Friday, October 26, 2012

Days 24 - 26

Day 24
This day I was thankful for Cooper.  I stayed home on Wednesday because I was having some contractions and I felt life I needed to rest.  I worked from home for a bit, but mostly I relaxed.  I went out in the morning to grab breakfast and I let Cooper come along.  Cooper used to ride with us everywhere, but since Autumn was born he has literally taken a back seat.  He was so excited to take a car ride for no real reason.  I even got him some breakfast.  I think he enjoyed spending the day with me at home.  Cooper is by far the best dog I have ever had.  He is not perfect and adjusting to family life has been hard for him, but he is still the best dog I've ever had.  He sleeps with Andrew and I every night and I imagine one day he will sleep with Autumn.  I hope he handles the transition to a family of 5 well (counting him of course).  My Mom is convinced he's going to eat Olivia (yes I said eat).  No he will not eat Olivia.  He has never been aggressive towards Autumn, but sometimes he is just a little too rough with her.  He doesn't understand that she is little.  He was fine with her as a baby though and I expect him to do fine with Olivia.  We'll still have to watch him with her of course, but we wouldn't not watch him around her anyways.  I am thankful for the joy and noise and craziness that Cooper brings to our life.  Autumn loves her Bubba (her name for Cooper).



My two big babies.


Autumn loves Bubba.
Day 25
This day I was thankful for car insurance.  I was in a tiny fender bender last week and I have been dealing with insurance ever since to try to get my car fixed.  My accident was minor.  A 16 year old kid ran into my car in the Lifetime Fitness parking lot.  He was being a moron and backed up several dozen feet straight into the rear end of my Jeep.  The poor kid was in a brand new car too, didn't even have a license plate yet.  Anyways the minor accident caused a couple thousand dollars worth of damage to my rear door and bumper.  Looking at it you wouldn't believe it was that much damage, but it was.  Yesterday I dropped off my car at the dealership to begin the body work on it.  The whole process of dealing with the insurance company has been relatively painless so far (fingers crossed that it stays that way).  I have a rental car until my car is repaired and we shouldn't be out any of our own money to cover the damages or the rental.  I am very thankful that the kid who hit me had car insurance.  We only carry collision on my car, since it is an older car, so if the accident had been my fault or if the kid had not had insurance then my car would probably just have to keep on going without being repaired.



You can hardly see the damage here, but my rear
spare tire is off center from the impact.
Day 26
Today I am thankful for family.  I love that we live so close to so much of our family.  When Andrew and I were seniors at ACU we started thinking about where we wanted to find jobs and begin our life together after college.  We knew that we wanted to try to be close to family if we could.  Over the years we've toyed with the idea of moving away and we wouldn't rule it out in the future if our jobs ever required us to move, but we really love being so close to family.  I've got friends that don't have family close by and I can see how much harder things are for them.  They manage and they are great parents, but I know they have it harder than we do. 

This morning Papa and Bobbi picked up Autumn for a play day.  They were taking her and Lilly and Ryan to Memorial City Mall.  I've heard there is a great play area there and Papa mentioned something about a train.  I really wish I could have gone with them instead of going to work today.  I feel so blessed that we have family close by that can spoil our girls with fun play days.  I know Autumn will have a blast today and I can't wait to see pictures and hear about her day.

One of the other perks of living close to family is that Grandma (my Mom) is able to watch Autumn 2 days a week rather than sending her to school all 5 days.  This has been a huge blessing for Autumn to have some good quality time with her Grandma and to have more one on one attention.  Starting in January we are planning to have Autumn transition to school 5 days a week, so that my Mom can watch Olivia 2 days a week.  Autumn is at a great age for this transition and I'm confident she will adjust well.  My Mom only agreed to the arrangement if she can take Autumn out of school on occasion for a fun day with Grandma. 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Day 23

Day 23
Today I am thankful for my Mom.  She always goes out of her way to help me or really to help anyone.  Last night she (and my Dad) watched Autumn overnight, so that Andrew could paint the door to Autumn's room and have time for it to dry before she came home and started touching it.  My Mom then got up this morning with Autumn and picked up our housekeeper and took her over to Aislynn's house, so Aislynn wouldn't have to get out with the twins.  On top of that she brought both Aislynn and I breakfast - Pumpkin Walnut Crunch Bagels with Honey Almond Schmear from Einstein's.  YUMMY!

