Giving Thanks

We have so much to be thankful for this year. Most notably-our family, friends, and health. I am also so thankful to be able to stay home with our sweet little girl everyday. This year we gave thanks with Jason's family in East Texas. We made the 10 hour drive (normally about 7) to Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday morning with Grandma and Grandpa. We stopped in Dallas to pick up Uncle Travis and fought the I-35 traffic the entire way there. Amazingly, Ainslee did quite well in the car on the way there and back! We stayed with GG (Jason's grandmother), but drove to Quitman on Thanksgiving morning. Ainslee got to meet a large portion of her extended family on Jason's Dad's Dad's side of the family (I did too for that matter). She took a few nibbles of turkey and called it quits on the "thanksgiving food." She opted for a 3 hour nap instead. Mommy and Daddy got to actually enjoy a long, peaceful Thanksgiving meal! :) We had fun enjoying the country and beautiful weather, and loved watching Ainslee chase around all the dogs. We stayed at GG's through Saturday, where Ainslee was our main source of entertainment. Having two grandparents and a great-grandmother around really allowed her to "show off" :) We all had a wonderful break and loved getting to spend time with our family. We are blessed!

Ainslee enjoyed playing with her 3rd cousin

The fam

She loved the cows



Enjoying a bed time snack

I am so sad that this is the only picture I managed to get at GG's house. Our camera is on the fritz and Ainslee is still opposed to her picture being taken. Bad combination, but a new VERY nice camera will be here soon. Now if we can just get Ainslee to cooperate we will be in business!

Splish Splash Two Babies in a Bath

After a messy black bean fiasco at lunch yesterday, I decided we would take a group bath (and by we, I mean Ainslee and Cameron) -that and the fact that they were both due for late afternoon naps, so we had a lot of time to kill... For some reason, they both thought it was just hilarious to be in the tub together. I think they would have played in there all afternoon, but I just was keeping my fingers crossed no one would poop (and they didn't).

Just a little snippet of the fun these girls have together:

I'm a Mommy!

It's official, I am a mommy. You may be thinking, "ummm, hasn't she been a mommy for two years now???" Well, technically yes (well almost), but as of yesterday Ainslee now calls me mommy! She started calling me mama around 10 months old. It lasted a few months and then she stopped. She says Daddy and a ton of other words, including the names of most of our family members and a few friends, but WOULD NOT say mommy,mom, or mama, nothing! She started calling me dada a few weeks ago (not sure if she was trying to be funny or what), then progressed to bommy, and now we have mommy. I love it. I have wanted to be called Mommy since I was about three years old!

Playdates!

We have been loving this beautiful fall weather, and totally taking advantage of it with friends and lots of time at the park! We love fall!

In the Nude

Yep, this is how I found Ainslee this morning. Her pajamas and diaper were on the floor. I wasn't aware of the fact that she could completely undress herself. Let the fun begin...

Carnival Fun

For Halloween this year, we took Ainslee to Grammy's school carnival in Hunt. Ainslee got another use out of her Aggie cheerleader outfit (and will next football season too!). We thought she would be a little overwhelmed by all the people, but she had a blast playing different games and discovering a love for candy. I know, our child was so deprived, but she had her first sucker on Halloween (thanks to Grammy's lolly pop booth) and I am afraid there is no turning back now! Apparently her outfit was a hit, because she will still randomly bust out with "Go, go, go, Aggies!" at the top of her lungs. At 23 months now, I will say that is her most commonly used complete sentence :)

Yes, that is Grammy dressed as a biker (wish I had a picture of her boots)! :)



Cake-walking with Mommy



Loving her first sucker!



Just because -this picture cracks me up

Fishing with Daddy

Finding pumpkins in the hay was her favorite!

Cameron's One!

Last Friday was Cameron's real birthday. I decided we needed to do something new and fun to celebrate her special day (and keep her mind off all the shots she had to get that morning)! We loaded up and headed to Emerald Rainbow in Spring Branch for some fun. The girls both had a great time bouncing, running, and playing with "new" toys. They had a great 3 and under area that was completely gated off - i.e. no escaping :) We will have to make another trip out there soon- especially since it was FREE (for adults and kids 3 and under)!

Cameron enjoying her new forward facing view!

Bouncing together on an alligator



Cameron loved playing with the kitchen set

Modeling her new dress, made with love from Ms. Cara