Happy Halloween!

Our lil' pumpkin enjoyed her first Halloween! She got to spend some time with friends and got LOTS of candy. We didn't stay out too long, I've been sick and Em got her first cut tonight. She sliced her finger on a Diet Coke can while trick-or-treating. It is super hard to keep a band-aid on a 9 month old! I ended up fishing it out of her mouth about an hour later. She also got her big-girl carseat this week! We ended up going with the Roundabout 50 by Britax and so far...I love it! It is roomy and she seems to like it. It fits well in our car and the best thing is that we only paid $169 for it! I thought we got a pretty good deal. We bought it from diapers.com.
Couldn't you just pinch those cheeks off!?!

Daddy and Em having some candy.

The little pumpkin out trick-or-treating.

Finding the Joy

Funny how kids can find joy in the simple things. I'm sure we will spend thousands on toys in the coming years and Emma will enjoy them all, but she enjoyed this simple plastic container just as much as any toy in her box! She played in this box for almost half an hour. In the box was a coozie (already a Lilly girl...Daddy's in trouble!) and a plastic lid to a baby food container.

I wish I could be more like Emma. Find joy in the simple things. As adults, we get caught up in the "what ifs" and "if only's." I have been struggling with this a lot lately. I miss my job. I miss teaching and I have to admit that some days I have a hard time finding the joy. I get grumpy and I wonder why things didn't work out. I am constantly reminding myself that I AM where I want to be and the "dream" job will come with time. Trust in God's plan! He's the one in charge. I'm just along for the ride!

Two Things

I just wanted to say two things...

1. This lil' pumpkin

LOVES

her pumpkin!

2. CLEMSON ROCKED THE HOUSE TONIGHT! GO TIGERS!

Big Girl Woes

I am just about researched out. I have been looking on websites and reading up for the past week and trying to figure out which "big girl" carseat to get for Em. There are so many to chose from. I like the safety rating of the Britax and are pretty sure that is what I want to go with, but It's just such a hard decision. I mean, I can't even decide if I want to get her a total girly-girl seat or one that will be more gender neutral. So here is my plea...Tell me your carseat stories. What kind do you have? What do you like? What do you not like? What do you think about girly-girl vs. neutral? I have even seen that you can have custom carseat covers made! Do you know any good websites for that?

Here are some stats on our little darling. (From some of the comments on websites I see that it depends on how your child is shaped as to how comfortable and long lasting to seat may be.) Emma is tall and skinny. I worry that she may outgrow the length of the seat, WAY before the weight limit. I want something with excellent safety ratings (of course!) and something that will fit comfortably in the back of our 2009 Honda CRV (NOT the biggest back seat ever!) Thanks for all your help out there in Mommy (and Daddy) Land!

Things I want for Fall

Well Kelly's Korner is hosting a blog post about Fall Decor. Since we are currently living with the 'rents while searching for a home...we no fall decor of our own. So I decided to write about what I wish my home looked like during fall...

The following items are from The RoundTop Collection. I LOVE, LOVE , LOVE them! Wish I had them to decorate for Fall!

And now, Potterybarn....
I have always wanted a cute treat basket with our name on the side. I'm a sucker for monogramming.

Don't you just love these pumpkins?

And these would look great on a back deck with fall leaves and sunflowers.

Who could resist a table top like this?

In A Rush

Seems like life if flying by. We are always in a rush. Rushing home. Rushing to work. Rushing to the doc, to the store, to the mall. I am looking forward to total RELAXATION this weekend. No plans...nothing to do...no parties...no traveling...nothing!

Speaking of rushing...DO rush on over to Babbling Abby to win a super-duper prize. It's well worth your time!

And because I shouldn't post without pics of sweet precious. Here you go...Princess Em in all her glory! (And no, this is not her halloween costume. Do you really think I would share that with ya, before Halloween? I don't think so! Just playing dress-up.)

It's the Great Pumpkin!

**Beware** This post is picture heavy, but all the pics were so good and therefore made it impossible for me to choose which ones to share!

