Merry Christmas!

I know I have so much to blog about but we have been savoring the richness of the season (also known as being super Christmas-fun busy)!  I promise to (eventually) get caught up but I did want to post our girl's picture with Santa...

I really expected a total melt down but much to my surprise (and enjoyment) the melt down stayed at bay!  There were 2 families in front of us and I think it helped to see other kids walk up to this big guy and sit on his knee with no tears involved!  Our sweet (big) girl held her daddy's finger and walked up to Santa all by herself!  There were no tears (but no real smiles either) so I considered it a complete success!
So, just in case I don't get back to my blog before Christmas... Merry Christmas!  And may God bless you in 2012 with love, peace, and JOY!

F is for...

FISH! 

Last Friday, my sweet hubby took the day off of work so we could have a little family time!  We should have been in Savannah cheering him on as he ran his first marathon but an injury prevented him from running so we didn't go for our mini vacation in Savannah.  This "Family Fun Day" was a little bit of make up for missing out on our trip!

We took our girl to the Georgia Aquarium for the very first time!  To say that she LOVED it just doesn't even really begin to explain it!  She oohed and ahhed and flapped her arms in delight and squealed and pointed and grinned bigger than we've ever seen!  She really did LOVE all of the fish!  She kept saying "fff, fff, fff" (which translates to "fish" by this mommy!) and pointing at everything! 

 In the first room, there was a large aquarium wall.  I think she was a little overwhelmed at first.  She looked at all the fish and then she would look back at us... like we were supposed to explain how this could be!  It was really sweet!

 Then the pointing and oohing and ahhing began!  People around us would comment on how excited she was!  She loved checking out all of the fish!  It didn't matter the size or color or type... she just loved seeing all of the fish!

 This confused her a bit!  The divers were answering the crowd's questions while under the water... it was pretty neat!  Our girl waved frantically at the divers!  Not sure if she thought they were big fish or what!  :-)

 I love this picture!  Being able to see the sunlight streaming through the water and then lighting up the face of my baby... God is so creative and He made ALL things beautiful!

 Our very thoughtful, contemplative little girl!  I love that she is so curious!

 A daddy and his girl watching the fish.  I love my family!

 Trying to take it all in!  We've definitely got to take her back soon!

 In the children's area, the aquarium has really neat hands-on exhibits!  While our girl was very interested in the sting rays and it was okay for Daddy to touch them, she wanted no part of touching them!

 She liked feeling the water (after staring through glass at it for much of the day) but still did NOT want to touch those sting rays!  I don't really blame her!

 She was beginning to get more comfortable with the hands-on exhibits and this one was her favorite because she could have touched sea stars or sea urchins (which do not move toward her) but again, she chose to touch the water only!

 I thought she was getting really brave at this one!  There were shrimp in this tank but as soon as they started moving toward her little hand in the water, she yanked her hand away and looked at me with "HELP" in her eyes!

 She even got to steer the "ship"!

 More pointing, more oohing and ahhing!  It is a wonder she didn't have a headache or at least a neck ache the way she craned her head to see all the fish!

It was a WONDERFUL family day!  I love that our girl gets to experience such neat things with her mommy and daddy!  I love that it meant so much to my hubby that he was willing to take the day off of work to make memories with his girls!  I love that God created these amazing, majestic creatures that totally wowed my girl!  I love that God gave me this precious family and these perfect family memories!

Halloween 2011

I know this is a little late so sorry...
Our girl obviously did not understand Halloween this year but she did have a lot of fun!
She really liked helping her daddy carve the pumpkins!  It was a bit difficult keeping the seeds and goo out of her mouth (and hair and off her highchair and the floor and everywhere else)!

 a little unsure of all this mess at first

 but then she really got into it!

 this is very serious work!

the pumpkin's hat was interesting!

Once the pumpkins had been successfully carved and set on our front porch, our girl got dressed up to go trick-or-treating!

 Yes, my cute baby girl is a cute moo cow!

 trying to walk to our neighbors

 Eat Mor Candy!

 My normal jack-o-lantern on the left and my hubby's creative cow pumpkin on the right! Because of course our girl needs her pumpkin to reflect her costume and have her name on it!

After our cute moo cow visited our neighbors, she helped us give candy to all the trick-or-treaters!  She liked handing out candy, closing the door and saying "bye bye" more than anything else!  I'm glad she would rather give than receive so maybe we'll just do that next year and skip the trick-or-treating!



Thankful for mud?

Yesterday I was at our MOPS meeting and the sweet little MOPPETS made Thankful Turkeys (handprint turkeys).  On each of the feathers (fingers) of their turkey they wrote something they were thankful for.  This cute little guy was showing his mom his turkey and she stopped to ask him about one of the feathers. 

"You're thankful for mud?", the mom asked.

"Yes!", the little guy exclaimed, "mud makes my seed grow!"

The mom turned to me and began to explain that her precious boy loves all things outdoors and when the kids planted seeds a couple weeks ago in MOPPETS, he couldn't stop talking about the "mud" and the seed that would eventually spring forth.