My Mom is always very generous with her time.  Last week she took her good friend to MD Anderson for her chemo treatment.  Anyone who has been to MD Anderson knows that it is not a quick trip.  You see one doctor after another and you end up spending the whole day there.  My Mom did this for her friend happily.  She also has helped another friend undergoing cancer treatments with her business, stocking/restocking vending machines, during her treatments.  Did I mention this friend lives on the other side of town, about an hour away from my Mom?

My Mom and I are very different personality wise, but one thing I truly admire in her and hope to replicate in my own life is the way she so generously shares her time with her loved ones. 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Days 19-22 Weekend Catch Up

Okay, so I don't really blog on the weekends.  Monday is always good for catching up.  Here is an update on my 31 days of thanksgiving from our weekend.

Day 19 (Friday)
Friday I was thankful for my wonderful co-workers who threw me a little surprise shower including some beautiful decorations, yummy cake, and gifts for both of my baby girls.  I am so beyond blessed to have super sweet co-workers and a job that I truly enjoy.  As icing on the cake I only work 40 hours a week, so I get plenty of time to spend with my babies.  (For those of you who knew what my public accounting days were like then you know a 40 hours work week is a vacation for me)




Day 20 (Saturday)
Saturday I was thankful for birthday parties.  In our family we don't just celebrate birthdays once (or sometimes even twice).  As many parties as we can is the idea.  On Saturday afternoon we headed to Chuck E. Cheese with Grandma Joy, Nana, Pops and Dang to celebrate Autumn's 2nd birthday.  Autumn had a blast.  She ate almost her whole pizza, played a lot of games, ran around like a mad woman, and basically wore herself out.  She couldn't stay awake on the way home no matter how hard she tried.  Autumn received lots of Disney gifts, including a Cinderella dress up outfit (complete with light up shoes, wand, and crown), Minnie PJ's, Minnie purse, etc.  She absolutely loves the Cinderella dress.  She loves to twirl around in it.  So so so cute!



Playing games with Daddy.



Sliding in the toddler area.





In her new Cinderella dress.

Day 21 (Sunday)
Sunday I was thankful for my husband (again).  I have been super stressed about getting the house/nursery done before Olivia gets here.  Andrew works a lot, so finding the time to complete the million DIY projects around the house has been very hard.  He stayed up until 5:30am Sunday morning painting the trim and doors in our hallways.  We're getting closer to being ready for Olivia, but we (and I really mean Andrew here) still have a lot of work to do.  Andrew promises that she will have a painted room with an assembled crib and dresser by Sunday, so that I can organize clothes, bibs, diapers, etc. on Monday and Tuesday before she arrives on Wednesday.  Time will tell whether he can live up to this promise or not.  Did I mention he is going out of town Friday too.



Our room is almost done.  Here is our new bed.  Love it!

Day 22 (Today)
Today I am thankful for lunch with Tia and the girls.  I had my ultrasound this morning.  Olivia is still growing well, but she is still breech.  I am hoping and praying that she turns in the next 9 days.  After my ultrasound appointment Andrew and I went to early vote.  Then I headed into town for lunch with Tia and the girls at Hungry's.  The food there is always yummy and I got to hold the sweet girls.  Lilah was a little fussy and then Lili was.  It's so weird holding a baby again.  It's been so long since Autumn was that small.  I'm looking forward to getting more baby snuggle time when Olivia gets here next week.  I love that Olivia is going to have cousins so close to her in age.  They're going to be so close growing up.


Adorable girls!


Friday, October 19, 2012

Autumn at 2 Years

So, I am taking a quick break from my 31 days of thankfulness to document Autumn's 2 year update.

We went to the doctor on Autumn's actual birthday (last Friday).  She always behaves very well at the doctor and the experience was overall good until she got her shot.  The doctor even mentioned that it's hard to believe Autumn was an IUGR baby because of how well she has grown in the last two years.  Here are her stats:

