I love these two...

(this has been set to post for over two weeks now. i wanted to add another picture so i hadn't posted. the other picture has not been added but i thought i should go ahead and post or it may never happen. :) there is surely not a dull moment with these two and very few free moments!)

It amazes me daily how much these two interact and how much love they already have for each other. If Anna had her way she would be right beside Aiden at all times. She gets tickled when he begins to laugh. The top right picture is when we first put a star on Aiden's playmate. Anna was so excited to watch the star light up and play music with her brother. Just the other day Aiden was sitting in his bouncy as Anna and Kevin were eating breakfast. Anna turned to Aiden and said, "Hey buddy...what you thinking about?" She is very inclusive of her brother. It is a blessing to spend each day with these two.

One of a kind!

Favorite Anna stories these days…

One day after her nap I hear her calling, "Amy Sasser."
I go into her room and ask her what she is saying. She says, "I'm calling Amy Sasser."
I asked her, "Who is Amy Sasser."
She says, "momma" and gives me a big hug.

Now when Anna is watching basketball with daddy she will look up at the TV and say...
"Look daddy, tattoos. He have tattoo."
Yes, almost every player has a tattoo or multiple ones along their biceps. She is very observant!Not to mention a huge fan of tattoos these days. It is a super treat when we happen to be somewhere they give out rub on tattoos.

In reference to getting into our bed one Saturday morning to snuggle she says, "let me get all situated." She has since then used the word, “situated” in the right context multiple times.

Anna begs to go to the “grocery” (Harris Teeter) and the “market” (Fresh Market). Both are like going to Disney World for our sweet girl. We can easily spend an hour in the grocery when Anna gets to push her own grocery cart. Anna has never met a stranger and asks almost everyone we pass a question. The last time we were there Anna was invited to one ladies house by the time their conversation ended, she asked and was told what a cane and motorized wheelchair were, helped a little girl pick out a greeting card, asked every child that we passed what they were doing and asked multiple people what they had in their cart. One of those conversations went like this with an older gentleman…

Anna: "What's that?" Pointing to a bag in his cart.
Man: "Candy"
Anna: "You make shewee on the potty?"
Man: “What sweetie?”
Me: Smiling and ushering Anna down the aisle, trying to explain that everyone does not get "cando" as she calls candy when they use the bathroom.

Several questions I hear repeated all day…

“What’s it called it? Please tell me.” (Anytime she is unsure of something new or unfamiliar)

Who gave this to me? (Lately she wants to know where and from whom each item came from)

I are? (Anytime she is wondering if she is doing something)

When answering a question, one of our favorite answers she gives...

"Ummmm probably"

Recently I received hand soap from bath and body works from a friend. Anna happened to open the gift bag and was SO excited. She ran to put it in her bathroom and requests to wash her hands with that soap. Without a doubt, she is our daughter. Who else would get excited about a bottle of hand-pump soap?

Just last night Kevin and I went out to dinner. When we got back home Anna was asking us several questions. I shared with her that the food wasn't that good. She looked up at me and said, "It wasn't tasty?"

And yes, this sweet girl can also be sassy. Lately if Anna is doing something she knows she is not supposed to do and we share with her that we do not do that she will respond…

“But ________ do it.” The blank can be any number of friends or even Kevin or myself. Where do they learn these things?!

Favorite things these days: babies, babies and more babies. She strolls them around our house all day, getting their "exercise," rocks, feeds, burps, changes and even disciplines them. Her kitchen, flashcards (shapes and letters) and songbooks. Instead of reading storybooks her three favorite books are songbooks-"Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies", "Bible Songs", "Children's Songs and Fingerplay" We sing them over and over and over again! There are very few pictures in them as they are literally songbooks with the chords and all but she knows exactly where her favorite songs are, three of which are "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Peace like a River" and "He's got the Whole World."

She does bring us so much joy. We love you, Anna Cate Sasser!

Snow, snow and more snow!

We had to drag sweet Anna in from this second big snow of the season a few weekends ago! She couldn't get enough of the white stuff, especially sledding in it. The bigger and faster the hill the better. She would go down solo, backwards, laying down, on her knees but whatever way she went she was all smiles! And fearless!

Below is a video of Anna going down one of the big hills in our neighborhood. She was out there with all the "big" kids. At the end of the video Anna is calling her shoes, her "boot shoes."

Sorry it is sideways. It is much better when viewed right side-up but for some reason when I upload it here, I can only get it to upload this way. Better than no video at all. :(

Pampered!

This past weekend I headed to the spa with a good friend to get pampered for the afternoon. When Anna woke from her afternoon nap she asked Kevin where I was. As he began to explain to her where I was and what I was doing he decided it would be fun to show her. When I met them for dinner that evening Anna took off her shoes and showed me her toenails. Pretty impressive, daddy! He might just be doing my nails from now on. Anna has been thrilled all week to take her painted toenails to the grocery store, into the shower, to the library, etc.

5 Months!

We can hardly believe that next month we will be half-way through our first year with Aiden. Where has the time gone?! Because of having RSV he did not go in for his four month check-up/shots until the middle of January. He weighed 14lbs 6oz and was 25 inches long. Both are in the 25th percentile. Here is a little recap of what our little man is up to these days!

He has discovered his feet and LOVES them! He just wishes he were a summer baby like Anna and they were free from his footed PJ's more! His fingers continually stay in his mouth. I believe he will follow in his sister's footsteps and suck his fingers. He hasn't had a paci in several months. The other morning as we were getting Aiden up from his morning nap I overheard Anna teaching her brother how to "pull." I was putting clothes away in his dresser and Anna was standing by his crib with her hands through the rails. She had her fingers in her mouth and she was showing him how she pulls the sheet and rubs it with the other hand she is not sucking. She was asking him if he wanted to pull as well. Her words exactly: "Want to pull Aiden?! You do buddy? Here you go."

Just this past week we have been putting Aiden in his exersaucer. He was pulling on things, spinning in the seat and stuffing things in his mouth almost immediately. Of course Anna was right there to show him exactly what to do.

Aiden shows no interest in sitting up by himself. However, he loves to stand. Put him on his two feet and you will get the biggest grin.

He might not be sitting up but he is rolling (at least from his stomach to his back). Saturday morning when we woke, we looked at the monitor and saw that he was on his back. Yes, both of our children have slept on their stomachs. He was thrilled with himself and does it immediately when placed on his belly.

Three weeks ago we gave Aiden his first taste of rice cereal. He was hooked. He ate a whole bowl full that night. However, he will only eat the rice cereal if it is mixed with pumped milk. If we mix it with water he shows no interest. He also grunts if it is too runny. He likes for it to be rather thick. He is only getting this once a day, while we eat dinner but it seems to have really helped him to sleep for a full night. Like his sister he prefers an early bedtime. Most nights, both of our children are in their beds by 7:30pm, if not before. However, unlike his sister he is not a snuggler. He could care less about rocking but his sister still begs to be rocked. "Just one more minute," is a phrase we hear all too often from Anna. Not to mention if I do happen to rock Aiden for just a moment in the day, Anna quickly makes her way into the chair and nestles in. Aiden continues to be our laid back baby who is content most of the time. He is awe-struck by Anna and tries his best to keep-up with her, moving his head in order to catch glimpses of her. I try to nurse him in the morning before Anna wakes in hopes of getting one feed in where he is not trying to scan the room for her as he is so easily distracted. He has the sweetest spirit and brings all three of us so much joy.