Thanksgiving 2012

It was definitely a happy Thanksgiving! We spent the long weekend here enjoying lots of family time, and Eli got his cousin fix! He love, love, loves when the Smoak boys are in town. They are just inseparable, and always pick right up like they see each other everyday of the year.

 

Miss Layla enjoyed her first Thanksgiving, and even got to enjoy the meal! She ate her fair share of turkey, and Nana made sure that her girl didn't miss out on the pumpkin pie. :)

 I'm finding it almost impossible these days to get a decent picture of my two together. This ONE picture of them on Thanksgiving day just about sums it up...

 Turkey time!

 Not sure who's idea it was...but all of the kids went for the 'death by chocolate' cake instead of the pumpkin pie this night. Danger, danger!

 Such sweet boys!

 These two are just the best of buds.

Pop Pop and two of his grandsons watching the Thanksgiving day parade.

 

We also started what may become a new tradition...Thanksgiving night midnight madness shopping!!! We were out there with all of the other crazies. Thankfully, we survived (barely). I wasn't looking for anything specific, but it was still fun to hunt for great deals, and spend time with the girls!

 

We are so blessed, and so thankful for MANY things. Most importantly, thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally. When life gets crazy and throws us curveballs, it's nice to have Him has our constant source of comfort.



10 Months

Layla Grace, you are 10 months old today! We are loving watching you grow and learn new things every day. You are SO smart, and surprise us at how fast you learn! Your main goal in life right now is to keep up and be a part of everything your big brother is doing. You want to be right next to him, touching him, and sharing whatever he has.

*You are still just a little munchkin. I don’t realize how petite you are until I see you with other babies your same age. I don't think you're quite 18 lbs yet.
*We’re still waiting not so patiently for you to cut your first tooth. You have endured months of torture and still no pearly whites to show for it!
*You are finally feeling better, but still have a lingering cough that just will not leave you alone.
*You are a full time crawler, and a FAST one at that! You slither across the hardwood floors faster than a snake. When you are army crawling we call it your ‘gator crawl.’ You do crawl on all fours but only when on carpet.
*You haven’t taken your first steps yet. Now that you’ve learned to crawl, you prefer to do that rather than practice walking. This is fine with me!
*We have another talker on our hands. You can say dada, Uh Oh, dog dog, bubba and ball. Daddy and Uh Oh are the easiest to understand. You drop/throw/hurl things all day long just so you can say Uh Oh! This week you started saying ‘B’ sounds.
*You would sit in your highchair and eat for hours if someone kept putting food on your tray. I wish I knew what your favorite foods were, because these days, you’re into everything! You honestly haven’t turned your nose up at any table foods yet. You get oatmeal/fruit for breakfast, turkey/cheese/fruit for lunch, and whatever we’re eating for dinner.
*You are down to nursing just one time per day, and getting formula the rest of the day.
*You are an excellent napper. Wish I could say the same for your night time sleep! We're still not so predictable in that department, unfortunately.
*You are mommy’s little sidekick. If I’m in the room/within sight, you typically won’t go to anyone else.
*You spent last Sunday in the toddler room at church and did MUCH better. You entertain yourself really well, and loved having new things to play with.

You are such a love, and I want to remember every single thing about you at this age! I have enjoyed countless hours rocking you in your nursery over the past 10 months. I’ve learned to cuddle you a little longer, just because. I’m so thankful for you, sweet girl!

Happy Halloween 2012

I love Holidays. Especially ones that involve dressing up and candy! I could do without the tacky/scary/obnoxious decorations, and people ringing my doorbell well past 9 pm. The fun fall festivals, trunk or treats, and trick or treating with friends is more our style.

 

We started off last weekend with an indoor fall festival at our church. It became an indoor function due to hurrican Sandy. It was lots of fun, and because Mimi was in town for the weekend, she got to tag along with us! She left the day before Halloween, but I love that she still got to see the kids in their costumes and be a part of that.

 Our little chef and cupcake!

 I just couldn't resist doing coordinating costumes. We somehow talked Eli out of a superhero costume and into this one. :)

 All 4 of us in a picture...a Halloween miracle!

 There were lots of fun games.

 And a firetruck! Eli's best friend from school, Russell, even came!



 Our little pumpkin is getting so big!

 

I took Eli to a fall festival/trunk or treat at his school before trick or treating. He had so much fun with all of his school friends! I forgot my camera :(

 When it was time for trick or treating, we had some special visitors! GG and Goomba came to spend the evening with us! They went to some houses with us, and then sat and handed out candy to the masses. We also had Molly, Josh and the girls over too.

 Our little guy had no problem remembering what to say and do!

 I just love these two together! They have such a special friendship, and take such good care of each other. Amelia was scared and Eli held her hand just about the entire time!

 Me and my sweet cupcake on her first Halloween.

We made some of the sweetest memories with GG and Goomba, and consumed lots of candy together!