November

My intentions were to post throughout November all of these different things we did, but now that we are in full swing holiday mode, I'm jumbling them all together!

First real haircut, bye bye curls! =( I cried over this and regretted it the second I saw how different he looked!

Clint and I got to drive solo to Atlanta for the night! Super fun time and much needed 'away from the babies time!'

My worst nightmare, while we are in Atl...Thanks Clint

We are working hard to get Blakely to eat! Food issues are not fun! After much research, I tried this 'nibble tray' and it actually somewhat works, sometimes! I'll take it though!

We played a lot!

Celebrated Caroline's 4th birthday party!

Blakely discovered that there are two Raffes.

And surprisingly is okay with knowing that one of them 'sleeps' at the top of Mommy's closet.

We played at the playground with Elizabeth, Blakely's best friend from school!

And we got our tree up 2 weeks before Thanksgiving!!! It took about 2 solid weeks before all the decor got up.

We started watching Christmas movies to get us in the mood.

Blakely loved decorating our white tree.

By the end of our decorating, the bottom of our tree looked like this everywhere.

I finally got this Pinterest idea done and put up in my house.

and made these burlap beauties!

SO ready for Christmas!

Ganksgiving

Ganksgiving. I will one day long to hear that sweet pronunciation of this beloved holiday.  We started the day with some pancakes topped with pink sprinkles. I knew this would very likely be the only meal I could get down our terrible eater, so I decided to make it appear somewhat enticing to ensure we could get something of substance down her belly.

We headed to Mimi's after breakfast and sadly I failed to get any pictures with Clint's side of the family.

I did however capture some sweet moments with Blakely's best buddy, Elle.

They played the entire time. I got a much needed break from having to entertain her 100%.

Sweet, silly cousins.

Mom dressed her house beautifully, as usual!

And we finally got a pic with all the babies! Non of them turned out great, but what do you expect with a group of kids these ages?

Parkey loved the parade!

And then Friday, we got out in the chaos for some black Friday shopping!

Wonderful day with beautiful memories!

Three Little Turkeys

Although my house currently looks like the North Pole, I am still trying to soak in Thanksgiving. I will admit, I even put Blakely in a Christmas dress last Sunday! I am that crazy person putting the tree up at the end of October. But anyways, back to Thanksgiving...

 I am thankful for the still moments. Moments I'm not rushing. Moments I am just able to stare at this tiny creation and love on her.

 I am thankful for joy. With the crazy that these kids produce, also comes joy. Joy so overflowing that I feel my heart might burst.

 I am thankful for moments of sweetness from this little one. Sometimes I feel like they are far and few between, but then those sweet, kind, innocent words will surface and I suddenly feel like one day I won't be fighting a losing battle.

 I'm thankful for the absolutely stunning trees I've seen this fall! I don't know if I've never noticed in years past, or if they are especially spectacular this year...

 The sweetness of innocence...does it get any better than this?

 I am thankful for encouraging friends. Lately, The Lord has put so many encouraging friends in my path.

 Being a stay at home mom. I am SO very thankful for that!

 I'm thankful for hilarious moments. Probably only funny to me, since I am her Momma...but comic relief in the midst of tantrums gives my heart a break!

 Love. I am thankful for Love.

 Apple Cider, Coffee, Diet Cokes, an occasional Mello Yello...silly as it may seem, these things bring me a lot of joy and I am thankful for them!

 Children laughing. They don't even have to be my children...I just love the sound!

 I am thankful for quiet mornings. There is little I appreciate more than mornings where I wake up and have a few moments to spend with The Lord (alone) & prepare myself for the day.

 Health. With all the sickness everywhere, I am EXTREMELY thankful for health!

 I am thankful for our house. I enjoy it every single day and feel blessed to live there.

 Clint's job. I am so thankful for the people he works for and that he is happy there.

 I am thankful for family.

 I am thankful for weekends with Daddy.

 I am thankful that in the midst of rushing through each day, my kids will often make me 'stop and smell the roses'

 I am thankful that these babies are safe in His arms, and their life isn't in my hands.

 I am thankful for pictures and the memories they capture.

 companionship.

 patience. I couldn't live today without the gift of patience.

I am thankful for holidays. Food, festivities, and family!

And one last thing that I am most thankful for: perspective. I've got it some days & others not even close! Those days I've got it though, wow--amazing to see God and truly grasp how important it is to bring Him glory.