Jeff - Rebecca - Annabelle

Curls & 28 Weeks

2012-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

I don't know where this little girl got her curly hair but I love it! I also love this happy smile.

So the 3rd trimester begins! I guess this shirt doesn't show it very well but here is our baby girl in my belly at 28 weeks.

Here's Annabelle doing some dance moves.

Loooove her! (I don't know why my left eye looks so squinty here?)

Looooove both of them! The weather has been great for us to go on a lot of walks.

Annabelle is the master of imitation and wants to do everything Mommy and Daddy do. She is a great workout partner!

I love that she enjoys cuddling with us. Of course it only lasts for so long.

So we don't have a before picture so you can't grasp the transformation of it, but we painted Annabelle's dresser and added some new hardware. It looks sooo much better. I have to say though that the color looks distorted in this picture. The paint is actually a darker brown.

Playing in her castle tent. Sometimes she likes to tell Jeff and I exactly where to sit while we play.

Taking a bubble bath in the jacuzzi tub! Annabelle absolutely loves bubbles. Every Sunday when we're going to church she mentions her 3 favorite things about nursery; bubbles! toys! snacks!

Expressing her fashion sense and wearing her toys as jewelry.

Annabelle loves to wear her slippers and even insists that she sleeps in them sometimes.

Jeff's brother and his wife are visiting us for the weekend and Annabelle has been soaking in the extra attention. She had the privilege of been hand-fed popcorn and milk after her nap yesterday. She has been having a lot of fun and always asks for Todd and Crystal.

Since Todd is a dentist we were lucky enough to have him give us a free dental exam and quick cleaning. He discovered that Jeff has one cavity to fill and I am still cavity free!

Annabelle even cooperated to have him look in her mouth.

We went to the Alligator Park and Exotic Zoo today.

Annabelle was pretty hesitant of the animals at first but then she warmed up to them.

She would get a little nervous if we brought her too close to the animals and would clench on to Todd's face.

The latest

2012-01-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

Annabelle is learning so many new things every day. Not a day goes by that she doesn't do multiple things to make us laugh. This video has some of her cuteness from the last month or so.

Pictures pictures!

2012-01-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

During the Thanksgiving break my oh so talented sister, and her also talented husband, took some fantastic pictures for us. In addition to the one above, here are a few of our favorites...

Christmas Break!

2012-01-04T18:48:00.001-08:00

We love taking family walks in our neighborhood. For a while there Annabelle insisted that she wear both her hat and her gloves, even though it hasn't been very cold.

One day I noticed Annabelle placing the computer mouse on the bookshelf, stepping back, and saying "cheese". I had my speculations but wasn't sure what she was doing until she did it another day. I realized that she is pretending to set a timer on the "camera" (computer mouse) and then take a picture of herself. We decided to get the real camera out and let her set the timer for some pictures. Here is one of the pictures that Annabelle took of us. Don't you like the hole in the bottom of Jeff's sock?

Being silly on one of our walks.

What a cutie!
Jeff is now halfway through his 2nd year of med school! I can't believe how fast time is going by. He had a few weeks off for Christmas break so we were able to go to his parent's house in Missouri for Christmas. We had a great time! We are so fortunate to have received so many wonderful gifts this year from so many people. Aunt Jennifer even made Annabelle a bean bag chair. Thank you to everyone for your generosity and love!

Annabelle was able to play the angel when they re-enacted the nativity scene.

Here she is strutting her little self with her new pajama's and slippers on Christmas Eve.

She is such a sweet little girl and I love seeing these little lips puckered for a kiss.

Our little family on Christmas day. Jeff is very festive and wears these pants every Christmas. His tie sings too!

She did not want to smile for a picture in her Christmas dress.

We stopped at the park one day and Annabelle became the most excited little girl I've seen. It was her first time going to this park and when we pulled into the parking lot she points at the playground and screams "yayyyy! whoo hooo!" as she is clapping. "weeeee!" "swiiing! yeahhhh!" and claps some more. It was priceless and I wish we had it on video.

She was so sad when we had to leave but she sure had fun while we were there.

Saying "cheese" for the camera.

She had fun playing with her ball when we went to play miniature golf. We were able to enjoy doing a lot of fun things over the break and it was nice to spend time with Jeff's family.

Little Women

2011-12-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

It turns out that Annabelle is going to have a little sister! We are having another girl! We look forward to meeting her and having fun with our 2 little women.

Thanksgiving Trip!

2011-12-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

We flew out to Utah this year to spend Thanksgiving with my family. My parents rented a house in the mountains in Idaho. Maybe next year we'll all go home to Maryland for Christmas!? It doesn't matter where we are it's just fun to be with family. Annabelle and I flew out a week before Jeff since he was busy with school. He finally made it to us and we had a great time! Annabelle was constantly entertained by her cousins and everyone else. She had a lot of fun having a playmate all the time.

She started the trip out a little rough. The morning we left for the airport she pulled a small entry table on herself at our house. Then we arrived at my sister's house later that day and she fell down the stairs twice. We don't have stairs and she's not used to them. I know I sound like a horrible Mom but I tell myself that sometimes these things just happen to toddlers. Anyhow, she has healed and no longer has these sad bruises and scratches on her beautiful face. She was a trooper through it all.

I was a good girl and ran everyday while I was gone, even in the cold. Grandma and I took some of the kids for a run one morning. We'll see how far along this baby lets me run for.

Cheesy Annabelle on Grandma's lap with her cousin.

We went to Huntsville for a day and Annabelle was able to ride a horse.

Grandma was so great to take the kids riding in the cold.

Future excellent big sister.

We were also able to see Jeff's sister and her family, the Flamms. Annabelle was feeding Lyndi at the restaurant.

Annabelle sleeping next to my awesome brother on the drive to Idaho.

The only girl cousins with their matching halloween pajamas! The rest are boys...

Jeff and I took Annabelle for a short 4 wheeling ride at the house in Idaho.

This girl is too much fun, but also sometimes a little monster. We love her! She is talking all the time now and it's fun to hear what she comes up with.

We took a beautiful hike near our house.

This was the view from the house.

Here's just some of the Jackson family on our hike. One side of us was sunny...

...and the other side of us looked like this.

Me, my Dad, and Annabelle

Me and 2 of my sisters. I look huge in this picture but I think it's just all of the layers I'm wearing.

We went to Lava hot springs and had some swimming fun. Annabelle loves the water.

Playing with Grandpa!

Jeff climbing the rock wall. He even made it to the top!

Annabelle and her cousins gathering around Grandma and folding their arms for prayer.

Annabelle loves her baby cousin, Hailey. Sometimes she loved her a little too much.

It was sad to leave but it's always nice to come home. When we got home we put up our Christmas decorations and decorated our little tree!

Our daughter lives in a cardboard box

2011-11-12T07:08:00.000-08:00

Jeff and I have been wanting a headboard for our bed so we decided to make one, and we did it for less than $50.

Handyman Jeff! It was really a simple project if you are looking for one yourself.

I watched my friend's little girl the other day and Annabelle wanted to help the baby do everything. She brought her toys, rubbed her head, and insisted she put her pacifier in her mouth. Another time when we were with this baby Annabelle had climbed on top of her and was helping her put her pacifier in her mouth. I think I will have a really good helper when the baby comes along. Perhaps too much of a helper.

Annabelle is really good at cuddling which we love!

Our little baby is starting to make a bit of an appearance. There's not much to see yet but here I am at 17 weeks. We will find out the gender in a few weeks!

I gave Annabelle a yogurt to eat the other day and this is what ended up happening with it when I left the room for a minute.

She was rubbing it all in her hair like it was shampoo.

We had a huge box leftover from the oven we bought so we decided to have a little fun with it. First we made this little fort for Annabelle.

We then thought we would upgrade her to a little playhouse. We turned the box over and cut a door. Jeff added a door handle and everything.

Plus it had to have lights in it.

And it needed windows. She has loved playing in it. She carries her toys in there and plays with them. She also likes to go inside and knock on the door until we come answer it.

