Anew

Hello 2012!  We welcome you and can’t wait to see what new adventures you have in store for us.  We’re ready to start making memories!

Palmer’s new years resolution was to become active and he hasn’t stopped moving since Dec. 28th, his 8 month birthday.  That’s the night he took his first crawls.  He’s also got four teeth (his two front teeth came in on Christmas), claps all the time, and is pulling up on everything and even balances by himself for a couple of seconds.  He’s pretty much showing off and we love it! 

Big brother is enjoying the outdoors everyday, especially his new balance bike.  Leo recently started MyGym and absolutely loves it!  He’s definitely an active little toddler growing bigger by the day.  I measured him tonight and at 38 inches he’s 5 inches taller than a year ago.  Love my Leo!

Isla Lou started her new year off with a bang!  We bought some poppers and she and Leo had a blast pulling them apart till they popped out confetti and a little toy.  Ah, the simple pleasures in life.  She’s continuing to enjoy her ballet/tap class and can’t wait for her Barbie themed recital in June.  And some of the most exciting news is that our 4 year old, Isla, is reading now.  Santa brought her some “Bob” books and she is speeding through the set.  I love to hear my angel’s voice and to see the excitement on her face as she reads through the pages.  So wonderful! 

After Christmas we got to spend some quality time with the cousins and Papa.  John’s sister, Heather, and her husband, James, were in town and brought their three boys over to play for the morning.  It looked like we were running a day care in our front yard but the kids had the best time! 

We’ve been loving the free time the new year has given us.  The Christmas season was packed full of events and it seemed like we never had time to just sit and relax.  Well, we have it now and are soaking it up.  Cue midday living room fort:

And a perfect January afternoon at the beach…

I must say, Palmer was extremely thrilled to see the ocean and sand for the first time.  Yes, we took him last summer but he was only a newborn and let’s face it, they can’t see things very well, but when his little 8 month eyes met the beach for the first time it was an expression of pure joy and amazement. (And look at those teeth…love that look he makes)

I’m really looking forward to the new year.  I love starting fresh and get all excited when I think about what could be in store for our family in 2012.  Happy New Year, everyone!