Comparison Photos

I know we have not been so faithful updating our family blog as of late, but we have been very busy. This past weekend we traveled up to Washington, D.C. to visit Patty's sister and her family. Unfortunately we left our camera at home so we don't have any pictures, but we did have lots of fun! For today, Patty suggested that we do a 2-month comparison post to show how much Anna Kate has grown. I know it is cliche to say that she changes day-by-day, but I honestly think it is true. Everyday she seems a little taller, a little heavier, and a little more alert and interactive with her surroundings. Anyways, today Patty dressed Anna Kate in a pretty pink dress:



Here is Anna Kate almost exactly two months ago dressed in the exact same outfit:


Notice how much longer her legs are now!

Family Photos!

A couple of weeks ago we had some professional family pictures done on the seminary campus by our friend Melissa at Tesoro Photography. She just put up a sneak peek of the first few and I thought I would share them with you. If you ever need a photographer and you're in the Wake Forest/Raleigh area, she is awesome! So, here are the pics:

Thanks, Melissa!

Reading Time

I (Luke) am still settling into a daily routine with Anna Kate. While we have a pretty regular schedule (eat, play, sleep), I am still figuring out some fun activities to do together. One of the things that I have been trying to do is have story time with her at least once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Her library is small, but it is quickly growing:


Today we read one of her favorites which was given to us by some dear friends in Greenville, SC (Thank you Branan Family!). The title of the book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Anna Kate loves looking at the pictures so we will lay on the bed together and I will hold the book above us as I read out loud to her. It is definitely one of my favorite parts of the day. Here is a picture of Anna Kate right before we read today:

Happy Birthday, Leah!

Anna Kate just wanted to wish her cousin Leah a very happy first birthday! We so wish we could be there to celebrate with you, and we love you! Anna Kate can't wait to see you again when you can actually play together (she was a little young last time!). We hope you have a great day!

Grocery Shopping

Every morning around 6:45 AM, Anna Kate and I (Luke) take Patty to work since we have one car. Anna Kate is a trooper about this and normally doesn't put up much of a fuss. Most days, we then turn around and come home to have Daughter-Daddy time where she plays on her mat and we play while Daddy drinks his coffee (she doesn't has as much of a problem being awake at 5:30 in the morning but I definitely need my coffee).

This is our normal routine, but once a week,we have to go grocery shopping. I have learned that the best time to go is around 7:00 AM. In fact, our local Wal-Mart tends to have more employees than customers at that time. This is especially helpful for me since every now and then I need help finding random items. We were able to find a Baby Bjorn at a consignment sale for only $8 which allows me to shop with my hands free. Anna Kate normally sleeps while we walk around, but today she was wide awake and smiling at everyone we saw. Here is a picture of us in the parking lot:


It was a little cold and windy so Anna Kate didn't want to smile outside. Inside the store everyone that we saw wanted to come over and talk and look at her so it took us a little longer to shop today. However, we got just about everything that we needed and got out in only 40 minutes. Speaking of shopping, I have been trying to be more adventurous in my cooking lately, so this week I got out our wok that we have never used, seasoned it, and then cooked some sweet and sour chicken from scratch (well except for some of the vegetable which I bought in a stir-fry mix). Here is a picture of our wok and food:



Of course, this was only one night this week - the rest of them we just had tacos and hamburgers, but still this is one step in the right direction :)

Dancing with Daddy

I found Luke and Anna Kate dancing in the living room this afternoon and caught it on video! When I pulled out the camera, Luke thought I was just going to take a snapshot...little did he know his dancing skills would be put on the blog for all to see! Anyway, I thought it was sweet =)

Hairbows!

Anna Kate has so many hairbows already that I (Patty) had to come up with a way to keep them all organized and handy so that they are easily accessible when we get her dressed in the mornings...I mean, a girl's hairbow has to match her outfit, of course! So instead of having to rummage through her drawers for 5 minutes searching for the right one, now we have them hanging on her door...and it also serves as a name plaque for her room!


We also thought we should show you that Anna Kate now has enough hair for TWO hairbows at a time! Kind of like pigtails! (Ok, Leah, we know that you are probably laughing at this, but not all baby girls have as much hair as you do...maybe Anna Kate will catch up someday!)

Playtime Video

Anna Kate is still feeling great even after her shots yesterday. In fact, we had playtime this afternoon and she was talking up a storm. Of course, once I (Luke) got the camera out, she stopped talking as much, but she did say a couple of things to us:



As you can see, she is doing great!

