I need to catch up!

My daughter's first year is flying by...she is already 10 1/2 months old! The thoughts of a one year birthday party are bittersweet to me. I can't believe how fast it goes! Here are some of the things I want to remember about Anna right now.

-She still does her "frumpy" face, usually when she is frustrated
-She is crawling around everywhere and gaining speed everyday
-She uses everything and anything to pull herself up to a stand, including furniture, my pant legs, Daisy's fur, etc.
-She cruises around furniture with ease now (on her toes of course...my little dancer) and has even stood and balanced for a few seconds
-Her blankie is her sleeping pill...as soon as you put it close to her face, she will reach up and grasp it with both hands and she usually quickly falls asleep
-She has 6 teeth! Yes, 6...four on top and two on bottom
-She now drinks out of a straw with ease, and apparently is very fond of Diet Coke
-She loves to feed herself baby cheetos, yogurt melts, and biter biscuits
-She is babbling mama, a-ya a-ya, baba, dada, lala, etc. but no real words yet
-She loves makeup. She is happy with mascara in one hand and lipstick in the other (twist tubes that she can't open yet of course), and she loves to watch me put on makeup
-Whenever I tell her "no", which unfortunately is all too frequent lately, she has a dramatic meltdown with instant crocodile tears...an actress in the making
-She has the most adorable smile that melts my heart everytime. Seriously...can you resist this face??


Now on to the happenings of our summer. I have some catching up to do, so brace yourself for LOTS of pictures!

Anna and I have been doing the mommy/daughter thing all summer since my hubby seems to be working all the time. (Not that you would see my extremely camera-shy husband in any of these pictures, anyway!) We have been swimming in her turtle pool in the backyard...

Playing in the sprinkler on her turtle pool...

Cruising around the furniture...

and hanging out with friends. Mandy and I took Evelynn and Anna out to lunch and to the mall. The babies were happy to be set free when we got home! And they're off!!


She will use anything to pull herself up...Mandy's arm, for example...

The beautiful baby Evelynn...who is so fast that it is nearly impossible to take a picture of her. Trust me, it took about 15 minutes to get this shot!


Anna and I baked some chocolate chip cookies...

My little chef with her other favorite toy...the wire whisk. (Forget expensive toys! A tube of mascara and kitchen utensils are all you need.)

I have also been doing a lot of cleaning up after a little one who is rather fond of my stainless steel appliances.

She tries to help, but I don't think a spit shine really works on stainless steel!

Now on to the friend gatherings...my cute friend Wendy who now lives out of state was in town a few weeks ago. We went to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate! We miss you, Wendy! Here she is with Anna and I.


Briana even brought Maizy out for some mommy daughter time.


Angie, Wendy, and Steph. Ahhh...I miss our kindred spirits in the staffing office!


Mandy holding a teething and grumpy Evelynn.

Last weekend, we had a few birthday parties to go to, a barbecue at Briana's, and then the Summit County demolition derby. First off was Campbell's birthday party Friday night, but I don't have any pics...I was only there for a little while because I had to work that night. Then Saturday Anna and I were off to Haiden's 5th birthday party, which was complete with a waterslide, a small pool, and pony rides. Anna definitely has a lot of her Grandma Newman in her...she LOVED the pony ride! Here she is getting all situated...

She had a pretty good grip on the saddle...


She took 3 trips around the pasture on that pony!


Then it was off to Coalville. Briana had a bunch of family and friends up there for cake and ice cream to celebrate Zoey's 2nd birthday. She wouldn't exactly smile for me...


Then we hung out at Briana's and had a barbecue. Thanks Bri for accomodating all of us! Here she is with Zander.

Then it was off to the Summit County demolition derby. Well, I have a redneck daughter after all. She LOVED the derby! The loud engines, the crashes, the rodeo queens, all of it...she was fascinated!
Mandy and Evelynn at the derby


Evelynn was much happier today...look who finally has a tooth!

So that is a glimpse of my summer so far. At the end of the day, Anna and I are happy to just hang out together at home. When it is near bedtime, Anna quickly attempts to pull her clothes off. She usually gets frustrated when she can't get them off, so I end up getting her naked and letting her roam around for a while. Home + nakedness + blankie = HAPPY BABY!!
Wow...that took forever! Sorry for such a long post, but I am trying to stay caught up!

P.S. I just realized that my daughter is wearing the same outfit through most of these pictures. A lot of these events happened on the same day. I swear I do change her clothes. ;-)