Anniston's Birthday Party!

Oh TWO-dles!

Seriously, I had way too much fun getting ready for this party! I didn't do nearly as much decorating as I did for Anniston's 1st birthday, but it was still so adorable! Can I please just plan parties the rest of my life?!

We knew the weather was going to be hot, so we just set up a few water activites and let the kiddos slide and play all day! I even created a HUGE water blob that you see all over pinterest nowadays. I added red dye, so the water was pink, canisters of glitter, foam letters and balls and we filled it up with water for 27 minutes. And then...it started leaking. So we covered it up with duct tape. And then it started leaking from the other side. So we covered it again. All in all...we used an entire roll of duct tape, just to watch that poor blob slowly deflate. Epic Pinterest Fail.

But we still had the slip in slide, the water sprinkler ball and the kiddo pool and 2 trampolines!! So the kiddos were all exhausted by the end of the day and our bellies were full from the taco in a bag bar! Here's a few pictures...who am I kidding...here are A LOT of pictures from the Minnie Mouse Oh-2-dles party!!

Anniston is 2 Today!!

You are 2 Years Old Today!

My baby girl is two years old today. That's hard to type, let alone comprehend. And I guess she really isn't a baby anymore. Part of me loves that and part of me is really sad. For now, we are enjoying two. It's sweet, sassy, dramatic, and yet, she just happens to be the most caring girl I've ever met. She sings in the sweetest voices, gives the best hugs, shows empathy toward anyone when they look sad, loves listening to stories and telling her own "once upon a time" stories and never falls asleep without good night songs and nuzzling our shoulder. We love you to the moon and back Anniston Jean. You'll always be my baby girl. 

Singing Anniston Happy Birthday! 

A Look at the Past Year

Anniston is 23 Months Old!

You are 23 Months Old Today!

While Anniston was 22 Months She:

Became a BIG sister on May 8th, 2014 to Amelia Grace Rehder! 

She loves holding her baby sister and singing songs to her. 
Her favorite is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" or as she says 
"Winkle, Winkle Wittle Star."

Starting using the phrase "Oh My Gosh!" for anything that is cool or amazing. 

Planted a garden with Daddy, they go out every night and water it and "in-pect" the fruits and vegetables to see if they are ready to eat. 

She repeats everything now and is very much an auditory learner. She hears something once - a song, counting, a nursery rhyme, a phrase, etc. - and she remembers it and actually uses those sayings in the correct context! It's really quite impressive. 

She loves running and got a new pair of Keen sandals. She wears them everywhere! 

Bubbles and colors keep her easily entertained for long periods of time. 

She is wearing size 6 shoes, 18 months clothes and weighs 22.5 pounds. 

She loves when I fix her hair in pigtails or barrettes. And she also loves pulling them out when I am not looking. Then she always says "Uh Oh, Mommy my hair is broken again!"
Right Annie. 

Anniston is 22 Months Old!

You are 22 Months Old Today!

While Anniston was 21 Months She:

Loves her morning breakfast meals that daddy makes. Blueberry pancakes are her favorite breakfast meal, but her favorite thing to eat is still Spaghetti and Meatballs! 

Moved into her big girl bedroom! She loves it and always brings stuffed animals to cuddle with her at night! 

Finished her first session of gymnastics and learned how to jump! She can get both feet off the ground! She also is very good at stretching! We stretch almost every morning now!  

Loves dancing, running and singing now. We turn on music and she just wiggles and runs around the house. Her favorite song is "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen. She loves acting it out! 

She got the croup and the flu for one whole week. She was such a trooper, but it really wore her out.  

Continued picking the scab on her forehead! We had to resort to wearing REALLY large bandaids all the time, but it's finally gone!

Has hair long enough for pigtails now and the longer it grows, the curler it is becoming!  

Started putting on her shoes and socks all by herself!

Now takes off her clothes and diapers in her crib during naptime and bedtime! So we are now putting duck tape on her diapers to keep them on her! 

Went on an Easter Egg Hunt on a very windy day with friends!

