thankful

We had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We brought Vivian home on Wednesday...just in time to celebrate! My mom and Ron also arrived that day and the Browns arrived Thanksgiving afternoon. Paul cooked a delicious meal and I was glad that I was finally getting my appetite back. Emma Jane had a blast with her cousins Meghan, Auburn, Allison, and Shiloh. Although I wasn't feeling up to a whole lot, it was so nice to have my family here to celebrate the holiday. We are so grateful to have been blessed with a healthy baby girl and happy that Emma Jane is a doting big sister.

waiting for little sis

Emma Jane had loads of fun while mom and dad were at the hospital caring for her new baby sister. When I went into labor Sunday morning, Paul called our good friends Sara and Josh to see if they could take Emma Jane for the day. Emma Jane was thrilled to spend the day with her friend Lily and "New Baby Charlotte". Sara and Josh spoiled our girl rotten with lots of fun activities. It was so nice to know she was in good hands while we prepared for our newest addition.

A few days later when it was time for me to be discharged from the hospital, we knew that Emma Jane would not be happy waiting around the hospital all morning. My sweet friend Amanda brought Emma Jane's friend Kaitlyn and "New Baby Evan" to our house to play with Emma Jane until we arrived home with Vivian. Miss Amanda helped the girls make a welcome banner for the baby and they had fun playing on the back porch and in the playroom. We were so grateful to Amanda for taking on two 2-year-olds and her own sweet baby boy all by herself!

Needless to say, Emma Jane did not miss mommy and daddy one bit while awaiting the arrival of her baby sister!


Fun with the Sadlers










Spending the day with Miss Amanda, Kaitlyn, and Baby Evan

showered with love

April showers bring May flowers, so what do baby showers bring? In our case, a baby! Less than 48 hours before the birth of Vivian, we were given two wonderful baby showers. The anesthesia staff at Richland planned a lunch shower for Paul and invited Emma Jane and I to attend. We were overwhelmed by all of the generous gifts. We have enough diapers and wipes to keep us well-supplied! Paul is lucky to work with so many nice people.

Later that same night, my sweet friends Sara, Shelly, and Amanda surprised me with a delicious dinner and dessert in honor of the baby. The food was yummy, the decorations were beautiful, and the baby gifts were precious. I am so grateful for the friendship of these wonderful girls!


Shower given by the anesthesia staff at Richland







Shower given by Sara, Shelly, and Amanda

the early bird catches the worm

Our newest addition arrived almost 2 weeks early....a beautiful baby girl!
Vivian "Vivi" Elizabeth Street came into this world on Sunday, November 21 at 10:24 am. She weighed 7 lb, 8 oz and was 18 1/2 inches long. She was scheduled to arrive by c-section on December 2, but this girl decided she wanted to join us for Thanksgiving this year! Big sis Emma Jane is in love with "her baby" and has been very sweet and gentle with her. Vivi will arrive home from the hospital tomorrow and we can't wait to welcome her with love!

catching butterflies

Emma Jane just rediscovered a game she received for her birthday. It's called "Elefun" but she calls it "Catching Butterflies". Tiny little butterflies shoot out of the elephant's trunk and the object of the game is to catch as many as you can in your net. If Emma Jane catches just one butterfly, it is quite exciting, let me tell you! She shouts, "I catched one, mommy! I did it! I got it in my net!" I had to take a few pictures of the adorable expressions she made while playing the game today. I love to see her curls bouncing up and down when she jumps up to catch the butterflies.

football fan

As a native Floridian, I have been a fan of the Florida Gators for years, but since Paul began attending USC, I've had to change my allegiance. We still root for both teams unless they are playing each other like they did this weekend. Emma Jane likes the Gamecocks best (probably because you can't go anywhere in this town without seeing Gamecock paraphernalia!). She wore her USC outfit to school today to celebrate their big win, but she also wore her Gator sweatshirt to be fair!

3 weeks to go!

Baby Street is scheduled to arrive on December 2...exactly three weeks from today! It's so hard to believe that we are almost a family of 4! Since I rarely wear anything other than sweatpants and maternity jeans these days, I asked Paul to take a picture of me with a dressier baby belly before I went to a party tonight.

tip me over and pour me out!

Emma Jane was invited to a tea party at Kaitlyn's house. She had a great time playing dress-up with Kaitlyn, Addie, and Lily. Kaitlyn's grandmother, Nano, hosted the grand event and it was so cute! The girls enjoyed a yummy lunch of finger sandwiches and strawberries with whipped cream. They really had fun eating dirtcake complete with gummy worms for dessert. As you can see in the last picture, tea party manners went out the window with the dirtcake, but these little princesses remained regal regardless of the mess they made!