his life in pictures

i made these collages on walgreens.com this week, and had them printed out in time for his birthday. i know i take way too many photos of malcolm, but look at all of the great shots i have to remember him in each stage of his life and growth. it's crazy how fast he has grown in just two years. and how much he has learned. it amazes me every. single. day.

wow, this is how i looked only a couple of years ago. i think i've changed a lot too... well at least my hair and hips have, haha. this was taken 2 months before malcolm was born.

and this was taken only a few hours before he was born. danny didn't think i was really in labor, because i still had two weeks til my due date. but i definitely was. and malcolm came early. i sure do miss that pregnant belly :)

snow day!

yesterday the local news was predicting 5-10 inches, and they said that all flights for rdu were cancelled. at about 7:30 last night we went out to run a few errands, and there were snow flurries in the air. by the time we got back home, it was snowing and there was snow on the ground. malcolm and lucky dog were super excited!

this is what malcolm looked like when he came in from the cold, haha

it snowed more overnight, and we woke up to a nice yard blanketed with snow. i think we only got about 2-3 inches, but it was enough for the kids to play in. here is alanna's "not-stoked-to-have-her-photo-taken" face, haha

he wasn't sure what to think?!

my car misses driving in the snow (p.s. that is my old utah plate, i have a new nc one on the back)

alanna made a 2 in the snow for malcolm, in honor of his birthday

lucky likes to trot through the snow

here's what malcolm looked like after he came in today, haha. it was cooold out there!

then he stuffed his face with one of mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies, becuase after all, it is his birthday.

happy birthday

today is malcolm's second birthday! hard to believe it has already been 2 years, and it's impossible to imagine life without him. he is such a joy to have around, and makes our days so much brighter. happy birthday lil' man!

he must have been dreaming of a white christmas birthday, because last night it snowed! we very rarely get snow in raleigh, and this is only the second time i've seen this much since we moved here in 2005. pretty awesome birthday present from mother nature, don't you think!?

i think i'd like to live in the mountains

my mother sent out a box for malcolm this week, full of gifts, and a few things for us as well. she included some homemade apple butter, yum! and a disk with copies of my uncle arlund's photos from the trip we all took out to the nc mountains this september. looking at all these great photos made me remember how much fun we had (minus all the rain!), and how much i love that part of this state. i really do think it would be so great to live near asheville. it is beautiful out there.

i know these photos are like 4 months old, but i still wanted to post them here. and i also added a few photos that my mom had taken too.

malcolm's hungry caterpillar quilt - also handmade by my mom!

heading up to chimney rock

mom, me, alanna (the side of dad's head) and aunt earlene. in the tunnel to the elevator that takes you up to the top of the rock.

malcolm and grandma in the gift shop

uncle arlund, aunt earlene, mom, and dad, on the top of chimney rock. the view up there is amazing (even on a rainy/foggy day).

alanna on the hike down from the top

alanna with her grandparents

my lil' monkey (on a leash) haha

the biltmore house

alanna and i were looking at the other camera, but malcolm looks cute!

i love this photo! a couple of old duffers on an old wagon, haha :)

the view along the blue ridge parkway

swimming at the resort clubhouse, since it was so wet and rainy outside

and this was taken right before we left to head back home

these photos were taken after the kids and i left. they stayed a couple more days, the rain finally stopped, and they got to enjoy beautiful blue skies.

a waterfall you can drive your car behind?!

and oh man, am i sad that i missed this giant pumpkin! how awesome is this!?

asheville, i hope we get to visit you again soon...