  • Height - 34.5 inches tall, 50th percentile
  • Weight - 25 lbs 9 oz., 25th percentile
  • Clothes - still in the same sizes she's been in the last few months (18-24 months in tops, skirts and dresses, 2T in leggings/pants).  She has some clothes that are a 6-12 months that still fit perfectly though, just depends on the brand/fit.
  • Teeth - we haven't visited the dentist yet, but hopefully will in the next month.  She brushes her teeth every night, but I could not for the life of me tell you how many teeth she has.  I'm hoping her dental exam goes well and that she shows no signs of having Daddy's poor enamel.
  • Sleeping - Autumn sleeps in her own toddler bed through the night.  Her bedtime is between 8:30 and 9:30pm and she usually wakes up around 8am.  She also takes around a 2 hour nap each day.  At school her nap is from 12 to 2, but on the weekends and on days with Grandma her nap schedule is more flexible.
  • Eating - Autumn still eats very well.  I haven't really found much she won't eat.  Sometimes she eats a lot during the day and then just picks at dinner, but I'm not worried since she snacks a lot and eats pretty well during the day.  Some of her favorite foods include: eggs (made by Daddy), fruit snacks (preferably the princess ones - she thinks they're all Belle), mandarin oranges in juice, bananas, cake pops, ice cream, fruit roll ups (the healthy less sugary ones), and macaroni and cheese.  She also loves her juice (still sounds a lot like shoes).  I give her water mixed with half a packet of propel for her juice most of the time.  She usually drinks one to two cups of milk a day and still prefers strawberry or chocolate over plain milk, but we try to limit the flavored milk to a couple of times a week.  This week at school she had peas in her lunch and her report said she ate everything except for the peas.  I had to send a picture of that report to Grandma Joy, since that is apparently where Autumn's distaste for peas comes from.
  • Language - Autumn's vocabulary has really blossomed over the last few months.  I was just thinking back to our Disney trip this summer.  If we were to go now (only 4 months later) the experience would be so different because of how well she can express herself.  She repeats so many words that we say and she also associates different people or things very well.  Like I saw the beach on TV and asked her if Abby (from Sesame Street) was at the beach (she was on TV) and Autumn said "Papa, Bobbi".  She knows that we go to the beach with them and made that association.  We've also been talking a lot about biting lately and how we're not supposed to bite people.  She will say "Mommy, Daddy, Bubba, bite."  I will repeat to her that she is right we do not bite Mommy, Daddy, or Bubba or any of our friends.  I think she's starting to understand.  She is saying at least 3-4 word sentences, some may be 5 words long.  It's so funny how before you're a parent you see another parent talking to their toddler and you have no idea how the parent understands the child, because you certainly can't.  Now I completely understand.  I am around Autumn so much that I can instinctively know what she is trying to say.  I sometimes feel like a translator though.  We're also still participating in a research study through LENA about language development.  Autumn's reports have all been very good and I am pleased with the feedback we have gotten so far.
  • Socialization - Autumn still likes to play by herself or with adults.  Her progress report recently said she doesn't interact much with the other kids at school.  I think there are a few reasons for this 1. for her age/development this is normal, kids play side by side before actually playing together.  She just hasn't moved from the side by side playing yet into the playing with other kids. 2. many of the other kids in her class have siblings and are used to playing with their older or younger siblings. 3. she is around adults all of the time (except at school) and is therefore very comfortable around adults.  Andrew kinda thinks she is an introvert, but I think we will see a big change in her socialization skills over the next few months as she grows and develops.
  • Play - Autumn loves to play.  She says "play" all the time.  She plays a lot with her princess castle that she got for her birthday (thanks Uncle Andrew, Kasey, Grandma T and PapPap).  She also likes to play with her new grocery cart and grocery set.  She and I will pretend to grocery shop for the items on her list.  She can easily identify each item and bring it to me to scan before putting it back in the shopping cart.  Autumn also likes to play with her microphone and her baby dolls.  She loves to dress and undress her dolls and pretend feed them.  She is all about pretend play these days.  It is so cute to just sit back and watch her play.
  • Potty training - not really any change from last month.  She is starting to get better about being able to pull her own pants/pull-ups down.  I think we will make some significant progress on potty training between now and the end of the year, since I will be on maternity leave for a while and can really work with her on it.
  • Other things of note - Autumn is starting to get opinionated about her clothes.  I moved all of her clothes down to her level in the closet, so she can actually help pick them out (without me lifting her up to look at them).  She almost always picks a character shirt (Minnie, princesses, etc.)  Autumn also loves shoes, especially her boots or her Minnie shoes.  She always has to pick out her shoes.Autumn has also done really well when she has been around the twins.  She wants to help though and sometimes that can get tricky.  She tries to put the bottle or pacifier in their mouths.  I think she will be a great big sister in a few days when Olivia gets here. 
Autumn, you are so sweet and loving, funny, energetic and full of life.  You make Mommy and Daddy so happy every single day.  We love you princess!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Days 12-18 Catch Up

I have been very bad about blogging this last week or so.  Here is a not so quick update on what is going on with us and what I have been thankful for this week.

