Messes

Anderson makes a lot of messes these days.  Ever since he mastered crawling and using furniture to pull himself up, he's been all over the place.  He seems to enjoy making messes so much that I sometimes just let him have fun with it and then, while I'm cleaning the mess up, he's usually making another one.  At least he's super cute.  :)

Hello, Peoria!

We had some challenges getting here, but we are officially in Peoria now.  (I wonder what the proper term for us would be?  Is Peorian a word?  Illinoians?  I have no idea, but it doesn't really matter since I still/will probably always consider myself a Floridian.) 

Anyway, we loaded up a 26 ft. moving truck (with the help of our wonderful family and a few friends) and Wayne drove it from Florida to Illinois with two friends (who were also driving my car) and our dog, Wally.  The trip was going pretty well until the truck broke down about 70 miles away from Peoria.  In the middle of the road.  On a single lane ramp to the Interstate.  Completely blocking traffic.  Nice, right? 

Apparently the people in the cars behind them where less than thrilled about the situation.  Luckily, a tow truck driver arrived within the hour and towed them all the way to our house in Peoria.  (Imagine a tow truck, pulling a 26 ft moving truck, with a Mustang on a trailor behind it.)  Needless to say, the trip took a while, but they made it safe and sound.

I flew to Peoria the next day with Anderson and my mom.  We spent the next few days unpacking like crazy, but we managed to squeeze in a little sightseeing as well.  And now, we are officially residents of Illinois.  (Hey, I can say that without crying now!)  #Imissfloridasomuch

Anderson after a bath

Bridge at the Peoria Riverfront

Farm field in Peoria

Anderson and Grandma

Bye, bye, Orlando!

Unfortunately, we said good-bye to Orlando this month.  It was pretty heart-breaking for me, actually.  Wayne and I have both only ever lived in Orlando, so while the move will be an new adventure, it is also a huge change for us.  We spent the month of July spending time with our family and friends, as well as packing. 

Playing with Grandpa

Rexford and Wayne on Wayne's last night in Orlando

Anderson and Austin

Anderson eating while we packed the house

Anderson and his Grandma Vanessa

Anderson and Pop

Shannon, Anderson, and Grandma Danner

Wayne's mom and his siblings

Joey and Anderson

Anderson and his Uncle Caleb and Uncle Carter

Anderson is 6 months old!

That's right, my little guy (wasn't he a newborn just yesterday?) is half a year old!  It seems impossible that six months can go by so quickly. 

Anyway, he had his six month check-up and he weighed in at 17 pounds, 7 ounces (50%), his height was 26 1/4 (50%).  His doctor said he's doing great and can start eating more of the foods that we eat now, which is wonderful because he stares us down whenever we're eating something. 

He's learned to sit up by himself and he rarely falls over.  He loves textures and if he has one on his shirt he will run his fingers over it over and over again.

Father's Day and Trip to Peoria

For Father's Day, I wanted to take some cute pictures of Anderson to give to Wayne.  I bought some letters and pulled out Wayne's ties and voila!  I love how the pictures turned out!  (I can't take credit for the idea, though...I searched the web and came across this idea.)  Happy (first) Father's Day, Wayne!

(I'm not sure why this picture looks cut off now, but it was normal when I printed it)

In mid-June, we took a family trip to Peoria, IL.  I know, I know, it's not exactly a top vacation destination.  However, this wasn't really a vacation.  Wayne was offered a job in Peoria and we were scoping out the city/looking for a place to live.  The pressure to find a place when you're only in town for 4 days made the trip pretty stressful.  To add to the stress, Anderson was teething and therefore woke up ALL. NIGHT. LONG.  Anyway, it ended up being a successful trip and, hey, Anderson got his first tooth!

Wayne's soon-to-be office

The duplex we'll be renting in Peoria

Easter

We had a great Easter this year.  It was Anderson's first, and we ordered him a special basket with his name on it.  He also got an Easter basket from both grandparents, so it was a full day.  He also got a haircut from his Uncle Brian, which we think makes him look older (but still super cute, of course).  :)

                                      

                                

St. Patrick's Day and 4 Month Appointment

Today was Anderson's 1st St. Patrick's Day!  We started the day by dressing him in a green onesie and then I gave him a St. Patrick's Day card to "hold" for a picture.  He looks less than thrilled in these pictures, but I think he was just tired.

After that, we headed to the doctor's office for Anderson's four month appointment.  He was agreeable and happy and had no problem with all of the poking, prodding, measuring, weighing, etc., that the doctor and the nurse had to do.  He weighed in at 15 lb., 2 oz., which they marked as being in the 55th percentile for his weight.  His height was in the 75th percentile and his head circumferance is in the 25th percentile.  After they were done with examining them, he started to get really tired (and therefore fussy) and he was just about to doze off when the nurse returned with the shots.  This, of course, made him unhappy, but he was totally fine about five minutes later. 

Anderson's biggest accomplishment this month has been learning to roll over!  He's been going from his stomach to his back for a month or so, but he just now started going from his back to his stomach.  Ever since he learned how to do it, he's been rolling over every chance he gets!  He also has been laughing and smiling like crazy.