Anna's 9 Month Quilt Pictures

Yes... 9 MONTHS! Anna is really 9 months old! I am truly amazed at how quickly the time has gone. I know it's because we are so busy with our girl's, but I still can't believe she is almost through her first year!
Anna has such a fun personality. She has a very strong will (uh oh... watch out) and loves to play. This little girl will play endlessly. She also likes to climb, which is a little worrisome for me. Claire is not a climber, so this will be new for us. Miss Anna definitely keeps us on our toes, but we are having so much fun with our little squirt!!Such a big girl!

LOVE her smile. She has the sweetest smile. Her whole face lights up!

Look at this face... isn't she squeezable!?!?

It's hard keeping this girl down!

Anna is looking intently at her quilt that Grandma McDowell made for her!

You can see Anna's two, only two, bottom teeth in this picture!

Sisters

Over the last month or so, Claire & Anna have really developed a neat sisterly bond. With that also comes some "disagreements" (Claire not wanting to share all the time), but they really play well together and it's so sweet to watch as they interact. Claire is very protective of Anna and so maternal. Poor Anna is going to grow up with two mommies! I can't imagine my life without my girls!

Playing on the couch!

Claire thinks it is necessary to bring Anna ALL her toys when we're playing. It's so funny because Anna always ends up with this huge pile of toys next to her!

"See Anna, this is how this toy works".

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Girls Night Out

Last Friday evening, I went out with a bunch of my girlfriends from Dayton Christian. We all have known each other since elementary school or middle school. We pretty much grew up together! Dayton Christian was a very tight knit school. My graduating class had around 130 students so everyone knew each other. Ben and I both went to DC since Pre-School and graduated together in 1995 (I know, we are getting OLD!!). Anyway... I had sooooooo much fun catching up with these girls. Most of us are still in the area, but we've gotten so busy with our families and lives, it's hard to get together very often. Our plan is to have dinner every couple months!
We went to The Greene and had dinner at Brio and then we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. It was a beautiful evening so we sat outside on the patio and talked until 1:30 am. I haven't been out alone that late in years! It was a much needed night out!

A very delicious dinner at Brio!

L to R: Jessica 'Martin' Farrell, me, Mindy Marker, Brooke 'Smith' Baker, Carrie 'Orme' Brown, Alexandra 'Barnhart' Langely.

Coffee & cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory... mmmm!!

Alex & Jess!

Carrie, Mindy & Brooke!

Aunt Rita

Last week my Aunt Rita came in from Colorado to visit. We don't get to see her very often, but it's great to see her when she does come. She actually flew in on my Grandma's birthday, so that was a wonderful birthday gift for her! I didn't get very many pictures, but I was able to get a few the first day we visited. I forgot my camera the other time we were all together.

We love you Rita and we were so glad to see you!

Grandma McDowell, Claire, my Dad, Anna & Aunt Rita

AMEN!

Claire has been going to AWANA (Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed) at church for a several weeks now. She is in the Puggles class which is for 2 year olds. She really seems to enjoy it and is learning a lot... more than I thought actually! Last night as I was praying with Claire and usually at the end of the prayer she says "AMEN" very emphatically. When I didn't hear her say this, I looked up and she was doing a sign (refer to the last picture below). I asked, "what are you doing?". She said "Amen", while doing the sign and then she said "Puggles". It was so very sweet! In the back of my mind I was wondering if she was correct in her sign language, so I looked it up and sure enough... she was doing the sign exactly right! I can't believe how quickly she is learning and it warms my heart that she is picking up so many things at church! AMEN, AMEN, AMEN

Claire, unfortunately, is cursed with the McDowell sweet tooth! She really enjoys snack time anywhere she goes!!

Claire & Caroline looking cute at Puggles!

The ASL sign for Amen that Claire taught me!

Who Dey!

Ben was able to score some great tickets to the Cincinnati Bengals game last Sunday. We were in a luxury box and it was super nice! There was all the food and drinks we wanted and thankfully, we had glass protecting us from the 80 mph winds we experienced from Hurricane Ike. It was interesting game to watch with the winds interfering with the passing and kicking games for both teams. Unfortunately, the Bengals were hammered by the Tennessee Titans, but we had a lot of fun nonetheless!

Katrina's Baby Shower

My friend, Katrina, is expecting her first baby girl next week. I work with Katrina at the surgery center and my co-workers had a baby shower for her at MiMi's Cafe. I've worked with these girls for over 5 years now and they have become great friends and are some of the neatest people I know! We all had a great time celebrating Katrina and her "soon-to-be" new addition! Congratulations Katrina... you're going to be an amazing mother!

Katrina... the "mommy-to-be"! Could she be any cuter pregnant?

A few of my friends and co-workers... Janet, Katrina, Jennifer, Karen, and me!

Marisa, Patty, Jennifer, Shannon & Brenda

Old Fashion Days

Last weekend, Grammy & Papa took Claire to Old Fashion Days. Claire really enjoyed doing some of the activities/chores that children did many, many years ago. Grammy even had an old fashioned bonnet for Claire to wear!!! She looked like Laura Ingals from my favorite show growing up, The Little House on the Prairie. What a neat experience for Claire! Thanks Grammy & Papa!

Taking a ride on the horse!

Back In Business

Last Sunday, we experienced some powerful winds from Hurricane Ike in the Southern Ohio area. The winds were clocked at upwards of 70 mph and caused some serious damage and devastation. We had several limbs down, but nothing major and no damage to our house. We were fortunate to only have a power outage for 24 hours. Our cable, internet and phone were down until Wednesday night. Many people continue to be without power, but we are thankful that all our family and friends are safe. Just a couple pictures from our backyard...