Is patiently waiting for her baby brother or sister to arrive! She always rubs my belly and sings to it. 

Anniston is 21 Months Old!

You are 21 Months Old Today!

While Anniston was 20 Months She:

Helped decorate her new bedroom! We hope to move her into her room next month! Mommy is nervous and Anniston is excited!  

Started going to gymnastics and now does somersaults everywhere. Bring on the bruises!

Started reciting the ABC's by herself. She blends her L, M, N, O and P letters, but it's still adorable!

She still wears 18 months clothes and is in a size 5 for shoes.

Loves coloring and singing nursery rhymes to her baby.

She says "oopsie daisy" whenever she makes a mistake. 

We explored the Children's Museum in Minneapolis.

Anniston's New Bedding made by Mommy! 

Anniston is 19 Months Old!

You are 19 Months Old Today!

While Anniston was 18 Months She:

Was really into nursery rhymes and loved saying parts of them! She sings them to my tummy all the time!

Went potty consistently - at home and at daycare! She still wears diapers because mom isn't ready to fully train her yet!

Loves coloring and putting stickers on everything! 

Is wearing 18 month clothes, size 5 shoes 

Loves singing and dancing to music. 

Got car sick on our trip back from Neenah, WI. 

She wore her fairy wings around the house a lot and would fly!

Had tea parties in her castle and in her bathtub. She always tells us if the tea is "too hot" to drink or 
"it okay mommy, it not too hot now."

Had a scab on her forehead the majority of the month. She does NOT stop picking it! 

Has a new favorite phrase. Instead of no, she says 
"never ever, never ever."

She weighs 22.1 pounds (23%) and is 31.5 inches long (35%). 

Anniston is 18 Months Old!

You are 18 Months Old Today!

While Anniston was 17 Months She:

Had her 2nd Christmas and we celebrated it 3 times! 

She learned to say Santa and Snowman very well and she got a Fisher Price Digital Camera from him! She plays with it frequently and yells out, cheese! 

She got croup and needed to get a steroid shot. It broke our hearts hearing her cough, but the shot and humidifier helped tremendously!

Got a sled for Christmas and we went sledding in the backyard!

She started saying potty, sitting on the toilet and flushing on her own! No, no. She hasn't gone in the potty yet, just practicing because she thinks it's fun! But she's showing a lot of signs that she is ready!

We made a jumbo snowman and had so much fun doing it!

She wears a size 5 in shoes, 4 in diapers and we are transitioning into 18 month clothes! She's getting so big so quickly! 

She got her top 2 canine teeth in! Her right one is almost completely done and her left one is tiny, but their growing! Thats a total of 14 teeth! 

She can count to five! It is the most adorable thing I think I've ever heard!

She talks. A lot. And repeats. A lot. 
It is so impressive and so cute! 

She got a big castle and a life size Elmo for Christmas. She loves bringing Elmo and her babies into her castle to read! 

Say Cheese!

Sledding and Snowball Fun!

Jumbo Snowman!

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from Our Family to Yours!

Cutting Down the Tree

Well despite the RIDICULOUSLY cold weather (-10) we braved the cold and stuck to our family tradition of cutting down our Christmas tree! We got to the Tree Farm at 4:30, it was closing at 5:00, and the lady told us congratulations because we were their first and only customers all day! Anniston was a champ the entire time! I swear she likes the feeling of being cold! And huge props to Nickolas for sticking his body into that tree to cut it down - don't worry, we clapped for him!

But, it had to get done because all our weekends are completely booked! I am so happy we did it and am absolutely in love with our tree! It is massive - we weren't really planning on that - but luckily we have a vaulted ceiling, a ladder and a LOT of ornaments to fill it with! Cheers to holiday decorating, music and hot chocolate! 

Anniston is 17 Months!

You are 17 Months Old Today!

While Anniston was 16 Months She: 

Learned to Walk in Snow Pants and Boots - Quite the Challenge

Threw her first snowball and then leaned down and kissed the snow. 

Learned to Say "Pease" and "Tank You" for everything and it melts our heart every time we hear it!

Loves the word "No!"

