My 2 Favorite People

My two favorite people! Love.

Life

Claire is doing fantastic. She is in full swing of being two. My marriage is wonderful. Eric and I of course have our moments (what couples don't who have been together has long as us). There are other things that keep my life on a roller coaster ride and no some are not great, some are just plain sad but life does go on. Thank goodness for my baby, she can make me laugh within a second of being sad or down. She is my cheer team. She's amazing, even when she's driving me up a wall and even on the days when she "lost her ears". She makes me smile. When I'm sad, she knows. She knows and she comes to make me feel better. I love her. I love my life. I just wish the roller coaster ride would stop for a while and I can get off. Life, we live it good or bad. Day by day, I'm SO thankful for what I have, for what the Lord has given to me!

I know I'm happy it's Friday, are you?!

Pumpkin Patch Time

It's my favorite time of the year...fall, Halloween, pumpkin patches, apple picking... I love fall! Last Sunday we went to our favorite apple orchard/pumpkin patch - County Line Orchard. Love it (and their amazingly delicious pumpkin donuts)! Claire had a great time. She loved picking the apples off the trees. She got to pick apples, pick pumpkins, have lunch, cider and donuts, play in the kids area and see animals - she's been talking about this day ever since! It's so cute to me what she remembers from our family outings. The weather was perfect, the company was great and memories were made!

Here are some pictures from our awesome fall day (10.2.2011)

And She's Not Even 16....

Attitude. That word has become a very popular one, here at home. I'm talking about my sweet, booger of a little girl. MAN, she is something else lately. The only plus side is that her vocabulary is amazing. I feel like she is talking a lot and understanding what she is saying. BUT sometimes what comes out of her mouth is pure attitude.
Here are some examples, enjoy:

• Mommy, fix it now Now NOw NOW NOOOW!
• Hush Mommy Hush!
• NO!
• Claire (or I) do it. Not mommy (or daddy/papa/nana).
• Mommy (daddy) go get it.

Of course I love her to the moon and back but I am seeing a clear picture of what her teenage years will be like. I know my mom has said, "I hope she was just like you". I understand I wasn't always the nicest mouth teenager so I am hoping that through how I was, I will understand what Claire is going through. Although it will be so annoying and  I will probably want to shake her a few times, I will be able to take a deep breath and no, this too shall pass!

I'm just glad she's SO cute!!

Claire Smile...

Claire smile...

And this is what I got....

 

And then this...

 After take three

 I gave up and put the camera down!

Gotta love a stinker of a two year old!

Hello Fall

Things I want, during the fall months:

1. To make it to the apple orchard. It's an awesome place. They have the cutest kids area, yummy you-pick them apples and the tastiest pumpkin donuts. 
2.  Drink a ton of pumpkin spice latte's with skim milk.
3. Buy a couple of new warm and cuddly sweaters.
4. Get new black, over the jean boots.
5. To go to this awesome pumpkin patch in Illinois. Claire will love it, especially the pig races!
6. Go to Galena, which we do every October. There it always feels like "fall".
7. Bonfires and making s'mores!
8. Watch football - Go Bears!
9. Find the perfect Halloween costume for Claire.
10. Take as many nightly family walks as possible - wearing a hoodie of course.
11. Sleep with my windows up. I love a nice cool breeze when I sleep!

Fall is my favorite! I hope you all have some great Fall plans because you know here in Illinois Fall will not be here long. We will probably have a few summer days, then some more fall days and finally we will be stuck with winter! I know that I'm going to cherish this amazing fall days!

 

Wordless Wednesday

*Wordless Wednesday*

 A Day At The Zoo