And then there were four*

Famous foursomes?
Paul, Ringo, John, and George
Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion
Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda
Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia
John, Kelly, Sloane, and Baby Poort

Okay, we aren't famous but we are soon to be a foursome. We are beyond thrilled that Sloane is going to become a big sister in May! John and I couldn't be more excited about this new addition to our family.

We're 16 weeks along and were too excited to wait for our official 20 week ultrasound to find out the sex.  Luckily we got to sneak into my dad's office tonight for a sneak peek.  It looks like we'll be adding another GIRL to our family!  We are so excited.

This 3d shot is a little freaky but so cool - it's our girl showing her muscles.

We are getting into project mode and looking forward to life with two kiddos. I love how fast pregnancy goes the second time around and am loving having all of the pains of the first trimester fade into the glory of the second. We are doing all we can to get Sloane used to the idea of a baby around. She, of course, has no idea what is happening though she's thrilled with her new baby dolls and treats them very sweetly. We talk about the baby that's in mama's belly and she immediately lifts up my shirt, gets her face within an inch of my stomach in an effort to see it, then starts poking in my belly button since she is sure it's there. Love that our love is going to be a big sister. The kiddos will be about 23 months apart.

We are pretty freakin' excited about this ride.

*Sorry, Coop, of course I meant five.

Buddies

The interaction between these two lately is priceless.  If only Sloane could pronounce "Cooper" instead of calling her "Pooper."  To add insult to injury I caught her using our poor pup as a step stool to get up on the couch yesterday.  Oh, Coop, you are a such a good girl and have so many pig ears coming your way.

One year later

I remember thinking how hard it was to get this photo last year.  I was worried about getting everyone to look at the camera.

Fast forward one year and the challenge is trying to get everyone (okay, one little person, in particular) to even want to be in the shot.  We probably shouldn't have waited until right before bedtime.  This is the best we could do.  It couldn't be a less flattering shot of any of us.

We let ms. crankypants flee and brought in some stand in children.

Maybe we'll try again later.  For now, Happy Holidays.

Escape artist

Sloane's newest "trick" is to grab a set of keys off of the front table and try to use them to unlock the front door. She's always very polite and returns them to the bowl after each unsuccessful attempt. I think we're pretty fun parents.  Not sure what she's trying to get away from.

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care

The holidays are my most favorite time of year but being able to watch Sloane experience them makes this year that much more special.  After our zoo tour on Friday the girl went down for a nap and we started decorating.  First house on our street with the lights up?  Check.  Nice job, Juan.  First with our tree up (as far as I can tell).  Heck yeah.  I was bound and determined to get everything done before Sloane woke up so she could see everything all put together. 

The look on her face as she came around the corner made all of the scratches on my arms from that damned fake tree totally worth it.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I decided to be optimistic and put ornaments on the bottom of the tree within Sloane's reach.  I feel like a broken record, "Sloane, no touch, please."  But we are on day 3 and haven't had a broken ornament yet.
 
Love catching her walk over to the tree now and then to stop and stare.

Oh how I love this girl

There is nothing more amazing than the sound of her laugh.

The zoo

We decided to walk off our Thanksgiving dinner(s) with a trip to the zoo on Friday.  It was freezing but gloriously uncrowded for a day that everyone had off.

While she spent a lot more time looking at the animals compared to previous zoo trips, the allure of the crackers in her snack trap was just too enthralling for most of the visit.

Luckily, we were able to convince her to drop the goldfish crackers just long enough for her first spin on the carousel.  It was a huge hit.

Gobble, gobble

We ate too much turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.  We had a laughter filled day with our favorite peeps.  We played trivia.  We, somehow, found room for dessert.  We chased after a crazy 17 month old who is constantly on the move.  We took no pictures.  We're hoping our family members will share theirs soon.

We are so very, very grateful.

Sassypants

I wanted a sassy little girl and it's pretty clear that I've got one.  We've been seeing entirely too many of these looks lately.

To be fair the poor bug is sick.  But that's too many nasty faces for such a cute little girl.

Nerd Alert

I love catching our girl curled up in random places reading.  So glad she is a bookworm like her mama.

Fall family photos

Thanks, Coffey, for all of the great shots!