The Palmers: January 2009

Not too much is new with us over the past month. It has been the most grey, rainy, and cold January I can remember...I know for those of you up North you are rolling your eyes, but we are used to sunny and in the 50s around here in January...I know...spoiled, right? :) We have had to be creative with how we spend our days...I know I could never live up North again...I like to be outside tooooooo much! :) Ansley still isn't walking, but she is getting much better at walking behind her push toys and standing still on her own. I know that any day she will get brave and take that first step...to be honest, I am not pushing it...she is my little baby...when she starts walking I will see her as a little girl, not a baby, so I am not rushing it! :) She is VERY verbal and chatty (much more so than Sully was) so there is never a quiet moment in the house when she is awake and Sully is so chatty about everything and anything, so nap time is a blessed time for me! :) Sully is really into playing pretend with his animals and cars...he will play by himself in his "pretend" voice for a long time...it is really fun to just sit and watch him. He has become quite independent...he wants to do everything by himself (get dressed, brush his teeth, go to the bathroom, etc). It is nice to know he is doing things on his own, but a little sad at the same time. He has some chores...he has to clean up all his toys before we leave the house in the morning and before bed at night and he sets the table for dinner. He puts out the place mats, he gets the napkins, and he places the silverware...he is quite good at it. He has also become quite interested in cooking with me...many nights he helps me make dinner. It is fun to spend that time together. Sully and Ansley are best buds now...they play quite nicely together and Sully is learning that he has to share his toys when they place together. Their favorite thing to do is to "cook" in their kitchen while I am getting dinner ready. It is so cute to watch them play together.

My new thing is couponing...I know it sounds SO dorky, but I see it as a game and have fun trying to see how much I can save each week. We used to spend about 150-160 a month on groceries...now I am spending between 75-90 a week!!! And, the best part is that I have not had to switch brands or compromise on the quality of what I buy...we still eat all natural and/or organic for most things! For those of you who know me well know that I love a good deal, so this has been a lot of fun for me.

Brett is getting back into tennis after a break for the holidays. His league will start in February, so he is excited to have his weekly tennis match back on the calendar. :)

Sara and Stephen came to visit for New Year's (yes, I am just now getting these pictures up!) and we all went bowling...it was Sully's first time, so it was pretty fun. Enjoy the pictures.

There he goes...

He did it! So fun!

Sara and Stephen with the kiddos!

Sara was excited because she didn't get last...she beat Sully (barely!) haha

A rare picture of us...we are always the ones taking the pictures!

Grancie and Pip went away for the weekend so we had Patches at our house...Sully and Ansley had fun with Patches...Sully loved having some company during Dora and Diego in the morning! :)

Buddies!

Last weekend we took a trip down to visit Aunt Charlene and Mnee and PupPup down at Bray's Island, SC (close to Beaufort). We had a fabulous time and we enjoyed catching up with Charlene and Mnee and PP! Sully saw many animals and took some fun walks. We even had him up on a horse (he wasn't too fond of that!) It was a nice, relaxing weekend and a great break to this cold, rainy January!!! We are hoping February brings more sun!!! :) Here are some pictures from the weekend...not as many as I would have liked...we had so much fun, I forgot to snap pictures...guess that is what happens the more kids you have! :)

Sully and Ansley with GREAT Mnee and Pup Pup!

Sully Charlie with Charlie Sully :) (They were BEST buds that weekend!)

Sully was trying so hard NOT to smile...that little stinker! :)

"Auntie" had a fabulous bathroom for the kids to bathe in...Ansley LOVED it!!!!!

So fun!

Today was finally nice enough to be outside...a little chilly, but there was SUN!!! We have had a very grey month, so we took advantage and spent the whole day outside!! :)

Wagon ride!!

Best buds!

Sully was SO excited to be outside! We have had cabin fever the past few weeks!

Ansley loved the wagon...this is her silly Ansley face...sometimes, she has the goofiest smile!!!

Enjoy the pictures!

xxoo Tracy, Brett, Sullivan, and Ansley xxoo

I cannot believe a year has already flown by! Ansley turned one on December 27th! We had a fun day with family. Grancie and Pip were here along with Kathy and Carl and Aunt Zizzie. We started the day with Ansley opening presents at the house and watching her crawl around and play in the sweetest little, blue tu-tu! She had a blast and then napped to get ready for the rest of her fun day! When she woke up, we all went to lunch and then off to the mall to ride the carousel. Ansley LOVES the carousel and so we thought it was the perfect treat for Ansley's big day. She squealed and smiled the whole ride! After the carousel we came back to the house and let Ansley eat her first sweet treat---a yummy cupcake! She loved it...not quite as much as Sully loved his first cake, but she loved it. She finished the fun with a bath in the sink and then a nice nap. What a fun day for a sweet Ansley Leigh. What a blessing she has been to us and we are so excited for all the fun memories we will have with our little girl. She and Sully are the best of friends and are really playing now, so I am sure Sully will help her learn how to play with all of her new toys.

Enjoy the pictures. :)

Nothing but a naked Ansley and a tu-tu!

Too sweet!!

Out to lunch!

Zizzie!

I cannot believe a whole year has gone by. What a blessing Ansley has been to our family...I couldn't imagine what life would be like without her...what a fun year and so many more fun years to come! :)