The Linville Family

One of those days...

2009-04-09T09:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was just one of those days- you know what I am talking about- totally out of control! It all started when I didn't get much sleep on Tues. night, this is a trend in our house on Tuesday nights and I am not sure why, but after a 2 hour "nap" from 11-1 am I was WIDE awake until about 4! Maybe it was something I ate that kept me awake because Anna was also very awake on Wed. (probably because I was so tired!) she only slept 30 minutes ALL day! Believe me I tried to get the child to sleep- no such luck! The vast majority of the day was pretty good, Anna does really well even with no sleep, then we got to dinner time...
I went outside to feed our dog and when I came back in something was in need of my immediate attention, don't really remember, I just put the bag of dog food by the back door and ran to attend to whatever the need was- my plan as to come right back to put the dog food in the laundry room, except I forgot about it. I went about trying to get dinner ready and turn around a minute later to find Anna with a handful of dog food in her mouth!!! She was quite enjoying her snack and I had to fight her to get it back! ;) So I clean up that mess and get Anna in her chair to eat- disaster avoided! Wrong!
Jason was late getting home last night so I decide to brave the grill to cook these awesome burgers that I had made for dinner. Anna is eating dinner so I am spending most of my time with her and just running out to the grill to turn it on, etc. Well, I have the grill heating up and I am bringing my burgers out to put on the grill- HUGE FLAMES! Yes, I have set our grill on fire! I am not sure when, but at some point Anna is finished with dinner so she is out of her highchair and follows me to the back door as I am calling Jason and running to get the grill turned off- so the gas tank doesn't explode! Jason is yelling at me telling me to spray the grill with water from the hose- so I finally get the hose out and am spraying the grill down- the fire is out- whew! I then realize my child is screaming at the top of her lungs, I thought because she was afraid of the fire and smoke, no, I had inadvertantly sprayed the hose in the screen door and soaked her in my haste to get the fire out! I decide to forget grilling burgers and just get the George Foreman out.
Anna is finally in bed and my burgers that I have been waiting for all day are on the George Foreman. AHHH...I can take a deep breath. The burgers are done perfectly and I am sooo excited to try mine, too excited I guess. As I am trying to transfer burger to bun it drops on the floor!! Yep, you guessed it, I picked it up and put it in the bun. No joke! And it was truly the best burger I have ever eaten! Bobby Flay- I will throwdown any day with my new burger recipe! (Just as long as I don't have to use a grill! :))

Potty Training?

2009-04-03T10:34:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know some of you may be saying, didn't Anna Kate just turn 1? What in the world is a potty training post about? Well, Uncle Chad and Auntie Shana got Anna a potty chair for her birthday and I had asked her Dr. about potty training because Anna has been telling us for a couple of months when she goes "poo". I thought it was a fluke at first, but literally she only says it when she has gone.
So the Dr. told me just to make her aware of it and she will catch on in time. The past couple of days I have just been putting her on the potty while I am in the bathroom and she reads her books. Well yesterday we had 2 successes! Pee both times and really I think I am just a good guesser at when she has to go, but she LOVED it! I was surprised at how much she was into the potty and then flushing it down the big potty. We are in no way truly potty trained, but she is starting to understand the concept for sure. I will have to post some pics of our girl with her books on the potty!

First Birthday!!

2009-03-23T12:39:00.002-05:00

I can't believe our little girl has already been with us for a whole year! She is just the biggest blessing to our family and everyone is absolutely in love with her! I have to say that I am spoiled by our sweet girl.
I feel like we don't have a baby anymore though- isn't that stage supposed to be longer than a year? Anna Kate is walking and talking and is such an independent girl. We counted the other day and she is already saying over 30 words!! Balloon is one of her favorites right now, so we had to have a bunch for her birthday- she loves them! I blame the workers at our Kroger for that- they are so sweet to us every week when we come in and we leave with a Kroger balloon and a very happy little girl. Our days are filled with playing ball, blowing bubbles and reading books. I am so thankful that she loves books! She sits in mine or daddy's lap and truly listens to each page. Sometimes on the 100th time I have heard "book" in one day I get a little weary, but pretty soon I will have them memorized! :)

We went to visit Dr. Holmes for our 1 year check up and our little girl is just climbing up the charts- of course we are still tall- 94th percentile! (Oh to be tall and thin!) She was 19 lbs 6 ozs though, so we stay backwards in the carseat for a while longer. Thankfully she does great in the car even facing backwards- spotting "trucks" keeps her well occupied now and I just have to smile every time I hear her little voice say "truck".

