L&M

We don't have a lot of pictures of the 2 kiddos because they are mostly uncooperative. So this series has some of the better ones...

Belated Christmas Greetings

M ade his appearance on 9/21 at 7:54 AM, 8 lbs. 4 oz. and 21” long

I s growing fast- already 3 months, 25” and almost 12 lbs

C harms others with his blue eyes and toothless smile

A lso likes to stand with help

H as to take medicine for acid reflux, but seems to be doing better

L oves her new role as big sister; often “Micah” is her first word in the morning

Y earns to do everything by “self”

D esires all things Elmo and everything the color “OWANGE!”

I s an avid reader (reciter?) of books and loves to sing “Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Star”

A lso likes to practice her ABCs and count to “THIRTEEN!”

R oberts Wesleyan is still where she works, though she was not there much in the fall

A ctually taught Bio 101 this summer- lecture and lab both

C elebrated her birthday in Pittsburgh w/Doug as her parents kept Lydia for the night

H ad a great time on our trip to NC in May- visiting the beach & Doug's sister's family

E njoyed a weekend with Houghton friends in July as well as other visits

L iked being a zoo member this year as we went many times with friends and family!

D ropped from 50 to 40 hours a week in surgery at Unity Hospital- every Friday off!

O utperformed himself in church softball – batting 1.000 up until the last at bat

U nderstands how much busier life can get with two kids, but enjoys walks, the zoo, bathtime & bedtime routines, and playing with the kids as they grow and learn

G athered with all three sisters at Delta Lake and with the Lee family in July

We also celebrated our 10^th anniversary on December 29th- time flies when you are having fun! We are thankful for the time we have been able to spend with family and friends this year and for the help we received as we transitioned to a family of four. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas season and that the joy of a Savior who is God With Us lasts all through your 2012!

With love, Doug, Rachel, Lydia and Micah Graham

Photo Card

Classy Collage Blue Baby Announcements

Graduation invitations and announcements by Shutterfly.

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First apple

Lydia concentrated very hard to be able to eat her first apple. Then she spit out most of the skin so I am not sure how much apple she actually ate!

Catching up

Lydia tries to keep up with all the latest news.

Busy, busy, busy

Lydia has discovered Rush Hour Safari and she likes playing with the animals when she is not busy with Elmo or her "babies" which need a lot of moving around from stroller to cradle to swing to cradle to swing to stroller to cradle to the kitchen to the car to have their teeth brushed etc. She has a particular attachment to my sister's Cabbage Patch Kid doll. As soon as she saw the Cabbage Patch Kids she said "Baby? Please?" and she has been dragging them everywhere since.

Bucket List

In July, my parents came to visit and we crossed an item off my bucket list which was to visit the Jello Gallery in LeRoy, NY. I love how Lydia looks awkward in this picture.

Cousins

Caitlyn and Lydia got to hang out for 2 weekends in July when Dawn and Nate came to visit. It was fun to see them interact more now that they are older.

Where have we been?

We spent 3 weekends this July at Delta- here Daru and Lydia sleep on the trip to Delta for the 4th of July weekend.

New hairdo

Amanda got Lydia to cooperate enough to put up her hair in a rubberband. She likes it!

Rainy day

It was so warm when it rained last week, we went out to play in the rain.

14 months

We have almost hit the 15 month mark but here is a picture from Lydia's 14 month birthday. We've stopped the weekly Elmo picture and are hoping to remember monthly ones. I think she looks so old here- and like she needs a haircut!

We are doing what?!?

We are going to put this in the water?!?

Bicycling

After some initial hesitation with wearing a helmet (including real tears), Lydia decided that riding a bike was not as bad as she had thought.

Happy Father's Day- belated!

Lydia thinks her daddy is #1. (Or she might see an airplane, but she does like him)

With the gators

We let Lydia hang out with some alligators in NC. One of the days we were there we went to the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island since we got in free because of our zoo membership. She liked the fish and turtles, but we aren't sure if she could pick out any of the live alligators.

Out of order

I never posted any Easter pictures, but here is one of my favorite pictures of Lydia on her second Easter.

Lydia hits the beach

We went to NC for Doug's week off and headed first to the Outer Banks for a few days. Lydia loved the beach even though the water was too cold to swim in. She had a great time playing in the sand, chasing birds, walking and getting her feet wet.

Lydia, until a few weeks ago, would eat anything and in large quantities. She has started to get a little more picky and will shake her head "no!" if you try to give her something she doesn't want. Her main favorites of the last 2 weeks are bananas and hard boiled egg. No more cottage cheese loving!

The Real Birthday

For Lydia's actual birthday, we took her to Moe's since kids eat free on Mondays. I know this is a little hypocrtical since I wouldn't give her real cake, but I gave her fast food. She wolfed down an entire kid-sized quesadilla and loved the helium balloon. Then we came home and she ate another entire "cupcake" and some ice cream!