A thankful heart

Thanksgiving day

walked into this sweet scene after washing the dishes from Cotie's birthday dinner...love!

the Christmas boxes came down from the attic this weekend, they crack me up!

craving the turkey with Nana

admiring her special turkey treats



we had some fun times with "baby Baker" this month

my little pumpkins

had the best visit from our aunt Sari and cousins Will and Emma (more pictures to follow)



our gratitude tree, a wonderful idea from sweet a friend Designing for the Soul

Emma and Eliza Grace

Yikes! I am way overdue for a post!

Fall is my favorite time of year. The brisk chill in the air, the vivid colors that take over the trees, the smells of pumpkin spice lattes and apple cider, all make my heart warm and fuzzy.
Fall also brings Thanksgiving. The holiday that I feel like gets rushed and skimped. The Christmas wreaths show up before the turkey's even hit our tables. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas! I am just grateful for Thanksgiving , because it reminds us to reflect and give thanks for all God has blessed us with. And I have SO much to thank God for....

Jesus = my saving grace
the 6:30pm call from Cotie to say he is on his way home
weekends...ahhh
the sound of Eliza Grace's footsteps coming into my room to snuggle every morning
living less than 5 minutes from my mom
Cameron's smile when he see's me pull up in the carpool line
the way my husband cuddles me like we are sleeping in a twin size bed rather than a king
once a month girl dinners with my best friends since high school
the flexibility of my work
Eliza's curly locks
insights from other women
my brothers and sisters near and far
blogs, facebook, google, and email
the stillness and quiet that comes over our house at night..well after 8:00pm
Cameron's creativity and attention to detail
COFFEE esp. Starbucks vanilla lattes
wine, NOT the kind my kids sometimes do, the kind you drink:)
God's forgivness (cause I make plenty of mistakes daily)
pajamas and slippers
Cameron's pride when he tells me how many chapters he has already read in his new book
the artwork and school work that come home in my kids book bags
Eliza's pure sweetness
the way my husband looks at me and knows what I am thinking before I can even say a word
having wonderful neighbors who really love my kids
being a mommy- it's not always easy but I absolutely LOVE... really, really love being
a mom. I consider it a huge blessing
hugs and kisses, lots of them!
laughter
seeing a glimpses of Christ through others, nature, and children

As we prepare for Christmas I know I already have ALL I could ever want or need.

A Halloween to remember

I am pretty sure I have not fully dressed up for Halloween since I was like 12 years old. I have thrown on a witch hat or some cowgirl boots to amuse the kids while we trick or treat. This year I was at the costume store desperately searching for a full costume that I could comfortably wear. It is not an easy task, most are lacking quite a bit of fabric! What would inspire me to do this? Well, we got the invite of all invites to come to Charleston for my sister in law's parent's Halloween bash. This is not your average trick or treat party. Cassie's mom literally has a storage unit for all her decorations. She knows how to throw an amazing party! I think the kids felt like we were at Disney world. We had so much fun! I loved being with my silly big kid brother and his sweet family. I loved seeing the joy in Cameron and Eliza's eyes as they took it all in. We made great memories!

ballet slippers

Last week at ballet Eliza Grace got to wear the crown for the day. I wish I had been able to get better pictures. The teacher doesn't like annoying parents, such as myself, to come into the classes. I can't say that I blame her. So, these were taken from behind the "viewing window"!

A Reading Celebration

One of Cameron's favorite things to do is dress up and pretend. He has a great imagination! Every year at his school they hold a reading celebration day where the entire school can dress as their favorite book character. It is so much fun to see the creativity that goes into the costumes. The parents can also get in on the fun. The whole morning is spent with "special guest" readers. The books come to life for the students. Cameron knew he wanted to be frog from "Frog and Toad are Friends" right away. I am pretty sure he is the cutest frog I have ever seen.
If I were a little princess, I would kiss him!

Thank heaven for my little girl

Eliza and I have had some yummy together times while Cameron has been off at school. I have to say I thank God everyday for blessing me with a little girl. I remember when I got pregnant how guilty I felt for hoping everyday that God was weaving a little one who would love pink in my belly. Knowing fully that a healthy baby is all that really mattered. I remember lying on the table for the ultra sound and praying that I would embrace whatever blessing was announced. The tears of utter joy flowed when we learned that we were going to have a baby girl. My Eliza Grace has exceeded my expectations for what it is like to have a daughter.
Here are a few snap shots of our past week together.


We went with Nana for our ballet shoe fitting. Of course we ended up leaving with more than just the slippers! She can't wait for class to start next week.


We had playdates with our BFF "Claire Bear"


We ate lots of mint chocolate chip ice cream with sprinkles after dinner. Really just had to add this picture because of that smile I get to see everyday!


We had a playdate with Austin, who in his words says...
"Eliza Grace, I am going to marry you"


More playdates! This is Ann Riley, another BFF! Eliza has more of a social calendar than I do!
She loves her friends and I love to see her having so much fun.

