absolute joy.  Her teachers love her and constantly tell us how much of a pleasure it is to work with her.  I hope that she always loves school as much as she does right now.  Annie is happy and healthy.  She smiles all day - unless you cross her.  Then she lets you know immediately that she is displeased.  She crawls like lightning, stands and climbs all over everything.  She goes up the stairs so fast that we have to run ahead of her to get the baby gates closed in time.  She is on the verge of walking, having taken a few individual steps in recent weeks.  I think we are the brink of some big changes for BanAnnie.  Here are a few recent pictures to show off my beautiful babies.

Baby New Year rings in another year

I can't believe all that has happened in the last year! I also can't believe that Annie is already a year old, but it does feel like we've had her forever. Her first birthday was on New Years Day and we had a great party. The food turned out really well, the cake was beautiful and Annie seemed to have a great time - as far as I could tell with a baby. I have never in my life seen a baby demolish a piece of birthday cake like she did. We are very lucky to have such great people in our lives. They lavished Annie with great presents and helped to make the day special. I know that 1 year old parties are more for the adults than the kids, but she will look back at the pictures some day and smile.

Happy, Happy, Merry, Merry

So far, the holidays have been great! The girls had a good Christmas with lots of loot, and now they spend their days trying to steal things from each other. Santa was good to them. We are now preparing for the small one to hit the one year mark. At this time last year, I was hugely pregnant and stuck on bed rest. It's quite amazing what a difference a year can make. Annie is growing like a really big weed, and getting into more of Lily's stuff every day. Here are a few pictures of Christmas morning to tide you over until the birthday pictures are here!

Trick or Treat

It's already mid November, but Halloween and Lily's 3rd birthday have recently passed. Lily had a great birthday party with a Dora theme and lots of little friends. She had a blast, and will hopefully remember parts of it, although I don't know when they start to form actual lasting memories. Halloween was right on the heels of the birthday parties, and both girls had a great time.

Lily is potty training - again. She has finally gotten the hang of at least half of the process. We are still waiting for everything to fall into place - get it?

Here is a photo bomb to share some of the most recent pictures!

Rapunzel without her long hair

Annie and Nana

Lily and Emilia - I love this picture

I'm ready for Winter!

I always knew she was a princess

Annie sporting her Rapunzel wig

Second birthday party with an awesome cake!

Lily and her Daddy with her new bike

Princess Lily - again

Getting ready to wake the sleeping giant on her Dora adventure

Looking for the giant...

Just another Monday night

I had the camera out so I decided to take a few pictures around the house.

Daddy's birthday

Today is Paul's birthday (and my parents' wedding anniversary, and my brother and Michelle's anniversary) so we had a party. We also celebrated Papa's birthday and Uncle Ben's birthday since they were over the summer and we were all so busy. The party was fun, the food was delicious, and the kids had a great time playing in the backyard. Our neighbors, Sue and Amelia, gave Lily and Annie a jungle gym (which Lily calls her Donut). It's huge and she is in love with it. She flips around and does tricks that make her father and I cringe with the anticipation of an ER visit.

Nonna with most of the grandkids

Annie seems to like crackers

Lunch under a tree

Death defying acrobatics - this is an action shot

The birthday boys

I can sit up!

Lily on her scooter

My big sister has no idea how much trouble I'm going to be now!

Family PIctures

We decided to have professional pictures made this summer by Rebecca Bonner Photography, and they turned out so well. Here are a few of my favorites.