Fall Fun

2011-11-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

Annabelle started nursery at church a few weeks ago. So far Jeff and I have only taken her to the second half of it because we wanted to ease her into it, plus we just can't let go of our little girl. I must admit I cried the first time we took her because it made me think of her first day of school, her leaving us for college, and all sorts of things that involve her growing up. When we drop her off she seems to just stand around and watch everyone else for a while. We'll watch her through the window and it's funny how timid she seems to be. When we go to pick her up at the end she doesn't even care that we are back for her. I hope someday she comes running for us screaming "Mommy!, or Daddy!"

For Halloween Annabelle was a cowgirl and Jeff and I dressed up as nerds. We did our own trick-or-treating within our house and then we decided to take Annabelle to a few houses in our neighborhood.

She loved carrying her trick-or-treat bag and she became really good at holding it open for the candy. She was very nice to wave and say bye to everyone that gave her candy.

Of course we had to carve a pumpkin.

We went to a corn maze and farm that had a lot of fun activities. We rode the tractor to the pumpkin patch.

They had this huge bounce thing that Annabelle just loved!

There was a huge corn maze that we went through.

Here's Jeff finding our pumpkin at the pumpkin patch. It was a little difficult to find one since it was pretty much dark.

Grandma and Grandpa Jackson sent Annabelle some very cute halloween pajamas. They glow in the dark!

She loved exploring the farm.

Now it's about time for the Christmas season!!! Yes we still have Thanksgiving, but I absolutely love Christmas time.

Loving our little girl

2011-10-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

We have been doing some fun fall activities lately which has been a blast because I love fall! I really cant' wait for Christmas time. Fortunately, we finally got out of 80 degree weather the other day so hopefully it will start to feel more like fall. I will post pictures from our fall activities after halloween. For now here is what else we have been up to.

Our little Annabelle is such a sweet girl. She is so nice to always give us hugs and kisses.

If she gives Mommy a kiss, then she has to walk over to Daddy with her lips puckered and give him a kiss too.

We love our little angel.

Last weekend we took Annabelle to the zoo and then got some Andy's frozen custard! It was a pretty nice zoo and of course this little girl loved it. She loves making the sounds that animals make.

We were at Bed, Bath, & Beyond the other day (by the way I love this store) and Jeff thought it would be fun to put Annabelle in the bin of pillows. She sure thought it was fun.

She loves to give the cheesy smile. We had just gone on a walk in the rain so her hair was a little crazy.

Annabelle likes to play with Jeff's medical equipment. She loves to listen to her own heart and our heartbeats. Perhaps we have a future doctor or nurse Annabelle.

A few weeks ago we went to Sci-Port, which is a hands on science/discovery center. They had a lot of fun activities to do there and Annabelle loved exploring it. Next year we will have to get a membership.

Here's another one of her classic cheese smiles.

Jeff's parents were able to visit us for the weekend a few weeks ago. The weather was great for them while they were here so of course we took some walks.

We also had a picnic at our neighborhood lake.

Jeff picked out this portable picnic table for us to use for our picnics. It folds up and is really easy to pack/unpack. I love it! I don't have to sit on the ground with the bugs.

Here are the gals enjoying our picnic.

Funny smiley Annabelle!

Annabelle's News

2011-10-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

Annabelle's baby sister/brother is due to arrive April 19, 2012! I am 12 weeks along now. Every time we ask Annabelle if I'm having a baby she replies with a very enthusiastic "yeah!" She absolutely loves babies so it should be fun to see them together. They will be just over two years apart and hopefully be great friends!?

Much needed video

2011-09-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

Things have been so crazy around here lately. It's been a couple of months since we posted a video. It's a little long but there are a lot of different clips. I think it'll be well worth your time to watch. Enjoy!

Dallas Getaway

2011-09-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Jeff finally finished his micro course last week so we took off for a much needed family weekend getaway. You will be seeing this cheesy smile a lot. It's how Annabelle smiles for the camera when we say "smile!"

Yes here it is again. On our way into Dallas we did some shopping at the Tanger Outlets and then we went to dinner.

After dinner we walked around White Rock Lake Park outside downtown Dallas.

Annabelle liked throwing sticks in the water.

The next morning we took Annabelle swimming in the pool at our hotel. It was too chilly for Jeff and I but after thinking it over in those chubby legs...

she decided she loved it!

Then Jeff and I took turns going through the Dallas Temple. It was sooo nice to spend a few days together with our little family and not have Jeff do any studying!

After the temple we went to the Holocaust museum in Dallas. Then we walked around downtown and grabbed some dinner.

We then headed to Waco, TX to visit Jeff's brother and his wife. Here are my two cute BYU fans.

We all went to lunch in Austin and then Jeff, his two brothers, and his Dad went to the BYU football game. We met up with their old foreign exchange student from Japan for lunch.

The guys were a little bummed they lost but I'm sure they still had fun. Crystal, Annabelle, and I went shopping while they went to the game and then the girls headed back to the house.

Giving the cheesy smile to Aunt Crystal. Annabelle was busting out some classic breakdance moves. We haven't had time to put the video together yet but we will be posting that shortly.

Hanging with Uncle Todd and watching videos of herself.

Having a nice drink with Aunt Crystal.

Here's that cute cheesy smile again!

And again.

Sometimes in the morning she watches the "Little Rascals" in our bed. She laughs at the part when Alfalfa sits on a whoopee cushion and then she tries to imitate the tooting sound. She came up with this all on her own which is hilarious.

50+ days

2011-08-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

So I think our count for consecutive days of over 100 degree weather is up to at least 50 days. That's right; for the last 5o-ish days it has been over 100 degrees everyday! Not to mention at least 40 of those days have probably been nothing but sunny. I'm also pretty sure it's been about 800% humidity. In the evenings it only cools off to about 80 degrees. Don't you all just want to move to Louisiana? The summers are not usually this bad and the winters are pretty nice. Needless to say I am getting really annoyed. I guess I will try to enjoy the warm/unbearably hot weather while I can. Poor Annabelle has hardly been outside this summer. We go out on occasion but even she is ready to come back inside. She played outside in her pool for a bit the other day. Then she and I both decided it was too hot and went inside where she played in her bathtub instead. Maybe I just don't handle heat well but it needs to cool off soon. Anyhow, it's not the end of the world that it has been hot. Here's our little girl being so cute.

It has been a rare sight to see rain around here lately. It has been a really dry summer. Well believe it or not we actually got some rain the other day! We went outside right away to enjoy it.

Annabelle loves to sit on her little step when we are on the back patio.

Jeff has been pretty busy with his micro class still so we haven't been able to spend a lot of time with him lately. We still get some good time together so we are thankful for that. Fortunately, it is over in one week and then things should be a little less busy. Annabelle did not want to let Daddy go. I love these two!

5 Years!

2011-08-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

5 Years ago today, Jeff and I got married!

And now we have our beautiful Annabelle too!

We are so blessed to be with our family forever. I love them too much! Happy Anniversary my Love! You are the best!

Trapped Inside

2011-08-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

So like many other places in the country, it has been extremely extra hot lately. Almost everyday in the last 2 months has been over 100 degrees, plus humid and sunny. It is pretty much miserable to go outside. I have tried but it is just unbearable. I have still managed to get my run in most days; I just have to go really early in the morning or late at night when the sun is setting. Not only has it been extremely hot, but it has hardly rained in months. I thought Louisiana summers were rainy? Well, Annabelle was quite excited when it finally rained the other day. She enjoyed walking around in it for a bit.

Since it has been so hot and not pleasant to play outside, I've had to get creative on finding things for Annabelle to do. I discovered that the movie theater does morning children movies for only $1.00 during the summer. Normally we don't bother taking Annabelle to the movies because she doesn't sit quietly through them, but since it is only $1.00 I figured I would try. I took her last week and had a whole container of popcorn ready for her to help keep her quiet. She loves popcorn. Jeff and I spent like 20 minutes the night before taking all of the kernels out of the popcorn pieces.

We also had a pedicure session. I painted my toenails the other day and Annabelle kept pointing to my toes all day, so I decided to paint hers too. She loved it.