She starting throwing things away in the trash - even if it isn't trash. 

Wears mostly 12 months clothes and size 4 shoes. 

Wants to carry 2 babies now wherever she goes. 

Had her first real sickness - throwing up for 12 hours! She was such a tough girl. And she even rubbed mommy's leg when she was sick. I love how much empathy she already shows towards others when they are sad. 

Started showing her first signs of the Terrible Twos by having unexplainable tantrums. I am hoping its just her teeth! 

She has 13 teeth completely in. We are just waiting on her 3 canine teeth now and second molars! Her top right canine just broke through!

She can now unplug her monitor from her crib and turn the lights on and off. So sneaky!

She found a new love for cheese sticks! 

Anniston is 16 Months!

You are 16 Months Old Today!

While Anniston was 15 Months She: 

Was little Red Riding Hood for Halloween. 

Learned to really rock on Elijah the Elephant!

Is a pro at going up and down the stairs.

Started climbing. On Everything. "Up, Up!" she always says! 

She picked her own pumpkin at the pumpkin patch and painted it herself! It was messy, but so much fun!

Started sleeping with a blanket in her bed that she curls up with. 

Sits on my lap every morning while I put on make-up. She gets blush on herself frequently.

Wears 12 months clothes and size 3 shoes. 

Started facing forward in her Big Girl Car Seat! She loves it and always yells, "Hi Mommy!"

She braved the cold and went to her first UofM/Huskers Football game. 

She is obsessed with her books now and takes out multiple a day for us to read. 

Her favorite book is "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!"

Anniston is 15 Months!

You are 15 Months Old Today!

While Anniston was 14 Months She: 

Started a new daycare and loves it!

Went from 2 naps/day to 1 long afternoon nap. And thankfully this was a very easy transition. 

Started going down at 7:30 every night and falls asleep right away! She wakes up every morning around 6:30. She rocks!

Walks to get the mail every day after daycare in her pink cozy coupe car or with her walker. 

Started using silverware with her foods. It isn't messy. It isn't perfect. But she loves being so independent!

Wears shoes on a daily basis now...and walks perfectly in them! She now puts on my shoes frequently and tries to walk in them! It's adorable!

Just moved up to a size 3 in shoes! 

Instead of saying "All Done" when she's finished eating, she stands up in her high chair and "Down." Time to invest in a much better high chair I think! 

She started laying on her tummy during bath time to act like she's swimming. She also kicks like crazy and loves when the water splashes!

She blows bubbles with her mouth during bath time. 

Her favorite cartoon and really only cartoon is Pororo - The Talking Penguin or "Po-Po" as she calls him.

Says book, hell-o, bye-bye, and cheese now! 

Likes stacking blocks and pegs together to build up. 

Enjoys fall bonfires outside and always says "Hot!"

She got her last two lower molars for a total of 12 teeth!

Enjoying a Picnic Bonfire! 

Baby Announcement!

The Rehder's Are Adding Another Pumpkin to their Patch!

Baby Rehder is Due May 1st, 2014!

Food Fanatic!

Anniston definitely has gotten to the point to where she will eat anything and everything! It is amazing what she will all take and want more of! Being a picky eater growing up, this makes me extremely proud that she has her daddy's taste for food! Here are a few of my favorites from recently! 

Anniston is 13 Months!

You are 13 Months Old Today!

While Anniston was 12 Months She: 

Just Learned to Walk! It is still clumsy and you still love to cruise, but you are walking! I am counting it!

Says baby, momma, daddy, yes, puppy and okay clearly. She"talks" all the time though!

Eats pretty much anything and everything. Her favorite food is spaghetti and cut up meatballs and favorite snack is applesauce.

Loves her baby and stroller. She pushes them all over the basement. All the time. 

Started sitting still on my lap while I read you an entire story.

Got 2 new teeth this month for a total of 10! 

Had her first ever birthday party and had cake for the first time! She wasn't the biggest fan! 

Went to the pool all the time and loves the water. 

Went for daily bike rides and she loved sitting in your burley bee with her babies and riding the trails!