Sophia Claire turns one!

Getting dressed for my party!

Happy Birthday to me!

One year ago today, At 10:39 p.m., on November 21, 2007, our little Sophia Claire came into the world! What a wonderful Thanksgiving present you were... And what a wonderful year it has been.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sophia Claire!

Mommy & Daddy

We WHOOPed 'em!

Bears 41, Aggies 21! Sophia Claire got to see Baylor dominate the field today! This was her third Baylor football game and the best yet! Good thing we brought the hat and gloves; it was quite chilly!

DADDY DID IT!

He did it! Daddy graduated from Baylor Law School last Saturday! It was a celebrated event with family and close friends in attendance! We're so proud of Tim's hard work and perserverance.

Fun with Confetti

We set off ten canisters of metallic confetti and streamers at Tim's graduation. Sophia had a great time with the remnants (see below)

Sweet Pumpkin

Okay, so we are not fans of Halloween, but not much is cuter than a baby in costume (see below)!


Mommy and her little pumpkin!

Too cute for words, and look at my teethies!!

I got sweet tarts!!

In my Sweater from Mimi at 11 months

Just taken last weekend at 11 months in the white sweater Mimi gave me. I look just like a cream puff! That's Grammy holding me.

Favorite Photos from August, September, & October!

Here are a few catch up photos taken at 9 and 10 months! Enjoy!


Looking for something to wear....

Favorite thing to do: reading right after my bath, before mommy puts my jammies on!

I think it's funny to pat my head!

This is a traditional pose.

With daddy after my bath ~

Sparkly eyes, sweet smile.

Mia's Response to the Bee!

Since it was so hilarious, I just had to post Mia's response to Sophia's bee sting incident (see "A Bee in your Bonnet" post below):

'Oh, poooooooooooooooor baby Sophia, with a bee sting! Bless her heart! I bet that scared you to death, too, Annie Kate! I guess her cheek was just so sweet that bad bee couldn’t resist. The only justice is that I’ve heard that once a bee stings you, he dies. If not, Mia will just have to hunt it down with a shot gun!'

So, bye bye Mr. Bee!! or look out for Mia! :)

I've Been Tagged: 7 Random Things

I was tagged by Jana Funderburk @ eyestowardethiopia.blogspot.com

Seven random facts about me...

1. A grew up in the Dairy Capitol of the United States~Hopkins County, where every year is crowned a reigning Dairy Festival Queen, where there is a Dairy Museum, which even inspired some friends of ours to construct a home in the style of a barn (it's actually QUITE amazing). So that's one both weird and random fact

2. Despite this, I grew up to be extremely aesthetic and ended up getting a Master's degree from an art/education school in New York City,...

3.... although one of the more fun things I did in New York was to go out and buy my first guitar at Manny's Downton, where all the big rockstars by their guitars, and I learned to play while sitting on the garden roof of my building, admiring the New York City sky line.

4. While Jana detests moths, I detest bees! Just look at my recent post "A Bee in Your Bonnet".

5. I married a younger man! Six years younger! And they say that women tend to live six years longer than men, so that should set us up for a long and happy life together.

6. So, I have Attention Deficit Disorder,... but it seems to have gone dormant. Maybe my stress level is down therefore the ADD tendencies aren't as strong...But believe me, I've had my moments. Some time I'll have to tell you about the picture frames outside of SteinMart moment with my friend, Jana, the one who tagged me! Jana and I understand eachother. :)

7. I am an art teacher first and then on my own journey as an artist, mostly for my own pleasure, but occasionally do things for my church. And the craziest thing I attempted thus far was a set of over thirty, gigantic--4' x 9 ' hand batiked wall hangings, which were hand painted with hot wax and triple died in my bathtub then rinsed out on a tarp in my backyard, several times under stars at midnight. It was the craziest fun, (emphasis on craziest).

So, I am now going to tag the following friends: Stepahnie Johnson, Sarah Bianchi, Robyn Areheart, Genevieve Alexander...I'll think of more and post them tomorrow!

On the Home Front

In case you didn't know, Tim is graduating from Baylor Law School in two weeks on November 8th! It has been quite an experience, to put it mildly, and despite the Bar exam coming up in February, we will pause to CELEBRATE Tim and to remember God's faithfulness to us on this journey. After graduation, Tim will be doing some work for a local firm until he starts his job as a staff attorney for the State Legislature in Austin for the Spring 2009 session. This will last January-May and will involve lots of time in Austin. But fortunately, we have family there and Sophia and I can come and go as we like.