The girls with our pedicures. Don't you just love those chubby little legs?

Annabelle likes to wear her hat around the house sometimes. It looks especially nice with that diaper! I think she'll have a lot of fun with dress-ups when she is older.

Sleeping like an angel. It's funny how kids can sleep in the strangest positions.

Jeff is now halfway done with his micro course and then he should have some more spare time... We hope! I am thankful for all of his hard work!

Summer... Surviving the Heat!

2011-07-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Jeff's back in school now and he is anxious for his first class to be over, as am I. Unfortunately he has about 6 weeks of it left. He has a test every Monday with this microbiology class which means studying all week and all weekend, leaving little time for family fun. We still manage to spend some time together and life is wonderful! We have been blessed with so much in our lives and we are thankful. Annabelle and I have managed to keep ourselves occupied. She is full of fun and surprises.

Annabelle's feet have been growing faster than I can keep up with. I have had a bunch of shoes waiting for her to fit into in her closet. I got them out a few weeks ago expecting them to still be too big but they are almost too small already. She loves her little cowgirl boots.

I was playing with Annabelle the other day and she was having fun with me taking pictures of us together.

She loves to pretend she is talking on the phone, even if it is a piece of paper as her phone.

I put some mousse in Annabelle's hair the other day just for fun. She likes it when we brush her hair so I styled it for her. It was curly and sparse.

We got Annabelle all dressed up for a Luau party that our friend had. She surprisingly didn't try to take her coconut shells off and she kept them on the whole time.

Jeff and I hanging out on the beach... I have been craving to actually go to the beach this summer.

Annabelle "helping" Jeff plant our garden. It's growing fast!

Annabelle relaxing and enjoying the sun. We went swimming on the morning of the 4th of July. They canceled the fireworks show that night because we haven't had rain for so long. It's been about 500% humidity and 100 degrees though.

More trip fun! & then home!?

2011-07-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

So here is the continuation and ending of our trip!

We are still in Utah here. We went on a nice hike one day with some of my family. I wish we had more places to hike in Louisiana.

This is the river along our hike.

Me with two of my sisters and my brother.

Annabelle sure enjoyed playing in the water.

Jeff, Annabelle, and my brother Keith on our hike.

Annabelle loves babies! She couldn't get enough of my niece Hailey. I watched my friend's baby a few days last week and Annabelle absolutely loved her too. For the most part she is pretty gentle and sweet with them.

One day we went for a short bike ride. The weather was so nice and enjoyable.

Keith, we put this picture up just for you. It looks like you are trying to breastfeed Hailey. Did you ask Lauren if you could do this?

After all of our fun in Utah we eventually had to leave and come home. We flew into Kansas City and were able to visit with our good friends, Cameron and Mitzi, for a few days. They have a young boy a little older than Annabelle. We miss our party weekends with you guys!

Jeff and I visited Liberty Jail while we were there and it was a really nice experience. We were also able to visit Jeff's brother and his family in Colombia, MO.

Annabelle and Noah. What cuties! Noah is such a smart and nice little boy. We are working on their arranged marriage.

Annabelle got to experience sitting forward facing in the car while we were on our trip. She loved it and was so excited!

After a few days in Kansas City, we drove to Jeff's parents house in Springfield, MO. The Allphin's were kind enough to let us swim in their pool.

After being gone for over a month, we finally drove back to good ole' Louisiana. It was nice to come home but sad to leave family and friends and all of the fun adventures we had. We could tell immediately when we got home how happy Annabelle was to be back. She was asking us to put her to bed and naps for days after we got home. She would walk to her crib and sign sleep.

Thanks to everyone who made our trip so much fun!

Sadly Jeff has to go back to school tomorrow... he's now in his 2nd year of med school; how many more to go?

Utah Trip Continued!

2011-07-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from our trip to Utah! We were there for a few weeks so there are a lot of pictures. There will still be one more post about our trip to follow.

My Mom and Dad flew out to my sister's house in Utah while we were there. Annabelle loves being spoiled by her Grandparents!

Jeff and I drove up to Rexburg, ID for a couple of days. We wanted to visit my Grandparents and check out how campus and things have changed there. It made me miss being a student there, but it did not make me miss the weather there. Annabelle got to sit forward facing in the car and she thought it was so fun.

We really enjoyed spending time visiting with my Jackson Grandparents and they sure enjoyed Annabelle.

Jeff and Annabelle cuddling before the attack by the nephews...

And then the attack! Annabelle had a lot of fun playing with everyone. One day Annabelle and her cousin, Tanner, were in the kitchen being quite. Then we walked in and found Tanner feeding Annabelle Cheetos. He was her best friend from there.

Tanner's bum in Bradlee's face. Jeff liked that picture.

We met a friend for lunch in Salt Lake City one day and then we walked around Temple Square. This is inside the old tabernacle.

Annabelle playing at the family history center. I thought this car was so cute.

We walked around the Temple...

Annabelle kept trying to climb in the reflection pool.

She could walk up and down these steps all day. Then she would pick a strawberry when she got to the bottom, eat it, and do it all over again. For some reason she doesn't eat strawberries when I feed them to her in the kitchen.

Annabelle loved the trampoline!

She was fighting naps so much on our trip. At least she fell asleep on our run.

We went to the Dinosaur park which was a fun place for kids.

Jeff was attacked...

Annabelle went through a little "Daddy phase" on our trip. I'm glad she loves her Daddy but I'll admit it made me very sad when she didn't want me. Fortunately for me, she is over this phase. However it was nice sometimes when I was off the hook from taking care of her since she only wanted Dad.

Next Stop, Utah!

2011-07-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

This post is just part 1 of our travels after the reunion. So after the Bushman reunion we stopped in Kansas City for the night and stayed with our friends, the amazing Cunninghams! Annabelle and Jeff started throwing up that night so I was definitely worried about how the flight would go the next day. In the morning we flew to Utah to visit with some more family. Fortunately, there was no throwing up on the airplane and our traveling went pretty smoothly.

We stayed at my sister's house in Utah for a few weeks, and all of my family was able to gather there for a while. Annabelle loved playing with everyone. She went through a very fussy phase for a little bit and only wanted Jeff or I; probably because she still wasn't feeling well. She eventually got over that and then played with others more. Here she is giving her cousin "loves".

We recently discovered how much she enjoys sitting in little kid chairs.

Every time she sits down in a little chair she seems to be so pleased with herself.

My Mom grew up in Huntsville, UT. I absolutely loved visiting here every summer when I was younger. We went there for a day and rode some of the horses. My Mom comes from the McKay family and she grew up in the house next door to David O. McKay's house. I was able to walk with Jeff through his house which was neat to do.

Here's Annabelle riding the horse with Grandma.

Riding with Mama! She was hesitant at first but then she warmed up to the idea.

One of Jeff's secrets; he's afraid of horses.

There is a huge swing in the backyard of the rockhouse that has been around as long as I can remember. You can really fly on this thing. The rockhouse is the house my Mom grew up in. It is called the rockhouse because it was built with large rocks I don't know how long ago, but it's old. The original house is still intact but has had some renovations since. My Uncle and Aunt and their family now live there. It is a beautiful house. You can kind of see some of the bottom of it in the picture below this one.

We had a picnic in the backyard and played with some of the toys. She really liked this kiddy roller coaster.

She seriously poses for the camera.

My sister recently had an adorable baby girl. Annabelle sure liked playing in her bouncer.

The weather was beautiful for us while we were in Utah and we were able to enjoy playing outside a lot. Annabelle loved it!

Me and my two beautiful sisters; Katherine & Julia, and Julia's baby in the belly.

We were able to see my younger brother graduate! Annabelle was up way past her bedtime but she behaved pretty well.

Us and the amazing graduate! We love Keith! Annabelle was starting to really break down at this point.

Uncle Keith and Miss Annabelle! Jeff and I went to an amusement and water park one day with Keith and his girlfriend. It was a lot of fun but I felt like I was killing my brain on those roller coasters. Do I sound like an old person?

She loves to wrap things around her.

Annabelle didn't enjoy the sandbox as much as I thought she would. Tanner is digging away though.