Day 12
This day I was thankful for my beautiful baby girl.  October 12th was Autumn's second birthday.  I'll do a birthday post with her stats later.  Autumn had a fun actual birthday despite having to go to the doctor and get a shot.  She got to leave school early, spend time with Mommy and Grandma and then spend some time with Papa and Bobbi in the evening.  These last two years have been so full of love, joy, and happy moments.  I wouldn't change a thing about Autumn or how she has changed our lives.  I can't imagine a world without my sweet little princess in it.  She brings so much laughter and life to our home.  I love you sweet girl!



Autumn helping Papa paint Mommy and Daddy's room.

Day 13
This day I was thankful for our family bay house.  We got a late start heading down to the bay for Tio Luke's birthday. 

We had a family breakfast at Einstein bagels (love their new Pumpkin Almond Crunch bagel with Honey Almond Shmear).  Then we decided to knock out our new mattress purchase.  We checked out a few stores and then finally decided on one of the first mattresses we tried out.  Our mattress is very old and basically everything we tried out felt better than what we had. Andrew and I don't have sleeping or back issues, so we both felt like our best bet was to buy the cheapest mattress that felt comfortable to us.  We had a certain price range that we wanted to stay in and I think we did pretty well with that, coming in a little under budget even! 

Anyways, after all of the mattress shopping we finally headed down to the bay around 3pm.  As soon as we got there we were assigned babies to hold and love on. :-)

We enjoyed a yummy birthday dinner of fried fish, mac n cheese, blue cheese salad and cupcakes.  I even got to have a small glass of the birthday wine.

I love spending birthdays, holidays, special occasions, etc. down at the bay.  It is always relaxing to get away for a day or two and spend time with family relaxing and enjoying beautiful views of the bay.



Tio Luke and Daddy holding babies.

Daddy getting in some baby practice.
   
Autumn holding Liliana (I think).  She's going to be a great big sister!

Giving baby kisses.


Mommy feeding Lilah.

Daddy practicing juggling two babies.

Day 14
This day I was thankful for discipline.  Sunday evening after we got home from the bay I headed to the grocery store with Autumn.  She was fairly good for most of the trip (aside from a few times that she got out of her "car" attached to the grocery cart) until we got to the checkout line. 

I had told Autumn that I was buying her some princess fruit snacks and that she could have some when we got to the car.  She was excited about them.  This little girl loves her some fruit snacks.  Anyways, at the register Autumn got very fussy and was fighting with me, refusing to hold my hand, sit in the "car", etc.  She finally bit me before we left.  I scolded her a little in the store for biting, but when we got to the car I decided that she would NOT be getting any fruit snacks as punishment for her biting. 

After loading Autumn and all of the groceries in the car she began asking for her snacks.  I stopped by her car seat and explained to her that she would not be getting any fruit snacks in the car because she bit Mommy.  Autumn understood why she was not getting the fruit snacks, but she was SOOO mad!  I had to have Andrew call in our dinner order while I headed to Wings n Things to pick it up.  The whole way there I talked to Autumn about why we don't bite and who we don't bite.  She eventually calmed down, but it was a rough 15 minutes or so.  I told her that Mommy loves her and she said "No!".  That hurt, but I kept talking to her the whole car ride, trying to fill the empty spaces between cries.

I feel like disciplining a child take discipline.  I always experience contradictory emotions when I discipline Autumn.  I feel proud of myself for doing what I know is best for her in the long run, but I am also torn because she gets so upset.  I think I do a fairly good job of keeping my anger and frustration in check when I need to discipline.  Andrew and I are not opposed to spanking, but we really try to avoid it when we can, because it can easily be abused as an outlet for the parents frustration rather than as actual discipline.  Autumn really doesn't take a lot of discipling, but she does need some these days as she is pushing her boundaries. 

We've also had problems with her biting for the last 6 months or so.  It's not something she does everyday, but she does it frequently when she wants something and can't have it or when she is frustrated and can't express her feelings verbally.  We have a very strict policy with biting.  She gets immediate time out or spankings when she bites.  With other behavior that requries discipline we often do the whole counting thing (1-2-3) before she is put into time out.

This day I was thankful for the discipline I had to discipline Autumn.  I feel like we had a positive outcome in the end.  She is starting to learn that there are consequences for bad behavior.

