Where to begin???!!

I am SO sorry I have not kept up with posting. For those who are having withdrawls, there are like 5 new posts under this one, so I hope you feel updated!!! ;)

We have had so much going on lately that it has been hard to just sit down and upload pics to post anything! A couple of weeks ago we took a trip to Gruene and San Antonio for our 5th anniversary. Last weekend we celebrated Hope's 1st birthday and then this whole past week has been VBS at church. It's been wild and crazy around here! Once next weekend is over (we have a big 4th of July bash at the church where the choir will present a patriotic musical) hopefully things will start to settle down.

Anyway, I wanted to update everybody on Hope. She had her 1 year check-up last Friday. She weighed 21 lbs and was 29 inches long (50th percentile for both). So she has really grown! She really is starting to grow out of her 12 month clothes and is close to needing 18 month stuff!! I can't believe how fast she is growing out of all her clothes! She is crawling everywhere, standing on her own, talking up a storm, but of course, not walking at all!!! She won't even take steps when we hold her hands or cruise the furniture. She's so stubborn! I know it will come with time and am trying to just enjoy the crawling stage, but I am so tired of her knees being red and rug-burned!

As I said, Hope is talking up a storm. She continually amazes me with her verbal skills. She says Mama, Dada, up, and uh-oh very regularly. Today, Daddy told her (jokingly) to get out of the bedroom when he was taking a nap. He said, "Out!" and she very clearly yelled back, "OUT!!!" And then she just kept yelling it over and over. It was so cute!! I wish we had gotten it on camera. She has quite the attitude and has already begun talking back. She also makes animal sounds. When we ask her what the cow says, she goes, "BOOOOOO!" She hasn't quite gotten that she needs to put an "M" at the front of that, but we know what she means. She also quacks like a duck and barks like a dog. We're working on the kitty right now. That ones a hard one for her. Hope is also signing to us. She signs more and all done very regularly. We are working on thank-you, food, drink, please, up, and milk. Hope is weaned completely now (as of about 2 weeks ago) and is taking milk from a sippy. Last night we taught her to drink from a straw! She is eating table foods very well as long as the pieces are broken up small enough. She only has two teeth, so I think it will be awhile before we can eat anything too chunky.

For those of you who knew Hope as a newborn, she has gotten SOOO much better. She is generally a happy baby now and is fairly easy to please. We have, however, reserved ourselves to the fact that we have one little DIVA on our hands. She is a very opinionated little girl and always lets us know (usually very loudly) when she is not just completely elated with her current situation. She screams at the top of her lungs when she is upset and arches her back in protest when we hold her and she doesn't want to be held. Look out world, this little girl has ATTITUDE! She is very particular about things. She hates being in the grass and cries and cries when we try to put her down in it. She also LOVES to look at her shoes and dresses in her closet, so we know we have a girly-girl on our hands!

We feel so blessed to have her and can't believe how far we all have come over the past year. Through this little baby God has taught me how truly selfish I can be at times. I have learned so much over the past year that I feel like I should be so much older. Thank you, Lord for this precious little girl. You have blessed us so richly. (Andjust to field the question now, NO!!! We're NOT thinking about another one any time soon!!!) ;)