Well that wraps it up for now. There is still more to come...

Bushman Family Reunion

2011-07-03T15:43:00.001-07:00

So this is the start of a few different posts. We are going to update slowly since we have so much to put up, so check back regularly. We have been traveling for the last month and we took so many pictures! We are glad that we were able to do so many fun things. Jeff has had a few weeks off in between semesters so we took ourselves on a nice long trip. It was great to be gone but it is also nice to be home again. We had a great time visiting with family and friends!

Our adventure began in Springfield, Missouri. Jeff's family gathered for a few days to have a family reunion at his parent's house. All of his brothers and sisters were able to be there with their families.

We played some field day games in the backyard!

We spent one of the days playing in the Ozarks. We had a delicious dutch oven meal and enjoyed relaxing around the campfire.

We took the 4 wheeler for a little ride! There were a lot of other fun things going on there.

One night we went to "Incredible Pizza". Annabelle loved playing in this tree house.

She also enjoyed riding these little teacups. She had a lot of cousins to play with, which was fun to watch.

One of the days we went swimming.

Annabelle loves water! She kept trying to jump in the pool.

We had a great time with the Bushmans! Way to go Todd and Crystal! They did an excellent job organizing the whole thing. We also did activities such as an ultimate scavenger hunt around the city, fun games and talks at the house, a bounce house for the kids, great food, and much more!

Sock boots, dance moves, & 1 year down!

2011-05-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Annabelle loves to move to anything with a rhythm, including hymns at church. Here are a few of her great dance moves.

Annabelle was playing in my sock drawer the other day and she kept bringing me pairs of socks to put on her feet. I think I counted 5 pairs on her. She would have kept going but it was getting to be a thick collection of socks on her feet so I thought it was time to do something else.

When Jeff initially saw her he thought she was wearing boots. Nope, just a lot of socks.

Beautiful pants hat!

She especially likes to wear clothes on her head when Daddy does too. Very pretty in pink Jeff!

With all of the things on Annabelle's "to do" list (empty the kitchen cupboards, rip up the toilet paper, read her books, collect rocks, take all the DVD's off the shelf, scatter toys everywhere, throw food...); she still takes the time to cuddle us and give us loves. We love her!

And, Jeff finishes his first year of medical school this week!!

Water Baby

2011-05-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

We took Annabelle out to play in her little swimming pool yesterday and she loved it! This girl loves pretty much anything that has to do with water.

She kept throwing her arms up because she was so excited.

The little hair that she has curls up and goes crazy!

We will probably have to make this a regular summer activity.

Easter & Spring Fun

2011-05-02T15:12:00.001-07:00

So it's May which is Jeff's last month of school until his summer break! The next few weeks will be very busy for him so we are really looking forward to the end of May. He will then have a few weeks off and be done with his first year of medical school! Only 6-9 more years until he is done with med school and residency, and is officially a practicing physician! He still has a few years before he needs to officially decide on what specialty he wants to do but he has found a few things that peak his interest. As of right now he is considering emergency medicine, orthopedic surgery, ENT, cardiology, neonatal, opthalmology, and oncology. Who knows what will come about in the future though. Either way he will be a great doctor! I am grateful for all of his hard work because I'm sure glad that I'm not the one studying all of the time.

We have had some nice hot weather for a while but today was nice because it cooled off. I was actually cold even with pants and a jacket. We go outside and play pretty much everyday. Annabelle always brings us our shoes throughout the day and tries to get us to go outside.

She loves her walks!

Mama and Annabelle!

Very fashionable lady!

We gave her this little purse in her Easter bag and she likes to put it on her arm and carry it around.

Finding some eggs on her Easter egg hunt! I think this was a blast for her.

She loved finding the eggs and putting them in her bag.

Jeff's parents, along with his brother and his wife, came to visit with us for Easter weekend. It was great having them here and Annabelle loved having so many people to play with. Church always wipes her out since it is during her nap time. Grandma Bushman got to snuggle her and bring her in from the car.

Annabelle sure enjoyed all of the extra attention. Here she is hanging out with Uncle Todd.

Like we have said before, she loves to wear things on her head. This is a skirt but it makes a beautiful head dress.

Super Annabelle!

She loved it when Jeff put one of his t-shirts on her to wear.

Miss Happy Go Lucky

2011-04-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

This is our happy Annabelle. Lately she has been giving some cheesy little smiles. She likes to hold the smile for a long time like she knows she is so funny.

Jeff gets Annabelle laughing really hard in this video. I love to hear her laugh.

For your enjoyment

2011-04-14T06:05:00.000-07:00

Annabelle loved the water fountain park as you'll see from this video. She also likes to share and give loves. What a nice girl she is.

We double posted, so make sure you don't miss the pictures of our trip to Baton Rouge below

Look for me on the big screen! Seriously!

2011-04-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

They film a lot of movies here in Louisiana and they happen to currently be working on the following one below. This is a big time movie too. One day Jeff heard on the radio that they needed background extras for the movie so we all went and applied. I got a call last week that they wanted me to be an extra in a bridal shop scene. The scene consists of just me and one other person, so I should really be seen! Gerard Butler runs right past me in the movie and gestures towards us. I'm not the starstruck kind of person; to me they are just normal people like anyone else. I have to say though that it was a pretty fun day hanging out in the same room as Gerard Butler and Jessica Biel. I'm talking a small room; I talked to Jessica Biel and they were rehearsing their lines right next to me. Also, I am sitting in the room waiting to shoot the scene and Dennis Quaid walks in with his little girl. He's not in the movie but for some reason he was there. When I arrived for the day they sent me to wardrobe and then to hair and makeup which was fun. I ended up wearing one of my own dresses but they wanted to okay it. It was interesting to see how they film movies and how it all works. So look for me in "Playing the Field" when Gerard Butler pulls up to a bridal shop and runs in. I am wearing a blue dressing and looking at wedding dresses. It will probably be a while before it comes out but when it does... Another great part of it was that they paid me for it all and gave me a catered lunch.

Gerard Butler Will Be ‘Playing The Field’ With Uma Thurman and Jessica Biel

Posted on Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 by Germain Lussier

For all you Gerard Butler fans hoping the star of 300 and RocknRolla had grown out of hisUgly Truth/Bounty Hunter romantic rut, we’re very sorry. He’s just signed on to star inPlaying the Field, a “soccer comedy,” along with Uma Thurman and Jessica Biel. Butler will play a former soccer pro who agrees to coach his son’s team and finds himself fending off gorgeous soccer moms. Biel will play his ex-wife who is getting re-married and Thurman will be one of the soccer moms. Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness, Seven Pounds) will direct a script by Robbie Fox (So I Married An Axe Murdered, In the Army Now).

On another note, we went to Baton Rouge this last weekend to visit some friends from when we used to live there. It was a great break from Jeff's studying and we had a lot of fun! We went to a really cool park that had a little water section for kids. Annabelle had a blast playing in it.

We really enjoyed visiting with friends. Annabelle is so sweet and loves giving hugs to others. She will just walk right up to them and hug them.

We also went to New Orleans one day and it reminded us of how much we really dislike that city. We pretty much went for the good southern food and then got out of there as soon as possible. It was still a fun time.

Annabelle was being shy to the waiter at the Gumbo Shop.

Riding the trolley to French Quarter.

Sunglasses save lives

2011-04-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

This little girl loves to accessorize. Annabelle loves to wear her sunglasses when we go outside and if they fall off then she tries to put them back on. She also loves her hats, however sometimes she still takes them off. We went outside to play yesterday and I forgot her sunglasses. Jeff reminded that she might want them so I went inside to get them. I put them on her and then one minute later she falls flat on her face. Fortunately she was wearing those sunglasses because they prevented her eye from getting hurt and some of her face from getting scratched up. I'm glad we got those sunglasses! Plus, she looks adorable in them.

The Princess turns 1!

2011-03-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

Today is Annabelle's 1st birthday! We can't express how much we love this little girl and how very grateful we are to have her special self sent to us. It is strange to think that we have only had her for a year; it seems like it has been forever. It is hard to imagine our lives without her. Now that I am a mother, birthdays are so much more special to me. We have been so blessed to have Annabelle and she is such an amazing little girl.

