Christmas!

Whew, we had a super fun and action-packed Christmas week! In fact, it's taken me 2 days to recover enough to write a post about it. It started on the 21st, when Santa arrived early at our house. Erin got a V-Reader, puzzle, and sit and spin, and Anna got a tricycle, tea set, and a set of cars. We had lots of fun checking everything out, even though Santa didn't go all out this year! Santa figures he has to save up for next year when they will understand more :)

We left for Concord the afternoon of the 22nd with cookies and gifts in tow. On the morning of the 23rd, we got to meet baby Reese and visit Mommy's friend Whitney, then met cousin Jimmy, Aunt Pam, and Uncle Tom at a park in Monroe. It was lots of fun!

We also had a yummy Mexican lunch with them. That evening, Grandma and Grandpa babysat while Mommy and Daddy went to see baby Cole in Charlotte. The 24th, we visited Great Gramma and played at a park in Concord and got ready for the big lasagna dinner that evening with all of Mommy's family. It was so much fun, and Erin learned that she loves mozzarella cheese sticks. We opened presents and had lots of fun!

The 25th, we went to church in the morning, then played at Logan, Ansley, and Ben's house with all their Christmas loot and had a super yummy lunch of ham and sausage dip there. The dollhouse and a rousing game of Ring around the Rosie were the highlights there.

That night, we hung out at Grandma and Grandpa A.'s and got to play with our new stuff. Then, on the 26th, we played outside in the morning and had Pizza Hut buffet for lunch with Logan, Ansley, and Ben. After naptime, we went to see Grandma Pam and Grandpa John, and Jimmy, Aunt Pam, and Uncle Tom at the Embassy Suites in Concord. We had a great time there too, and had a delicious dinner! Anna would like to apologize for her terrible behavior there.

We came back yesterday morning with a car full of wonderful presents. What a great Christmas! We hope you all had a great one too. Thanks to all our family for everything!

19 Months!

Guess who is 19 months old now? Oh yes, Anna Kathryn Callaway the First, as we like to call her. She is full of energy and fun and loves getting into trouble! She is Mommy's little shadow, always right near me, and wanting to do everything I do. I love it! She is getting her bottom two canine teeth in right now (got the top two a month or two ago), so she is a little grumpy about that. Otherwise, she continues to be our picky eater but chunky girl! She knows all the signs that Erin uses and uses them herself. She also has lots to say, and isn't shy about speaking up! "Ball" is her favorite word, and anything resembling a ball is called one. She also says "daddy", "mommy", "bella", "dog", "baby", "car", "truck", "hi", "bye-bye", most of the Sesame Street characters, and lots of other words. She pretends to be shy, but is really a big social butterfly, especially with boys. Daddy is concerned about that. She is also in a "Mommy" phase right now and only wants Mommy to hold her or do anything with her. Mommy isn't complaining :) She is finally able to walk places holding my hand instead of being carried, including down the stairs, which is great. Being bossy seems to come naturally to Anna, and we definitely use that to force Erin to interact with her!

Anyway, that's Anna in a nutshell right now. She is at such a fun age, and we love her so much!

One Weekend, Two Babies!

Well, talk about a great weekend! We had 2 nephews born almost exactly 36 hours apart! First, Benjamin Stephen Summer, born on Saturday 12/10 at 2:57pm, weighing 8 lbs. 7 oz. and 21.5" long. He was a week early, but planned to be born on Saturday, so his arrival was expected. He is doing great and big brother and sister adore him! His cousins, not so sure (actually, Anna is sure how she feels about him):

Then, on Sunday night, Aunt Maria went into labor! She was not due for 2 more weeks and was totally surprised, but Cole Joseph Ambrosini was born on Monday 12/12 at 3:33am, weighing 6 lbs. 10 oz. and 21" long and perfectly healthy. He too is doing great, and happy to be home today!

So, that meant 2 trips to Concord/Charlotte in 2 days, since we had already seen Ben on Sunday and come back before Dale and Maria went in to the hospital to have Cole that night. Throw a stomach bug in the mix, and it was a wild few days! We are so excited and happy for everyone. They are both super adorable and so sweet!