We traveled to the Great Smoky Moutains today to ride on the Charlie Brown Pumpkin Patch Express! It was a beautiful but VERY chilly day! Emma enjoyed every little part of the day. (as you can tell by the pics) I think Mommy and Daddy enjoyed it even more that Em. There was so much to do. They had bobbing for apples, picking pumpkins, hay rides, jump house, free apple cider and many other activties for children and "adult children" alike!

If you live near Bryson City, North Carolina, you should definately check out the Pumpkin Express. It runs until Nov. 7th. They also do a Polar Express train! I think we are going to do that next year.

" Over here, Mom and Dad! I found one!"

"Daddy, I want this one!"

"Cheesin' with my Pumpkin!"

Daddy and Em

Mommy and Em

The fam

The fam and Charlie Brown

Enjoying the hay ride!

Snuggling with Daddy on the barrell train.

Getting her first bite of a yummy mountain apple!

Nine Months

Today marks Emma's 9 month birthday! Can I just tell you that it seems like she was born just 9 days ago! Time goes by so quickly and we have enjoyed every single minute with our little doodlebug. She is a true joy...a perfect little sweetheart!
~Emma is a total ham! If you can't tell from the pictures, she loves the camera and loves people. Her favorite thing to do these days is wave and say "Hi!" She really loves children and gets so excited when she sees other kids!

~ She weighs 18 lbs. 6 oz. according to my scale at home. She is long and lean and is wearing 9 month clothing. We have just started pulling out the 12 months stuff and getting ready for cold weather! Isn't this outfit adorable!?! My mother-in-law made it! I think she should go into business!

~Emma loves to move. She is a crawlin' fool. She likes to do laps around the house. She also loves to crawl in the kitchen and look at her reflection in the dishwasher. She waves and screams at the little "baby" in the reflection.

~She loves to read! Daddy and Mommy read with her every night and she loves to listen to the bible stories from her Read and Share Bible. Her favorite book is Gallop! The pictures move as you turn the pages. So cool!

~ Emma is still a great sleeper. She sleeps 10 hours every night and takes two naps a day. Usually 1-2 hours each! Girl is just like her Mama!

~She started trying table food. So far she has had green beans, bread, crackers, rice, chicken, strawberries, bananas, and pretty much anything that I have on my plate. She thinks if I am eating, she better be eating too! She still loves her baby food and eats three good meals a day. She takes a morning and night bottle, but I am thinking of dropping it to just at night. We'll see!

~ She is wearing size 3 diapers.

~ She is a babble-machine. Her favorite words are Momma, Nana, Dadda, and (of course) Hi!

I fall deeper in love with her every day! She is an absolute joy. Our little miracle. Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Wordless Wednesday

Back to my Roots

Could I possibly tell you enough how much I love living in SC! These past four months have been the best! I love that I don't have to miss things because we live too far away to drive down for a Thursday night dinner with the fam or a good 'ole family reunion in a place way too far away from Raleigh. In the last months we have attended a family reunion and a high school reunion, celebrated Emma's Christening and got to go to several Clemson football games. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of things I miss about Raleigh...my friends, my job, my house, and the shopping! There isn't an Ann Taylor Loft within 45 minutes from here, but I can make do and order online. Do you want to know the best thing about living in SC?

Emma gets to spend lots of time with the people she loves.

(**Ahem**) Speaking of roots...mine need some serious attention! I got gray hair while I was pregnant. Loads of it! Did that happen to any of you?

Generations

This is one blessed little lady...

Emma spent part of the weekend with her great-grandparents. She is so lucky to still have all these special people in her life. They love her so much!

I miss...

I miss staying home with this little girl...

I miss feeding her lunch and snuggling on the couch during nap time. I miss playing with toys and walking around the block. I miss this little cutie. BUT, I love how she looks as me when I DO come home. She gives the biggest grin and screams Mama! Our daily reunion cannot be beat. I live for it every day.

Wordless Wednesday