I am so blessed!

I am thankful...

for little girls, giggles, and big oak trees.

I am thankful for...

sunshine, my loving family, and piles of leaves.

I am thankful...

for treasured moments, little fingers, and friends - old & new.


I am thankful...

for toys to pick up, good books to read, & the sky so blue.

I am thankful...

for all my incredible sisters, pets, & memories made.

I am thankful...

for delicious food, especially chocolate, and for lemonade.

I am thankful...

for my wonderful husband, a loving God, and beautiful places to go and see.

I am thankful...

for princesses, coffee, art and the freedom to be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thick as Thieves

And they're off!

Perfectly in step.

Just want to eat them.

Ok, I'll let you have a bite too.

But I never said they were perfect.

(some hugs are just a little too big.)

"Bless you, my darling, and remember you are always in the heart -

oh tucked so close there is no chance of escape -

of your sister."

- Katherine Mansfield

Proud Papa

Having two little girls, Brad is usally asked to participate in lots of tea parties...

and to take care of lots of princesses...

so I couldn't believe my ears just now when I heard his first born princess ask him,

"Daddy, how do you tackle? Will you show me how to tackle?"

Playing hookey

This year, Lillianna goes to school five days a week. Five days!

Only for three hours in the morning...and she loves it...but I miss her.

So today she stayed home.

We soaked in the gorgeous weather and enjoyed our morning together.

We looked for the little things {in life} all day... like fallen ladybugs among the tiny pebbles.

We LAUGHED!

These two really had fun being together. They usually do.

In fact, most mornings Ellenie still cries or whimpers when we drop La La off at school.

Then about an hour before we pick her up,

she starts repeating, "I want La La. I want go La La school."

And as soon as Lillianna gets in the car, she starts handing all her artwork and worksheets to Ellenie, explaining each one and telling us about her day. They are both so happy to be together.

Lillianna is a wonderful big sister...proud, protective, patient.

Ellenie is a great little sis...proud, pesty, and incredibly in awe of "La La"

Lillianna is silly, quirky, sensitive and loves to laugh.

Ellenie is silly, funny, cuddly, and loves to make her sister laugh.

They are perfect for eachother.

It was a great morning, an uneventful afternoon, and a really super evening.

I wish I could have bottled the whole day up -

the perfect weather, the girls giggles, the smell of pumpkin cupcakes {we love them!}, the colorful leaves, all the love I'm feeling - so I could savor it all again.

Last week's little vampires

Perfectly Pink Big sis Vamp

Absolutley adorable little sis vamp

Hoppy Halloween!

The Bunny & The Bee

I think it should be a book.

The characters will be sweet and clever and beautiful...

just like these two.

A sweet, fun, magical Halloween full of candy, friends, and bubbles!

There's a party in my tummy!

So what was it that these girls couldn't get enough of?

Super Easy Super Yummy Pumpkin Cupcakes

I saw the recipe in Real Simple Magazine:

Prepare a box of yellow cake mix but substitute a can of pumpkin for water.

(I still added a bit of water because it was so thick)

Bake, cool, and ice with cream cheese icing (I used Pilsbury Whipped),

and top with a candy corn.

They were a huge hit and had that "hint of fall" taste that I'm craving right now.

So easy! So good! and

So cute!

Enjoy!

Her first big hair cut

Before:

During:

AFTER:

Big Sister (who also got one) was so proud of little Ellenie (who is getting to be such a big girl!).

She's headed to an AVON convention this weekend

This little rascal ransacked my purse

while I was busy visiting with Sue-Sue & Pops.

We had a great time! Thank you!

Feelin' Fall

Feelin' in the Fall Mood,

we decided to decorate a bit ...

We got together with friends and made a GIVE THANKS garland.

It was tons of fun, a big mess, and a great success!

I used Ellenie and Lillianna as my hand print models

and made it out of fabric instead of paper so we can use it for years and years to come.

I can't believe how close in size their little hands are.


In everything, give thanks...psalm 7:17

(Those our some of our pumpkins from our pumpkin patch trip!)

fabulous fall

I Love Love Love FALL!

And it's finally here!

So we went on our first Fall outing...

We had a great time at the local pumpkin patch!

So many fun things to do...so many fun things to look at...

We left with lots of pumpkins, great memories, and some great big smiles!

Happy Fall!