Also, Sophia turned 11 months old today and so her one year birthday celebration, Cupcakes in the Park, is right around the corner. This will be a family affair along with a couple of Sophia's favorite babysitters. Tim's parents are even coming in from Atlanta. I ordered a fun cupcake cake pan from Williams-Sonoma for our first birthday cake attempt. Stay tuned....

A Bee in your Bonnet!

Believe it or not, Sophia Claire had a bee in her bonnet today!! Well, close enough! It was a bee in her stroller! We were strolling along in Cameron Park enjoying the nice fall weather, when Sophia began to scream in pain. I ran around to see her anguished face and noticed her red cheek-something had obviously stung her. I then glanced to the right and there it was--a great big bumble bee! I grabbed her up out of the seat and put some cold water on it, then called Grandaddy (also a doctor) for advice. She was already calming down by that point and it was all over. She's such a resilient little thing. Now, what was a very puffy swollen cheek just has a slight indication of the incident. She's sound asleep in her bed now....sweet dreams, baby Sophia.

Both of the lovely illustrations on this page are the work of Boston, Massachusettes artist Julia Denos. You can see more of her work at http://www.thecinnamonrabbit.blogspot.com/

Hello Friends!

Dear Friends,
I have a silly reason for not posting these last few months. I have misplaced the charger for our camera and therefore haven't been able to download anything new to the computer!

I kept thinking I would find it soon, but it hasn't turned up. So we will be ordering a new one, then catching you up in the photo department!

Until, then, I'll just update without photos!

To bridge the gap since summer, lots has happened. It seems like summer just faded into fall in NO time! Tim's hardest 6 months of law school lasted until this last July, then in August he had a month's break! It was much needed rest for him, and joyful togetherness for the rest of us. We had great time seeing family on both sides and just taking a deep breath.

Tim is now in his final quarter and interviewing for jobs! It's an exciting time and we are nearing the end of a long intense season, although it won't really be done until after the Bar in February.
This last quarter is much less intense than the last six months and it feels like we're winding down.

Sophia Claire is growing great in every way. She now has almost four teeth, (the top two are halfway in)! She can pull up to standing like a pro and move from coffee table to couch more and more adeptly each day. She is eating solids like banana and peach, as well as some chicken and various vegetables, although we are also still nursing, (plan to keep that up through the year).

And believe it or not, she is 10 1/2 months old! We are excited about celebrating her first birthday with all the family next month! After Tim's graduation in December, we're taking a family trip to Florida with both of our parents. We're staying in a condo together and are going to spend two days at DisneyWorld. We are so excited!

This is all for now, but I'll be back sooner rather than later, and hopefully with some photos soon.

Doll Face!

What a DOLL face!! Sophia Claire is currently sampling a variety of whole grain cereals and vegetables and fruit. Her favorite foods so far seem to be a tie between green peas and sweet potatoes. Her drink of choice besides mommy's milk is H2O! So far she is a very mannerly little eater~keeping her hands nice and clean and not grabbing for the spoon at inopportune times. But we know what you're thinking! Just wait for finger foods....!
Happy in my high chair.

Sophia Claire & Grammy

Here are Sophia Claire and Grammy splashing around in the pool together! Grammy (aka Carol) is Annie Kate's wonderful Mom who has been coming to help with Sophia on a regular basis since, oh...February!?! Seriously, she has been an amazing blessing to our family in this season!

It's cold,....but I like it!

I like my Grammy!

Nooooow we're cooking!

First Time Swimming

Hey Everyone! It's been just under a month since we posted and pictures are piling up! We've been having a very busy yet very fun summer. Last month Annie Kate and Sophia Claire went on a girls retreat with friends to Marble Falls where Sophia Claire took her first dip in a big beautiful swimming pool overlooking the lake. This first (sideways) picture of Sophia is from that day. Since then she has been swimming another two times and ofcourse just loves it. Enjoy some new photos--more to come asap. Happy Summer!

Happy baby.

Is that a tooth I feel??

After the splash!

Mommy's got me.

All's good with Papa!

I've been meaning to post these great photos of Sophia with Papa Rick. They were taken at Tim's brother's wedding in Georgia last month. We love you Papa! Hope your first Grandfather's Day was a good one. Enjoy the memories! Weeee! I'm having fun!
This is something new....!
Kissable cheeks and a finger sandwich!
Love this book Uncle Matthew and Aunt Riann gave me!
Those are beautiful mountains they've got in Georgia....!

Hi Honey! WE LOVE YOU! HAPPY FIRST FATHER'S DAY!!

