Halloween Here We Come!!!

Well, in a word our life has been BUSY lately!!! A good kind of busy though. We have had Bailey A LOT which we love and even have had my parents as well. While they are having all the floors done at their house they have had to vacate and have been staying with us. They got a break when they went to their beach house this weekend with some family friends and Bailey stayed with us. Being that it is the beginning of the holiday season we have been gearing up and doing lots to prepare. Obviously, we have been focusing on Halloween but Christmas/Santa is NEVER far from Bailey's mind!!! We have done lots of decorating, projects, and baking that is all Halloween themed. We will even be making Halloween decorated Canoli's when Bailey wakes up from her after school nap today.

As for Bailey and what she has been up to there is just SO much so I will keep it as short as I can. Since school began she has been getting more and more independent. They have goals each year and this year is to create independent children that don't have to rely on someone else for everything. This has been both amazing and hard at the same time. We LOVE that Bailey is wanting to try new things, be totally potty trained, and help us out. However, like any toddler she wants to do it HER way and on HER time...hehehe. We have been able to really keep the fits to a minimum and have been SUPER lucky to have such a well-behaved little girl. I hope that this continues and that what people keep telling us doesn't ring true that 3's are worse then 2's. Like I mentioned above we have been doing LOTS of baking and activities as Bailey just adores that kind of stuff. I always have a helper at dinner and you know what it really is true that if the child helps make the meal they are much more likely to eat the meal. Bailey might not always like what it is we made after a few bites but she will at least try which is all we can ask. Again, we got lucky as Bailey is a huge fan of things like cauliflower, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, corn, green beans, ANY berry, chicken, steak, clementines, etc, etc....of course, she wouldn't be a toddler if she didn't enjoy her chicken nuggets and candy here and there! Talking is now nonstop and we find ourselves cracking up at her statements. They are so innocent, smart, and funny. Out of the mouths of babes if you will!!! One thing that Bailey talks about a lot and gets hung-up on while out and about is babies. Anytime we see a baby Bailey makes it known that SHE wants us to have a baby. When she tells us that she then holds out her hands like she is cradling an egg and says, "a baby like this". Ugh...it breaks my heart that we have yet to be able to give that precious girl something that she see's so many others have. We tell her all the time we will get her that baby and I know in my heart we will eventhough it might not be the conventional way we WILL get her that baby!!!! I know I don't mention it too much here but if you could spare some prayers that we get that baby soon no matter how it is done we would GREATLY appreciate it!

Here is a link to my facebook for the latest pictures...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=158592&id=689655931&l=4f731fd968

I love the rest of the year!

The past few weeks have been pretty low key around here so there are no fun pictures or anything to share. It has been nice since we had been SO busy in August and the beginning of September. However, the madness is about to begin and last through October. We have many events and fun times ahead this month such as a trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend! I love this time of year because from now until the end of the year is just so festive and fun. I love the decorating and holiday spirit that starts to show. I love all the "shopping fairs" in which people set-up their booths and sell all sorts of different items. I love seeing all the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas stuff in the stores even if they do put it out REALLY early!

I really can't wait for all of it this year because Bailey is SO much more aware. Last year she liked everything but this year seems different because she is talking so much and can really get what is going on where last year she just liked seeing the decorations and such. She is SO into the decorations and we cannot have a visit to Costco without walking down the Christmas decoration aisle now as that is Bailey's favorite even surpassing the toy aisle! People always tell you that you cannot understand the joys of seeing things through a child's eyes until it is your child and that is SO true!!! Everything from our basic weekends to holidays would be so BLAH without Bailey these days. She brings such life to our homes and with the holidays approaching she makes them that much more exciting. I cannot wait for the holidays to actually begin as Bailey is going to love it! Plus, as most people know I love to cook/bake and Bailey has taken to these activities as well and is such a helper in the kitchen! So, this year I am most looking forward to sharing my kitchen with a set of little hands that is eager to help in anyway I let her!!!

