6 months

15 lbs 10 oz 29 in long 

Getting big!

5 months

4 months

13 lbs 14 oz

25 in

3 Months

Birth Announcement

2 Months

2 months old already!

Rory is 12 lbs 2 oz and 23 in

1 Month

What a little cutie! 

Rory is 7 lbs 12 oz and 20 in

Welcome

Rory Annis born Thursday, September 12 at 2:27 am 6 lbs 5 oz 19 inches long, brown hair and blue eyes.

Baby names

There are a lot of baby names to choose from; whether a family name or not, there are so many names. Eli and I have been thinking about baby names for years and we picked out names that we both liked. With our first baby on the way we wanted to narrow in on a name from the many we both like. And, then there's the last name problem...you may know that I did not take Eli's last name, so there's been a lot of talk about hyphenating both our last names. However, we ended up choosing the last name that sounded best with the first name. Whether or not, we are going to keep with that choice is up for debate, but we will not know until our next baby!

So, to the names. We are drawn to girl names over boy names, and I'm a fan of unisex names, though we haven't agreed on any as of yet. 

Names we like:

Girl

Gwenyth

Yuki

Isabel

Evelyn

Boy

Rory

Dorian (maybe)

For our first baby we've picked Gwenyth or Yuki if we have a girl, and Rory if we have a boy. Since we don't know the sex of our baby, I'm leaving it up to Eli to know the baby's name if we have a girl.

Then there's the middle name thing, and we are at a loss there. I don't have a middle name and Eli's middle name is Justice, so we are not really drawn to pick middle names.

Baby

That's right; we're having a baby! I know that I haven't been updating this blog at all; however, as the day nears when we welcome our little one into the world, I wanted to share this news. We've now entered the 'Danger Zone' and our baby could be here any day or week now. Our due date is September 5 (a day from our anniversary September 6). In June, we had a baby shower and out of curiousity I had family guess when the baby would arrive as well as if we will have a boy or girl. I want to invite anyone to guess too. We have yet to decide what the 'prize' will be, but maybe you'll get a fruit basket.

So here's the deal; guess the gender, due date, weight, time of delivery, and hair & eye color.

If you want to keep up to date with our little one, we have a baby website and we will be updating here too (hopefully). 

Valentines Day

Normally we do not celebrate Valentines Day, but we have in the past and this year we did a little something. Our very first Valentines Day I was surprised with a dozen red roses, chocolates, a necklace, and a candlelit poetry reading. Eli wrote me a beautiful poem and read it aloud.

It is an amazing thing to love someone so much.
Looking into your eyes I forget all fear.
No sacrifice is too great,
For my love goes beyond death.
And I will love you,
Forever with all my heart.

Now that is hard to beat, but I think that Eli has out done himself this year. For Christmas we were separated geographically. Eli was in Osceola, WI, with his family and I was working here in Milwaukee, WI. I started buying up all the presents I could for Eli, but Eli just couldn't find the perfect gift for me. Well, he splurged for Valentines Day and got me the very best gift.

Clive Coffee; Drip Coffee Stand, Handmade with Oregon Walnut, by Delany Kelly
http://www.clivecoffee.com/category/clive_stand.html
As you may know, I am really into coffee. It is a lovely addiction.

Wedding Photography at Last!

This is the moment you have all been waiting for. The wedding photographs, all 1,003 of theme, were carefully sifted through and looked at over and over. Now, here we are and the wedding photos are ready. Although some of you may think, "I've seen all the wedding photos," well, you are mistaken. Follow the link below to see the photos you have and have not seen. Please download the form below and pick the photographs you would like to order. Eli and I will take all the orders to be printed, thus saving everyone loads of money, and then we will mail each set of photos to you with a personalized thank you. Some of you may know that we had two photographers, but many of you took such wonderful photographs I included all I received. If you have more photographs please send them our way. Thank you so much for being a part of our big day, both in person and thought.

Wedding Album

As a disclaimer, prices may vary and postage is included in the final price.

Order Now!
[press the print button. contact us if you have any questions]

Christmas Day

Well, it was our very first Christmas as a married couple. Although, we were apart, Eli at home with his family and my mother visiting me, I managed to come up with a better way to stay in touch. Now, bringing you video blogging! Let us know what you would like to hear about and we will make a video. I hope you enjoy.

[The video above is my, Nell Rae's, attempt at video blogging. I'm new, but I think it is not half bad.]
http://www.youtube.com/user/NerfBertrand

Our 'First' [married] Thanksgiving!

This year we went all out!

Good looking bird.

The centerpiece.

Eli eating the appetizers.

The appetizer table.

The bird is complete.

(There will be more pictures in addition to a great story written by Eli about Thanksgiving traditions!)

The waiting game...

Thanks for you patience while we work to finish up collecting all the beautiful photographs from the wedding. We're both working on organizing our photos, apartment, and lives! Here are just a few to tide you over.