Ready, Set, Back to School

The back to school shopping is done, the pencils are sharpened, the name labels are attached, the bookbag is packed, and now for the back to school haircut or should I say shape up?
It is called "No Grease" barber shop. I stick out like a sore thumb, but they always remember our names! It is just like you would imagine... TV set on the sports channel, heavy laughter in the air, the sound of clippers buzzing, a pool table toward the back, and the candy machines that only take exact change. It is an experience to be had!

Check out the finished product! Cameron started first grade today, I don't know where the time has gone. I was one proud mama today! He was so excited and had a pride about him. I told him what I always tell him as we walked out the door... "remember who you are and who lives inside your heart."

Summer days gone by

As we get ready for sounding alarm clocks, filled book bags, dreaded homework, and packing lunch boxes I have to remember our summer days gone by. We did not go on a family beach trip or escape to the mountains. It didn't matter, we had such a fun summer staying right here. Home sweet home! The kids and I came up with our own top ten list for our summer fun.
It goes a little something like this...
1. Hanging out in our PJ's till noon.
2. Summer camps with new friends.
3. Staying in the pool till our fingers look like raisins.
4. Eating Ben and Jerry's with rainbow sprinkles of course!
5. Church staring at 10:00am rather than 8:45am
6. Evening thunder storms that we can snuggle to.
7. Slipping our toes into Crocs or flip flops.
8. Sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and games of Uno.
9. Going to the movies with Mommy's purse full of candy!
10. Yummy picnics and cookouts.

five dollar happiness

My toes were hurting for some loving this past weekend.
I was about to head out the door to get a pedicure when Eliza begged to join me. I could not believe how still she was, even falling asleep at the end. It was too funny! Cotie thinks it is a little like the show "Toddlers and Tiara's" Don't worry we did not hit the spray tan booth on the way home. I think it was the best five dollars ever spent!

VCC

This past week was vacation church camp for us. I taught a class of eleven pre- k kidos. It was a huge commitment to make for the whole week, but I am so glad I did it. I really loved making relationships with other children and other moms. It was cool to be able to peek in on Cameron and Eliza Grace as they went through their days learning about God's amazing love for them. We all came home tired with the songs of the day singing in our heads. It was a good tired though!

Family Day at Hendrick BMW

Once a month the dealership I where I work closes down for an hour and a half and we have a luncheon for all employees. It's a great break from the chaos and a good opportunity for our General Manager to go over stats, facts, figures, and rankings. We usually have a good lunch and you never know who is going to spin "the wheel" for cash. Good stuff. For the July luncheon we have a family day where everyone brings the family and we all dress up in goofy shirts. This year we had hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. We also had a real race car, clowns and an ice cream truck. The kids were able to tour the dealership and just have fun with daddy at daddy's work. They liked it and I loved to have them at the place where I spend soooooo much time.

A shout out to Cam

Okay, so it is almost July and I am just now giving a much deserved shout out to my Kindergarden grad! Cameron had such a great year in Mrs. Doran's class. My shy timid little guy really came out of his shell. He has really grown up and reminds me of it everyday (literally) ! The last week of school they had a spirit week complete with silly hat day and pajama day. So much fun! Of course I had to crash the party to snap a few pics.

I love you Cam man! You hate it BUT you will always be my baby boy!

Our #1 Dad

We had a great father's day starting off with breakfast in bed. The day ended with us having a picnic at Pop's in the Park. We enjoyed yummy eats, played rounds of UNO, found animals in the clouds and moved to the music.

I mean what could be more fun?

I am so grateful that my children have such a wonderful dad.

He can create a firetruck out of a cardboard box, he can cause songs of laughter with his tickles, he is great at coming up with tricks to help us remember something, he leads dance jam sessions in our kitchen, he gets loud cheers followed by hugs and kisses when he comes home from work, he knows magic tricks, he works so hard for us, he is a computer wiz, he shows the kids how much he loves me, he is our constant calm from any storm.

We love you very much!

Amazing talent and heart capturing our family

We have not taken family pictures since Cameron was about two years old. It was time and something I had been dreaming of doing. My precious friend Amy recommended her friend Jen Hunt to us to take some pics. Well, never in a million years did I think it would be such an awesome experience.

We had the privilege of spending time with Jen and Chris Hunt a few weeks ago. I literally left the shoot thinking to myself... if none of those pictures turn out it is okay. It was that fun! The two of them are such fun, talented, and simply sweet people. They also happen to be very beautiful. I am really becoming a little obsessed with them. Seriously though, when I saw the pictures that they took I was blown away. I really don't know how I got to be so blessed. I have the best husband in the world who loves me deeply no matter what. I have two breath taking children who make my heart dance daily. I am so thankful for the Lord's gifts.

So...I am officially madly in love with my family!

to see more go to

http://www.jenhuntphotography.com/mary-katherine-cody-eliza-grace-cameron/