I absolutely cannot believe it's been a year since these little girls were born.
They are each so different.
And yet so similar.
Two tremendous blessings!
Happy Birthday Anne Perry and Audrey Kate! We love you!
The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
Psalm 116:5 How Great Is Our God!
(ps: 12 month pictures and a longer post to come...after their party...when i finish their 10 month...and 11 month post...and Addie's 3 year old post!)
{Early} yesterday morning, we all piled in the car and headed to Atlanta for the day.
Everyone slept {some} on the way up and everyone slept {some} on the way back.
All in all, it wasn't a bad drive.
I got to see my {favorite} niece
(ok...so she's my only niece, but that doesn't mean she can't be my favorite! ;)
read All By [Her]self to Addie
But she {understandably} wasn't as keen on reading to the little girls.
We let our {four} girls play
(notice not a single little one is looking at the camera here. serious playing my friends. serious playing.)
But I was pretty excited to get to meet this handsome fella...
The newest addition to the Wamsteds:
John Rand Wamsted
born April 15th. 7lbs 12oz. 20 inches.
Sweet perfection!
I would not have a clue what to do with a little boy with all the pink we have around here!
But there was no doubt in my mind what to do with these perfect tiny feet!
As biased as I may be, I'm pretty sure he has the cutest nose, sweetest little lips, and softest skin of any present 2 week old I know! Perfection at it's finest!
I do miss {just a little} having a baby who can go from this:
to this:
in mere seconds even with all of this:
going on around him!
I know newborns have limited sight distance and clarity, but there is no doubt in my mind that this little guy knows exactly who daddy and mommy are and completely adores them!
And I do believe it's reciprocal! Don't you think?
Eli laid pretty low while we were there, but he stayed close to his newest family addition.
After almost losing {all} of my digital pictures, I've had to go back through and reorganize things from the recovery.
When I click on 2010, one of the first sets of pictures that pop up are those last few weeks of {belly pictures}.
This time last year, I was very, very, very pregnant with the little girls.
There was very limited {sleep}.
Many {aches} and pains.
But without a shadow of a doubt, we knew we were incredibly {blessed} to be where we were...only days away from being 38 weeks.
Not much has changed.
There are still sleepless {interrupted} nights, although much fewer and farther between.
My arms and back {ache} at the end of the day from carrying around over 40lbs between the two little girls, but I've certainly developed some arm muscles.
And we are still, without a shadow of a doubt, incredibly {blessed} to be exactly where we are.
But what has changed is this:
(that was almost 13 lbs of baby right there almost a year ago to the day...holy wow I was huge!)
And what joy and happiness this brings me to see these sweet {serious} little faces staring back at me!
(thank you Lori for this great picture you took for us at Thomas' party!)
Almost a year later.
Then again, maybe a {whole lot} really has changed!
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
disclaimer #1: no one was harmed in the making of this post.
disclaimer #2: our children do wear clothes in addition to panties/bloomers on a semi-regular basis. but only semi.
disclaimer #3: i had absolutely nothing to do with this! i was attempting to load the dishwasher and everyone crawled/walked out of the kitchen. it got too quiet. fast.
and this is what i found...
now...
a.) you tell me who you think was behind all this?
and
b.) can you imagine the mischief these girls are going to stir up once the little girls start walking. and talking. and Addie starts driving.
i'm getting a bit ahead of myself.
Happy Wednesday!
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
*disclaimer on my firsts post: although I try really hard to make things fair in the now for our 3 girls, if anyone compared 1.) the number of pictures, 2.) the number of posts, or 3.) the number of documented milestones (or documented anything!) of the girls and Addie...Addie would win by leaps and bounds!
But to make up for that (or not!), I grabbed a few pictures of the little girls outside the other day.
This fun slide was a gift for Addie a few years ago. It stayed inside in our living room for a long time until it a.) became too big (with the other toys) and b.) became a potential hazard for Addie and Cady.
So outside on the deck it went and was still played with almost as much. Addie still loves it, and now the little girls are going to be able to start enjoying it too! It's just their size!
I love how Audrey Kate is looking at me and Anne Perry is looking at her. They are just so sweet together!
A tad on the serious side, this little girl loves to stand up and hold on but hasn't quite figured out how to go from standing back to sitting...which results in some tense moments.
And this adventurous little girls isn't afraid to get dirty! She crawled right through the hole and onto the cool dirt...and didn't miss a beat!
Now I've just got to get that ant colony that I found later that day after I took these pictures! Thankfully the little girls standing there didn't disrupt them like me moving it did!
Our Easter was very low key this year. I didn't get the girls dresses finished, so I'll have to post pictures of those later. But we did enjoy a fun day with just us and an Addie Easter egg hunt! So, as usual...pictures to come!
A quick story:
Addie's teachers at school used the Resurrection Eggs to tell her class the story of Easter.
Addie came home and was so proud to show me her eggs she found during their Easter Egg hunt.
She sat at the table, and I asked her what she was doing. She told me:
I'm looking for Jesus (as she opened each egg).
Me: Well where is He?
Addie: (very matter-of-factly) All the eggs are empty. He's not here. He rolled away!
Oh how I love her!
"...for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it...The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead!..."
Therefore, I make painstakingly sure that almosteverything is fair and even with our girls.
Or at least I try to.
5 puffs. 5 puffs.
half a sandwich. exactly half a sandwich.
fill cup half full. other cup half full.
a toy in each hand. a toy in each hand.
3 pictures. 3 pictures.
Except I can't seem to get Addie to let me take as many pictures of her as the little girls will let me take of them.
And just because Audrey Kate can walk behind the shopping cart walker doesn't mean that Anne Perry can too.
And just because Anne Perry hams it up for the camera in multiple pictures at one time and Audrey Kate just smiles, doesn't mean I shouldn't post what I got!
See. Wasn't that a fair mention of each girl?
Nevermind.
So this is a {first}.
A terribly uneven assortment of pictures.
A video of one and not the others.
Thankfully, I don't think anyone is keeping track.
But just in case they are...I'll make it up later ;)
-----------------
The little girls have been using sippy cups with soft spouts. But someone (Anne Perry) has figured out that if she tumps it upside down and presses the spout on her highchair tray that water comes out.
Fun. Right?
Not so much to clean up unnecessary soggy food off the tray.
So Addie and I got their big girl cups (with tops) out the other day and gave them a try.
This is what Anne Perry thought of them:
And Audrey Kate gave me the sweetest smile ever!
But the new spout didn't keep Anne Perry from at least trying to get the water out...
Instead she learned a new trick!
And Addie begged me (another almost first) to take her picture with her Addie cup in the double stroller.
I was happy to oblige but had to crop it something serious since her most favorite attire consists of panties only these days!
And remember that {first} video of one that I don't have of the other...did I mention we have a cruiser?
She's getting faster by the day!
It amazes me how quickly these little girls are growing! This was only a month ago, and I can see such a difference in them in so many ways!
(Anne Perry)
(Audrey Kate)
And someone who didn't want her picture taken, but I managed to get one that at least looked like it was intentional (another almost first!).
But same happy girls!
So thankful for their smiles. Their health. Their laughter.