An Open Letter to Dadada on his First Father's Day!

Dear Dadada,

I am so happy that you are my Daddy!

Every time I see you, I am filled with joy and my face lights up, because I can tell by looking at you that you think I'm the awesomest.

Thank you for always taking time to hold me, sing to me, and play with me. It makes a difference in my day, (and Mommy's, too).

Even though you have other important things to do, I never feel like other things are more important than me and mommy.

Thank you for praying for me and telling me about Jesus. I can't wait to learn more.

I hope you have a wonderful first Father's Day. You are doing GREAT at being my Dad.

I Love You and so does Mommy!

Your Very Own Daughter,
Sophia Claire

Sophie's New Move!

Hi Everyone! Check out Sophie's new move! We first caught her doing this while listening to music. Whenever the music would start, she'd begin her little sway; when the music would stop, so would she! Now she does this whenever she's excited or happy, which is alot. We think it's just adorable!

On the Airplane with Daddy

Couldn't resist sharing this sweet shot of Tim and Sophia on the airplane to Georgia.


Sophia's thinking, "...This is pretty much the awesomest."

The Cupcake goes to Georgia!

We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Atlanta, Georgia to celebrate the wedding of Tim's younger brother, Matthew, to Riann Hillier! Annie Kate's parents and Tim's grandmother, Mimi, joined us for Sophie Claire's first airplane ride from DFW to Atlanta. Tim's parents (below) picked us up in a vehicle large enough for all of us! We had so much fun all together- celebrating Matthew and showing Sophia some new sites. Below are some photos from our trip.

Mia, Papa, and Sophia in front of "Tara"~the family home!
Sophia at Matthew and Riann's western-style rehearsal dinner! What's she so excited about? Take a look at the background, (she seemed to really dig the guitar)!!
The brothers: Matthew and Tim are five years apart. It was fun to hear Tim recount some of their childhood adventures at the rehearsal dinner.
Sophia, Daddy, and Uncle Matthew before the wedding.
Uncle Matthew and Papa holding Sophia (see more of Papa and Sophia in the next few days....!)

Sophia Claire Meets Zoe and Zachary

On Monday, Sophia Claire had the pleasure of meeting her cousins ~Zoe Kathryn and Zachary Elliot Vann! The twins are the 18-month old kiddos of Annie Kate's cousin Heather and her husband Elliot. We had a great time seeing eachother's kids and catching up on life. Here's the best pic we were able to get from the day! C'est la vie!

Lake Whitney for Tim's Birthday!

We've found a GREAT steak and seafood restaurant on Lake Whitney called The Lighthouse! We decided to go back there this weekend for Tim's birthday. The drive is scenic and the sunset over the lake is supposed to be the most beautiful in Texas. It's really worth the 45 minutes it takes to get there from Waco. Feels like a little vacation! Here are some photos from the evening!


Family.
Uncle Alex with Sophia Claire and Tim
Annie Kate's beautiful and lovely parents

A Great Day in May

Sunday turned out beautifully. It made Mother's Day so special to have Sophia Claire's Dedication the same day. Annie Kate's parents and brother, Alex, were in town, which made the occasion even more memorable. Here are a few pictures for you!

Sophia Claire Belongs to Jesus!

We are looking forward to this Sunday for two reasons: First, Sophia Claire is being formally dedicated at church and second, it's Annie Kate's first Mother's Day!

This week we are pondering more deeply what it means that our daughter belongs to Jesus. As He has entrusted her to us for her years of life on earth, so we dedicate her back to Him,...because we TRUST Him and know He loves her even more than we do! We are thankful to share the beginning of this journey with our church family and friends.

As a side note: Sophia Claire will be wearing YELLOW for her dedication. It's traditional to wear white, but,...our church isn't so much on tradition! And everytime I ( Annie Kate) think of Sophia Claire, I see the color yellow, (I think in symbols alot). Yellow is a bright color, the color of light, and Claire means "clear and bright" or "illuminated". It is a prayer of ours that Sophia Claire will radiate the love and light of Jesus in a dark world. So,....if you see Sophia Claire on Sunday in yellow eyelet instead of white,...you'll know why. :)

DADDY TIME!

There is nothing like watching your husband with his daughter. It is the sweetest and best feeling in the world!! Despite the fact that my husband is in a rigorous law program and is required to study the better part of 24 hours/day, Tim has been AMAZING in setting apart good time with Sophie Claire (and me for that matter)--every day. On top of that, he never manifests the stress I know he must be under with the demands of law school but is patient and kind....What a man!! And she's pretty cute, too. :)