Our little Martha

Yesterday Anna helped me bake some cookies for Daddy...who knew she was such a little chef? She's tending to enjoy playing with "our stuff" as much if not more than her toys these days...apprarently a wooden spoon and brownie pan are much more exciting than maracas that vibrate and light up and sing in both English and Spanish! I actually think its pretty neat and endearing...call me old-fashioned, but I'd much rather her be playing with this "real" stuff than all of the electronics toys.

First pigtails

Here's Anna in the tub with her first (and likely only for a while!) pigtails. Given Anna's hair growth patterns to date, she's probably going to be 17 before her hair is long enough to put in real pigtails, so we have to take advantage of these wet-hair opportunities...

(Sorry for the repeated "crazy hair in the tub" pics, but I thought this was too cute note to post.)

Momma's Girl

Anna is going through a bit of a "mommy phase" right now, which I can't say I'm all too upset about! Its kind of nice when the mere act of entering a room elicits a smile, squeal, and arm waving... :-) I think Clint is a little hurt by her recent preferential treatment, but I keep telling him to just wait til she's age 12 through 17 when my popularity will take a certain decline and his will likely stay nice and steady. Ah, adolescence. Oh well...I'm soaking up the snuggles as long as I can get them!

Homecoming Queen 2024

While Anna's primary mode of transportation is still crawling, she is certainly enjoying walking behind the new push toy that Santa brought her. She mostly cruises from one side of the playroom/dining room to the other, waving and smiling as she goes. I think she's practicing for her future homecoming float debut...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Anna decided to kick the New Year off right with some traditional black-eyed peas for good luck...



She also thought she would take this opportunity at the conclusion of her first "calendar year" to reflect back on some of the highlights of 2006. Here are Anna's picks for her 1st Annual Anna Awards...some of her favorites from 2006...

Food
Best Breakfast: oatmeal with wild blueberries
Best Snack Food: apples and strawberries (freeze-dried)
Best Healthy Food: ended in a tie--avocado -or- yogurt

Music
Best Song...
...for eating: Wheels on the Bus -or- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (seasonal)
...for going to sleep: Mama's Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread
...for school: If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands!
...for two hours of Chicago traffic: Mary Had a Little Lamb
...for general-purpose calming and entertainment: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
...overall: Itsy, Bitsy Spider

Other Entertainment
Best Toy: Roll n' Roar Dinosaur
Best Activity: walks to the park with swing time interludes
Best Friend: Leo the Lion
Best Game: Tasty Baby (which involves Mommy and/or Daddy pretending to eat her appendages...truly hilarious when you're 10 months old...)

Stay tuned next year for her 2007 updates...