Richardson Family

Our Big Girl

2010-03-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Aubrey is getting cuter by the day. Just wanted to share one of her adorable moments.

First Birthday and First Surgery

2010-02-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

Last week we celebrated Aubrey's first birthday! In some ways, I can't believe she is already a year old, but in other ways it seems much longer than a year since she has been with us. The year has been full of changes and challenges. All three of us have grown so much. I've tried to soak up each milestone and moment during this past year, and her birthday was no different. I really didn't know what you do at a first birthday party. It's not like the kids could play games or enjoy some sort of entertainment. So we just shared some snacks with friends, let the kids play, opened presents and ate some cupcakes. It was a lot of fun, and we were so happy to have so many of our family and friends share the special day with us. It was fun to watch all the kids (Aubrey, Will, Cooper, Miller, and Madeline) play. Little Asher and Chloe were too small to play but adorable to look at! Aubrey wasn't a big fan of her cake. She just smashed it up and wanted out of her highchair. She got some great presents: a homemade blanket from Aunt Suzi, a wagon which she LOVES, baby doll, cell phone, purse, books, puzzle, and several ADORABLE outfits. It will be a celebration we will never forget.

Cupcakes

12 months of photos

Andrew and Sarah with the snacks

Birthday Girl

Having some fun

Aubrey loves her Nina

Awww man it's not at iphone!

Aubrey and cousin Will

Not a fan of cake

OK now I'm just mad

Too much party

The Wednesday after her birthday, Aubrey had to get tubes put in her ears. She has been battling ear infections since October. She has been such a trooper through it all. She has continued to sleep well, eat well, and not run a fever. This winter has been awful! We've spent so much time at the doctor, on antibiotics, and getting shots. I was so against the tubes, and we did everything trying to prevent having to get them. Of corse, after the fifth ear infection we didn't have much choice. I have blamed myself thinking that she wouldn't be going through this if she weren't in daycare and I stayed home with her. I don't know if it would really make a difference. I know that kids who stay home have the same problems. Anyway, she did great. She couldn't eat after midnight, so I was really nervous about that, but she did fine, and had no trouble when the nurses took her away. The procedure was so fast! She had a fit coming out of anesthesia. She would not quit screaming until we left the hospital. After she ate at home and took a nap, she was fine. She has been happier and babbling more than ever now! I can tell such a difference in her. Poor thing had just gotten used to the pain and didn't realize how good she could feel! We are so happy we did it, and hope that it helps these infections. We'll do whatever it takes to make her feel good and happy.

Aubrey before surgery in her hospital gown

Presenting Asher Joseph Steele

2010-01-23T18:12:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday, my brother and his wife had their first child, Asher Joseph. We went to Louisville to meet the little guy today. He is a perfect, precious little baby. He's strong, healthy, and has a great disposition. Andrew and Sarah are doing a great job as first time parents. When seeing and holding him, it was hard for me to believe that Aubrey was that small. It's so crazy how soon we forget. Aubrey suddenly didn't seem like a baby anymore. I feel like I should still have a newborn-not a toddler! Aubrey always seems so tiny to me, but today she was huge! It was fun to see her so interested in Asher. She was dying to touch him, and she knew that he was something different.

Asher is beautiful, and I can't wait until the next time we get to see him.

I got a new camera for Christmas, and we had fun having a photo shoot with Asher. He was such a trooper! Here are some of the shots I took.

Angel Face

Daddy can't get enough

Mommy and Daddy's bling

Cuddly

So Alert and beautiful

So comfy

What we've been up to

2010-01-19T19:13:00.001-08:00

I've enjoyed this past month so much. With my two weeks off for Christmas break, and my snow days I've been off work for a whole month! Aubrey has hit a major milestone. She is walking! She started right after Christmas. She had been taking steps for about a month, but one day at my friend Jennifer's house, she took off. I guess she was following little Madeline's example! Anyway, we have had so much fun with it. She looks too tiny to be walking, and walking so well. She can stand up in the middle of the floor, change directions, and bend to pick things up. We are so proud of our little athlete. She is also into everything now, but it's fun chasing her around. The slideshow above is from me chasing her around one afternoon.

We've also had some SNOW! Not much, but it was enough that we were out of school for six days! I got a little cabin fever, and so did Aubrey. She does much better when she is out and about. We had to capture some pics of her first snow.

Love this pic!

After all the snow, and freezing weather, we were so happy to have a sunny, warm day. We got out and played with our camera yesterday and took some outdoor pics. Aubrey loved being outside and looking at the cows. We couldn't hardly keep her from climbing the fence.

I want the cows!

Look at the camera!

Aubrey and her sweet daddy

Christmas Blessings

2009-12-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

I wish that I could feel the Christmas spirit all year. I don't know what it is about Christmastime that makes you feel so blessed. We had a wonderful first Christmas with Aubrey. We had our Richardson family Christmas on Sunday the 20th with Adam's dad's family, and had a great day of food and fun. It will be so fun to see the babies grow up together!

Big Changes since last Christmas!

Adam, Aubrey and I had our Christmas Wednesday morning here at our house. Aubrey got a busy zoo, cabbage patch, books, and some clothes. I was thrilled with my new camera!

Aubrey's first stocking

Aubrey's first baby

Then, it was off to Nina and Poppy's. It was so nice to have everyone at Mom and Dad's. We didn't do much, just spent time together making cookies, playing games, and eating and talking. We did our traditional Christmas Eve at Granny's, Christmas morning at home, Christmas dinner at Grandmommy's, and Christmas night at Granny's. It is a whirlwind day, but I wouldn't want it any other way. I know that these traditions are probably going to begin diminishing as we all have our own families and traditions. While I know that's how it should be, it still is a little sad that things have to change. It makes me want to establish those same traditions with our family so Aubrey can have the same excitement and happiness that I've been so fortunate to experience every Christmas.

