1 Year Pictures

I had Tessa's 1-year pictures taken on her birthday. Here are some of my favorites:

More Snow!

More snow for us today! Calder enjoyed playing in it once again, and even Tessa checked it out for a little bit. She wasn't crazy about sitting in it, but was fine if she was being held by Mommy or Daddy.



Calder was probably more excited about the hot chocolate (with lots of marshmallows!) than actually playing in the snow! He was so cute with his little rosy cheeks!

Mommy and Me Day

Calder and I enjoyed a special "date" this morning. It was a double date, actually, with Vandana and Sandhya. We trekked through the snow to a fun little children's theatre in Bethesda called Imagination Stage. Since it was our first time there, I wasn't sure what to expect...but the show was geared toward 2-5 year olds, so we decided to give it a shot. It turned out to be fantastic, and I can't wait to go back! Instead of typical theatre-style seating, they had all of the kids sit in a circle around the stage. The entire show was interactive, and the kids had a great time participating. And, at only 40 minutes long, it was perfect for their attention span. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed during the performance.

After the show, we hit a local restaurant where C and S were able to make their own pizzas! Calder even ate 2 whole slices of his pizza (huge for him!) Fortunately, there were no restrictions on photos at the restaurant. :)

Making pizzas...

Posing with the finished products!

What a fun day!

Tessa's Winter One-derland!

We had a "Winter One-derland" themed party for Tessa a couple weeks ago. Winter birthday parties are hard since venue options are limited...so we just decided to have it at home. It was a crowded house, but really fun to celebrate with many loving friends and family! Here's the banner I made for her. I love how it came out. In fact, it's still hanging up! I'll definitely save it for future birthdays. :) My talented friend Mary made the adorable cake. (She also made Calder's 1st birthday cake!)

The igloo and the penguins were made out of rice krispie treats!


Quick photo op with Mommy and Daddy.

Ready to dig in...

Our dainty little girl did not make a mess at all!

She was much happier once I gave her a fork!

The penguins were a huge hit with the 3 and under crowd. Luckily, they were all willing to go halfsies.
Tessa takes a break from partying to see if Olivia has any teeth.
Lollipop party favors!

I totally forgot to put Tessa's birthday hat on her at the party, so she modeled it a few days later (for about 2.2 seconds). You can't really tell in the picture, but it's made to look like a birthday cake with candles on top -- too cute!

Thanks to all who celebrated with us!

How does a momma of 2 little ones get anything done?

Like this!

I don't know why I never thought of this before. They had an absolute blast, and it bought me enough time to put away 3 loads of laundry AND clean out/reorganize Tessa's dresser and closet! Hooray!

Booty Shakin'

Lord help us if she's still dancing like this when she's 16.

Booty Shakin' from courtney on Vimeo.

Christmas Catch-Up

I'm finally posting some Xmas pictures! It took me a long time to find the time to sit down and sort through them. We spent time in both Pittsburgh and Michigan this year. It was wonderful to see so many family and friends!

Birthday Eve*

365 days ago, you my precious, were delivered from heaven and changed our lives forever. 365 days ago, you made Calder a big brother. 365 days ago, my heart grew as I held you in my arms for the first time. For 365 days we have loved you, adored you, and cherished you. For 365 days our world has been happier because of you. For 365 days we have had a daughter, a baby girl, our Tessa Camille. 365 days of Tessa, Little T, and Tessa-Bear. For 365 days Calder has had a sister, a playmate, a best friend. For 365 days we have smiled bigger because of you and laughed more because of you. For 365 days we have thanked God for blessing us with you. 365 days of you.
*Ok, so here's the disclaimer. I have to fess up and admit that I didn't actually write this. I randomly found it elsewhere on the web...but as I reflect on the last year, this just completely sums it all up in a way that I never could have put on paper myself. Aside from the obvious changes, I didn't steal it totally word for word...does that count for something?

Teaching her early

"1, 2, 3..."

"Hey, look at that. I was right. It is 6:00!""That's enough learning for today. I'll just go back to my favorite activity."

Learning Letters

I'm so happy that Calder loves to learn. The other day he was showing me all the letters that he knows how to write. Before moving on to the next letter, he would say "What else are we going to learn?"

Letters from courtney on Vimeo.

Sing us a song, piano men!

Baby, it's cold outside!

Winter is always so tough. Being cooped up inside with two little ones can be challenging! It snowed again last night/this morning, and Calder was dying to go outside. It was really cute when he simply suggested that he and I could go out to play and Tessa could just wait inside.

Tessa was fascinated when she discovered the heat register. It held her attention for almost a full 3 minutes! :)

Little Miss Curious