As a former classroom teacher, I loved the little guy's enthusiasm for the project.  As a daughter of our Heavenly Father, his thankfulness for mud struck me.

Am I thankful for my mud?

I am thankful for my wonderful husband.

I am thankful for our perfect baby girl.

I am thankful for LOTS of really wonderful things that God has richly blessed my life with but am I thankful for the mud He has given me too?

One of the verses I have clung to in hard times is from Habakkuk (yes, it is a book in your Bible... the Old Testament) which says, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior." 

These words flooded my mind when I heard that little boy talk about his mud. 

I am thankful for my mud when things don't go my way.

I am thankful for my mud when the day is long and the night is not restful.

I am thankful for my mud when I feel at odds with myself because of constantly saying yes.

I am thankful for my mud when my girl is having a whiney day and nothing seems to soothe her.

I am thankful for my mud when I am tired and there are still way more things on my To Do List than will actually get accomplished.

I am thankful for my mud when all I see is mud because I know that in His time my seed will sprout and that my joy does not come from my mud but from my Maker.  I am also thankful for my mud because I understand that it is in the midst of this mud that God teaches me and refines me.  If it weren't for seasons in the mud, would I truly appreciate the beautiful, new sprout that eventually emerges?

Catching up... Pumpkins

Our girl has been a busy little bee lately!  We have been on the go and I have so many things to blog about, I'm a little overwhelmed and not sure where to begin!

We made a family trip to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago and our girl had a blast!  She wanted to throw the "balls" and was all over the place!  It was a beautiful day and a perfect family outing!  Now that I am home full time, these family outings on the weekends are so special.  My wonderful hubby and I try really hard to be intentional about our family time because we want to make memories we will all cherish!  God has given us with a perfect little girl and an abundant life so we feel blessed to be able to slow down and intentionally soak in His goodness!

Joy and I went back to the pumpkin patch with some dear friends.  It was really sweet to see our girls playing with the pumpkins and just having fun!  I tried to capture some of their fun but these just don't do it justice...

There really just isn't anything better than the laughter of a sweet baby enjoying time with friends and God's beautiful creation!

We are so thankful for amazing friends that we love like family.  I am thankful that our girl will have lifelong friends.  I am thankful that God has brought godly women into my life at just the right time for just the right reasons!  Sometimes these reasons are as simple as a cold diet coke and chocolate but more often than not, they offer words of encouragement when I need them most and insight when I cannot see the forest for the trees.  I am thankful for these friends and the lessons I learn from them.

Oh, if I had a daughter, sir....

I'd dress her in White and Gold,
And put her on the campus to cheer the brave and bold.
And if I had a son, sir, I'll tell you what he'd do,
He would yell THWG, like his daddy used to do.

Well, our girl had a REALLY big day two Saturdays ago!
And her daddy was oh, so proud!

We went to cheer our beloved GA Tech Yellow Jackets on to victory over Kansas! 
We met up with wonderful friends before the game for a little tailgating then walked down "the hill" for Joy's first (of many) GA Tech football game!
I cannot tell you how wonderful the whole day was!  She had a BLAST!
We all had a great time together!  And it was a big win for the Jackets!

Enjoy the pictures of our lil yellow jacket!  Isn't she the cutest lil yellow jacket ever?!  (but then, again, I am biased!)

Shoes!

"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." - Marilyn Monroe

Well, our girl got her very first pair of big girl shoes and they are precious!  We had been anticipating their arrival in the mail and then, finally, they arrived!

They are Keens and we've heard really great things about them.  Plus, we got a great deal on them so... we'll see how our girl likes them!

We tried them on while she was having a little snack (and couldn't squirm away).  She didn't fight me on it so that's a good sign!  She did try to pull her foot up through the highchair to see what was going on!

Checking out her new kicks!  I think she likes them!  She really enjoys putting them on and taking them off... a fun game!

Now, everyone has shoes!  She loves her daddy's running shoes and I think she's happy to have her own pair in the shoe basket by the door!  Our girl is growing up so fast!  Cute pink shoes today... heels tomorrow?  NO WAY! 

We all scream...

for ICE CREAM!

While, thankfully, she did not scream... our girl did LOVE having a little bit of Daddy's ice cream after a wonderful family lunch last weekend.  I think every restaurant that caters to families should serve FREE ice cream after you've (over) paid for your lunch.  It is such a great way to end a meal!

And if ice cream isn't available, go for the baby sugar!  It is WAY better anyway!

The Birthday Bash!

For weeks leading up to our girl's birthday party, we've been planning, preparing and getting ready for a really fun time!

The Polka Dot Party Planners!

Finally the day of the party arrived!  Everything was perfect and precious and POLKA DOTTED!

Then the birthday girl arrived in her oh so cute polka dot bathing suit and matching sun hat!

It was so great to see friends and family come out and celebrate this very special birthday with us!

After swimming a bit... it was time for CAKE!

And I was not surprised at all that she did, of course, LOVE eating cake!  Like Mommy like daughter!

Happy, happy, happy birthday sweet girl!  It was so much fun celebrating you!