On the way home from the mountains, we stopped and bought our Christmas tree:
Wells was so curious about the white ones.
Caroline loved being pulled in the wagon while we looked for the perfect tree.
Wagon fun
And W found an elf (I have a feeling he's going to have a "blow up" obsession to again this year)
The tree made it home and we can't wait to start decorating!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and spent lots of time with family.
First we had Thanksgiving lunch with Grandaddy & Kacky in Gastonia.
And then headed to the mountains to see Wells & Caroline's new cousin.
Meeting Ollie.
Then to Poppy & Keke's house for a belated Thanksgiving on Saturday.
Wells LOVES their house. Here he with his hammer and worker goggles helping Poppy put up some fencing to keep the deer out...
...and blowing leaves.
Then of course had to mess up some leaf piles.
And swimming in November?!?
Wells was thrilled when we got the key to Poppy's friends' indoor pool.
Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Now on to Christmas...
W had his friends over on Monday for Thanksgiving dinner.
The night before we made turkey cookies...
and pilgrim hat treats.
And we put out turkey hats for everyone (Wells had our family test these out over the weekend)! I could not believe it was late November and warm enough to play & eat outside.
So sweet. Here they are eating dinner in their hats. I was so happy they all had fun. He & his friends seem so much older than last year. We asked what they were thankful for and they all said very relevant things: their daddys, their mommys, their brothers and sisters, and food (and an occasional truck, princess character, etc.).
W bouncing it out.
My two little turkeys (Wells is going in for a kiss...)
Thankful for: these three turkeys :)
I love these three people more than words could ever describe - and I'm so blessed to have them in my life.
Thankful for: a helpful husband.
I love Matt's willingness to help me. He will get up early and let me sleep in, empty the dishwasher, make dinner...all while being the sweetest daddy Wells & Caroline could ask for!
Thankful for: family.
We would not be able to do it without our families. We are so very grateful for their help and support. Wells and Caroline are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family members who love and spoil them to pieces.
Thankful for: a sweet moment with my Caroline, who is still a baby, but not for much longer...
With Wells, I wished his baby days away. When will you eat solid food? When will you talk? When will you walk? Etc, etc. But luckily, God gave me a second chance to enjoy the baby days. I've loved every one of Caroline's stages, and haven't rushed a thing. And with her, I'm sad for the time when I don't get to give her a bottle, hold and rock her, and put her to bed. I always look forward to this part of my day:
So just FYI, Caroline, I will continue to overstay my welcome in your glider at night. I love your smell, your sounds, your snuggle. Please don't crawl or get any bigger - just fall asleep on my chest and let me love you as a baby for a few more months. I promise I'll let you grow up - just not yet :)
Thankful for: our new nephew, Ollie.
Wow, today's "thankful for" is a big one!! We are so very thankful for our first nephew, Ollie James Smith, born this morning at 8:26 am, weighing 9 lbs and 22 inches long.
We are so happy for you, Laurel & Gary!!
Thankful for: a gorgeous fall day.
Today I'm grateful for this sunny day, enjoying what's left of the leaves on the trees (and the ones on the ground for my favorite little man to play in), and being able to take a long walk with a friend.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am going to try to do one post a day (for a week) devoted to what I am thankful for. I have a friend who did this on Facebook not long ago, and I thought it was so sweet and inspiring.
It's easy to forget how blessed we are and how much God has given us. I want to be purposefully watchful this week for the blessings in my everyday life.
So that I can be thankful for the big things. The little things. Everything.
So here goes...
We recently got out the Johnny Jump Up for Caroline:
Wells loves it when C gets in her jumper. Only danger: he thinks this is a swing. He pushes her and thinks she wants to go higher (she does laugh, I have to give him credit).
ps - love his PJ top, crazy hair, and no pants in the pic above :)
And a few action shots of sweet C in her jumper:
Matt officially has a Mini-Me.
People always say Wells looks just like his dad. I see the resemblance sometimes, but this picture definitely sealed the deal for me:
I knew the expression seemed familiar, so I went to an album of Matt's baby pictures and found this:
Seriously?!? These boys are two peas in a pod.
We are grateful for every day with our two precious children, but sometimes being parents is just tough!!
Poor Caroline - cutting her first two teeth - has just not been herself lately. And aside from Tylenol and teething tablets, there's just not much we can do.
And then W - he's definitely hit a case of the "terrible" somethings (not 2's, I guess, maybe 3.5's?). It's a little sad to see your sweet boy become defiant and disobedient. Unfortunately, instead of his smiling face, this is what we've been seeing a lot of recently:
The door to his room. Little guy was in there a lot yesterday for refusing to obey - not fun. He will learn though.
Oh, and a little of the good:
W had a fantastic day on Friday. Slept in until 8am, was sweet as can be, and followed directions almost all day long. His friend Liza was in town and came over for lunch and hung out with us all afternoon (while Caroline and Charlie slept).
They played and did a little quiet time together:
A few of his favorite foods:
- Chicken NOG-ettes
- Rice Frisbee Treats
- PJs (peaches)
- Grrr-fish (Goldfish)
A few of his favorite places:
- Chick-A-Lay (see NOG-ettes above)
- Rite Aid (seriously...he loves the toys there)
A few of his favorite sayings:
- "Wook! It's the same as one!!" (pointing out any two things that are the same)
- "It's a widdle bit cold and a widdle bit sunny" (he loves to be the weatherman and gives me a full weather report every afternoon when I pick him up from school)
- "I going to be a daddy one day. I have twins. A boy Chawwie (Charlie?) and a gourl, Dolly."
- "Soooooo much" (when we ask how much we love him:)