The 2-month Check-up

I am sure that many of you are wondering how the 2-month check-up went this morning. In a brief summary, it could not have gone better. First the stats:

Height: 24 1/2 inches (95th percentile)
Weight: 11 lbs. 11 oz. (55th percentile)
Head Circumference: 39 cm (42nd percentile)

The doctor said that Anna Kate looks absolutely healthy and was impressed at how well she could hold up her head while lying on her stomach. Anna Kate was so well behaved during the examination. Then came the three shots and the oral medication, which was the part that I was most worried about. Anna Kate cried pretty loudly and stared at me with a look that would break your heart. However, as soon as I was able to pick her up and hold her, she calmed right down. In fact, she did not cry another tear after that. The nurse was amazed at how well she handled the shot. Here is a post-vaccination photo where she was having some playtime (notice the two Wile E. Coyote band-aids):


In other news, we have been inundated with pollen this past week, so Anna Kate and I have not been able to go on many walks or spend anytime outside. For those that do not live in the southeast and wonder how bad could this pollen actually be, here is a picture of my grill cover on Wednesday:



However, last night we had some good rain showers that washed away the pollen, which means we can get outside of the house more. The seminary campus is beautiful this time of year and downtown Wake Forest is nice as well so I am sure we will have some more photos to come next week!

2-Month Update

I know I have frustrated a number of friends, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great grandparents by not posting for the past four days. Anna Kate and I have had a great week at home as I am adjusting to staying at home for the next 2 months. I have learned a number of things since I have started staying home (I am keeping a list which I will post in a week or two). However, Patty pointed out this morning that I have been failing in my blog-keeping duties, so here is an update. First, Anna Kate is two months old today. Here is a picture of her in her crib in her cute spring outfit (minus the bow that went missing):


Notice that she doesn't look exactly pleased in this picture. While she probably didn't like being propped up against the couch pillow, she more tired that anything else and was upset that I was messing up her nap time. I can make that educated deduction because these were the next two pictures that I took:


In all fairness, I did try to take her picture during her play time, but the camera battery died and I had to recharge it. Patty tells me that I need to post at least three times a week, so I will try to post tomorrow and Saturday so I meet my quota ;). Also, pray for me because I am going to have to take Anna Kate to her 2-month appointment tomorrow by myself and there are going to be some vaccinations that Anna Kate will need to get. Patty cannot get off of work so she will not be able to go with us. So pray for me, Anna Kate, and Patty tomorrow around 9:00.

Happy Easter!

Anna Kate had a great first Easter! We woke up and had a nice quiet morning here and read the resurrection story together before going to church. It was great to just spend some time reflecting on the sacrifice that bought us salvation and the resurrection that gives us eternal life! Then we went to church and afterward had a great Easter dinner with some wonderful friends. Here are some pictures from our day.

Sweet Easter baby!

Our little family

Anna Kate had two Easter outfits today...her church dress, and then her play clothes. This onesie and hairbow was another one of the holiday outfits made by my friend Christy. Check out her website at tickledpinkhairbows.etsy.com !

We hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating our hope in our risen Savior! Happy Easter!

Tolbert family picture!

Luke's Mom and Dad hosted a wonderful Easter brunch while we were in Greenwood so that a number of their friends could meet Anna Kate. We had a great time showing her off to some very sweet people. We also were able to get this whole family photo after the party.


We sure had a wonderful week with you all. Come visit us any time!

Tummy Time!

Now that Anna Kate can hold her head up, she's starting to enjoy tummy time a lot more. I caught these pictures yesterday afternoon and just couldn't decide on a favorite, so here they all are! Check out those big blue eyes just like her daddy's!

"Kathryn's Circle"

Grannie received a card in the mail a couple of weeks ago from the United Methodist Women in her hometown of Claude, TX. They have just recently named their group "Kathryn's Circle" in honor of Grannie's many years of ministry and service there. Anyway, here is a picture of the card they sent:

It says:

"To celebrate a new life,
a gift to mission has been given through
United Methodist Women."

To honor "Miss Anna Kate Tolbert"
From: The Kathryn Circle
Claude United Methodist Women
We love you and miss you

What a special gift!

Meeting Great-Grannie!

One very important reason that we came to SC for our Spring Break was so that Luke's Grannie could meet her first great-grandchild. It was so special to introduce them to one another and Grannie sure loved holding Anna Kate. She kept saying that she was in heaven!

P.S. To Anna Kate's Oregon great-grandparents: We are going to do the best we can to get Anna Kate out to meet you soon! We know that even though she's not your first great-grandchild (she's #7 out of soon-to-be 8!), you are still just as excited to meet her!