The Same Name Game

This is Nell Rae. I bet you're all wondering, or have been wondering, or didn't even give it a thought, but now you're reading this and you're wondering what I am talking about. Well...I am talking about my name. Some people, I think, assumed that I changed my name. In fact, I have not changed my name. Now you might be wondering why. My name Nell Rae Forrest. Quite a pretty name. I think that being Nell Rae Annis would be beautiful. I did think about changing my name, but from a very young age I knew I would keep my name. One reason for this non-change is that my name has always been important to me. It represents me. I have always been proud of my name. I think that had to do with my parents always having to correct people about how to spell their names; Catherine and Bryon. The second reason may be obvious and a simple choice, but my last name is my father's name. I know very little of the Forrest name, but what I do know, I love and cherish. I might be a little too proud of my name. Now, what does Eli think of this non-change. Eli knows my pride for my name Nell Rae Forrest and the love of my father Bryon Neal Forrest. I am truly lucky to have a husband that understand me. And I think that we both agree that it would be silly to be the NRA.

Wedding Program

Eli Justice Annis

&

Nell Rae Forrest

September 6 2010

=========================

1720 E Newton Ave Apt. 2 Shorewood, WI 53211

wearewedded.blogspot.com

=========================

Thank you for joining us in our celebration. We were over joyed to have your company on our wedding day. September 6, 2010 and Labor Day are days that hold significance in both our lives. We choose to bring our families together to celebrate this day & to create new memories. As we enter married life together we thank you for your support.

From best friends on the school bus, to high school sweet hearts, and college graduates;

our life promises to be happy ever after.

=========================

Mother of the Bride

Catherine Forrest

Mother of the Groom

Sally Steffen

Father of the Groom

William Annis

Bridesmaids

Brittany Wester

Ellen Dunphy

Caroline Stephens

Hannah Spry

Danielle Reimer

Groomsmen

Alex Steffen

Bruce Stephenson

AJ Stephens

Perfecto Diaz

Dylan Annis

Flower Girl

Lily Desino

Ring Bearer

Riley Annis

Usherettes

Megan Annis

Sadie Annis

Officiating Minister

Jim Walker

Bride's God Parents

Tony Desino

Stephanie Desino

Groom's God Parents

Mike Spry

Susan Bond

The way we remember it...

Our love story is, like many, cliche, overly romantic, and with out a doubt sappy to the n^ degree.

Nell Rae's side of the story:
As I remember I was wearing my uncle's hand-me-down army cargo pants, a white tank top, and my hair was cut super short; two inches at most. I got on the bus that morning dreading the site of all those stupid little kids that beller at you from the front of the bus and push themselves towards the aisle so, you have to sit with that stinky kid or by your self, alone. I preferred the alone part of it, at that time, and found a seat with a couple of guys that looked as though they were not thinking of anything; or paying attention to me. I sat down and the next thing I know there is a tap on my shoulder. "Hey...hay! You want to touch my butt?" This was this kid's first and last chance to impress me. If only he knew what he was getting himself into. I'm sure that he thought he was being smart. I, in my witty and blunt charm, retaliated with an all to famous line. "Bend over." Very directly I established a friendship that, to this day, is one of my favorite friendships.
Okay now, to Eli. He was this smart kid's friend. Although, at that point I'm not sure Eli wanted to be involved in a fist-to-cuff. From that day forward Eli and I spent a lot of time together. Best friends. We continued like this for two whole years until I got the hint. He liked me! Looking back on it he knew what he wanted right away, I knew what I was getting myself into, and we were in love.

Eli's side of the story:
The first time I saw Nell Rae was actually at a school Christmas concert in third grade. She was on the back row in the risers and I happened to notice her singing. At the time it was not a terribly significant event. I wondered what kind of person she might be, but other than that she was just another face in the crowd. I did not see Nell Rae again until middle school. One morning she got on the school bus that I rode with my friend Ryan. It was fairly crowded on the bus so she had to sit in the same seat as us. Apparently Ryan decided this was an unacceptable situation and decided to try and scare her away. His plan ended up backfiring in an extremely hilarious way and from that day on the three of us were friends. I quickly became enamored with Nell Rae and I decided to ask her out. Sadly, I did not get the chance until two years later when we were in high school. After a few rough patches, here we are today, engaged.

We're making it official!

Please celebrate with us on
September Sixth Two-Thousand & Ten
at the Villa.
1134 20th Avenue, Deer Park, WI
Service starts at 2:00pm
Reception to follow.

We will be having an informal, outdoor gathering. Please help us celebrate by bringing your own seating & dressing appropriately for weather.

Embracing family tradition we're having a pot luck!
We invite you to bring a dish to pass.

R.S.V.P.
Please respond by August 16th. Thank you.