Our little Annabelle is so sweet to others and we love the sweet hugs and kisses that she gives. She gives kind hugs and loves to her dolls, stuffed animals, toys, blankets, clothes, cup, the remote control, and pretty much anything. She is curious and friendly and loves to wave to strangers when we go out. She walks everywhere and even runs. This allows her to get around the house faster and get into more things. Sometimes when she walks off and it's quiet I wonder what she is doing. I then find her just sitting on the floor reading her books. She loves books. Her favorite thing to say is "yum yum" when she wants food. If I hand her a cloth she wipes things and tries to clean them like she sees Mommy and Daddy do. She will blow her nose when we put a tissue up to it, and she likes to clap and cheer. Annabelle is excellent at sharing and she is great at bringing things to us. In the mornings one of us will go get her from her room and then bring her to the other one of us to give morning loves. When we hand her off she immediately cuddles us and gives us a hug. I love these moments when she wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my shoulder and says "ahhhh". She picks up on things and is learning everything so fast. Needless to say, the girl has personality and talent and we love it! So, brace yourself for a lot of pictures... Happy Birthday to Annabelle!

Strangely she didn't want anything to do with her birthday cake. She refused to eat her cake and then scarfed down some carrots. I don't know how this girl can be my daughter if she doesn't want her sweets. It was her first experience with chocolate so maybe it will take some time for her to realize how delicious it truly is. It's great that she prefers her fruits/vegetables but we were hoping to watch her enjoy her cake.

It looks like she is thinking, "okay Mom and Dad, I've had enough of you".

This is the princess crown cake that I made. It's nothing impressive, in fact probably the opposite of that, but it was fun to make for her.

Mama and Annabelle. I love her!

She got so many wonderful presents from both sets of grandparents and she loved them all! Thanks so much!

She likes to put things on her head and she thinks its so pretty. She will wrap something around her head and say "ohhhh" with a smile and a head tilt.

She got a special pancake and buttermilk syrup for her birthday breakfast.

Annabelle had a lot of fun opening her presents.

We took her for a birthday lunch and she ordered her first kids meal (only because we had a coupon for a free kids meal.) She liked her pizza!

This evening we had a huge thunderstorm. We watched it from our garage and Annabelle was fascinated by it. She wanted to walk out and play in the rain so Daddy went with her. There is a great video of it at the bottom of the post. We were surprised by her bravery because it was a big thunderstorm. It's just recent that she finally let us put her on the ground outside. She has always been afraid of grass, snow, dirt, concrete... Now she enjoys walking on them though.

Annabelle loves to play in forts that we build for her.

We love this picture! What a cutie! She has 5 teeth now.

The weather has been beautiful lately so we have been doing a lot of playing outside. She had a blast at playgroup the other day and she loves the swing!

By the way, I never updated on what was up with that crazy reaction that Annabelle had a while back. It turns out that it was just some sort of infection. Her IG levels all came back normal and it showed no sign of an allergic reaction. It was excellent news and a relief to know that she doesn't have some common food allergy.

This is from St.Patrick's day. We had green crepes for breakfast.

Another picture with clothes on her head.

First experience playing with sidewalk chalk. Of course it was fun playing with something new.

Playing in the rain on Annabelle's birthday!

Too Cool

2011-03-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I decided a long time ago that Annabelle is just the coolest and most amazing person ever! Everyday she reaffirms that, and we are just so incredibly thankful to have her in our lives. Be sure to check out the videos at the bottom of the post because she is a real hoot.

She is such a sweet girl and she loves to read books.

Annabelle loves to look out this door. She just stands there and looks outside all of the time.

We went to Texas to visit some of Jeff's family last weekend. We took Annabelle to see the Baylor bears but they were busy sleeping. We had a great time visiting with Jeff's brother and his wife, and Jeff's Mom.

She loves all of the attention that we give her, despite what the face she is making here shows.

She was just chillin in Uncle Todd's arms. She loves visiting her Uncle Todd and Aunt Crystal.

She had a lot of fun playing with Grandma Bushman. She makes some very concerned faces sometimes and here is one of them.

Annabelle mastered her walking skills this last week and she is now officially walking everywhere all by herself.

This video is full of things from the fun life of Annabelle.

Non stop talking

2011-02-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

Annabelle likes to talk all day long. She is really a lot of fun. This is a very long video. For those of you who brave it all the way to the end Annabelle saves some of her best material for last.

Here is another cute video of Annabelle. She busts out some nice dance moves in this one

February Fun

2011-02-22T06:39:00.000-08:00

This month has been filled with tons of fun things for us. This Valentine's Day was the best ever for me. Jeff surprised me with the greatest treasure hunt ever. He made clues and riddles and planted them all over the city for me. We had to drive around finding them and along the way there were special things for me to find. I even had a blacklight flashlight to read some of the hints that were drawn with invisible ink. The ending treasure was filled with presents. I can't even explain how awesome this treasure hunt was! It was such a nice Valentine's day surprise. It was so much fun and I know that Jeff put a lot of work into it. I am so thankful for all that he does for me and Annabelle.

This month we also celebrated Jeff's birthday! We also had my parents and my oldest sister come to visit us. It was so great having them here and Annabelle had so much fun with them. Fortunately we had some nice warm weather for them and we did a lot of fun things. We really enjoyed having them here and it was sad to see them go.

We went to this park and had a picnic, went to their zoo, and went hiking on their nature trails.

The girls... Annabelle, Mama, Grandma Jackson, and Aunt Jennifer

We did some shopping at the boardwalk on the river.

We cooked some delicious tinfoil dinners on our campfire.

We did so many more fun things and I am glad that my Mom, Dad, and sister could come.

The biggest event this month was of course Jeff's birthday! Happy Birthday my love! We celebrated by going to lunch, playing miniature golf, and hanging out. This is such a special day and I am so thankful for this wonderful man.

Annabelle has been giving really sweet and good hugs. Here she is hugging Daddy's legs on his birthday.

Our New Valentine

2011-02-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

This Valentine's Day Jeff and I have another valentine besides each other; this pretty little girl right here! We just love everything about her!

We have been enjoying the nice weather that we have had for the past few days. Annabelle watched us wash the cars yesterday. Occasionally the wind would blow a little water on her and she would laugh and wave her hands.

We have also been taking more walks lately and of course Annabelle loves them. It was quite windy today which is why my hair is all over the place.

We tried to get her to sport her sunglasses but it didn't last long.

Snow Day!

2011-02-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

We had some snow down here in Louisiana last night and this morning. Since this is unusual, everything seemed to close except for Jeff's school so he still had to go to class. We took Annabelle out to play in the snow but she didn't want anything to do with it. You will see how she liked it from the video that we posted.

She likes it when Jeff makes funny faces on her.

Here are some more bath pictures. We can always get a good smile out of Annabelle when she is in her bathtub.

Rebecca's parents sent us a Valentine's package and Annabelle has loved playing with the goodies. She carried this pack of fruit snacks around all day, even though she doesn't get to eat them.

More Annabelle "ness"

Jibber Jabber

2011-01-31T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here are a few videos of Annabelle's recent noises

Trying to solve the mystery

2011-01-26T17:51:00.000-08:00

So Annabelle has still been breaking out with swelling, rashes, and hives since Monday. She looked better when we brought her home from the doctor and then broke out again a few hours later. It keeps happening on and off and we can't figure out what it is. Fortunately once we give her some Benadryl it starts to clear up some. If she isn't still being exposed to it then the doctor said that it could take up to a week to clear up. We went to the allergy specialist today and talked to him for a while going over everything and anything, but we haven't been able to figure it out yet. They are going to send her blood work to the lab and screen it for some common food allergies like peanut butter, milk, eggs, wheat, and for some reason catfish. We really hope that it isn't one of these things because it seems like just about everything is made up of these ingredients. I would be surprised if it is one of these foods considering Annabelle has never eaten any of them except for some wheat bread, unless she is becoming so sensitive that it is affecting her through my breast milk. I have always been so cautious about what I feed her for this very reason, so that she doesn't develop any food allergies. Anyhow, we still have no idea really. We put her on a pretty basic diet so we will see how she does with it. There is still some possibility that it could be something other than a food allergy, but more than likely it is an allergy. Hopefully we will be able to figure it out soon. I don't like the thought about having to use the EpiPen that I'm carrying around in case she has trouble breathing. I am very glad that she hasn't seemed to be bothered or in pain from any of this, and that she can still be our happy little girl that we love so much. Here are a few pictures of her reaction yesterday afternoon. It's not as bad as it was, but it certainly isn't looking good. The rest of her body looked pretty similar to this too. She has looked pretty good through most of today and her face is back to normal right now. We really appreciate those who have been thinking of us and your prayers. We are thankful to have such amazing family and friends. We know that she will be fine but it is still scary to see our little girl looking like this.