Sorry, no pictures this time but definitely stay tuned because we are going to the pumpkin patch this weekend!

Good Shopping Day

So, Sunday we headed to the mall because Joe had gotten some Macy's coupons in the mail since he has a card with them. We went for 1 blazer and that was it. Needless to say we came out with way more!!! First, we looked around Macy's mens section for shirts, blazers, pants, and shoes for Joe. He ended up getting 5 shirts. Then we decided that we would go look for some Puma's since we have been wanting to get each of us a pair of them. We found ones that we loved and snatched them up! They are all matching pairs(I know...LOL now). Bailey and I have the exact same ones because I fit into child sizes(LOL again here) and Joe's are the same as ours but the Puma symbols on his are black. So, then we head back to the car but have to walk through Macy's mens/Furniture store. We decided to do a quick walk through of the furniture section as we love their furniture and our bedroom set and dining room set are from there. We got lucky and found an amazing table set that we fell in love with! They also only had 1 left so it was 30% off and then without even asking the sales ladies gave us an extra 10% off!!!! It is really cool. The shelving units on the end are on rollers so you can move them to make room for more seating or you can move them to whatever area of the house could use the storage. We immediately brought it home and put it in the breakfast area. It is always a good shopping day when you go for 1 item and come home with everything from shoes to clothes to furniture!

Here are our shoes and new table....

The Mud Pit

So, this past weekend the weather was MUCH cooler then it has been which allowed for more outside time for us. I was inside getting some things done around the house and Joe, Bailey, and the dogs were outside. I then headed out to join in the fun and enjoy the cool night. Well, what did I find?!?!? Costco had been digging which left a pretty good size hole in our yard next to the patio. Joe had decided that Bailey needed a mud pit in which to get dirty and make mud pies. He had filled the hole with water which created a child's dream of water and dirt!!! Bailey had a blast playing in it and ended up playing for almost 3 hours out there! It was so fun to let her just be a kid getting dirty and serving us the mud pies and tea that she made. Here are some pictures of that and of the dogs with the "hot dog" treats that Bailey picked for them...

Busy Busy Bee's We Have Been

As most of you know we did lots of traveling this past month and now that it has calmed down I am finally getting a chance to update you. I have a slideshow below that is only about 1/8 of all the pictures I took between the wedding, Lubbock, and the beach house...if anyone wants to see them all feel free to email me and I will send you a link to them.

First, we started off our travels with my cousin, Kate's, wedding in Scottsdale, AZ. It was an amazing time in which we got to see family and relax at the nicest resort I have ever been to. Bailey was a flower girl and did her job like a champ and didn't even hesitate to walk down the aisle!!!

Second, Bailey and I left the morning after we got back from the wedding to head to Lubbock, TX. Joe grew up there and was there for grad school that week. He had to leave before us since school started so we flew out to meet him. We spent the week hanging out with Gloria(my MIL) and anyone else who happened to drop in(I love having family and friends around). We visited Joe during his lunch breaks to eat, explore campus, and stock up on Texas Tech goodies!!! We even got to catch a few glimpses of the football players gearing up for this season...GO RED RAIDERS!!!!! Bailey really enjoyed being with GiGi(Grandma Gloria) and didn't want to return home. However, who would after a long weekend at a gorgeous resort and getting loved on by family?!?!?

Third, Jackie flew in and we all headed down to the beach house. We had lots of fun, sun, and swimming! The weather was(still is) HOT and made for perfect beach days! We got to just have fun with Jackie and a few friends that came with her.

