thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving at my mom's and then headed to my Aunt's house for a little backyard fun.I was so happy that I got to spend the day with this little turkey.

You know when you pick up a baby and your body just starts to rock from side to side. The mommy sway. I think it naturally occurs in all mothers. I still got it. I swayed baby R right into her turkey coma.

And just like most holidays, we ended up at my aunt's house to visit with first, second and third cousins and eat dessert. There's always some swinging.

And some teeter tottering.

Tractor rides from cousin Ben were a fan favorite.

There was a little sliding.

And a little mothering. Morgan loves when there are kids younger than her. She takes such good care of them. It's sweet to see this side of her and Dylan loved every second of the attention.

I'm thankful for so many things. My friends, my family, all of my many blessings. Especially these two.

My family means the world to me. I'm thankful that Michael puts up with all of our shenanigans.

And last but not least, our Thanksgiving tradition. You can't finish the day without watching Elf.

I love Will Ferrell.

baby r

My brother and SIL welcomed sweet baby R into the world on Friday. I was able to be there about an hour or so after she was born.

All 10 lbs, 15 ounces of her was perfect!

I'm not sure who was happier. Me or baby R's mommy. Look at her. 

There were a lot of visitors Friday afternoon. Grandma and Grandpa Jim were pretty proud.

So was big sister M. She even shared her new fancy tiara with her. 

None were more proud than mommy and daddy. 

There was so much squishiness wrapped up in those blankets. Chunky cheeks and thighs everywhere.

I was so happy to be there to celebrate these first moments of her life. Moments I will never forget.

First selfie.

Babies truly are a gift from God. We are all in love. 

what do you do?

What do you do when you load up your car to head home on Christmas Eve and you realize you have a nail in your tire? You get donuts. Donuts always make it better.

Then you share them with Aleyece. Because donuts should be enjoyed by everyone. Especially when they're Hot Now!

christmas eve at my mom's

We all gathered at my mom's on the morning of Christmas Eve to open presents. Sadly, I took no pictures of any of is in action, but ended up with all these cute ones of the kids. I don't even remember taking them. I think Jim may have snagged a few.

So maybe we had some pizza for brunch. Not your typical Christmas Eve meal, but M liked it.

 More had a new headband in her stocking. It went right on her head.

 Seriously. Who took these pictures? I just love her sweet face.

 M posing in front of the tree.

We were at my mom's for 4 days over the holidays. I loved that these girls got to spend so much time together. They've turned out to be really good friends and play so well together.

 After presents and lunch we packed up and headed home, but not before they got in some goodbye hugs.

It's constant motion when these three are together. It's the best!

We had a great visit with my mom, Jim, my brother and his family, and some of my friends while in town. And the weather was perfect. I missed the annual holiday visit at my Aunt's house this year. I just wish there was more time to fit everything in. I was a little sad, but it's fun to create new holiday memories and traditions with my own little family.

aleyece turns one

My niece Aleyece turned one last week so this past weekend we attended a birthday party held in her honor. I can't get over how fast a year has flown by and how big she is getting. I remember holding her the day she was born.

She's walking!

My sister Courtney and her sweet baby girl.

Cake time! Hands down this was my favorite part too. By the way, Courtney made this cake all by herself. I was pretty impressed. The other cake came from BJ's and OMG was it good. 

My brother and his family were there as well. Morgan and M played side by side the entire afternoon.

 Then I got really lucky and snapped this shot of M. One of my all time favorites!

I got a couple of good ones of Addison too. 

For the record, everyone at the party (mostly people we don't know) kept commenting on how much the girls look like me. Take that Michael. 

m turned three!

It's so cliche, but time really does go by so fast. M turned 3 last month. She was so excited about her princess themed party and new swing set that I barely saw her. This is the only good picture that I got of her. Blowing out her candles with her cousins looking on.

My girls were excited about cake. As was I.

Morgan was way too big for this car, but still managed to ride around the house in it.

Aleyece was there for the day as well. She did a lot of swinging, which was easy since she had a lot of people to push her.

 Then she got sleepy so her and my dad took a swing in the hammock.

 It didn't take long and they were both out.

We were at my brother's house all day. It was really nice to catch up with my family that I haven't seen since April. By the end of the day, the girls ended up in the lake with just their panties on. It's totally acceptable though when you live in the country.