Day 15
This day I was thankful for my little artist.  Monday night after dinner we let Autumn out of her highchair to play in the living room while we finished up dinner with Papa and Bobbi.  Autumn has been playing a lot in the living room lately.  Her princess castle is set up in there as well as a table and chairs.  She has tons of toys to play with and she loves playing by herself or with Mommy and Daddy. 

Monday night though she decided to get into Mommy's paint supplies.  I am working on a couple of paint projects for our living room and Olivia's room.  I had a canvas and several bottles of acrylic paint sitting out in the living room.  While we were finishing up dinner Autumn pulled out the canvas and squeezed several different colors of paint on it.  She then began mixing the paint together.  I am so thankful that all of her painting ended up on the canvas and not at all on any furniture or on the floors.  I'm not sure what we will do with her painting, but I do think we have a future Pollock on our hands.




Day 16
This day I was thankful for good doctors.  I had my 36/37 week appointment on Tuesday.  I had a quick ultrasound to check Olivia's position.  She is still breech.  My doctor wanted to go ahead and schedule a c-section for 39 weeks in case Olivia doesn't turn.  At this point it is not impossible for her to turn head down, but it is unlikely.  My doctor is always very reasssuring and comforting.  I am thankful that we have great health insurance and that I have been able to receive excellent prenatal care.  Olivia is growing perfectly, but she's just being a little stubborn right now.  Hopefully she will turn around before Monday when I have my next ultrasound.  I am trying to do exercises to help her turn, but it is hard to find time since I am at work all day.  Either way I am confident that Olivia's birth will be handled with care and that she and I will both be taken care of.

Day 17
This day I was thankful for pumpkin cheesecakes.  We had dinner with my parents last night at Olive Garden.  Olive Garden is not my favorite restaurant by any means, but in the fall I love to go there because of their Pumpkin Cheesecake.  It is fabulous.  If you love pumpkin desserts then you must try this one.

Day 18
Today I am thankful for a healthy baby.  Today I am 37 weeks pregnant - full term.  Autumn was born at 37 weeks and 1 day and was prefectly healthy (although very small).  I am now far enough along that if I were to go into labor early Olivia should be perfectly healthy as well.  At all of my appointments Olivia has looked great and I am thankful for a healthy pregnancy thus far.  I can't wait to meet our littlest princess in just 13 days (or less if she decides to come early).  Right now our c-section is scheduled for 12:30pm on Halloween.  We're going to have a Halloween baby!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Day 11

Today I am thankful for my friends.  A couple of weeks ago several of my friends threw me a little shower for Olivia. 

I had been kinda feeling down lately because I felt like everyone was forgetting about Olivia.  Autumn is here now and so easy to focus on, plus the twins have been a huge focus of excitement for our family.  With Olivia being the fourth of four girls on Andrew's side (the second on my side), she is easy to forget about.  Andrew and I decided when we found out we were having another girl that we would not have a shower for Olivia since we have so many clothes and baby items leftover from Autumn.  That said, there is always still a lot to do and buy to get ready for a new baby.  When I started a list and added it all up it was overwhelming.  Currently Olivia's room is still a "man cave".  This is probably the most stressful part of all.

My sweet sweet friend Christel knew how I felt about Olivia being forgotten and she decided to plan a shower for me with a few close friends at one of my favorite restaurants - Escalante's.  Christel enlisted my other sweet friend Laura to help coordinate with everyone.  It was a great night of catching up with friends, good food, and celebrating sweet little Olivia.  Olivia received some gift cards to Babies R Us, wipes, diapers, and Boogie wipes.  All just what we needed!

Last night I finally used up the gift cards to buy some necessities (and not so necessary items) for Olivia.  She got a cute owl sleeper, a red dress for the holidays (with a matching one for Autumn), newborn formula (so Mommy can drink an occasional glass of wine), a carseat undermat (for Daddy's fancy car), and a few other essentials.  Grandma also came with us and bought us a new double stroller. 

I think we have just about everything we need for Olivia's arrival now, but we still have some work to do to get ready for her.  Daddy has a very long list of house projects to finish before she arrives.  I am planning to start washing all of Olivia's clothes and blankets next week and pack a bag for the hospital.  That's about all I can do to get ready for her.  Only 21 days to go!!!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Day 10

Today, it's the little things in life that I am thankful for, like Chick-fil-A's Spicy Chicken Sandwich.  It might be cheesy to be thankful for fast food, but what can I say?  I love Chick-fil-A.  I don't frequent Chick-fil-A because of their pro-family values, although I certainly appreciate those.  I frequent Chick-fil-A because it is truly the best fast food chain out there.  I also think it seems healthier and fresher than the other typical fast food joints.

