Portland Trip

I got a great deal on a flight to Portland, so Amora and I were able to visit my family and her cousins. We went to a children's museum, played with a lot of fun toys, and played with cousins. It sure is nice living so close to family.

Amora loved swinging with Mommy.

She got to play with her cousin, Billy. This did not fare well for Amora (Billy quickly showed his disapproval).

They made up and played on the slide together.

She finds every opportunity to check herself out.

We got to play with Papa.

And watch the Puppy Bowl with Grammy.

Looking for trouble with Billy.

A day with the girl cousins, Ella and Avery.

Cooking a delicious meal with the play-kitchen utensils.

We always have such a fun time. Hope to come back for a visit again soon!

Christmas

We had such a busy Christmas season I'm just now getting around to posting about it.

Amora met Santa this year and was not impressed. Adam would have found this encounter to be torture, but he wasn't there. At least I got a photo.

Amora thought her stocking toys were the best things ever. She also loved her new table and chair set from her grandparents. She's still learning to not climb on the table. Hey, no one's perfect.

Amora loved getting even more toys. Birthday and Christmas around the same time may lead to a toy overload, but she's enjoyed most of them by now.

We went to Oregon to see the family and the cousins. She's still not into those cousin pictures. I think this photo is so funny partially because her cousin Cody has no pants on and no one seems to care.

We had such a fun and busy Christmas that I am just now getting around to posting about it.

And my sisters and I took our annual photo with Santa and matching shirts.

It was a great Christmas. We were glad to be able to spend so much time with family. We love you all!

Happy Birthday Amora Joy!

Over a month ago, we celebrated our little Amora's first birthday. I still can't believe she's already one. She is such a treat. Here are a few things our little girl is doing these days.

• She's sassy and loves to talk (although no one else knows what her words mean).
  
• She loves to clap for herself, point to whatever she wants, and wave when someone is leaving a room.
  
• She's learning how to fold her arms to pray and shake and nod her head to communicate.
  
• Her favorite activities include climbing and terrorizing the dog.
  
• She is incredibly stubborn. She would rather go thirsty than drink the vile substance we call milk.
  
• She understands the meaning of no and will make the saddest face and cry when we tell her not to do something.
• Some days she loves to give kisses and will lean her whole body and come at you with an open mouth.
• She's a really picky eater but will eat almost anything big people are eating.
  
• She would rather eat crayons than mandarin oranges (we discovered that recently at our last family meal out).

Being a parent is filled with so many fun things. This little girl gets more enjoyable and more fun by the day. We are so blessed that she's in our family.

Amora was very intrigued by her birthday cake. I made pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, and this is my attempt at creativity. She thought it was tasty. She did a good job opening her presents and loved having new toys. All in all, I think her birthday was a success.

Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been quite the year for our little family. We began our 2009 journey in Alabama with Adam working on a Master’s degree at Auburn and me on maternity leave. Then, Adam decided to make a change in his career goals. While he was in-between his career switch, he was a stay at home dad when I went back to work. As with many of you, the economy hit us. I found out in May that my teaching contract would not be renewed. We took this as an opportunity to move closer to family. After two years on the other side of the country, our presence (or maybe just Amora’s) was missed.

So we packed our bags and made the move back to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho where my gracious in-laws took us in (once again, I think Amora may have been the deciding factor). And this is where we are now. Adam is working at a US Bank call center for the year where he has been one of the top employees since he started in August. He has been accepted to Boise State University where he will begin a program in Electrical Engineering next fall.

I have been fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom for the past few months. Although it’s the best job I’ve ever had, it’s also the most tiring. My little ball of energy keeps me busy all day every day. I’m hoping to get a teaching job in the Boise area next year and plan to retire from that when Adam graduates.

Our little Amora Joy has been growing and developing at a rapid pace. I can hardly believe that it’s already been a year since she joined our family. It seems like she is learning something new every day. She loves to climb, be chased around by her daddy, and cuddle with stuffed animals. She’s a picky eater but normally loves homemade macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, and Grandma’s hummus. She throws tantrums when she doesn’t get her way and gives kisses when she does. We couldn’t have asked for a better daughter.

Through all our ups and downs this year, we feel like God has blessed us in more ways than we deserve. We pray that all of you are able to make it through these hard times and see the good in life. Merry Christmas!

Love,

Adam, Wendy, and Amora Joy Loumeau

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. Because we are living with the in-laws, for once we didn't have to travel. It was so nice to have all the family together, and my mother-in-law did a great job with the meal.


Amora enjoyed trying new flavors. I think the pumpkin pie was her favorite. :)


I got to spend a little extra time with my husband. He's the best!


Adam and his siblings squeezed a few family games into the week.


And the day after Thanksgiving, we all bundled up to see the Christmas parade and the lights. Amora didn't love the cold, but she loved snuggling with her Aunt Hannah.


Can't wait for Christmas!

My Little Climber

November's theme for Amora was climbing. She loves to climb everything possible. It's pretty cute but also a little frightening. Here she is on top of a little cooler.



This picture is pretty funny. Notice anything unusual? She realized that it wasn't put on completely, so she pushed the baby gate forward and climbed over it to get on the stairs.


This was quite a brilliant move, if I do say so myself. She climbed first on her car seat then on the box to get to the goodies on the desk.


She can climb up her grandpa's mountain of a chair. It took her a while to figure out, but now she's a pro.



And the reward: playing with the remote. Life is good when you're a baby.

Here she after she opened the cooler. Then she decided, why not climb in? Great idea, Amora.


And last, the refrigerator can always bring great fun. Be careful when you open it, never know who will slide in before it's closed! Love love love that little girl!

My Little Ladybug

Amora was a ladybug for Halloween. We went to a trunk-or-treat at the church which she didn't really care for. Then she trick-or-treated at the neighbor's house. She looked super cute in her costume and loved playing with the candy wrappers (I ate them, she got the wrappers). Here are a few pictures from her little photo shoot.


SUPER excited to play with the pumpkin!




And this is definitely my little rascal. She's the best treat we had for Halloween!