The whole fam

Our traditional Christmas cookies

Four Generations!

Sweet moment from Christmas morning

I am truly blessed. I have such a wonderful, loving family who I love spending time with. I have a wonderful husband and a happy marriage, and a beautiful baby girl. I'm also thankful for our home, and our jobs, and being fortunate enough to have all our needs met. I can't wait to see what's next.

Turkey Day

2009-12-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

We had a very busy and fun-filled Thanksgiving Break. On Thursday we went to Muhlenberg County to have Thanksgiving dinner with Dad's side of the family. I love it the fact that I've been able to be with my extended family for every Thanksgiving of my life. Our family has grown so much that we had to rent a place to have dinner! I feel so fortunate that I was able to grow up around all of my cousins. We were such great playmates and friends, and although we aren't as close as we once were the memories we've shared will always stay with us. It saddens me to think that my kids won't share those same experiences. Memories with my cousins are some of the fondest memories of my childhood. It makes me so happy to see them have beautiful families of their own.
Aubrey had her first tastes of turkey, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, and pumpkin pie! She also enjoyed playing with her second cousins. She did not, however, enjoy her first Santa experience. Aubrey can be very shy, and Santa scared her a bit. After dinner we went and had a light meal at my Mom's side of the family. We had good food and played our traditional game. This year is was "The game of things" and we had a blast.
Friday isn't a traditional shopping day for us, but we did venture to Nashville to see the lights at Opry Mills. They had a light and water show and Aubrey was mesmerized. She loved looking at the lights and watching all the people. We are continually amazed at what a great baby she is! She is just so sweet, content, and fun! We did some shopping on Saturday then it was back home for Thanksgiving Sunday with Grandpa Gene and Mia. What a different Thanksgiving we had there this year! We went from no babies to three! It was so much fun watching Will, Blaine, and Aubrey play. It's so funny how our priorities have changed so drastically in a year. Life will certainly never be the same. The holidays are going to be so fun this year!

Beautiful Angel

2009-11-04T17:16:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share some of the professional pictures that we recently had taken of Aubrey. It was the first we have done since she was a newborn. We had the photographer come to our home , and I think she did a fantastic job capturing her sweet face and personality. These are just a few of the many beautiful pics.

Fall and Family

2009-10-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun on Aubrey's first Halloween! Adam and I are reminded every day of all the things that will be new and different for us from here on out. We had fun dressing her up and taking pics (which is about all we can do at this age). We went and visited cousin Will and we all went to the block party in downtown Somerset. Aubrey is so lucky to already have several cousins her age. Will (Adam's step-sister's son) is just two weeks younger than her and Blaine (Adam's sister's daughter) is four months younger. My brother Andrew and his wife are expecting in January. I'm so excited for her to make life long friends and memories with her cousins like I did. Aubrey is getting such a personality these days. She laughs all the time and is crawling and pulling up on everything. She is so inquisitive and just seems to love life. She has become quite attached to mommy and daddy and she knows now the difference between strangers and family. She's such a fun, happy baby and we love her so much.

Fall is Here

2009-10-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

I love the changing of seasons, and sharing it with Aubrey makes it even more special this year-the pumpkins, apple pies, mums, fall colors, cider, crisp air, and it's not fall until we make a trip to Haney's of course. What I'm looking forward to most is spending the with Aubrey at home this week (Fall Break!!) It's the little things that I miss-spending time in bed in the mornings, getting her up from her nap with her sleepy eyes and big smile, and just playing in the floor for hours. These are all things I don't get to experience everyday because I have to work. Although I miss her terribly, I think that it makes me cherish those moments even more when I do get to spend time with her. I hope we can live up every moment this week.

New Milestones

2009-09-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

Aubrey is growing right before our eyes. It seems like she does something new everyday. Right now, she is enjoying what we call "army crawling" all over the place. She is pretty fast, but does get frustrated after a while when her little legs start hurting. We try to model for her how to get on her hands and knees but she just won't listen. She has also started pulling up some and stands really well. It's like she just can't wait to get out of her little baby body and move. She's babbling now, da da being her favorite. She'll give us an occasional ba ba and ma ma. She sits up great and plays well by herself, always exploring and studying everything so intently. We can't wait to see what's next.

Our sweet baby girl

2009-09-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

I couldn't think of a better time to start a family blog. Our baby girl is now six-no SEVEN months old! She has changed our life completely as we were told, but we never imaged we could be so blessed with such a sweet, happy, good child who we are completely in love with. We think every single move she makes is the most precious thing we have ever seen and that she must be a baby genius. Each day is so exciting, and we love seeing how she reacts to new things. She makes it easy to get up in the mornings. Aubrey is good natured, content, always smiles, and loves to study. She has always been a petite thing, and a great sleeper. I think she prefers her sleep over eating! I have been back at work now for a month and Aubrey has been going to a great daycare (The Learning Tree) here in Somerset. They love her there, and she seems very happy. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to take her to such a great place where I don't worry about her. They spoil her there and she gets lots of attention. Aubrey is sitting up great now, and I think close to crawling! She loves playing on her tummy and being mobile. She loves her baby food, and her favorites are bananas and sweet potatoes. She babbles now and goes into da da fits all the time. Adam and I are smitten with her and can't wait for each new stage. I hope I can be good about keeping up with this blog to update our family and friends about her progress and new adventures.