We had family and friends over Sunday afternoon for her party and boy did she have fun! She knew on Saturday as we were getting ready that something was going on, but it was like she knew that she was the center of attention on Sunday and she did not dissapoint! She was amazed by everything and we all had a great time watching her! Below are a few pics of the day... Wearing her hat with GiGi
Tasting her cupcake

I have to say she was still pretty dainty "digging in"

Time Flies...

2009-02-02T11:00:00.004-06:00

I have taken an unexpected hiatus from blogging recently. Our real life has just been so full and busy that I haven't had time to sit down and write about it.
We had a wonderful holiday season with lots of family and friends around- although we also missed alot of family this year for various reasons :( Hopefully, next year won't be the same in that arena.
In January, we have been out of our house a lot- we were in Heber for a week and a half while my parents were gone for their 30th anniversary trip- to Hawaii! I am so jealous since we had snow and extremely cold temps while they were gone to the sun and the sand!

Then Jason left us and went to New Mexico for a couple days to redo his Nannie's bathroom following her knee replacement surgery. I am so glad he got to go help, but I know that I am not cut out for single parenting!! We were very glad to get him home last weekend!

Anna Kate is growing and changing almost daily and it makes me sad when I think about how fast time goes. She is extremely close to taking her first steps and I know she will never turn back once she does! She did inherit my cautious bone though and that is what is keeping her from taking off right now- she doesn't like the unsteady feeling of lifting her foot! Give her one finger though and she practically runs around the house! Crawling was never a preferred mode of transportation for her so I think that provides more motivation to walk. I did find out that she knew how to crawl, just chose not to when she crawled to a brush one day. We have only seen it a few times since then, in times of extreme desire! Other than that, our days our filled with "step, step, step"- which is what she says when she wants to walk. Anna is EXTREMELY verbal and will repeat almost anything we say to her! Her favorites are of course, step, dog, and daddy. But there are a host of others to got with those- last night the most important was "Go, Big Ben!" As many of you may know I am originally from Pittsburgh and so the Super Bowl last night was epic in our family. We started working on "go Big Ben" during the playoffs and Anna would cheer with me during the games. Last night she was cheering right along with us- at least for the first half, then she had to go to bed. For those of you who are leary that a 10 month old can say "go Big Ben" -we do have it on tape!!! :) I can understand why you might question it too, but when you are a Steeler fan, you are obviously born one!

Anna Kate has a crush...

2008-12-02T12:08:00.003-06:00

With Daddy and the great pumpkins!

Saturday morning special

Daddy was the first one to hold her- and no his eyes aren't just red from lack of sleep! :)

I am convinced our little girl has her first crush. I am very happy to say that it is on her wonderful daddy! I am sure that he is relieved that it is him too! Everyday when Jason comes home, Anna is so excited! I am glad for this fact, but it doesn't end there. As soon as she knows that he is home she has to have her eyes on him at ALL TIMES! If he leaves the room for any reason she starts crying! I think it is sooo cute! Our little girl absolutely loves her daddy and he returns the favor with his own adoration. SO I thought I would post a couple pics of our girl and her first love- we hope it stays this way for a long time! :)

8 Month Pictures

2008-11-25T08:07:00.004-06:00

Anna and I went last week and had her 8 month pictures taken... I am going to have a really hard time choosing, but here are a few of the photographer's favorites. You can see the rest at www.kellybittlephotography.com - go to client proofing and the password is annakate.

8 months old

2008-11-20T16:58:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that our little girl is 8 months old today! It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital! She is growing almost daily and her little personality is sooo fun. Anna Kate is very strong willed and she knows what she likes and what she doesn't- lately she has been pushing whomever or whatever she isn't interested in away. You can't convince her otherwise! She knows the word "no" and will stop whatever she is doing and look at you if you say it. Then she smiles really big as if to say "can I if I am super cute?" Jason and I have such a hard time not smiling back, but I will say she listens as long as we keep our straight face. She is the most pleasant child- even when she is sleepy or doesn't feel good. I truly think she is going to skip crawling as all she does now is stand up. I have to admit I wouldn't like crawling on wood floors either! Below are some pictures that capture just a little of her growing personality... Her ugly face- as we call it, but she loves to make it!
Surprise!
A smile with her always present hands- I have never seen a child who loves her hands so much!

Standing Tall

2008-11-12T09:23:00.004-06:00

Well, we aren't sure that our long little girl will ever crawl as she tries, but finds rolling to her destination so much easier than trying to get all of her body off the ground. She definitely likes standing much better! Here are some pictures of her standing by the chair- she is so proud when she is standing by herself. One problem we are learning though is that she has NO FEAR of letting go! She gets so excited that she goes no hands and ends up toppling, but she will learn soon enough...

