So much to be thankful for - Thanksgiving 2012

This year we decided to switch things up a bit and host Eric's family for Thanksgiving. We were both a bit nervous since we have never cooked a turkey but everything turned out great! Every year we go around the room and say what we are thankful for and each year I struggle with what to say. I am thankful for so many things in my life it is hard to choose just one.

I am thankful that . . .

-I married my best friend

-We were blessed to be the parents of our amazing daughter who has brought more joy to our lives than we ever though was possible.

-I have such a supportive and loving family (Boatman, Bates & Doyle)

-Georgia is thriving and is getting to be a child like she deserves to be

-My family is healthy

-I am enjoying live to it's fullest every day!

Happy Halloween

Kallie talked about being a Fairy Princess for weeks so we were definitely ready when Halloween arrived. We started the day with a surprise Hello Kitty Halloween shirt for her to wear to school which she was very excited about. That afternoon, daycare had their annual Pumpkin Parade. All of the kiddos from ages 3 months to 5 years get dressed up and strut their stuff in front of Starbucks. Last year I had to walk with Kallie since she wasn't actually walking but this year she did it all by herself with all of her classmates (OK, I lied once she saw me I ended up walking with her).

That evening we went home to do some trick or treating with our neighbors who have a daughter (Sara) just a few months younger than Kallie. The both had a blast and wanted to keep going and going. I have to admit it is really fun to live in neighborhood that has so many trick or treaters. We ran out of candy at 8pm!

All and all it was a great night. Kallie still talks about trick or treating so I guess it was a big hit. The best part was that she had no idea she was getting candy so she never even had one piece . . . but I did give her a little bowl of ice cream to celebrate our fun night.

Pre-Halloween Fun!

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

I was so excited to find out that our neighborhood was hosting a costume parade for the kiddos.  We did not tell Kallie about the parade until she woke up from her nap.  Once we told her she was ready to put on her Fair Princess costume.  We were happy b/c the previous night we were at Target frantically looking for a Minnie Mouse costume b/c she changed her mind and didn’t want to be a Fairy Princess anymore.  . . I have a feeling that won’t be our last scramble to find the perfect costumer.  

We met all of the other neighborhood families at the park and walked the loop.  Kallie was having so much fun!  She sang “The aunts go marching one by one hooray” the entire way which cracked everyone up.  We ended the parade at the park with treats and one big play date.  

After the parade Kallie kept her costume on and we were off to Grammy and Papa’s to celebrate Brian’s 40^th bday.  The kids all came in costume and even carved a pumpkin with Papa.  All and all it was a great weekend and we are looking forward to the Halloween Parade at Starbucks and trick-or-treating!

On Saturday we decided to take advantage of the break in the rain and head to a pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkins.  We also took a quick trip to Snoqualmie Falls since we were close and the pumpkin patch was not open yet (we are early birds).

Kallie was unsure about the pumpkin patch at first but she spotted the perfect pumpkin right away.  There was patch with little pumpkins she thought were just the right size.  I think she was ready to head home but we continued on to look at the turkeys, cows, mules and the field of big pumpkins.  She helped me pick out a pumpkin and of course had to pick one for Coho too!  I will admit her favorite part was wearing her boots so she could splash in the mud puddles; it is always the simple things that make her happy.

All and all it was a fun trip to the pumpkin patch and we went home with four perfect pumpkins!  Now we are officially ready for Halloween. 

A day in the life . . .

As a full time working mom I struggle with the feeling of guilt for putting Kallie into daycare every day.  I worry that she will not thrive like she would at home with her me, I fear that she might be upset for whatever reason and is not getting the snuggles and reassurance that I would give her, but my biggest fear has always been that I will miss her “firsts” . . .  her first time crawling, first steps, first word etc. I am Kallie’s mom and I want to be there to see these things happen versus someone telling me about it.  Lucky for me I have seen all of her firsts at home and was lucky enough to be in her class video taping when she decided it was time to crawl!

Although I would prefer to be home, I know Kallie has a great time at school and her teachers are amazing.   She lights up when she sees them and continues to talk about her entire class of every night.  Her teachers are great at communicating what is going on in class and how Kallie is doing so I don’t feel left out.  Sometimes they just email funny scenarios that happened that day which always brings a smile to my face.

Here are a few of the recent notes I have received from Kallie’s teachers – all of them make me smile but some of them crack me up too!  And a few pictures from the Open House her classroom had this week.

Surprise!

Kallie loves Winnie the Pooh and all of his buddies ever since we let her watch a few shows on the iPad when took a road trip to Sunriver, OR. I think it might have been love at first sight! She has had the Piglet stuffed animal since she was born but never really knew that he had so many fun friends.

Of course being the softy that I am I bought a cute Pooh stuffed animal as a surprise. Ever night Kallie goes into her room to pick a few books for us to read on our bed after bath. Well last night we put Pooh in her little rocking chair so when she ran in there to get books it would be a big SURPRISE!

I think it worked . . . check this out.