A Week at the Beach

And a week was not long enough for this mommy! It always takes me about 3 days to realize I'm on vacation, for the wheels to quit turning and relaxation to kick in. Why is that?

We returned to FL this year, just a different area. We had a great time. The place we stayed has been completely rebuilt since being destroyed by a hurricane several years ago. It is located off the main highway and we were so surprised that there were not more people.

Anna had a great time getting reacquainted her Papa, Nana, Aunt Dena, and Cousins, Hannah and Cody. She loved the beach because she loves being outside. She enjoyed quality time in the condo with nana and papa in the afternoons. Jeff and I enjoyed quality time beside the ocean. Anna also loved the pool. She loves her bath time so this was not shocking. However, she couldn't figure out why there were other people in her big bath tub.

We took over 400 pictures with our new digital SLR camera. CRAZY! Here are just a few.

The Family

Sweet Baby Girl
Our Family
Cousins enjoying morning cuddle time.
More cousin cuddle time.
Mommy trying to love on her girl.

"I love this place called the beach"
Cousins having fun in the sun.
My first dip in the pool.
" Mommy dipped me under. Not my favorite part but it was ok."

Jeff's family came over on Monday and spent the day with us.

More cousins having fun in the sun.

Maybe too much fun. Oh my!
"Did my feet hit the board?"
The two younger ones liked the pool more than the beach.

Jeff's dad and his new granddaughter.

Myrick girls!
Robby's gang and our little one.
My, how they change and grow up!
Leaving my footprint in the sand. See you next year!

Happy summer!

d

Three Months

Unbelievable! Anna was 3 months old yesterday. Where does the time go? We still think she is so amazing. Sometimes I look at her and my eyes are filled with tears of joy for God's rich blessing. On Valentine's Day, Jeff writes me a letter in this special book. His letter looks back over the past year of our life together, the good and the bad. Last February 14th, we had no idea that one year later I would be 4 days away from giving birth to our beautiful baby girl. God's timing is so perfect and I think we are overwhelmed by her everyday because we longed for her for many years.

Here she is at three months, smiling and just starting to giggle.

Happy Mother's Day

Mommy,

Keep singing to me every morning. Pretty soon I'll start singing with you.

And keep giving me kisses - I love them.

And keep talking to me. I'm just putting words together in my head.

Pretty soon, they will explode out of me and I'll talk as much as daddy! :)

love, anna rose (thanks to daddy for dictating)

I took these on May 9th. Anna is growing and changing every day! She is so fun! She "talks" and sings. She also found her thumb and loves it as much as she loves her paci...only for a few minutes. It is a good thing for mommy and daddy because she now pacifies herself in the mornings and we do not have to keep putting the paci in her mouth. :)





Happy Mother's Day! Just remember...every day is Mother's Day and let your mom know how special she is!

love,
me

Hankins Wedding

We traveled to Jackson, MS this past weekend to attend the wedding of one of Jeff's best friends. Jamie married the love of his life, Jennifer, in a beautiful morning ceremony in Canton, MS. A brunch reception followed the wedding where we ate the best shrimp and grits! Jamie was Jeff's best man in our wedding. Jeff was honored to stand as a groomsman for Jamie and sing a solo during the wedding. It was a fast trip and Anna was fantastic. We have been blessed with a child that loves her car seat! Here are few pictures from the celebration.

Mr. and Mrs. Hankins

Anna, Jeff and Jamie
Anna and Mommy
Rose and Bob with Jamie's parents, James Harold and Tip. Tip is one of Rose's dearest friends, too.
Granny and Anna
Have a great week!

Two Months Today!

We can not believe our sweet Anna Rose is 2 months old already! She is growing and changing every day. She weighs 9 lbs 12 oz and is 22 inches long. She is wooing and cooing and smiling when we talk to her. She follows our voice and loves when daddy gets home from work!

Here she is at 2 months wearing vintage. My sister and I wore this dress.

Ok mom...I'm over this photoshot!
Well...this isn't so bad...my mom is really funny looking...
Now I'm just too sweet.

Have a great day and weekend!

Not Big Enough

We can not believe that Anna will be two months old this week! Time is flying and we are enjoying every moment with her. I got a little ahead of myself yesterday and assembled the jump r roo toy thinking Anna could sit in it. I feel bad that her waking hours consists of laying on the floor or sitting in the bouncy chair or laying in the pack n play. How boring! So I pulled out the jump r roo, assembled it and put her it. And...she did ok except that her toes are supposed to touch the floor (lacking a few inches) and she can only hold her head up for a few minutes. Oh well...daddy got a few laughs out of it and then grabbed the camera to capture her first try.




Anna and I went shopping on Friday and this was her purchase. I love it! Forget the little bows that you glue to the head. If you are going to wear a bow, WEAR A BOW! That is Anna's motto. Several people have called her a "he" even though she is usually dressed in pink. I think this will settle the gender issue. Isn't she the cutest?

Jeff caught her sitting peacefully and snapped this one. I titled it "My Feet". Look at her feet!
Several of you have asked about an update on us and the adoption. We are doing well. I love being at home with Anna. I am blessed to work from home one day a week. I will be working this summer, 2 days a week out of the house, and Jeff will be at home with Anna. He plans lots of visits to the park and to Starbucks. Jeff is swamped this semester with preparing for a musical and the spring concert, both to take place next month. Prep time for the musical is very consuming but I know all his hard work will pay off with excellent performances.

Our adoption is still moving forward. We submitted our paperwork to China in September 2006. The last referrals were to families that submitted paperwork in early January 2006. China takes about 3 - 4 months to cover a month of submissions. So...if you do the math and if this referral pace continues, we could be looking at another 2 years wait before traveling to get our sweet daughter. We are hoping this is not the case and that the process speeds up to where we will travel in the Fall of 2009. The fact that the Olympics are there this year will not help the speed of the process and could slow it down. So...PLEASE PRAY about the timing. We trust God's plan and know he is faithful in all things.

debra

We Made It

Anna and I had a wonderful time visiting family and friends last week. Anna did great on both the drive over and the return trip back. Of course, it took us a little longer having to stop and feed her. It was raining the day we returned and we encountered two traffic accidents that turned our 3 hour trip into a 5 hour trip. I was so ready to get home! The time went way to fast! Hannah had her tonsils removed on Thursday of last week and she is slowing recovering this week. Here are a few pictures from our visit.

Anna's Great-Great Aunt Mayme (my grandmother's sister)

Cousin Hannah reading me a story
Anna and Great Aunt Donna (who came by every night to kiss on her)
Anna and Papa
Anna and Dustin (I babysat Dustin the summer before I went to college...yes, I feel old)

She Wore Shoes Today

Yes, at almost 6 weeks, Anna wore her first pair of shoes courtesy of Aunt Jana and gang. Here are a few photos from today. She is almost 6 weeks old. Anna and I are leaving tomorrow for East TN and daddy is very sad that we will be gone for 4 days!