Pettiskirt

So, I splurged. I ordered a custom birthday outfit for the babe. However, the pettiskirt that was coming from Hong Kong, arrived one day late. A day late and a few pictures short. It is absolutely adorable! I will take her in for her 1 year old pictures after Christmas. A big thank you to the husband that ran out and found a pink frilly skirt to substitute for the party. But here are the pics of what she should have worn.......

LOVE this baby butt!

Happy First Birthday Party!

The final First Birthday Bash is over and done with. A little bittersweet I must admit. At our home, birthdays are a big deal. We celebrate our children and make their day as special as possible. This includes a coordinated theme, balloons (tons of balloons), streamers, cake, and lots of fun! I have to admit, it has taken my husband a few birthdays to come around to the balloons and celebration extravaganza. However, he is now onboard. I just love to decorate and see the birthday kid's face when they see all the fun around the house. This year, it was no less special. Tess came down from her nap to see all the birthday fun and was just too cute. She has not stopped pointing at her monkey balloons yet!

We had all the family over to celebrate with presents, appetizers, and cake. So much fun! We are definitely blessed with such a large and loving family. Tess was such a cute little birthday girl, and although her pettiskirt did not arrive on time (note: do not order from Hong Kong off Etsy unless you have a 2 month wait) Daddy pulled through and picked up a cute skirt from Target and saved the outfit! Thanks Daddy! And thanks Daddy for buying your baby girl's first flowers!

Monkey

Dear Sweet Tessy Boo,
You are a gift. We hoped and prayed and tried and worked hard and never thought we would have you. In fact, we were resigned to just having two children.....and then SURPRISE! You, my little miracle, my gift from GOD arrived! I love you so. So much more than you will ever understand. You complete this family absolutely. Our little monkey with the biggest smile I have ever seen. You are full of joy! Always. (Well, not really in the middle of the night. Your dad and I think there is a case of the baby snatcher happening at night because we don't understand how sweet little you can be so angry in the middle of the night!) You are just a gentle little soul that fills me with wonder. Cale and Mary love you so much! Everyone of us is head over heels in love....with you! Thank you for coming to our family. Thank you for the smiles. And dear, sweet Tess....thank you for the bazillion "Hi"s that you say everyday. You have the sweetest breathy little voice! (except at night.) And lastly,

Happy Birthday!!!

A little Santa Magic!

Well, Santa is still magical over in this home! My little girl has told me that "He sure is special" and my boy said "It must be the real Santa!" after their visit yesterday. And it helps that Santa sent us an elf that is watching us! This little elf, Max, appeared on our kitchen table with a book about him. Mary was a little scared of the elf, not wanting to look at it since it was watching her! Too cute. But, Cale knew right away that Santa sent him to check on us~Santa had told us he would be watching when we visited! This year the kids are quite clear on what they want for Christmas.

Cale:

-Hogwarts Lego Castle

-Snowboarding gear

-Dog Pillow Pet

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Mary:

-Fluffy ZhuZhu Pet

-Leapster (a GIRL one!)

-Fancy Nancy Doll

-Unicorn Pillow Pet

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Tess:

This little girly just smiled and said "hi"!

(Big brother asked for something Monkey)

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I can't wait for Christmas. The presents are slowly getting wrapped and under the tree. I am yet to make my official list, seems hard to ask for anything when we are so blessed. I do find it hard to want for anything these days. Maybe some time for myself. But, that is not something that can be wrapped! We will have a busy couple weeks coming into the official Christmas Time, I will be working a lot which tends to upset the whole rhythm of this family. I think we are all looking forward to the start of my 12 hour day shifts in January.

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I am sure my next post will be in celebration of my beautiful baby turning ONE! Don't fret, her custom made birthday outfit is being shipped as we speak, the party supplies arrived yesterday, and yes, I will be making her custom cake! Yes, that is a lot, but, she is my baby. I love that girly. Catch you later with a post about the big day!!