our frances kate

one year ago on the 8th we were blessed with an AMAZING gift...our sweet baby!

i cannot believe it has already been a year.

and yet, she is such a perfect fit into our little family i can hardly remember a time without her...

she has been such a good baby,

always going with the flow.

maybe it is because from the very first moment she was adored and loved by her gege,

her pawpaw, and of course...

like all babies, found a very special connection with her popa. ;)

of course she is also adored by these kiddos....

and maybe, just maybe has this guy wrapped around her little finger.

but can you blame him?!

there seriously aren't enough words...

to sum up our feelings for miss frances.

we love you sweet baby girl.

we are thrilled and overjoyed god chose us as your family,

and we can't wait to see what your future holds...happy first birthday, miss frances kate!!! :)

bowtie bauer

so today before school bauer comes running into my room:
b: mommy, mommy, i FOUND it!!
me: what buddy?
b: my bowtie!!
me: (knowing he doesn't own a bowtie) ummm...really, what bowtie?
b: my FAVORITE bowtie...seeee?! (now holding one of vivian's hairbows out for me to see) come on mommy, put it on me right here!
so i did. and his smile was bigger than the bowtie. i love that little guy!

and just to even out the post. here is miss v in her v shirt for v day.

and here is miss f. please don't ask me what she is doing....it's just a good thing she is cute like her brother! ;)

my favorite animal

we also were able to make a trip to the zoo with the reeves'. the boys had their picture made with the new penguins.

and the girls had their annual picture made in front of the lions.

but my favorite thing at the zoo that day was this wild beast.

she is growing so quickly and no longer is interested in the baby seat.

she babbles and oooohs at the exhibits.

and absolutely melts her mother's heart. sigh. i'll be needing that brick for the top of her head now, cathy...this growth has to slow down! ;)

spring break 2011

whatever could make frances so excited? she was an only child for four days! just kidding...but i do think she enjoyed the one on one attention.

pawpaw and gege took the big kids in the rv for a little spring break adventure.

they acted silly and had lots of fun!

they even slept in the "camper" as they call it.

okay, so the previous picture was obviously staged.

but this one is the real deal.

they each helped drive the big rig...

and gege said they were perfect angels.

they shared their games...

and vivian even helped bauer as a co-pilot. thanks grandays for a terrific outing!!

before school

believe it or not, we are usually ready for school with a few minutes to spare...

and it only took me a minute to figure out the best way to pass the time....a PHOTO SHOOT! :) here they are on st. patrick's day.

and just being sweet...

and just being silly! triple the blessings...for sure!!!

spring soccer starts

yep, we have started back...and this player is READY!!

so are all the siblings...

so watch out...the blue crushers are BACK!!!

plumbing & marriage

my sweetie has been working on the plumbing for the last five hours. if i hear the word "stem" or "pressure" or "ring" or whatever, one more time i will lose it.
seriously.
so i took a breathe, tried to let go of my frustration of being "water free" for the evening, and decided i would be a helper. after several, "hand me this" and "i need that" i thought i was doing a pretty good job. then he asked me to run out and turn on the water at the main. did i mention snakes like to live in our water main? yep, there were three in there...i'm not THAT great of a helper. so yet another reason why i am glad to have the cliffy...he braves plumbing disasters AND snakes..and doesn't even get mad when his helper goes missing to write a silly post about it! ;)

wye moutain or bust

or maybe i should say AND bust! i didn't get a single shot where everyone was paying attention. oh well...such is the way. frances really did enjoy her first visit...

and it was good to see these sweet sisters.

however, she insisted on touching the camera (hence, my hand in this shot).

finally, after a few posed shots i just gave up. i unpacked the lunch and let them run. eventually they ASKED to have me take their picture.

but somehow i messed those shots up too?? how is that possible? ugh...

better luck next year, eh?

oh...and by the way....

guess who walked from flower to flower? yep...watch out world here comes another day!!!