18 Months, Anna-Kate!

Somehow this doesn't seem possible, but it's true. 18months!!! 

Remembering...
She's One
9 months
6 months
(Here's 3 months, newborn.)

Anna-Kate, you're my begged for 'one more' and you have brought us SO MUCH joy in the last 18 months. Look how you tip your little head in pics, just as I used to do when I was a kid. You are my mini me!

To start with, you are a talker.  Non stop.  You have mama, dada, bubba (brother) and ahwah (Audra). You imitate anything and everything we say and come up with your own 2-3 word sentences all day long. You say things you think are funny and crack yourself up. 

You love music, dancing, stacking blocks. You love your babies and rock them and tell them "shh".  You hate for any of your babies to be dressed and holler OFF OFF OFF if they are clothed. You also love organizing. You bring adults every piece of whatever you find or you love filling buckets. You're most helpful in the garden, collecting seeds and bulbs. Your biggest love is reading books, which you bring us books all the time and tell us "Readabook". 

At nursery, a friend told me you play nicely alone. Well, that NEVER happens at home because your big brother and sister never leave you alone.  In fact, I think your dad and I say "LEAVE HER ALONE" more times a day than anything else. You love them, though.  You give oodles of hugs and kisses to all your loved ones. You are always gentle with the animals. Always. They flock to you. However, you're not very gentle with babies younger than you. In nursery, you steal pacifiers and push the new walkers down. Not good, Anna-Kate! 

You (clearly) are an excellent eater, but still prefer anything colorful.  If we plopped a pile of spinach leaves and a piece of homemade buttered bread on your plate, you'd chuck the boring looking bread and eat all the spinach. All fruits and all vegetables are preferred to anything a bland color, fine with us! 

It's hard to believe you have only been walking for a few months.  And now you're running. Fast. You grab our hands and tell us "outside" frequently. That's your favorite place to be!

We're so thankful you have been an easy going and portable baby. You're the perfect addition to our family and we love you oodles.

Love, Mama

In progress. And guess!

Thankful my husband took the kids for a couple hours so I could make some progress on their Halloween idea.  We took the screens out and put the walls and windows back in on the 3 season porch.  The sun warms this room beautifully.  It's the best 'office'.

 No kids,but truly never really 'alone'.

Two costumes down. One to go!  Here's the first.  Can you guess their idea?

It happens

When you have a job to do and the spectators arrive, the show goes on. Not everyday you have a pioneer girl and a farmer as an audience.  I caught one of the guys notice these two watching and chuckle.  May you two always march to your own beat...

Party of five

Party of five and a self timer. Not half bad!

 My favorite places are the desolate ones. They watched a seal and then a squirrel swim.

Thrifted

 A fort building book, a terra cotta pot, Find it game, barn boots, a bird, a pack of candles and two vintage thermos containers. $7.00

 And look at these vintage books. I think I paid $8 for them all. And below...fifty cents to a dollar. 

 A vintage hat, two vintage tins, homemade pants for Anna-Kate, wool socks, a quilting ruler and brand new coleman rainpaints for my husband. $6.50.

Punkinfiddle

Year after year, Punkinfiddle, our National Estuaries Day celebration, doesn't disappoint.

Leaves

Our last yard was a 'rake everyday for months and still never keep up with it' sort of yard. This house's yard is a 'hurry up and gather the leaves before the wind blows them away' sort of yard.  HURRY KIDS, gather fall, before it blows away!