Fourth, speaking of those friends that came with Jackie...As most of you know we have been struggling for the past 2 years to have a baby all our own. Obviously, we haven't been blessed YET and the final straw was 2 weeks ago when our infertility benefits ran out DAYS before we were supposed to try IVF for the 1st time. Coincidently 1 of the friends is a child social worker in Austin and was a great advocate for fostering and fostering-to-adopt. Well, needless to say we are signed up and moving forward with all the training, paperwork, and housing inspections that will get us qualified to foster. We are BEYOND excited that we could have a child in the next 4-8 months!!! We are going to try and get the qualification process done as quickly as possible as we have already waited 2 years to have another child in the house and we want another SOONER rather then later. I will definitely be keeping you updated here about where we are at with it and what is going on.

Fifth, Bailey has officially started her 2nd year of school and is LOVING it!!! Last year there were a lot of meltdowns at drop-off and so far this year ZERO! She has great teachers and they make it easy for us to be at ease. We are really hoping that the excitement continues and the tears stay far away! Bailey is also now potty trained and talking NON-STOP!!! She loves to sing and knows ALL the words for many songs. We love her beyond words and every change we cherish as we have seen how fast the past 2.5 years has gone by.

Long Lost Blogger Has Been Found

I was reminded yesterday by a good friend that I was not being a good blogger myself when I prodded this friend to start her own blog...oops!!!

We have been doing really well and have gotten Bailey potty trained! That is probably the most exciting thing that has happened recently. Bailey is as always growing and changing everyday. The things that come out of her mouth shock and amaze us all the time. It really is true that kids say the funniest things! I have new pictures but need to upload them and put them into a slideshow so that will have to wait for tomorrow so stay tuned!

We are getting ready to do quite a bit of traveling which is making me nervous and excited. Nervous because traveling with a 2.5 year old to 1 destination for 2.5 weeks is hard enough let alone 3 destinations in 2.5 weeks! Luckily, each step of the way there will be lots of hands between my parent's, Joe, MIL, Jackie, and many other family members on my side and Joe's side. First up we have my cousin, Kate's, wedding in which Bailey is a flower girl!!! The time difference between the destination and our home is 2 hours and since we are only there for 4 days I am hoping that it doesn't throw Bailey off too much. The dress Bailey will be wearing is absolutely adorable and there will for sure be tons of pictures! Second destination will be to visit with Joe's side of the family while Joe is at grad school for 1.5 weeks. We will be back in our time zone for this but an airplane ride will be required. Any tips on flying with a 2 year old by yourself are appreciated! Third and final destination will be my parent's beach house for a week. After ALL that Joe and I will be starting our 1st(and hopefully ONLY) intense procedure. If you want details on that email me, leave a comment with your email, or give me a ring.

Bailey's 1st Swim Lesson and More...

I know, I know...bad blogger! There has been lots going on. Bailey finished up her last few weeks of "school" which was bittersweet as we loved her teachers but are so proud that she is growing into a beautiful big girl! It seems that Bailey never stops talking and is in our eyes just the funniest little thing. She is very opinionated about what songs she likes Beyonce's "Single Ladies" is a favorite and Keith Urban's "Sweet Thing" is disliked. She is also into ANYTHING that has to do with The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, and Shrek...YES, we watch them OVER and OVER!!!

While Bailey has been a water baby since she was an infant she had her 1st swim lesson yesterday! There are 3 kids in her class and none of them had a fear of water which made for a fun to watch class. Bailey was a great listener and did everything that her instructor asked. I know it is very parentish to say but it was fun to watch Bailey because we don't really see her with people other then us. I am always so proud of her but to see her listen SO well and be so polite with others is such a relief!

Okay, okay...slideshow time!

Some new pics and my bday flowers from Joe!

Sand Fest

This past weekend we headed down to my parent's beach house for what turned out to be an interesting weekend. They were having their annual Sand Fest down on the beach which was fun but made the island busier then normal. We also experienced a dune fire which was close enough for us to see EVERYTHING!!! It was very scary and the neighborhood next to us told to evacuate and they were throwing their things into the backs of their trucks! They were able to get it under control but it was a little close for comfort!!! Okay, enough about the scary stuff! The Sand Fest is a big event that they do every April in Port Aransas on the beach...they have tons of booths with crafts, food, and all kinds of stuff and then the highlight is people that come from all around to build awesome sandcastles. Saturday was a bit overcast but turned out to be sunny and then Sunday was gorgeous. We went down both days and Bailey's favorite was the Roasted Corn On the Cob stand where she ate corn several times throughout the weekend. A couple(The Estes') that my parents are friends with also came down which made the weekend that much more fun!!!