Sitting pretty, at least for a second. It is so hard to get a picture that isn't blurry!

Still holding on and so proud!

Who could possibly resist this face? Certainly not her Daddy!

Fair Warning...

2008-11-10T08:47:00.004-06:00

Ok, I am so sorry that I have been missing in action for so long! In my defense I gave you all warning that I might not be so good at keeping up with blogging!
We have been super busy the past couple of weeks with regular life. Anna Kate is growing so fast and is into everything!!! Jason was bested by her quickness a couple of times this weekend!
We have gotten to see a lot of family in the recent weeks, Jason's mom came for a visit last week and we have gotten to spend some time at the river since it is perfect fishing weather.
I am afraid that Jason is now addicted to fly fishing! He is getting pretty good- he even got to help my dad guide 4 brothers! What an experience!
We are looking forward to a visit from Uncle Chad and Auntie Shana for Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-18T19:03:00.003-05:00

Today was a beautiful day here! Jason decided to carve Anna's pumpkins today and they turned out incredible- so I have to brag on my artist husband! He surprised even himself by the way.

Jason working on Goodnight Moon
Anna and Daddy with the finished products
Goodnight Moon all lit up
And of course Anna had to have an owl pumpkin! :)

I think next year will be a little more fun since Anna will actually understand, but Jason and I had fun this year anyway!

Fall Fun

2008-10-17T17:37:00.003-05:00

Weather has finally turned a little colder here in the past couple of days! I am so happy! Anna's hands have been getting cold on our walks and blankets have done no good because she has to have her hands out- so today I went for the hat and gloves! (I know you Arkansans might think this a little overboard, but our walk is mostly under tree cover so it gets pretty nippy.) This was a first so I wasn't sure it was going to fly, but she did great! I think she just didn't know what to do with the hands that were much harder to coordinate. Here are some pics of our almost 7 month old today after her walk... Anna with her funny new hands
That still crazy smile

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-07T08:54:00.003-05:00

We got to go to the Pumpkin Patch this weekend and we all had a ton of fun! Here are some pictures of some of the things we got to do while we were there. I won't bore you with all of the pictures! Anna and Daddy sitting on a HUGE pumpkin!
Sitting on the scratchy hay
Picking sunflowers with Mommy
Everyone in the old Model T that still runs!

Jason was totally amazed by it.

Anna Kate's new favorite face for the camera-we have no idea where she came up with it!

My house now has fall decorations inside and out- thanks to my wonderful husband who humors me and my obsession with fall!

HAPPY FALL!!!

6 month checkup

2008-10-04T14:25:00.002-05:00

We went to the Dr. this week for Anna Kate's 6 month checkup. Thankfully she told us what we already knew- Anna is healthy, happy, and smart. She weighs 16 lbs .4 oz is 27 3/4 inches long and her head circumference is 17 inches. Her head and weight are right around the 50th percentile, but she is obviously taking after her Daddy and her length is in the 96th percentile!! I am so glad that she is going to be tall! Although it already proves interesting in finding clothes- she needs 12 month length and her little waist is not big enough to hold any pants up! :)

Just some pics

2008-09-24T15:03:00.005-05:00

I made the last post without any pictures so I thought I would post some of everyday occurances here at the Linville house...

Anna LOVES to eat! Somehow she gets really messy when Daddy feeds her!
Still not crawling.

The rolly polly about to start action.

Have I mentioned how much fun I have with her everyday? I love it!

6 months!

2008-09-23T18:30:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it, but our little girl is 6 months old!!!
She is growing up so fast I can't believe it. She is doing so many new things almost every day. Anna is quite lovable and cuddles up so sweet. She laughs a lot just like her mommy. She is also an incredibly great eater already after just a month. Her favorite food right now is avocado with pumpkin a close second! (I like making her baby food so she can get used to all kinds of different foods!) She is a professional roller and seems to be quite content to simply roll wherever she would like to go, although the coffee table often gets in her way! She is getting really good at sitting up and is getting pretty proficient at using both hands while sitting up, although she still falls eventually. We can't really get her to the crawling thing, she pulls her legs up and is looking pretty good, but then decides it is easier to roll over. She is such a talker, and she babbles all the time, mostly to herself. We haven't gotten mama or dada yet either, but she is getting close with mmmm!
Anna Kate is absolutely positively in love with her daddy, she just sits and stares at him, and I have to say that Jason is pretty content just to stare back.
Also, I am one of those moms that the AAP would string up, but Anna Kate now has a walker, and she loves it! Our house is all one level so it is not as bad as you may think and I am pretty sure it will save my back in the long run.
Anna also has the best lungs in town. We decided to leave her in the nursery for the 1st time on Sunday, and I made it through half of the sermon before they called me out. She was SCREAMING and did not want anything to do with that nursery- in her defense she didn't cry the whole time and only started after about 30 minutes. I felt bad for the sweet couple that was in there, but I decided to stay with her to try to at least get her used to the room. I think maybe they tried to hold her the whole time and my little independent one didn't like that idea one bit. We will try again this week, but I think I will stay for at least a while.

