number one celebration

yea...i think i like this stuff

 

check out her face!!! don't eat my cupcake!

 

the family:: january 4th 2011

it was one of our last events of our two month long string of celebrations in our family between birthdays and holidays but definitely one of the most special celebrations! miss franniepants turning one! i can't believe we have already journeyed through 365 days with this beautiful little gift. she has melted our hearts every day along the way. i made a giant cupcake for her just like for henry on his first birthday. she wasn't totally into it but she did enjoy her mini cupcake with her friends at school earlier in the day.

FRAN....you surprised us a year ago on january 4th at 10:32am making a quick early entrance into this world. we just knew you were going to be a boy but tickled pink we were! your brother was right all along guessing that he would have a sister. you are daring, confident and curious- just like you should be at one years old. we can't take our eyes off of you but that is okay because you are such a joy to be around. the sound of your giggle just makes me want to tickle you more. the carb and sweets lover you are makes me know you are a girl after my own heart! you are strong & tough and will be more of a challenge for us down the road but your contagious smile & laughter will get us through those hard times.  i love the way you hold on so tightly to me & don't like to let go no matter where we are. i wish it could stay this way forever but i am sure when you turn thirteen things will be quite different!
happy birthday to you sweet girl!! we can't wait to celebrate so many more with you and hope that all your dreams do come true. with love forever, mommy &daddy

12 months!

12 months and a BIG girl!

(22 lbs)

As I was just going through all the old "month by month" shots I realized that I can't even remember when she was that tiny even though I feel like we were headed to the hospital in rush hour morning traffic yesterday! The top photo totally shows her personality right now.....MOVE OVER- I am coming!!! The girl is filled with determination and will do what she wants to get it done! A few other milestones we have hit at this month mark.....

• eating all kinds of new foods- pretty much anything i put on her plate (except pasta- why fran? it is so delish!)- i think she might eat more than me at each meal
• walking.....but only when she wants to.....she really prefers to crawl
• she naps on her cot at school in the 1's class!
• likes to say a few words but some are in her own vocabulary- dada, momma, uh-oh, "b" for her bubby, bye bye
• has moved on to regular milk- yay!
• favorite things are bath time and dance party time
• has learned to crawl up in the club chairs...uh-oh

The past 12 months have flown and it honestly makes this momma sad to say she has a one year old. Thankfully she still loves to snuggle at the end of the day before getting in her crib. I have to hold on to those moments as much as possible!

they both look so little here

all i remember about this photo is how when we were done henry just pretty much pushed her over to the side like a stash of his racing cars....maybe from week 1 she decided to be the determined little girl that she is!

christmas 2011

merry christmas 2011!!! this year we actually didn't even start the morning off till 7:30!! it was awesome! i think i was awake first at 6:30 because i was so excited-  it is more fun being on the other side!!
thanks to bebe (brett's mom) for the matching Christmas pj's!!

excited to show off his new bike! good thing it was a blue light special at walmart for $35 because he hasn't touched it since!! haha!

tearing into one of his presents from aunt kelly....fran decides to go ahead and open up some others of henry's.  she really surprised me on Christmas morning- she was so into it & loved every moment. checking out every new thing & of course loving all the paper!

hey....do these things pop out of here???

checkin out the loot in the stocking

she is thinking "i love these things....i can down a whole can in 2 minutes if mom would let me!"

after santa claus had come & gone we headed over to honey & sam's for a yummy brunch and more presents! here are the two nutcrackers trying to stay calm until everyone gets in the room so the gift exchange can begin

fran entertained herself in the fireplace grate....such a safe place

jeff, dannon & walt

honey got a new big blue wheelbarrow for Christmas! it was given to her with all the kiddos inside!

my absolute favorite pic of the holiday!

leading up to Christmas

a quick peek at a few things that led us up to Christmas day!

she touched every ornament she could possibly get to.....and several times. i finally just left them all on the floor!

celebrating at our school party

our 2nd annual Christmas Eve brunch with Cannadys & Catanese families

(mac, charlie, henry, haley, fran, caroline, lucy & walt)

Christmas Eve at our house this year! Walt- I promise it gets better!!

bff's

the only decent picture i got of her beautiful dress that aunt kelly bought her when she was born. i was so excited for her to wear it! it will definitely stay in the pass down box in hopes for one of them to have a girl one day.

aunt cece got us matching pj's!!! whoop whoop!

the woodard family:: Christmas Eve 2011

the boner family:: Christmas Eve 2011

christmas card outtakes 2011

this is always one of my favorite posts to do of the year! if only someone would take a video of us the parents as we try to get the kids to smile & stay still- it would be a good laugh! i think i took over 300 pics & we had about 2 good ones in the end. i love looking at them though- especially viewing them quickly and seeing how the 20 minute process turned out. enjoy the silly ones below......

dad giving strict instructions to probably calm down and hold your sister!!

okay....these next four are the best! this was towards the end of the photo session. they were both just totally over it. brett had to raise his voice a little at henry & then of course henry had a meltdown. luckily i had the my finger down on the clicker and it captured every bit of it. looks like fran is just eating it up that she didn't get in trouble!!

have you ever seen anything so dramatic as the photo above? he will win an oscar one day

this was the runner up for the christmas card......but below is the final!

henry & fran:: christmas card 2011

southern thanksgiving

Once again the Shuhda family gave us another fabulous vacay in Sea Island! We hit the road to Georgia for Thanksgiving 2011 & relaxation & some full tummies are exactly what we got! Kelly & John know how to entertain & that place is always so relaxing. It is nice to sneak away from home & enjoy the beach with lots of family members to help out with the kiddos. The pool was heated at the beach club so Henry logged in two afternoons of swimming in November.  We tried to head out to the ocean for a photo session but the bugs were so bad that we only snapped these few shots before they sent us back to the house.  The one below of Lilly & Henry might be one of my top 10 favorite shots of the year.

We headed back home all snugged in our pj's at bedtime on Saturday night & made it home in record time of 4 1/2 hours! Note to self- best time to drive with kiddos! Woke up the next morning so birthday boy could be at home to celebrate number four.

Thank you again Kelly & John for having us back to your beautiful home! We can't wait to be back soon!

the boner family:: Thanksgiving 2011