These were taken before her allergic reactions. She is always busy exploring and playing with everything. She got herself stuck in this stool. We just love our beautiful baby girl so much and we are always having so much fun with her! She is continuously coming up with new things.

Jeff went to pick her up and she wanted to keep playing with her stroller so she held onto it with all her might. She has a really strong grip.

Morning Scare

2011-01-24T14:45:00.000-08:00

When Annabelle woke up this morning we found her looking like this...

She had extreme swelling, redness, and rashes all over her entire body. Of course I immediately freaked out and panicked and scrambled to get her ready to go to the doctor. Who knows when this all started in the night - she was fine when we put her to bed at 7:00 and then we didn't see her again until 7:30 the next morning. She had not had anything to eat since the night before and I knew she was hungry so we fed her the safest thing we thought she could handle. We arrived at the doctor office and the doctor came right out to the waiting room to look at her. He told the receptionist to have her admitted to the back immediately, however it still took a few minutes. Then the doctor comes out and demands for the nurse to have us ready and sent back. I was grateful for that doctor. They had 6 nurses hold her down to draw her blood and put in an iv for some medications. It turns out that she is obviously allergic to something, now the trick is figuring out what it is. We are going to see the allergist on Wednesday. And go figure Jeff had two tests today of all days so I was alone with her at the doctor for most of the time.

Just cuddling with Mom at the hospital.

Here is her cool splint they put on so that she wouldn't bend her arm with the iv.

The swelling has now dropped from her eyes into her cheeks. She is looking much better but definitely not back to normal yet.

She was quite a trooper through it all and stayed being her happy little self. Fortunately, she didn't seem bothered by the massive welts and swelling that covered her body. Here is a little clip of her playing at the doctor. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

Our 9 month old girl!

2011-01-21T13:18:00.000-08:00

Our little Annabelle is getting too close to turning one year old. It is fun seeing her grow but I don't want my little baby girl to grow up. She is so much fun, we absolutely love her! We spent this last weekend in Texas with Jeff's brother and his wife. We always have a great time with them and Annabelle loves playing with them. The video posted at the bottom is a montage of her Annabelle "ness" lately.

Our little family of 3! This little girl and the man in blue are amazing!

She is always full of smiles.

She loves to look at her books. Here she is reading with her Aunt Crystal.

Having fun with Uncle Todd!

Jeff and Todd put stickers on her face to see her reactions. It sounds torturous but it wasn't. She was having fun and most of the time she didn't even realize what was going on.

Annabelle had fun playing with her Aunt Crystal!

Christmas with the Jacksons

2011-01-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas this year with all of my family and it was a blast! It was a full house with everyone there, 19 of us! We spent two weeks there and we were sad to leave them and come home. It is still nice to come home and we love spending time as our little family. Now it is time to get back to real life and Jeff back in the groove of school and studying. It was so great to be able to see all of my family and they are all so wonderful! We look forward to the next time we can all be together again! Annabelle was a bit clingy to us at first since she was sick, but then warmed up and had a great time playing with everyone! We took a lot of pictures so here are some of them that are mostly centered around Annabelle because let's face it, this is basically her blog.

She got this stroller and baby doll from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas and she has been cruising around the house with it.

Annabelle got her ears pierced! Not really... these are her cousin's clip on earrings.

She had a great time with all of her cousins and they were so great with her.

She was tired from too much play and cuddled with Grandpa. I love watching her sleep. Sometimes Jeff and I sneak in her room at night just to watch her sleep. What an angel!

Lounging and cuddling with Grandma.

Sharing a snack with her cousin.

For some reason Annabelle is afraid of other people's bathtubs. She loves the bathtub at home but whenever we try to give her a bath somewhere else she hates it.

She found a little car to play with and spent quite a bit of time in it. She thought she was pretty cool in it and had a lot of fun.

We went to this place called the Bounce House. They had a bunch of inflatable activity centers and Jeff went flying on this one. Annabelle also went down her first slide.

Hanging with the boys. She loves her Uncle Keith!

Annabelle cuddling some more with Grandpa.

My Mom, sisters and I went to lunch at this little tea time restaurant. We made some fun hats and dressed up in feather boas for our tea party. We had some delicious hot chocolate in our teapot. It was really fun.

Here I am in my teatime hat.

The girls at the tea room.

My Dad threw together a family game of Minute to Win It. Here I am participating in one of the events. It was a lot of fun!

Annabelle and her cousin have matching skirts so of course they had to wear them on the same day. Aren't they adorable!

Annabelle woke up too early but Jeff was so great to let me sleep in and took her downstairs.

Mommy and Annabelle cuddling on Christmas morning while opening presents

The sweet girl giving Daddy smiles for her stocking stuffer. It was yogurt melts, she loves them.

Annabelle opening her baby stroller, she was excited!

The poor girl was sick and wanted a lot of cuddling

Making Christmas cookies

Happily waiting in the airport

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2010-12-16T17:31:00.000-08:00

It's party time! Jeff finished his final test of the semester yesterday and now he is free to play and not worry about school at all! We celebrated by going to lunch and then we got a babysitter and went to see the new Harry Potter movie. We are so excited to spend Christmas with my family.

Annabelle and her toothy smile

Today was a beautiful day in the 60's so we went to play Tennis at the park. However, the public park system is annoying here and we found out we have to pay to use the tennis courts. Since we are sometimes cheapos, we just walked around the park and then we ended up discovering this huge community center. They have a huge basketball gym, weight room, treadmills, aerobics classes, dance classes, ping pong tables, and all sorts of stuff. The best part is that it is all free! Jeff and I played some basketball while Annabelle watched us and we had the whole gym to ourselves. We look forward to coming to this place more often.
Annabelle has at least 30 different smiles. Here are a few of them:

Opening her first christmas present of the season, doesn't she look excited! This was a cool ornament from Grandma Bushman. Thanks Grandma!
I thought this was funny that she fell asleep holding onto the crib.

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

2010-12-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

Annabelle now has two teeth, both on the bottom. She is such a little bundle of joy and is always coming up with new things. Later we will have to post a video with her latest stuff. She has mastered, for a while now, how to pull herself up on everything! When she wants to be held and we are busy doing something, she will crawl over to us and pull herself up on our pants and just hang out there standing until we pick her up. She just loves to be held and sometimes when I go to put her down she grabs onto my clothes as tight as she can so I won't let her go. I love holding her but sometimes I just have to do things. When I sit down to play with her she gets her toy and crawls over to me to sit on my lap and play with her toy. She is pretty good about playing by herself too, but only for so long. She is always pulling herself up on any furniture and walking along. She is great at crawling on all fours. She loves to feed herself finger foods. The other day I was holding her while getting a snack from the fridge for her. As soon as she saw me pull the cheese out she got all excited with a big smile and did a happy shimmy dance. Another thing she has been into lately has been screaming for fun. She also loves to "talk". She loves to dance around to music with Daddy and Mommy. She still has an obsession with paper and if it is anywhere in her site she will do anything in her power to get to it. The girl is determined. I'm not sure yet but it appears like she is starting to give kisses, also known as open mouth slobbers on the cheek. She always makes Jeff and I feel good by greeting us with a smile when we enter the room. I think I could talk about her all day. We love her love her love her!

