Happy 1st Birthday Serene

Today marks one year since Serene was first in our arms! She has been such a blessing to our family. Her sweet spirit and kind nature make every day better for all of us. She is so friendly and has a smile for everyone she meets. It has been a challenge over the last year to realize that everything I thought I knew about raising a child to this point has been totally different considering her personality is 100% opposite from Anna and each and every situation has to be handled in some other creative way..... BUT, with that challenge I have realized how unique and special both of these little girls really are. It is what makes them sooo different that makes them who they are!

Jimmy and I are so grateful for Serene and her role in this family God has blessed us with. We are anxious to see how her personality unfolds over the next year and to watch her welcome her little brother and become a big sister just like Anna.

We love you Serene! Happy Birthday!

Benjamin James Zimmerman

There is finally going to be some blue at our house! We are thrilled and can't wait to meet our little guy in June!

PS, HELP... what do I do with a boy???

Baby #3 is a....

Well we don't quite know yet BUT the news is sitting in an envelope on the island in the kitchen. I had an early ultrasound today to check for due date accuracy and when they started checking they said it was really obvious. WOW, this is REALLY early. I am 13 weeks and 5 days (according to the ultrasound). Jimmy and I have been debating about finding out the sex but knowing that we are this close... well there is just no way I am not going to let Jimmy open that envelope tonight! =) Now that I have given in to finding out I am super excited. Tonight we had planned a special evening of shopping at Northpark and having dinner at Maggianos so I guess this night will be more special than we originally thought!!

To be continued....

Downtown Grapevine Friday night

This past Friday night we went to downtown Grapevine and walked up and down Main St. enjoying the lights and little Christmas displays. Jimmy and I noticed that Anna seems to enjoy this kind of thing quite a bit more than she did last year. It was really fun to watch her excitement! We ended the night at a little ice cream and cookie shop and although the weather was pretty cold we all chose ice cream for some strange reason. It was really a perfect Christmas evening!

First musical

Waiting in the lobby before the show

With her friend Elise, waiting for the show

Our homeschool group went to Casa Manana to see Rudolph this past Friday so Anna got to have her first theatre experience. She loved it and is ready to go back. Even Serene did well as she slept through most of it (YAY!!)!

This never gets old

Today we got to hear the tiny little heartbeat of our new baby and that first time just never gets old. I am already so excited to meet this little one in June! We are still debating as to whether or not to find out the sex. I do not want to at all but Jimmy REALLY wants to... we shall see.

Happy 4th Birthday Anna

Happy birthday to my precious little girl! You are such a blessing to mommy and daddy. You changed our life in a way we never knew possible. Our lives will always be so much better because you arrived. You gave me motherhood and the amazing joy it brings. All of my children are so special but you will always hold a very special place in my heart because you made me a mommy and brought me the gift of you and your amazing daddy!

I have loved watching you grow and mature and become an amazing big sister. You are so beautiful inside and out and your joy and excitement for life give me strength each day. Nothing brightens my day more than seeing your face in the morning and hearing the plan you have for the day (and you always have one). I love watching you play with your sister and watching you always put her needs first. You are always looking after her making sure she is safe and taken care of. I love watching you help around the house and see how much you love helping your family and being my big helper girl! You are a joy and I am so grateful I get to have you for my little girl! I love you goose!

BTW, how in the world do four years go by this fast?

Anna coloring and being super sweet and quiet...
Serene playing at the entertainment center... again!

A blog about my birthday

My birthday was Tuesday and despite horrific morning sickness all day I really had a quite enjoyable day. The girls and I spent the day here at home just relaxing and playing. We colored and did crafts (our usual daily activities) and we had a little picnic on the tile floor for lunch. In the evening the girls went to play at Pop and Nana's house and mommy and daddy had a date!

Jimmy gets lots of fabulous tickets with his job and he happened to have a set of Mavs tickets for my birthday! We ate in Victory Park with some friends and then attended what turned out to be a very exciting game. It was slow at first but the Mavs made a comeback at the end that had the crowd on it's feet for the last 10 straight minutes of the game! I love games like that and it was so kind of them to produce such a game just for my special day!

All in all my day was wonderful... the morning with my girls, the evening with my man! Thanks for the special day Anna, Serene and especially Jimmy! You make 32 feel like about 22! I love you all!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife !

Hi All,

I just want to say to all who read this blog that I have the most amazing wife on the planet! Happy Birthday to Tarrah, you are the most amazing person I have ever known. The girls and I love you more than you could ever know! You are the best wife and mommy any family could possibly ask for! I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow and I can't wait to take you to the Mavs game! Love Jimmy

Turkey bowling...

Last week after getting home from purchasing our Thanksgiving turkey I found my husband teaching our 3 year old how to "bowl" the turkey down our long tile hallway. While I do not condone playing with your food, I even "bowled" a few times myself!!

(PS, this is one of the things I love the most about my husband is how incredibly "boyish" he is)

This is the outfit Anna chose to wear to run errands last week. Princess dress and boots!! =)

Also, this is Serene's favorite new activity... digging in the entertainment center.

Mini-mommy

Doll haircut

For fun, I let Anna cut the hair on one of her dolls the other day. I told her the night before that she could do it the next day and so first thing the next morning she came stumbling, eyes barely opening carrying her doll saying "I'm ready for the hair cut mamma, where are your mommy scissors." (She also got to use my "mommy" scissors, which she thought was a really big deal!)

Family pictures

Disney World 2008

We just got back last night from visiting my brother in Orlando and getting to meet his awesome girlfriend Jennifer!! Of course while in Orlando we went to Disney again. We did Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. This year mom and dad also came which made it even more fun! It was a great family vacation!