I never joined in on the whole Chick-fil-A debate a while back because I thought the whole thing was stupid.  Chick-fil-A is a private business and can therefore promote the values they desire to promote (assuming those values are within the law) and they can donate to the organizations they choose to donate to.  I am actually in favor of gay marriage (gasp!), but I don't think Chick-fil-A is so much opposed to gay marriage as they are pro-families.  They promote all things family oriented and related to their traditional Christian values, and they have every right to do so.

Anyways, today I am thankful for yummy Spicy Chicken Sandwiches.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Day 9

Today I am thankful for celebrations at work.  My co-workers always find any and every excuse to celebrate, specifically to celebrate with food.  We have monthly birthday celebrations which include favorite birthday desserts, fresh fruit, ice cream, etc.  Today we celebrated Bosses' Day one week early.  (Bosses Day is next Tuesday)

We had a huge breakfast/brunch potluck that included pancakes, french toast casserole, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, breakfast tacos, eggs, etc.  I could go on and on.  We had sooo much food and it was all delicious. 

I love that my co-workers know how to celebrate and always enjoy celebrating special occasions with each other.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Days 6 through 8

So, I am getting very bad about blogging every day. 

Day Six

I am thankful for my little princess today (Saturday).  Autumn had her birthday party on Saturday.  She had a blast!  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.   Sorry in advance for the massive amount of pictures.


We had a blow up Elmo that was a hit with the kiddos.

Sesame Street Cake Pops by Maritza Anderson with
Deliciosos Cake Pops (check them out on Facebook).
 
Mmmm Cookie . . .


Elmo and #2 Cookies by Ambre Delongchamp
with Jolie's Delights - also on Facebook. 
 
Elmo and Abby.

These cookies are as delicious as they are cute.



Pink Lemonade and Swirl Straw Cups for the kiddos.
 
Autumn playing with one of her new toys before the party started. 
She got luggage for overnight trips to see the grandparents and a new baby doll.
 
The set up crew.  Papa and Bobbi had Autumn duty
while we set up in the kitchen.
 
Autumn's new tricycle.  She was so excited to have a bike like Daddy.
 
Kissing Elmo.

Waltzing with Elmo.
 
Playing Ring Around the Rosy with Grandma and Elmo.
 
Papa being silly.
 
Abby Pinata!
 
Tio Luke and Cookie Monster.
 
Sweet Elijah.
 
Jack.
 
Wearing her new bike helmet.  She is quickly learning
that she has to wear this when she plays with her bike.
 
Tio and Tia don't look too happy, but it's probably just
because they're a little sleep deprived. 
I promise they had a good time!
 
Lilly and her Elmo Cake Pop.
 
Autumn's cupcake, as if she didn't have enough sweets.

Autumn loved being sung to.
 
Digging into that cupcake.  She even blew out the candles all by herself.

Elijah and his Mommy, Christel, and Elmo too.
 
Jack hanging out with Abby on the couch.
 
Grandma T got to practice holding a baby with sweet Avery.
 
Tio and Tia after some sweets to perk them up.
 
Mommy loves redheaded dolls like this one from Mia.
 
Playing with her new shopping cart from Mommy and Daddy.
 
Pinata time!
 
Lilly trying to open up the pinata, looks like she is making a wish.

I think Autumn tried out every single whistle.
 
Autumn and PapPap.
 
The Clarke men serving as spectators.
 
All the kids love Bobbi!
 
Lilly blowing bubbles!
 
Poor buster did not want to leave.
 
Place the nose on Elmo.
 
Tio eating Elmo.

I am sooo thankful for the blessing this little girl is to our lives.  She is so sweet, loving, fun, happy and easy going.  She makes being a Mom easy.


Happy 2nd Birthday Princess.


Day Seven

I am thankful for babies.  On Sunday we got to not only see, but hold the twins.  I don't have any pictures from our visit, but I really enjoyed getting to hold these little cuties, change my very first ever cloth diaper, and going for a walk in the beautiful fall weather.



Day Eight

Today I am thankful for cold fronts.  I know tomorrow the high's will be back into the 80's, but I am loving the cooler weather today.  It is so refreshing.  Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year!