Our neighbors have gone all out with their Christmas lights and we love it! Every night they have music playing that is matched up to their lights blinking. We take a quick walk to check it out every night. What are we going to do when Christmas is over?

Thanksgiving in Missouri

2010-12-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

We drove to Missouri and spent Thanksgiving with Jeff's family. It was great to see family and friends, and that Jeff had a break from school. We had a wonderful time and Annabelle had a lot of fun playing with everybody. By the end of the trip though she had met enough strangers and mostly just wanted Mom and Dad. She is getting a second tooth coming in on the bottom so hopefully it breaks through soon. It snowed while we were there so Annabelle got to see her first snow! She seemed to really enjoy it even though it was cold.

Two of Jeff's brothers had babies just a few months after Annabelle was born. Here are 3 of the Bushman brothers and their babies. It will be fun for these kids to have cousins their age to play with at family get togethers.

We were able to spend some time with our good friends, Cameron and Mitzi and their little boy Noah. We are trying to set these two up to be married one day.

It looks like Noah has had enough of Annabelle.

She had a blast playing with Grandma and Grandpa Bushman. She enjoyed watching them rake some of the leaves.

Annabelle's cousin, Brylee, had a lot of fun playing with her.
It was a great vacation and we had a lot of fun! Big thanks to Jeff's parents!

Who knew a fire pit could be so fun

2010-11-21T18:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a little taste of Annabelle from the last week...

We have had a lot of fun with our fire pit in our backyard so far. Earlier this week we cooked up some hobo dinners in it and they were quite delicious! Annabelle got to see her first fire, which she was mesmerized by.

Here I am trying to take a nice picture with my daughter and she is making monster faces.

She thought it was pretty funny when I was taking her shirt off and it got stuck on her head. It makes a pretty wig though.

Beautiful Fall

2010-11-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

This last weekend our wonderful friends from Baton Rouge came up to visit with us. Josh and Rebecca have a beautiful baby girl who Annabelle was always curious about. We had a great fun weekend with them! Here are Jeff and I with the campfire we had in our backyard. It was a perfect chilly night.

We are cooking up our delicious smores, mmm!

Annabelle trying to play with baby Leila. She is about 6 weeks old.

We enjoyed a nice walk in the neighborhood.

Annabelle has a funny chubby face here. For some reason this hat pushes her eyes down and we think it makes her look kind of like a bulldog, but a cute bulldog.

I absolutely love the trees in the fall. They are beautiful when they change colors.

We went to a 6-month birthday party for a little friend of Annabelle. Here are the two party animals each chewing on one of Annabelle's shoes.

She loved playing with the balloons.

She did a good job of tangling herself up in the balloon string.

Our little adventurer climbing up on everything.

Kick Kick Kick

And November begins...

2010-11-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

Annabelle is learning new tricks everyday. She is crawling faster and faster, and she loves standing. Jeff has a test tomorrow and then it's party night! We plan on getting ourselves a delicious cookie monster from Cheddar's. We always have to party after his test days since the weeks leading up to it are not so eventful because of studying. Then he only has one more test and this semester is over! Here is a clip of Annabelle playing with her Daddy.

Annabelle was helping Momma fold the laundry the other day.

She's getting a little concerned because her cushioning is disappearing. What a good little helper!

Practicing her walking.

She is getting really good at crawling up onto things. She will be making all sorts of mischief before we know it. I started to baby proof the house the other day.

We catch her holding her hand like this all of the time. She sticks her thumb in between her first two fingers and holds a fist. She will just hang out with her hand like that sometimes. What a silly girl.

Loves to stand!

We had some chilly weather for a few days last week. We got all bundled up and went on a fun little walk.

She loves to sleep on her knees with her butt in the air. We find her in the strangest sleeping positions and I'm not sure how they can be comfortable.

So happy! Oh how we love our little girl!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T17:20:00.000-07:00

Annabelle had a great first Halloween! She was a cute little bumblebee (the Queen bee in fact). We dressed up as a family and trick-or-treated to each room in our house. I tried to be an 80's girl and Jeff was a super kid super hero.

Our ward had a big Halloween party. Right after I took this picture Annabelle started crying because of the scarecrow.

This is one of Annabelle's friend's, Mark. He is such a little cutie. They always flirt when they get together.

This is the little pumpkin we carved!

Here is a clip of Annabelle and Mark playing together at the Halloween party. There are more video clips of Annabelle that we just added in the post right below.

Requested Videos

2010-10-31T15:15:00.000-07:00

She has mastered the army crawl, and is now trying to get up on her knees. She'll even follow us to other rooms. It's really cute when we hear her hand slapping the floor and then see her cute little smiling face peek around the corner.

Stay tuned for more spooky halloween pictures later today.

The Big Cutie

Lip Smacking Skills

Fall Fun

2010-10-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

We took Annabelle to experience her first pumpkin patch and pick out her first pumpkin. She was very serious soaking in the whole experience. I looove fall!

Getting excited and doing her scrunchy face.

Weekend in Waco

2010-10-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend we headed off to visit with Jeff's brother and his wife, Todd and Crystal. They live about 3 1/2 hrs. from us in Texas. We spent time hanging out, the boys enjoyed their football, we made S'mores and hung out around the campfire, and Annabelle was quite the entertainer. Todd and Crystal also treated us to some delicious cuisine.

Annabelle sneezing while she was eating her rice cereal.

Annabelle investigating Aunt Crystal.

The girl making some funny faces. She is a woman of many expressions.

Jeff is a real man.

Todd and Crystal have two tortoises which Annabelle tried to take for a ride. She did not like it, go figure. There is a video of it and her reaction below.

Playing with Uncle Todd.

Todd sporting his early Christmas present from us. New dental scrubs with his name embroidered on top. Now he's a real dentist.

Here is what happened when Jeff tried to put Annabelle on the turtle.

One of her many faces...

2010-10-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

Annabelle's latest thing has been to make this scrunchy face. We think it's pretty cute. She has been bringing out quite a personality lately.

Here is a picture of the scrunchy face in action.

This is the preparation phase of the scrunchy face.

We have been soaking up the nice cooler weather that we have had lately. However it's already back to being in the 90's somedays but at least the nights have been cooling off. We love to go on walks in our neighborhood pretty much every evening. In the mornings Annabelle goes running with me in her jogging stroller and when we get home I cheer "yay we did it!" and she shows how pleased she is with a big smile. She loves to smile. Jeff has been busy busy studying for a test that he has coming up so we are looking forward to that being over. He is such a smart hard worker!

Half Way

2010-09-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

We can't believe our baby girl is already halfway to a year! I was talking to Jeff the other day about how she is growing up and learning to do so many new things and I must admit I cried... "But she's my little baby and I don't want her to grow up...". Although it is sad to see her become a big girl, it is also so exciting to see each new stage. She had her 6 month doctor appointment this morning and she weighs 15 lbs. 4 oz. and is 25 1/4 in. long. Some of her favorite things are:

reaching for anything and everything and then trying to chew on it, being outside, making noises and screaming, cuddling, rolling over and over, rolling herself to the corner of her crib to sleep, making so many different funny faces, being a copycat, watching herself in the mirror, watching Mommy and Daddy, reading books and playing with toys... She is so much fun!

The other day Jeff and I planted some bushes in our front yard along the sidewalk leading up to our front door. Annabelle just hung out in her stroller singing/screaming and watching us. She absolutely loves to be outside. It was such a nice day. It has been so hot but we have been lucky to have a few nice days where the weather has been actually enjoyable.

Here is her first experience with rice cereal. She did really well with it.

We realized that we don't have enough pictures of the 3 of us together, so we tried to take some. Sometimes when we are having a Kodak moment Jeff and I wish that we had a family photographer to follow us around everywhere. Too bad we don't have one of those.

This girl is so happy when we get her from her crib when she wakes up in the morning or from a nap.

We used some of our free bowling coupons and went bowling the other day. Jeff got 2 turkeys! (FYI - depending on where you live, you can buy Tony's frozen pizzas and you might find a free game of bowling coupon on the back of the box. Just check a local bowling alley that accepts it. We love free stuff)

Miss happy go lucky.

