Nana is sad.

She says she misses her "sweet South Carolina baby".

So we took a few pictures this morning to brighten her day!  It is hard to get Olivia to look at the camera these days and smile, so I am continually disappointed in the pictures I am able to take.

I told her to say "cheese" this morning and she got up and ran to the refrigerator.  Our photo session was then replaced by a snack (of cheese, or course) with mommy on the kitchen floor.  sigh.

So, Nana, I give you the best of what I could get!  Mostly action shots, but pictures of your sweet grandbaby none-the-less. 

And, just because I think you'll like these too, here are some from our MOPS play date this morning.  Olivia LOVES babies and was so excited when Ms. Kelly let her hold baby Molly!  (And you can go ahead and tell Papa to keeps his thoughts to himself!)

birthday wrap-up and a tree in the house.

I figured since Andy's birthday month is over (and we have now moved onto mine! wahoo!), I should conclude the details of his 30th birthday celebration.  You all remember that Baby Girl made his cake, right? If not, you can see the proof here.  After a bath, a nap, and a change of clothes it was time to decorate the cake she had worked so hard on baking!

the theme was sprinkles, lots and lots of sprinkles!

making a wish....hopefully it wasn't for a store
bought cake next year!

After cake and presents, Baby Girl was shipped over to the neighbors so Andy and I could enjoy a dinner out to ourselves.  Or so he thought......because a few friends just happened to meet us there!  Hmmmm, what a crazy coincidence!

Happy birthday, Andy!  I look forward to celebrating many more!

Now that we have the birthday details all taken care of, I can move on to another exciting event!  We got our Christmas tree on Sunday.  This is the earliest (by weeks) that I have ever had a Christmas tree!  As a child, it was always a big deal if we had our tree before my birthday, which is two weeks prior to Christmas.  That has influenced me, I suppose, because as an adult I never get into too much of a hurry when it comes to decorating.  I like to savor each holiday and I feel that Thanksgiving gets cheated if we are too focused on Christmas.  However, this year we had some extra time the weekend after Thanksgiving since we didn't travel, so I got the decorating bug! 

Baby Girl was snotty-nosed, coughing, cranky, and not really in the holiday mood, but we persevered. 

...and searched.

We searched....



then we found the perfect one!

high five for Daddy! 
Now lets get this thing in the house!

Thanksgiving in pictures.

Baby Girl tries some fried turkey (or maybe we gave her the smoked;)



A busy kitchen!



some serious eating happening at the kid's table!



Andy and Tracy enjoy the new outdoor kitchen!

 

Baby Gillian crashes our family photo ;)



a table of love and friendship (minus me and Christina - we
were busy grabbing last minute items in the kitchen!)



How do the adults enjoy a dinner to ourselves?
By putting on a movie for the kids, of course!

a list of thankful.

                             "Thankfulness is an act" 
This was the message that struck me the most this morning at church.  I will try my best to act out in thankfulness as often as I can, not just today, but always.  I know I am not always as thankful as I should be, nor do I do enough acts to show off the thankfulness I feel in my heart.  However, today I am going to start. 

My first act of being thankful is a list.  One that is in no particular order, but is a glimpse into my thankful heart. 

I am thankful for.....
1. the ability to freely worship God
2. a healthy daughter
3. a husband who loves me even when I am pretty un-lovable (hard to believe, I know...)
4. the smell of the Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie coming from my oven
5. to be sharing this holiday with friends, who really feel more like family, when we can't be with our God-given families
6. ice cream
7. baby snuggles in the morning
8. the amazing opportunity to be a stay-at-home-mom with Baby Girl
9. my education
10. that I grew up on a farm where we learned the importance of hard work
11. coming from a family where love and hugs are free flowing
12. good friends, who's friendship doesn't skip a beat even when the time between face to face visits seems to grow longer with each passing year
13. leggings with an elastic waist (that I may or may not be wearing in honor of this holiday;)
14. a house that has become our home
15. music! - it keeps us moving and smiling!
16. the Internet - it makes the world just a little bit smaller!
17. selfless people who choose to serve our country
18. bubbles  and Elmo (well, those may be from Baby Girl's list, but I thought I'd share them!)
19. my good health
20. that you all read this blog! =)

Happy Thanksgiving from our thankful hearts to yours!

thankful for a sweet friend.

Olivia is very social.  However, the one person that gets her squealing the most is her little friend Sarah.  Whenever she happens to spot her (i.e., from across the street, standing at our front door, etc.), Olivia lets out the biggest squeal possible by a 17 month old!  She flaps her hands, signs 'friend' over and over, and bounces up and down!  It is completely heart melting because this display of affection is typically followed by the two of them running up and giving each other a hug.  (and I am not exaggerating)

I am her mother, her lifeline, her biggest fan, her constant caretaker, her giver of hugs/snacks/all things wonderful, and the excitement she displays when seeing me pales in comparison to what she displays for sweet Sarah.

So, in honor of Thanksgiving (and to avoid doing any more cleaning) I thought I'd share a few pictures from the past month (or two) of Baby Girl and her best friend.

from September

there is always time for a little snack!

braving the crunchy leaves together

"I'm right here if you need me"

can't you just see them together on the soccer field in a few years?!

two is always better than one.

Sarah was not feeling well and laid down on the ground.  Olivia
quickly went and got her blanket and joined her.  It is amazing
to see the compassion they have for one another at such a young age.

beautiful girl.

While sharing a snack with Baby Girl this morning, I couldn't help but be overcome with love.  And I thought sharing her sweet face with y'all may brighten your day, too!

watching an airplane fly over.

Happy Thursday!

hip hip hooray....

....its a Gymboree day!


Baby Girl loves Gymboree!  When we started going 10ish months ago it was more for me.  It got me out of the house and put me in contact with other mothers going through the same experiences I was.  We did lunches and play dates in addition to the classes. 


Now it is totally about her!  She loves to run and climb and interact with her little classmates!  I highly recommend Gymboree to any mothers of young children! 




























Where did Baby Girl get that adorable outfit you ask?

Well, I'm SO glad you asked!!  My dear friend Mandy customized it for her.  She has an amazing talent with embroidery and is opening her own Etsy shop soon! 


For now, check her out here.

I know she would love to make you something special and amazingly adorable!