So Thankful.....

for many things this year! There are too many to name, but there are three things that I am especially thankful for this Thanksgiving.

1.) Our little Turkey, of course!

Thank you to one of my mom's former students, Jessica, for Elle's cute bib and hat!

This year was Elle's first Thanksgiving, and I can't describe in words how special this day was! It felt so amazing to be holding the most precious gift from God in my arms this year. Just when I think I can't possibly love Elle anymore, my love for her grows even more each day! She is the light of my life, and I don't know what BJ and I ever did without her! She is definitely our entertainment now, too! So much fun! Thank you, Lord, for our sweet baby girl!

Elle on her first Thanksgiving!

At work, we dispense infertility medications, and I am reminded everyday of how blessed I am. I just don't understand why God allowed me to have a child, when there are others out there who have waited so many years, and are experiencing so much heartache right now. I am so undeserving. He blessed me with an easy and healthy pregnancy, and most of all - a healthy baby. I haven't taken a day of my motherhood for granted, and I thank Him that I know what it feels like to read that positive pregnancy test, what it feels like to have contractions, what it feels like when a baby kicks while in the womb, and what it feels like to give birth to a sweet little life- all such precious moments that some people never get to experience!

2.) Health and Family

My heart has been so heavy for all of those who have lost loved ones recently. Thank you Lord for protecting my family and keeping us healthy!

Our first Thanksgiving as a family!

BJ's grandmother passed away a few weeks ago. This was BJ's last living grandparent. We got Elle's middle name, McCaslin, came from her. Elle never got to meet her, and I really regret this. She had been sick for several years, and was living in a nursing home. I'll be honest and say that we never got the courage up to bring our new baby into that sickly environment to visit, and I would give anything to change this now. If I had tried harder, we probably could have found a way to make it happen under better circumstances. It is so easy to tell yourself that there is always tomorrow. This was an unfortunate reminder to me to live everyday as though it were your last. Each day is a gift from God, and we never know when we will be called home!

3.) God's gift of Eternal Life!

In a world where nothing lasts and things are always changing, we have hope! God is eternal, and He has promised believers eternal life!

When BJ and I moved into our house a few years ago, we invited both of our families to our home for Thanksgiving dinner. I think it is safe to say this is now a Thanksgiving tradition because it stuck! Each year, we end up having about 20 family members over for dinner. Needless to say, if the kids keep coming - we will need a bigger house soon! :) We really enjoyed spending time with everyone! Here are some pics from the night!

Elle with Uncle Landon

Elle with Nana and Poppa!

Elle with Great-Grandma Rita!

Can you tell that Elle is loved just a little bit?! ;)

Here are the 2 little munchkins of the family - Elle and Emma!

We love our little princesses!

It was nearly impossible to get a good picture of them together!

TAKE ONE......

(tried to give them ornaments to help them smile....FAIL!)


TAKE TWO.......

(Elle didn't like her shoes, so we had to take them off! Emma says, "What now, Elle?" haha!)

TAKE THREE.....

How sweet is this?! Finally, a keeper!

Deck the Halls!

I got my Christmas decorations out today! I love decorating, especially for Christmas! I only got about half way done, though, so I have my work cut out for me this weekend! I have got to get the house cleaned, decide on the menu for Turkey Day and get the groceries bought! Our families are coming to eat dinner at our house on Thursday. I can't wait! I have so, so much to be thankful for!

I had such great help decorating today! Here are some pics of my little helpers! :)

Elle and Baxter came to check everything out, and make sure my decorating skills met their standards!

Elle kept looking at me like I was crazy when I kept bringing boxes down from the attic!

She loved the Christmas lights!

She started dancing when I draped them around her shoulders! She didn't know what to do with herself!

Elle is 9 months old (a little late!)

Elle, you have been in this world longer than you were in my tummy! It just doesn't seem possible!

Here are 9 things about Elle at 9 months!

-Still not crawling (the correct way, at least!)... but she can definitely get around! She does this backward scoot/push thing while on her belly, though, and that gets her where she needs to go!

-She loves eating finger foods and drinking from her sippy cup. When she eats, she uses both hands, but it's looking like she is going to be a righty!

-She can wave bye-bye (on purpose!) This is the cutest thing ever!

Look out Miss America!

-Her top two teeth just broke through, so she has a total of 4 teeth!

-She is pulling up on EVERYTHING! We lowered her bed last month when I walked in an saw her about to pull up to standing from her knees! Talk about a heart attack! She is definitely keeping us on our toes!

- After 9 months, we are finally on a schedule and sleeping through the night! Hallelujah! This is so funny, because if anyone was going to have their baby on a schedule it would be me. I had decided that I wanted to do Baby Wise, but this little girl refused to take naps - so I gave up after 2 weeks of trying. She was doing ok, though, and pretty much sleeping through the night up until she got the stomach virus back in September. When she got sick we were giving her fluids during the night, and this turned into a very bad habit! Mommy and Daddy sort of let the problem go on too long - so let's just say we had a looong 2 weeks of weaning her off the bottle at night. (Note to self for next time!) Now, she is doing better than ever! She sort of formed her own schedule and it has worked great! She takes 2, 1 and 1/2 hour naps during the day and sleeps from 8pm to 7am.

- She gets excited and loves to dance when Mr. Duck quacks his song or if her favorite cartoons come on TV! Look at those arms go!
(Poor Elle - I made her do this so many times trying to get it on video - I think she was over it! Oh yes, and you can hear Baxter (our dog) crying in the background - he STILL doesn't understand that this is NOT his toy! I don't know what we are going to do with him!)

-She loves to stick her little tongue out when she smiles! Soooo funny.... do you guys remember my 3-D ultrasound when I was about 30 weeks along? Well, she still has the attitude! :) Ha Ha!

30 weeks gestation!

9 months old!

- Stats: Weight 19 lbs 14oz (68%tile), Height 28 in (56%tile)

Old MacDonald had a Farm...

and on that farm he had a chicken....



and a squirrel.....EIEI-O!

Here is mommy the farmer with her cute little animals!

Love this picture! The looks on their faces = priceless!

Baxter and Elle didn't know what to think about each other!

About to walk around the neighborhood on Elle's First Halloween!



Elle's favorite part of the night was when a nice neighbor gave her a bag of Teddy Grahams! She rattled that bag around for hours. I am sure she would have loved to have had a little taste, but her mommy took care of them for her! In our previous dress rehearsals, Elle's costume only lasted about 5-10 minutes. I was thinking we would be doing great just to get pictures, but she didn't seem to mind it one bit. She was a chicken for a whole 2 hours! Yay Elle!

Elle about to "help" mommy carve a pumpkin!

I ended up carving 1 real pumpkin (for the neighborhood Ghost Walk), then the pumpkins below were faux pumpkins. I think those were one of the best inventions ever! It makes the time you spent carving worthwhile when you get to reuse them every year!

Elle says thank you to the neighbor that "BOO'd" us and gave her the pumpkin hat and bib!

Thank you Nana and Granny for my gifts!