Halloween 2013

 It was cold and rainy for Halloween (isn't it always that way?!)

 Abigail saw these cozy costumes in her closet so she wanted to wear them and since the weather was so chilly we obliged. 

 So we had a Winnie the Pooh

 and a Giraffe (Jeffrey from ToysRUs maybe?)

 Since Abigail walks so slow, we would have been drenched by the time she walked the entire ONE kilometer loop around my neighborhood (haha) at her speed so we put them each in an umbrella stroller. 

 These were originally the costumes they were going to wear: a sailor

 It's a real wool one from when her great grandpa was in the navy and brought it home her Abigail's grandpa to wear! The best part: it comes with a whistle! :)

 We also have a pilot:

 Even their cousin Micah got in on the Armed Service "theme"!

Another Talent

He takes after his mama... unwinding the toilet paper rolls onto the floor!

A New Talent

Elijah learned a new hobby...

 "glass blowing"! 

Stand back Dale Chihuly...

Happy FIrst Birthday Elijah!

 When it came to special attention and food and presents, this guys was not shy or scared or teary... he loved every minute of it. 

 Tractors, tractors, tractors...

 and some Costco cake to stuff your face full...

 Uncle Matt with all his nieces. 

 He knows what to do with things with wheels! (Gggggg.....)

 the "twins": Elijah and Micah in their matching pajamas

Great Grandpa and Grandma with the birthday boy (he was starting to get tired in this photo, otherwise he was all smiles!)

First Snow

 They were excited to see all the snow, although it seemed so early to me!

 The front porch pillars had just been rebuilt and I haven't even had a chance to prime and paint them in this photo yet!

Twelve Months Old

 Here are the last photos with his monthly stickers. He officially turns from a baby to a toddler now but I feel like he's still my baby since he doesn't "toddle" yet!

He LOVES his pacifier (more than any stuffed animal, and we've really tried to get him to attach to a little stuffed monkey in his crib). I love how his smiles is so big right now that you can see it behind his pacifier and even his eyes squint and smile. It reminds me of her. 

One Years Old

 I can't believe he's one already! He looks like such a little man with his tie on. 

 These moments don't last long at all; sometimes I just want to freeze time! I'll have to settle for memories and photos to capture these treasured little toes and chubby cheeks. 

Ludington State Park

 We went camping for the weekend up to Ludington State Park with some friends/families from church.  It is one of our favorite state parks in Michigan but is just about impossible to get in during the summer (nevermind that it's one of biggest with hundreds of sites). I think autumn is just as wonderful up there though. You don't go to swim in the lakes or float down the river but the colors are incredible and the wildlife is more active. 

 I was a little worried about the colder nights in our popup so we borrowed the "Taj Mahal" from Grandpa and Grandma. We didn't even remember to take pictures while we were there. Oops!

 Abigail hanging out with the Vellenga girls. 

Baby's First Photos

 It's always amazing to see that little body on the screen so young and tiny and yet completely designed by God and growing/developing so quickly!

 We added an extra pumpkin to our porch this year to announce our pregnancy. Each pumpkin had a birth year on it and it was fun to watch neighbors walk up on Halloween night and "process" it. :) It added an extra fun spin to trick-or-treating. 

Abigail: First Day of School

 Abigail was very excited for her first day of school. She goes one afternoon a week and loves it. Each month is a different theme and they do all kinds of enrichment activities. She enjoys the attention from her teachers and meeting new friends. She also likes all the fun songs and stories and crafts and experiments and stuff that her mama does not do at home. :) 

When we pick her up she is so wired! It's cute to see. When she sees her teachers or friends outside of school she is quick to point them out to me. It's fun to see her make celebrities out of her teachers.