family photo shoot

   On October 13, Paul and I celebrated our TEN YEAR anniversary!  We contacted Lindsey Pace, a talented local photographer and friend, to do a family photo shoot for us.  She chose the most beautiful farm property for our shoot.  Lindsey did an amazing job and captured so many precious expressions.  I can't think of a better gift to celebrate ten years of marriage than these sweet images!

beach sneak-peek

   Our trip to the beach was perfect!  October is such a beautiful time of year and there is no better place to enjoy it than the "world's most beautiful beaches"!  The weather was a little chilly at the beginning of our stay, but it warmed up later in the week.  The cooler weather did NOT stop Emma Jane and Paul from getting in the gulf, but Vivian and I stayed clear of the cold water.  We had such an amazing time and I took LOTS of pictures, but organizing them all is going to take some time.  Here are a few for now...



44 degrees old

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a very special birthday...one of the best. It was my first birthday as a mom of two. Although I wasn't thrilled about adding another year to my age, my girls (and sweet husband) made this birthday perfect. Emma Jane WAS thrilled to have another birthday to celebrate because that meant she would have another opportunity to enjoy cake and party hats! When I asked her how old she thought mommy was, she quickly responded, "Free!" When I told her to guess again, she said, "Forty-four degrees!" Where she came up with that one, I don't have a clue!?!  By the way, I'm actually 37.

Paul took the day off and the four of us went to the Capitol building grounds for a picnic. Unfortunately, my camera battery died after taking only one picture there. During nap time I made some party hats out of scrapbook paper because earlier in the day Emma Jane told me, "I can't wait to wear my party hat at your birfday party, mommy!" Since we had no party hats on hand, I had to whip something together quick! Can't disappoint my girls!

Later we went out to dinner and I FORGOT my camera. When we returned home from dinner, Paul served us birthday cake which turned out to be strawberry shortcake. Emma Jane eagerly helped me blow out my candle and Vivian happily assisted me in eating my piece of strawberry shortcake.

Although this day may not have been much different than a typical Saturday or Sunday for us, what made it special for me was this. Sometimes it takes having another year behind you to realize how very blessed you are in this life...in this day...in this moment. Yes, I am one lucky birthday girl!

  

dinner guests

   We hosted our first small dinner party in the new house this weekend.  The Sadlers, our good friends and new neighbors, have done so much for us since we moved into the neighborhood.  While we were getting moved in, they shared several meals with us and offered to entertain Emma Jane a few times.  To return the favor(s!) we were excited to finally have them over as our guests.  While the boys chatted outside by the grill, the girls had a ball in the playroom.  Lily and Emma Jane took turns playing doctor/patient while Charlotte and Vivi happily scooted around from toy to toy.  Dinner was delicious...Paul did ALL the cooking, as usual!  No meal is complete without dessert, so the girls devoured ice cream cones on the front porch.  Emma Jane and Lily had a "pretend sleepover" and got dressed in their jammies to watch a show and snuggle up in bed for a few books.  It was a fun time for everyone and we look forward to hosting more dinner parties in the future! 

puddle jumping

   After several days of rain and very little outside playtime, Emma Jane was ready for some fun.  Emma Jane constantly asks if she can "jump in muddy puddles" whenever it rains.  We finally gave in this weekend and let her go to town in a puddle in our front yard.  She was ecstatic!  I love some of the action shots I got of her gleefully splashing.  If only we were all so easily entertained.

ten months

It's hard to believe that our sweet Vivian turned 10 months old yesterday.  Her personality has been in full bloom these past few weeks.  Her beautiful smile and precious laugh are infectious.  Vivi loves to play peek-a-boo and has been trying to hide behind blankies and toys to try it out herself.  Clapping is one of her favorite things to do.  She claps when she hears music and when you give her praise.  She is still a healthy eater (check out her thighs!) and chews on everything in sight (more teeth on the way!).  Vivian really likes to be chased and giggles hysterically when you "catch" her.  Viv loves her big sister!  She and Emma Jane are really starting to play with one another (and argue, too!).  I love the way Vivi is starting to mock what she sees and hears.  Today she snatched a headband off Emma Jane's head and tried to put it on!  Emma Jane is the queen of silly sounds and Vivi is following in her sister's footsteps!  Speaking of footsteps, she is beginning to stand on her own, but she can only manage a second or two.  No steps have been taken just yet, but she's getting closer everyday.  We are so blessed to have this precious baby girl in our lives and we cherish every moment spent with her.



P-O-P!

While having fun with sidewalk chalk yesterday, Emma Jane wrote her very first word!  She suddenly shouted, "I drew a P!  I drew a P!"  Sure enough, she had drawn a surprisingly legible letter P, and then she quickly drew several more.  She had drawn two P's right next to each other and I told her that if she drew an O in the middle it would spell POP!  She happily drew the O in between the P's and successfully wrote her first word.  So, no, she didn't spell the word on her own, but I am thrilled to see her taking an interest in writing.  I'm pretty sure that this particular interest in the letter P came from last week's Pink Day (my last blog post) and I am so excited to see that she is already learning so much in her 3K preschool class.  Thank goodness for good teachers!  Although I spent 13 years of my life teaching, my darling 3-year-old has NO interest in learning anything from her mommy!

pink day

Emma Jane has returned to preschool as a 3Ker.  She really likes her teacher, Mrs. Elizabeth, and is very happy that her good buddy Lily is in her class.  Although school began three weeks ago, I haven't posted anything about it for two reasons. 
(1)  It's very difficult to take pictures while holding 24 pounds of Vivi in one arm and corralling Emma Jane in the right direction with the other arm.       
(2)  Emma Jane refuses to have her picture taken! 
So, I snapped some pictures AFTER preschool yesterday. 

Since school began, each day has been devoted to a different color. Yesterday was PINK day, Emma Jane's favorite color! Each child dresses in the color of the day and brings an item of that color for show-and-tell. For pink day, Emma Jane wore a pretty pink sundress with a pink bow to dress up her curls.  She brought a pink tutu for show-and-tell. She insisted that Vivi wear pink too! After school we made a quick trip to Publix where she picked a pink balloon. We took a walk after lunch and she promptly put her pink tutu on under her pink dress.  Why?   "So I can do ba-way while I pway kickety kickbaw!"  Of  course, she brought her pink balloon along for the walk.  Surprisingly, she even trusted Vivi to "keep the bawoon safe" for awhile.  Vivian got very frustrated because she wanted to hold the actual balloon, not just the string, and the wind kept blowing the balloon away from her!