Happy Halloween!!

We spent Sunday afternoon at a trunk-or-treat at a nearby church. We had a really good time. They had all kinds of things going on, and Lila really enjoyed participating. One big thing was going up to Sparky the Fire Dog. She usually loves these kinds of things from a distance, but this is the first time she's {hesitantly} gone up to something dressed up. I was pretty proud of her :) Clare is in no pictures, but she was there! Just in her trusty bjorn. :)

 Peek-a-boo!!

This child has.no.fear. She climbed this big ol' slide all by herself ... dress and all. Got to the top and started bouncing around like it was a bounce house. We urged her to come down and she came alright ... flying fast!

  Best  Buds ... Emory and Lila

 Happy 1st Halloween, Clare!!

 Sweet Sisters

On to Trick-or-Treating ... a reminder ... Snow White and Sleepy

Lila was a trick-or-treating champ .. Little Miss walked right up to the houses with a big ol' smile and that bucket ready for candy. Said trick-or-treat nearly every time :)

Love my little Snow White!

My sweet Clare all snuggled up ... half the reason I love this thing so much is the snuggly time I get with her when I wear it!!

4 Months Old

Where'd the time go?? Clare is 4 months old today! Clare is such a great baby. Like I said a couple of days ago, she rounds out our family in such a wonderful way. The past 4 months have gone quickly, and they've all been great. Each month though is better than the last. In the last month,

1. Clare's little personality has really started to shine. She smiles so easily and will give most anybody a smile. She coos and chuckles, and is such a content baby.

2. She's really started grabbing and pulling at things -- her lovey, pacifier, straps, the toys on her play mat, hair. If she can reach it, then her little fingers are around it. She's found her feet too -- she lays on her back and throws those little feeties in the air. She really likes her play mat, and plays on it very well -- will play for an hour or so at a time. She constantly keeps her fist in her mouth -- if she could find her thumb, I'm afraid she'd use it!

3. She's still a great sleeper. She goes to bed around 8:15, and sleeps all night most of the time. She is a bit of an early riser and wakes up usually around 6:15ish. I think she's used to that time because that's when we have to wake her up to go to Sissy's. She takes 3 naps -- her morning and late afternoon are a little shorter and then she takes a early afternoon one that's longer.

4. She's still on the 5 bottle a day routine ... she drinks 25 ounces of formula a day.

5. She sits really well in her bumbo, but doesn't really dig the swing unless she's sleeping -- always been that way.

6. She still loves to be snuggled and secure ... I think that's why that Baby Bjorn works out so well.

7. She has rolled over from back to stomach and vice versa, but it's not habit. She still gets stuck on her side, and that gets her frustrated.

8. She's wearing 6 month clothes and some 6-9 month. Her cheeks are the most kissable little things around.

9. Lila still does great with Clare and the love between them is obvious. Lila talks to her a lot and never fails to get a smile from her. Lila calls her by her full name or will call her "sister."

She's our little love!!

Had to throw in a picture of big sister. Lila can't stand that Clare gets her picture taken every month in that chair with that piece of paper. She pouts till its her turn! If only she had been so cooperative when I was taking her picture every month!! 

Fall Festival

Meet Snow White and her little dwarfette, Sleepy. Possibly two of the cutest kiddos at that fall festival last night ... but maybe I'm partial. ;-)We headed to the community fall festival last night and had a really great time. Lila played a ton of games, and Clare hung out in the Baby Bjorn again. That Bjorn thing is my new best friend ... she loves it!A big thanks to Mimi and Pop for driving into town after getting back from their vacation to assist me with the girls. Josh was able to make it, but was in school for some of the time. I sure was glad to see them!Lila rode the train with Raleigh ... think I have a picture of this same scene from last year!She perked up big time when she finally found Clete. So sweet to watch them play together...Lila l.o.v.e.s. her some Clete.Mimi and Pop and the youngest of the grandkids.

Looking forward to more Halloweeny festivites to come! :)

A Year Ago Today...

I found out I was pregnant with this little doodlebug. It's amazing how much can happen in a year and how quickly the time passed. Clare is a precious baby girl who is loved by all of us so much...especially big sis. She rounds out our little family and life just wouldn't be without her in it. A year ago, I was so excited about adding to our family, but I could never have imagined how fantastic (and hard) two kiddos could be. For a year now, I've been able to count Clare as part of our many blessings, and that is a wonderful feeling. :)

Another Pumpkin Patch

We headed to another pumpkin patch this morning as a family. The Cotton Pickin' Pumpkin Patch was pretty low key, but fun nonetheless. There were quite a few fun things for Lila to do -- we went on a hayride, jumped in the corn crib, played on the swings and slides, and got to ride a pony. I was pretty surprised at how much Lila enjoyed the ponies ... she rode no problem and then went around and visited them all. Clare was a sweetie once again and didn't make a peep the entire time ... no lie. She ended up being toted in a Baby Bjorn and I reckon she liked being snuggly. Some pictures from our morning ...

Now it's time for some football and stew ... Lovin' Fall! :)

Tate Farms

The girls and I headed to Madison this weekend to enjoy our Fall Break. Long weekends are the best...not only do we get to relax but we also get to do some fun things! Mama, Casey, and I took the girls to Tate Farms today and had a great time. We also met some old friends there, and Lila had a good time playing with Miss Katie, but I didn't get any pictures of them :-(. This was the neatest pumpkin farm and they had a ton of things for the kiddos to do. From the petting zoo to the jumparoo to the swings and slides, Lila had a blast running all over the place...she was pooped on the way home. Clare was a great sport and just chugged along on her stroller. Nothing like a fun day with family!!