Christmas...just around the corner.

Well hello there.

Today I realized that my baby is 23 months old. ALMOST a 2 year old. Wow, where has the time gone? I have found myself getting caught up by the season, ( see last year's post) already. I am going to try to slow down a little this year and enjoy a few new things. As I have told some of you, I LOVE the hustle and bussel that goes along with this time of year, so I need to reset. We'll see how it goes....

I also work a stretch of 4 night shifts over Christmas weekend, so I am thinking that I would like to make the most of our Thanksgiving holiday family time.

We are going to take Gabbie to the Annual Nutcracker Ballet. It will be her first time and I am looking forward to that. I will probably spare Jason and invite the Grandmas.

I am feeling pretty darn BLESSED this year!

I know this picture is tiny, but most EVERYONE in America can identify this spot. I hope to take my children there someday! Isn't it beautiful?!?!?!


Ahhhh, doesn't that look cozy?



Oooohhhh, I DARE you to try this. Jas doesn't know yet, but this is what I have in mind for our tree. :)

The Adventures of Finley

Finley seems to have turned into a big girl over the last few months. She copies EVERYTHING her sister does and says, yet she has a very different personality from Gabbie. I am already anxious to start her in some activities. Maybe gymnastics or swimming? We'll see.

Finley provides constant entertainment for us. Whether we are giggling about the cute thing she said or I am laughing to hide the frustration from one of her fits...it is all worth it.

Finley enjoyed some family time while carving pumpkins!

Well, she sort of enjoyed it. If she had it her way, she would have had the the knife in her own hands.



GO BIG RED!!!
We went to the Cobbler vs Raider football game on a chilly evening Finley did not seem to mind the cold and the Cobblers WON!




The pumpkin patch was fun for Fin this year, too. It was a beautiful day and she got to hang out with Brayden. He has become such a nice young man and Finley enjoyed his company.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

Finley's new friend, Y. Most of you have heard me talk/blog about this family.

They have settled in nicely and we are enjoying getting to know this special little girl.

Future Photographer?????

...probably not.

Famous Soccer Star? FOR SURE!

Gabbie's first soccer game was so fun. I was impressed with her skill and Jason's coaching skill. I see quite the team in the future.

Running drills



These are shots Gabbie took while playing with my camera.
It is interesting to see through their eyes.
I can see that she is interested in what we keep in drawers and bathrooms?!

This bunch of dress up clothes has been worth HOURS of fun for the girls and their friends.

(And hours of clean-up time for mom & dad.)

Her piggy bank and Christmas snow globe

My mom and dad in 2000.

A Chuck-E-Cheese Portrait

2008

Our kitty, Dusty...he's camera shy.

Oooh, maybe she'll be an architect....?

Whatever she decides to be we LOVE her!

Last night we were all hanging out and Jason said, "Gabbie, when I was your age I had NO idea I would have a little girl like you." and I said, "Gabbie, when I was your age I KNEW I would have a little girl just like you!"

Happy Birthday Gabbie Girl!

I CANNOT believe she is 5...it seems that it was just yesterday, we were bringing her home from the hospital and we were those awkward first-time parents. Somehow she survived despite us. She is nice, caring, sensitive, fashion forward and FUN!

WE LOVE YOU GABBIE GIRL!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Camera Download....

Well, it has OFFICIALLY been OVER two months since an update and it has been almost that long since I have down loaded my camera. (Yes, I have a large SD card.) I also was not happy with some of the blogs that I added to my Blog List, so I have edited them, & I think you'll enjoy some I have added...I DO!

Here's what we've been up to.

Here's my Fin enjoying the horse at Chuc-E-Cheese.

(Yes, we go to CEC!)

Here are the birthday kids.
Gabbie shares a birthday with her cousin, Brayden, who turned 8.
In order to celebrate this special day, we try to go to dinner and to CEC for a smaller party with just family. This was the second annual 9/9 celebration and there is something so fun about seeing all the skeet ball spots taken by members of our family!



Fin...being SWEET!


Gabbie had a fall off of the swing set at my mom's house one day while I was working. My mom was so freaked out that when she called the ER to talk to me, she asked for me by my maiden name...it was a good laugh.
We had x-rays and Gabbie likely broke a small bone in her elbow. Kids are amazing, because if it was hurting, she took it easy and she only did what she could. It seems fine now.

I hosted a baby shower for our good friends that adopted from Ethiopia.

This was only 4 days before they left to get her. The shower was one that I had been looking forward to for a VERY long time.

Check out their story here.

This was Gabbie's first day of school...OK it was only pre-school, but it is at a public school and it is 4 afternoon's a week and it felt like the real deal to me!!!

She LOVES it and she does great with using the daycare van for transportation, if needed.

She's just my BIG girl!

SOOOOO SASSY!

We went to the local fair (much to my protest) and REALLY enjoyed it. It seemed a little cleaner this year. The kids had a blast and next year maybe we'll even get dad to go.

Finley had a little sugar high after this.

I could not believe Gabbie did this AND liked it.

Gabs & T-man at Reptile Gardens. We LOVE this place. The bird show is great!

More fair pics. Brayden got to help Keith the Magician. You'll get to hear more about Magic Keith later.

Grandma Diane with her hands FULL!

Fin and Hadley weren't as impressed with the magic???

On the lake trying out the paddle boats at Grandma's company picnic.

I Gabbie liked them.

This was our VERY LAST DAY @ the pool :( :(!!!!

We knew it was the last day and that made it a little bit more OK.

See you next year pool...sniff, sniff.

Summer celebrations with new & old friends!

This is the day our friends adoption became official.

We had a nice dinner and it was fun to see all the pieces of their lives come together to celebrate!

Another group of ladies, just hanging out :)

This was Gabbie's last Ballet dance camp for the summer.

The theme was "Royal Tea Party" with lessons on etiquette.

What an AMAZING gift this was....

My friend, Cody Lynn and her boyfriend Ryan, came to visit during their 17 day road trip from California.

She came to RC to be in my wedding and we had not seen each other in 4 years. We reconnected on Facebook and she added our home to her destination list!

THANK YOU FRIEND!