And a cheesy smile.

Let's see what Annabelle has to say...

2010-09-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Annabelle's latest noises that she loves to make. She gets pretty animated sometimes. The other day I was in the store with her and she was making quite a ruckus. We think she is a funny girl and we sure love her! She just keeps getting more and more fun.

She loves to roll all around and even scoots herself a bit like she wants to crawl.

She loves to play and have attention.

I was in the middle of doing something as her nap time was nearing, and she just couldn't wait for me to put her down in her crib. She was playing and then I turn around and she was suddenly asleep.

She is such a happy smiley girl which is amazingly awesome! We love the smiles!

The little diva striking a pose.

The little BYU football fan & labor day weekend

2010-09-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

Here is Annabelle all ready and excited for BYU's first football game of the season.

She is their best little fan. This was her reaction to their first touchdown.

She gets very intense when it comes to blowing her bubbles.

Jeff's brother and his wife came to visit from Texas for the weekend. Annabelle has been loving all of the extra attention. Uncle Todd took her for a little stroll in the neighborhood and she loved it. She loves being outside.

Annabelle hanging out with her Uncle Todd. She is grabbing his hair in the back. We have been having a great time with them here. Crystal and I enjoyed a nice girly spa pedicure yesterday which was wonderful. Jeff has been busy studying for a test he has this coming week while taking some breaks to rest his brain and hang out for a bit.

The little girl enjoying some light reading and beautiful pictures.

5 months and time keeps flying

2010-08-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Annabelle is now 5 months old and I just can't believe it. It seems like she was just born and should still be a little newborn, but it also seems like we have had her forever. She is learning so many new things and tricks everyday. We just love her so much! She is so amazingly cool - it seems like she should cost billions of dollars to buy. Jeff has been in school for a month now and he is really enjoying it except for the constant studying, but it has to be done. He is doing a great job! They have now started working in the anatomy lab so I get to enjoy him coming home and smelling like stinky formaldehyde somedays. Here are a few photos from the past few weeks.

Imitation Continues

2010-08-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

Annabelle has discovered her mouth. Each time we sit down and eat she acts like she is chewing something even though there is nothing in her mouth. We are planning on introducing her to some rice cereal this weekend on her 5 month birthday. It looks like she is ready.

Having some not so good hair days

2010-08-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some pictures the other day from when Annabelle was born and I realized how much hair she has lost. I knew she was balding but I didn't realize how much. I try to protect each little strand that she has left. I guess I will enjoy these days where I don't have to do her hair everyday and worry about it looking messy and tangled. Except I think it will be fun to do her hair like we are playing salon and beauty parlor. Hopefully she cooperates.

Then...

And now.

This picture reminds me so much of a baby picture of me. Sometimes I look at her and feel like I am looking at myself. Other times I look at her and think she looks so much like Jeff and nothing like me.

She is such a happy loving girl. We just can't get enough of her. Notice the big drool spot.

She loves to play with her feet and roll over. She is also getting really good at reaching and grabbing things. If Jeff and I aren't careful then pretty soon we will be the ones with no hair.

Our Little Imitator

2010-08-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks Jeff and I have been sick and coughing. Now it seems like Annabelle is trying to imitate our cough, but who knows what she is really doing. She thinks she is so funny...

It's been a wonderful 4 years!

2010-08-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary. It's different now being a family of 3 but we absolutely love it! Each day just gets better and better!

Giggling Annabelle

2010-08-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

Family Photo Shoot

2010-08-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

My sister and her husband do some great photography and they were nice enough to take some beautiful pictures of our family. The pictures turned out great and we love them. Big thanks to Adam and Katherine, the talented photographers! Here are some of our favorites...

The Last Hooray

2010-07-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from our summer party before Jeff starts medical school. No work, no school, all play! It was so wonderful and a lot of fun. We took a lot of pictures so here are just a few of the trip highlights...

We started the party by driving to Jeff's brother's house in Waco, TX. We celebrated the 4th of

July with them and spent a few days doing other fun things. (For some reason the captions got all messed up so you will just have to try to match them up with the pictures...sorry)

Annabelle hanging out with her Aunt Crystal. When we stopped by their house on our way home Crystal witnessed Annabelle rolling over all of the way for the first time. Jeff and I have still not seen her completely roll over yet.

Annabelle loves the Toddy lounger.

We visited this neat little amish type village. Annabelle's hat looks like a helmet - I would say it's too big for her still but it shades the sun well.

Our next stop was Salt Lake. Annabelle did great on her first airplane ride. She basically slept the whole time.

This was her first experience in a pool. She did not like the cold water.

Girl outing - The men stayed and took care of the kids while my Mom and sisters and I went on a 40 mile bike ride in some beautiful Utah mountains. Well I actually only did about 10-15 miles. Jeff drove Annabelle to me so I could feed and take care of her. We stopped and stayed at a nice lodge in the mountains and had some fun girl time. It got dark before they could make it to the lodge, and I was already there with Annabelle, so I drove down the mountain to find them and pick them up. I sure admire their strength to go so far on some hard hills.

Here are my Mom and sisters and I at the start of our bike ride. I have never cycled before and I learned that it is harder than I thought.

Annabelle's cousins just adored her. They took great care of her.

Here we are having a picnic as we wait to ride the horses.

Cowboy Jeff leading the pack. We visited Huntsville, UT which is where my Mom grew up. The family has some horses which is always a fun thing to do in Huntsville.

Annabelle's first horse ride. She actually didn't ride the horse, she just sat on it for a picture.

Hanging out at my Aunt and Uncle's pool. Thanks for the fun swim!

Jeff and I jumping into the pool.

We went to a drive-in movie theater. These are a lot of fun.

4 generations of McKay women. My Grandma McKay, my beautiful Mom, me, and Annabelle.

Jeff and I were able to do a session at the Salt Lake Temple while my sister watched Annabelle. It is so beautiful.

We drove up to Rexburg, ID and were able to check out our old stomping grounds at BYU-Idaho. I can't believe how much has changed since we graduated a little over a year ago. Also, Annabelle was able to meet her great Grandma Anna Belle.

And her great Grandpa Jackson.

One of the best parts of the trip was being able to spend time with so much family and friends. This is Grandma Bushman.

And Grandpa Bushman.

Our niece Jenna.

Annabelle and Jeff's sister Katie.

We were able to go to Jeff's Bushman family reunion. It was on a ranch nestled in the mountains of Idaho. Here we are in our loft room.

We had such a great trip and were sad to leave everyone but it is also nice to be home (except for the fact that I have been miserable with a sinus infection). Annabelle enjoys grabbing both of her cute little feet and smiling and giggling for us. She had her 4 month doctor appointment the other day and she now weighs 13 lbs. 7 oz. and is 24 in. long. She is getting so big. We love love love her! Jeff started his first day of medical school yesterday. It will definitely be hard but it is also a new exciting step in our lives.

The Best

2010-06-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

One of the best things ever is to see this smiling face...

Another best thing is snuggling with my baby doll. It is even more great when all three of us are snuggling together. Annabelle loves to be in what we call "the Daddy lounger" - Jeff holds her against his chest in one arm with her propped up, she's leaning back, has her arm hanging out, and she just looks so comfortable. She will stay content in that position for a very long time. We will have to get a picture of it later.

We had a swimming party in our jacuzzi tub the other night. Annabelle loved it.

Daddy's are Special

2010-06-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day! We are so grateful for our wonderful Dads and the amazing men that they are. We love you! Annabelle and I are also so thankful for the special man in our life.

She loves her new glasses. Already posing for the camera and even has the pursed lips going on.

Daddy's girl. Annabelle's shout out to Dad: Thank you for playing with me, holding me, cuddling me, changing my diaper, getting me dressed, helping bathe me, burping me, taking me on walks, making me smile, teaching me, loving me, and for just being the greatest Dad! I am such a lucky girl! I love you!

Annabelle snuggling with her little blankie.

Look who can sit up all by herself!

Happy Father's Day!