A Tooth!

2008-09-11T08:27:00.002-05:00

We have a tooth! I am afraid there will be more soon, but we do know that they are really coming! The bottom left middle tooth finally pushed through and Anna is super cute as she is constantly feeling it with her lip. She has definitely been in a better mood, but the gnawing continues...

Teething...

2008-09-08T19:40:00.003-05:00

Ok, I have said many times that I have been blessed with the happiest child ever. I mean she started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, she has been a pro eater, and she laughs all the time. Well, I am missing my baby! Teething is the worst thing I have experienced so far as a mother. She gnaws on her hands all the time, she is fussy, she had about 10 bms the other day which led to our first diaper rash ever, and she wakes up at night because of pain. The worst part is that there isn't much I can do to help her with any of this. I guess this is what it is like to be a parent, there are just some things that they have to go through themselves. I can't wait for these teeth to make their appearance so that life can maybe get back to a little more "normal"!
By the way, she is still a pretty happy baby in spite of all of this...I think I am just really spoiled!

Forgotten Freebie

2008-09-04T11:22:00.003-05:00

I thought I would share with you one of the things I have remembered as one of my favorite things to do as a child and that I have vowed that Anna and I will definitely do often...go to the library. With all the talk lately about how expensive everything has become, I have been trying to find "budget" entertainment that is also educational.
I remember going to "Story Hour" as a child and I LOVED it! I have just forgotten about the library in recent years and now I am thinking about how much money I have spent on books I read once and will sit on a shelf forever or get sold in a garage sale for 25 cents in several years. Now don't get me wrong, I think there are some books you just can't do without buying, but in general the library is an awesome benefit to all those taxes we pay- so why not take advantage of it? I mean, as long as you return your books on time, this is a totally free outing that also provides hours of entertainment when you get home!
I hope that Anna can look back in the years to come and have great memories of going to the library just like I do.
So for today, let me encourage you to support your local library, as I am afraid they may soon be all but forgotten.

5 month pictures

2008-09-01T11:07:00.000-05:00

We just got Anna Kate's 5 month photos back. I can't believe how fast she is growing up! I haven't gotten to go through them all yet, but here are a couple that I liked.

She definitely has her daddy's eyes!

Future Olympian 2028, just haven't figured out which sport yet, swimming or gymnastics!

Already she has the attention of all the guys, and loves it! (Although somehow I don't mind that she gets so much attention from all these guys!)

She is actually wearing her dedication dress that was mine almost 28 years ago!

Family Visits!

2008-08-30T09:46:00.000-05:00

We have been so blessed for the past 3 weeks to have family in town. Anna has gotten to meet 2 of her great-grandmothers for the first time, so now she has met all 4. That is very special to me even though she might not remember meeting all of them, a couple are not in good health and may not get to see her in person again.
My dad's mom, aunt and sister came 2 weeks ago from PA and spent the week. We had a great time doing "girl" things like shopping for jewelry and getting massages. I enjoyed getting to spend good quality time with them since I haven't made it to PA in several years.
Last weekend, Chad and Shana came in from CHI Town for a wedding. Although they had a busy schedule they did get to fit in some good Anna time with Uncle Chad and Auntie Shana- she loves them by the way! Which is good because they sure love her too. We also got to have some family photos taken with everyone here. Anna was a little ham!
This weekend Jason's mom and grandmother came all the way from New Mexico for a visit on the holiday weekend. We don't get to see them very often either, in fact, we haven't seen Nanny since our wedding. Anna is enjoying getting to show off her new tricks!
It has been fun for everyone to see our new house. Jason has done such a great job on everything, and I have loved being able to host everyone for at least one meal while they are here. Space is a wonderful thing!!
Even though we have enjoyed having all kinds of visitors, I think I will breathe a huge sigh of relief when things get back to "normal"!

Joining the Masses

2008-08-25T15:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have joked with many of you about being a blog stalker until this point and so I guess I am joining everyone in posting snippets of our life so that everyone can keep up. With so many family and friends far away I hope you enjoy getting to silently participate in our life, and I hope that sometimes we will hear from you just to know that you are out there reading!