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!

No Bow

The dreaded day has come. Sweet girl has learned to rip a bow off her head in no time flat. Sad day for this bow loving mommy! I'm hoping she won't fight me too hard on this one...

Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch at Holiday Farms in Ridgeland. It was the perfect day! The weather was gorgeous, and the kids were happy as can be. Eli had been talking about going for the last month, so I'm glad it was all he hoped it would be!

 Our two little pumpkins weren't too interested in picture taking that's for sure.

 We couldn't resist picking up a few mums to bring home with us this year. Here's to hoping they survive the fall!

 The hayride was Eli's favorite part, just like last year.

 He took his pumpkin picking job very seriously, and found the 'perfect one' about 30 times before settling on this one. :)

 Next year she'll be picking her own pumpkin too!

Last year Eli's little legs were way too short for the big John Deere trikes. This year he was zooming around the dirt race track like a pro! Really shows how much they change in a year.

 Layla would spend hours swinging! It was fun for her daddy to see her too, as he doesn't get to hit the park with us too often. She just squeels and laughs the entire time!

And why not cover yourself in hay before heading home? You only live once, right?!

 

Unfortunately we didn't get a family picture this year. I'm so bummed! This is us last year...

I remember the excitement I had about coming back the next year with our little girl. It was certainly as sweet as I had pictured in my head!



Baby waves

We've been trying to get some good videos of the baby's new tricks lately. Seems like everyday it's something new! She waves "hi" and "bye" to everyone she sees now. So sweet!

 

9 Months

Layla Grace, you are 9 months old! You’ve officially been a part of our family for longer than you were in my belly. You are healthy, happy, and growing beautifully. You are such a ray of sunshine, and I can honestly say that your smile grows bigger and brighter each month.

*This week at the Doctor you weighed in at 17.2lbs. Much lighter than I expected!

*You wear size 6-12 month clothes, and size 3 diapers.

*You have been sick quite a bit this month. You are on antibiotics for your first ear infection, and have a nasty cough.

*You are a mommy’s girl! You are super attached right now, but I know being sick has intensified it. The extra loves, oh they are wonderful!

*You are a wonderful eater for such a little girl. You prefer table food over baby food, and other than your morning oatmeal/fruit, you are getting mostly table food now.
*You nurse/have a bottle at 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm and have 3 meals.
*Still no teeth! Any day now…
*You are army crawling, but not up on all fours yet.
*This week you stood on your own for a few seconds!
*You sleep 11-12 hours at night, and take a morning/afternoon nap.
*You say ‘dada’ and make other ‘d’ sounds. You babble all day long.
*You love the dog, your brother’s toys, and anything that involves being outside.
*You’ve started crying when I leave you in the church nursery. I hope it’s just because you haven’t felt well the last month, and that this phase won’t last long!
*We all know that we’re in t.r.o.u.b.l.e when you start crawling and walking! You are busy, busy and don’t like to sit still for long.
*Your list of nicknames is ever growing! Most of them come from your crazy brother.

 What pure joy the last 9 months have been! In the blink of an eye we’ll be at your first birthday party, but until then, I’ll be soaking up the baby loves! We love you sweet girl, so incredibly much!

End of Summer

Even though it doesn't necessarily feel like it, summer is over and we're begging for those cooler temps to come our way and stay for a while. We've been spending much more time outside, especially in the evenings. We love to eat an early dinner and then head outside to enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having.

Here's what the rest of our summer looked like...

Mimi stayed with us for a few days after the drive back from VA.

 

We were VERY sad to send her off to the airport. It's just never long enough!

 

We spent a morning showing my mom around GG & Goomba's new place here on the island.

 Love, love, love this! Layla awaiting a smooch from her Goomba. ;)

 GG got out lots of fun new things for the kids to play with.

 Eli had the best playmate!

Everyone came over to cook out on Labor Day. Goomba never hesitates to get right down on the floor with the kids. I love that about him!

 

 Eli is still an excellent helper, and loves to feed his 'sister baby.'

 We've spent countless hours at the park.

 And Layla learned to drive...yikes!

 One of the great things about being a second child, is being able to enjoy these fun toys a little sooner!

We hardly ever have time for pictures before church these days, but I did get this one of my beautiful girl one Sunday.

 

Again, lots of outside time! This girl is happy as can be out in the fresh air.

She loves to play with a ball!

 Somebody is on the move! She's trying so hard to be everywhere her brother is.

 Oh the tongues!

 We cleaned out the playroom last weekend and baby proofed the area. Layla is loving it!

She loves to stand. She locks her knees when you try to sit her back down to play.

 

That's all for now...very ready for some Fall activities soon! Eli has been counting down the days until our favorite pumpkin patch opens.