Here is a slideshow with some pics from the weekend...

Easter Pics and an Update

Gosh, it seems like it has been SOOOO long since I blogged! Where to begin...Bailey is doing great and talking up a storm! She seems to get bigger everyday and we love it but miss our tiny little baby sometimes. For Easter we were all at Joe and I's house and it was a gorgeous day. Bailey got to wear her new dress and loved looking for her goodies from the Easter Bunny.

Here are 2 slideshows since the pictures wouldn't all fit on one...

Tagged!

I normally don't do this kind of stuff but I was tagged and looked up the pic so though what the heck!

If you’re reading along with me, your instructions:


(copy & paste)1. Find your sixth picture folder and in that folder, the sixth picture


2. Post it on your blog with some of the background of the picture


3. Tag four others and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been tagged....I am tagging Erica, Shell, Karen, and Jenna.



What a great picture! This was from Bailey's Christmas card picture session in 2007...her 1st Christmas. It was about 2 weeks before Christmas and we hadn't done a picture yet so we put her in these pj's and bow to match and started snapping away infront of the tree. This was one of the better pics but didn't make the cut as "the" picture.

Bailey Update and Pics

Let's see where do I start! Bailey is as usual getting so big and now we are really seeing her personality come out because she is talking more and more. She says phrases and sentences now not just one word here and there. She likes to say, "try this", "I need it", and "that is mine"...ahh the true toddler in her! She thinks that she "needs" everything and that everything is of course hers. Everything aside though she really is a good girl aka no temper tantrums or meltdowns just the occasional "NO!!!!" which can be expected from anyone regardless of their age. She still loves to watch her "music" videos on uTube and while she tends to like things like "Wheels On the Bus" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" she does like Beyonce's "Single Ladies". She is also into bubbles and anything having to do with being outside. She also thinks when anything appears to not work that it MUST need new batteries and she tells you, "batteries!" and goes to get them.

There really isn't too much going on with us besides work and Bailey on the weekends. Tim was here for the weekend so we spent time with him and Jackie is moving home this week. Our Aunt Elaine is flying out to RI to make the long drive down here with her and they leave this Tuesday afternoon. It will be fabulous to have Jackie home!!! With summer approaching fast we are planning a few trips that should be fun. Joe will be traveling to his hometown of Lubbock, TX for school and Bailey and I will be flying out for 5 days later in the week. We will be there for Memorial Day weekend and it will be Bailey's first time in Lubbock and meeting most of Joe's extended family. We also have my cousin, Kate's, wedding in AZ which should be a blast! Bailey has the honor of being a flower girl which should be interesting since she gets embarrassed easily. Having over a hundred people stare at her as she walks down the aisle should leave her thoroughly embarrassed. Oh yes, and then there is the fact that she is a neat freak and will most likely refuse to throw anything on the ground purposely. Actually, if another flower girl goes before her she may end up "picking up" after them. Ahhh...should be good times!

So, that is us for right now...as usual Bailey is the star and we are just living in her world.

Not Much Happening

I know, I know I have been a bad blogger! There just hasn't been much going on. This is basically because my parents and Bailey headed to the beach house so we haven't had her in 2 weeks!!! :(

I promise you this weekend is bringing some fun and pictures though. We have Tim(cousin) in for a few days while he is on spring break, Joe is picking up his new car, Bailey has her first official "school" friend birthday party, and many more exciting things!

