!!!

Pretty sure the last time I saw a smile that big was on our wedding day;) Glad I measure up to the Packers!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Adam! Thanks for being the best dad, husband and friend in the whole wide world!!

And, Happy Father's day to Pop-Pop and Grandpa Chuck! We miss and love you all!!

xoxoxo

Pictures Pictures...

We have been LOVING all that St Louis has to offer during these warm spring/summer months...if we do end up staying here, we have a lot to look forward to! Last year was total culture shock and this year we're really finding the things we enjoy.

I think both Adam and I were floored by the Botanical Garden's Wednesday evening concert series...we thought, 50 people or so listening to ok music in the garden....boy were we wrong, try thousands of people listening to unbelievable music! And, the groups that gather are no joke...they come with coolers, coffee tables, wine, beer, dinner, cheese spreads...and people cover every square inch of the giant garden that is within earshot of the speakers! We are really excited for the next Wednesday night that we can go and will gather a group and fancy spread!

Annabelle had a blast while we were there and was a total superstar....of course:)

In the pics below we of course didn't take any of the venue...but we sat right by the edge of a garden, so at least you have a pretty back drop...oh, and the boy, yeah, Annabelle picked him up;)

loving her dad

loving her freedom


then loving someone else....

they were smitten



Well, I have to say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. A package arrived from Gammy and Pop Pop and Annabelle was thrilled! "presents, presents, presents, presents" After opening the box she INSISTED on trying on the outfits and laying on her beach towel....seriously....

Our bathing beauty!



Tonight (Sat) Annabelle and I headed over to Lafayette Park for some playground fun and randomly it was "Music in the Park" night (we're seeing a trend). We had a great time walking, talking and snacking.....

loves her goldfish and new Nike Sandals..

Annabelle and I have been working in the yard/garden and it's looking GOOD! Here's some of our recent progress...about a thousand bags of mulch, sweat and smiles.....

green grass!! whooo hooooooooooooooooo

my deconstructed window box!

These are from Tower Grove park last week...we met a bunch of moms for the free kids concert series, then followed it up with fun at the playground. Annabelle always makes me laugh... this time it was her pressing her ear to the balance beam, waiting for it to get stuck, then picking her head up and saying "ear stuck, ear stuck, ear stuck". What's really funny, is that I used to do that before going to bed when I was little...getting my ear stuck.....that apple and the tree again......

Sitting pretty on the turtle

she loves her dad's hats and visors!

We had a really crummy rainy day so we ran errands...this was at Garden Ridge where she was climbing the piles of rugs like it was a playground....instead of telling her "no" I took pictures...can you say Parent of the Year?!

Believe it or not, she's a good little tennis player! We play at the Y in the gym. We watched the Open together and I think she's been inspired by Nadal. I hope so....man I'd love to go to the French Open!! And, I think Gammy would go anywhere Nadal was;)

Love and Broccoli!

1st Swimming Lesson!

Well, these two pictures are from the night before...Annabelle, a very-pregnant Ellen and I went to the Cardinals game...Annabelle lasted until about 9:45 and was a super star the whole time!! She was just SO DARN CUTE as we were leaving I had to snap a few pics!

Look at those long legs!! No baby left to her!

And, here's the first swimming lesson!

There was a night game tonight, so Adam got to come along!! He was our photographer!!

She really liked the jumping in the pool!

weeeeeeeeeeee

Swimming for the "optocus"

lots of smiles! Adam said she was the most well-adjusted water baby!!

So, to clarify, in the water she's awesome...on land, little clingy!!

Dad time!

Fun at the outdoor pool after!

On another note....

No pictures for this, but my goodness is our lady a talker. These days she can pretty much carry on a conversation with you...assuming she knows you pretty well...otherwise she gets quite shy.

And, what is SO fun now is that she recalls things from her day. For example:

Mom: "Annabelle, what did you do today?"

Annabelle: "Swimming"

Mom: "Who did you play with at the pool"

Annabelle: "Kids and cow" (she brings a cow toy that's now named Tubby).

Mom: "Annabelle, what is your heart filled with"

Annabelle: "Love"

Mom: "Love for who?"

Annabelle: "Gramma, Grammpa, Gammy, Pop Pop, Mayee (maddie) Bayee (bailey), mommy, daddy"

and that's pretty much where my heart melts!!


Another favorite:

Mom: "Annabelle, what is your daddy?"

Annabelle: "handsome!"

Also, the other day she told me she loves Tyler and Brandi (our friends). It was pretty cute, especially because it came out of nowhere...it's really fun when you catch her thinking about someone else!!

Busy little bee

Our leading lady was beat today....no interest in going to the pool or playing with friends. We've been out and about so much lately that she just wanted a nice day at home.

We painted for a bit this morning, played in the baby pool, at the sand and water table, then she decided she had ENOUGH...threw a fit, went inside and played with baby and the dogs for the rest of the morning...couldn't be bothered by her parents!!

She's 20 months going on 20 years....

But, she was super-cute painting! Very focused...

pretty sure this is just a few minutes before the fit!

You can see it in her eyes.