Giving Thanks

What a great Thanksgiving this year! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at James' parents house in the afternoon and then drove up to Big Bear to the cabin that my sister and brother-in-law rented this year to have a second Thanksgiving dinner with my family. This was the first Thanksgiving we went to Big Bear for Thanksgiving and it was so much fun. The cabin was beautiful and dinner was great. After dinner, we all curled up on the floor together in front of the fireplace and watched a movie together. Elaina had so much fun and was such a good girl. She was talking so much and so well, she had everyone laughing because she talks so cute. She would say things like "I want punkin pie" and "tewky". My brother-in-law thought it was so funny the way she was trying to wake me up in the morning saying "come on mommie, come on". James, I and Elaina only spent one night up there and we went home on Friday. The next day we heard from my sister and my mom and everyone who stayed that it snowed on Saturday! I guess that was a little bummer because it would have been cool for Elaina to see snow for the first time, but I am glad we did not get stuck up there because they were not letting anyone down the hill without chains. Oh well, We are planning on going back up there again soon anyway. Hopefully we can see the snow soon.

I love Thanksgiving and I am truly grateful for all the blessings in our lives. I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful child that I love more than anything. We have a great family and very supportive, loving parents. We have our health and the ability to provide for ourselves and our daughter. I am thankful for the time we spend with our family and the joy and laughter it brings. I am thankful that we are instilling in our daughter the tradition of family holidays.

"Family begins and ends with Love"

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Elaina is 2!

Wishing my beautiful baby girl a very Happy 2nd Birthday!

Love you, love you, love you

XOXOXOXOXOX

Growing up so fast.. Now your 2.......November 3, 2009

First Birthday....November 3, 2008

Love at first sight.....November 3, 2007

Before I was a Mom.......

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys or forgot the words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew how much I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I never got up in the middle of the night just to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Sweet Dreams tonight to my Beautiful Birthday Girl!

XOXOXOX

Happy Halloween 2009!

Last night was so much fun. It was Elaina's first time trick-or-treating and she did so great. It's funny how quickly so got the idea of it. I was so proud of her that she was not scared or nervous or shy. She was very polite and thanked everyone who gave her a piece of candy (what a good girl). We went to a few house and then to the carnival at Rose Drive Friends Christian Church. They had jumpers, which of course was her favorite thing. She LOVES the jumper/bounce houses! On our way home, we stopped at a few more houses for some more trick-or-treating. I am not sure what time it was when we got home but I am pretty sure it was after her bedtime, but I decided to let her stay up anyway (it was a holiday after all), so we got in our pjs and put on a movie. To my surprise, she stayed awake through the whole movie! She loved it and went right to bed afterward, knocked out like a champ! We all had a such a great time. It was a lot of fun trick-or-treating, and I would have to say it was the best Halloween ever!

Can't wait til next year!