Stay tuned as I know after that you must be on the edge of your seats! ;)

Pictures from this past weekend

We had such a wonderful weekend with Bailey so I thought I would share some new pictures! The weather was beautiful so we spent a lot of time outside playing and using the new patio set with firepit in it. We also took Bailey swimming at the family pool in our gym which she especially loved! I thought I would try a slideshow format this time...

Thankful on Valentine's Day

It seems like such a long time since I posted here and with good reason as things didn't quite work out the way we thought this month. It is okay though as we are trusting in God and our doctor and we WILL get there sooner or later!

I just wanted to take this moment on Valentine's Day, the day of love, to acknowledge the wonderful husband that sits next to me now singing along to the radio and saying we ate too much...okay and now dancing silly! After all that we have been through and the VERY moody me he has had to put up with lately he has been amazing! He has continued to make me laugh even when I thought the tears would never stop and brought dinner home when I didn't feel up to cooking. I really can't express what he has done for not only myself but my family and most of all, Bailey. Again, I am not sure I can ever put into words how much I cherish the way he is with Bailey and all he gives her. I know there will never be enough I can do to thank my husband and what he has brought to my life. I love him dearly and hope over the lifetime of our marriage I can mean as much to him as he has meant to me!!!

Sick Toddler!

Our poor little bug is really sick and had to go to the ER today! :( The peditricians office couldn't see her but my mom said she was REALLY sick so they had to head to the ER. I guess it is just a bad case of the flu but they gave her lots of meds and a shot of some type of pain relief since she hasn't slept well the past 2 nights. If everyone could say a little prayer for her that would be great as we all know how miserable it is to be sick!!!

LOTS of Pictures From Bailey's Birthday Weekend

BAILEY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY(Saturday)...

Waiting for the party to begin!

Callie, Cade, and Jackie playing in Bailey's room.

Bailey, Cade, and Callie playing with some building blocks.

Mom and Auntie Peggy

Me, Mom, and Aunt Jack
Me, Margaret, Jack, and Lauren
Hanging out eating some chips and Cheetos.

Dada lovin' on his princess!


Opening a present from Margaret.

Opening presents.

Bailey trying to get outside so she can use one of her gifts.

Being silly with Auntie Peggy's reading glasses.

Now trying on Mr. Potatoe Head's glasses.

Putting the glasses back on Mr. Potatoe Head(a present)

Opening a SUPER soft blanket from Becca and her parents.

Look at all those presents!

Dada helping open a present.

Callie helping Bailey to to a toy!

Opening more presents.

The cake!

Cade and Callie are excited but Bailey isn't so sure what to think!

Blow out the candles!

Still not sure but why not stick my finger in there...

MMMmmm...

First bite.

Okay I can totally do this birthday thing!

Yummy!!!

BAILEY'S ACTUAL BIRTHDAY DAY(Sunday)... Hanging in the backyard with Aunt Jack before Chuck E Cheese!

Sitting with Dada at CEC having some pizza.

Jack and I obviously enjoying CEC.

Bailey likes Chuck E!!!

Enjoying a ride!

Winning tickets at Skee Ball.

Get 'em!!!

Bailey relaxing on a present from The Baker's at the end of her birthday weekend!

As you can see by ALL the pictures Bailey's birthday weekend was a fun one! I still can't believe "our" preemie is 2 years old! She is such a good little girl who is always making everyone laugh with her big personality! Certain things haven't changed like her everlasting, over-the-top love for her Grandpa and Dada and the fact that she still doesn't sleep through the night(I know shame on us). Many things HAVE changed though and like everyone says it goes SO fast! I don't think any of us would give up the sleep we have missed for the many moments we have had with our precious girl. We really haven't hit the terrible twos yet and hope they stay away for a while longer because Bailey is pretty laid back in most aspects...just don't spill or put something in the wrong place as she will notice! We look forward to spending all her birthdays in such a fun, happy atomosphere and hope that our preemie will continue to grow and help us make unbelievable memories!!!

WE LOVE YOU BAILEY BUG!!!!!!