The Great Pumpkin Patch of 2012

This past Saturday we did something that I have always wanted to do with my future child...... we visited a pumpkin patch!!!  It really was fun- pretty much all that I envisioned it to be.

We went to a local farm in the area called Brookdale Farms where they grow tons of pumpkins and corn and other vegetables all year.  My friend Tonya and her hubby went here last year and loved it so we decided to go with them this year and check it out!!  And as a bonus, my sweet friend Tara was in town visiting from Pennsylvania, so she hung out with us as well!!!

So this was the beginning of our journey, I took a picture of most of our group as we were searching for the perfect pumpkin!!! My Sweetness here in black and Tonya's hubby Greg were hilarious as they were on the "hunt" for that pumpkin!  Tara was wheeling the wheelbarrow and before we knew it, the guys had piled like 6 pumpkins in the wheelbarrow!! LOL  So we had to trim it down to the perfect one for both of us...... but I think the men conquered the quest- true to their male makeup-  search and conquer!!

Tonya brought their Red Flyer wagon you can see in this picture for the girls to ride in through the patch.  It was a total hit!!  I love how it has sun shades for both of them, and they each had seat belts and everything!  Sarah and Chloe are 3 months apart but they are still working on their social skills and learning how to share..... but I love to see how little ones learn to communicate with others their age- it's fascinating!!!

I love this shot- it looks so countryish (is that a word???lol) and serene and peaceful!  The silos in the back just take me to a place mentally free of the hustle and bustle of the everyday grind.  And of course our 2 sweeties sitting in the wagon just adds to the awesomeness of this picture for me :)

So let me emphasize how blasted HOT it was outside!!!!  It was certainly NOT fall weather- it was 90 degrees people- yes 90 degrees in mid October!!!  So poor Chloe and Sarah were sweating terribly which of course makes for cranky babies- and not to mention a cranky Momma too!!! 

Finally after we purchased our pumpkins, we also purchased tickets for the horse wagon hay ride that they had at the farm.  As we waited for the ride to circle back around, we decided to take some haystack pics of out families and the girls in their matching shirts!  Did I mention it was hot outside that day?  This pic literally shows the punishing heat we were trying to ignore all day  Ha!

This seems to a familiar picture whenever we get the girls together!!!  :)  Chloe is always trying to have some of whatever Sarah is eating.  Chloe is not a real "snacker" yet, but Sarah is older and she carries her little snacks around, and Chloe wants to be a part of that--- Sarah does not really want her to though!!!  But Chloe managed to sneak one of her goldfish that had fallen on her lap before we moved Sarah onto the right side of the haystack!!

Chloe and her first Pumpkin......  "What do I do with this thing Momma?"

She wasn't quite sure what to do with it either!!!  LOL

We decided to grab a family shot at the pumpkin patch- by this time I had my hair pulled back in a rubber band and wishing I could disrobe- but I saved the public from that display--Haha- It was brutal out there!!!

......and of course kisses from the Momma and Daddy!!!

While still waiting for the horses to bring around the wagon...... I decided to take a few snap shots of Tara and Chloe!  Man I love this picture!  It shows pure joy and happiness from both of them!  :)

Finally we were on our horse drawn hay ride around the farm, and it was so much fun!!!  But did I mention it was scorching hot???  Hence my child that is always dressed to a tee, has no shirt on!  She loved the hay ride, she was so fascinated by the horses because we were sitting right up front by the farmer holding the reigns of his horses.

Good Times !!!!

Quick pic of the family....

So this is Bill and Ed. That is truly the horse's names!! These horses listen to no one except him (the farmer), and it is amazing what they can do, he would tell them to "pick it up a bit now" and they would start to trot, he'd say "Bill and Ed, Geee" and they would both turn to the right, he would say "Bill and Ed,  Haawwllllll" and they would both turn to the left!!!

This was our view for the ride, and I asked the farmer a million questions about the horses, I just find them so fascinating!!! He takes excellent care of them, they are like his babies. Bill and Ed are Belgian quarter horses and are 12 and 13 years old respectively.

And finally a head picture of our new friends..... they were just beautiful!!!

A great time was had by all!!!  We were soaked with sweat, and by the time we were leaving Chloe was down to just a diaper!!!  Haha!!  And as we were getting in the car, a lady next to us had a 12week old black lab puppy.  Chloe LOVES dogs because we have two and she wants to play with them.  I thought she looked so cute with this sweet little puppy!!

So there you have it folks......The Pumpkin Patch of 2012!!!  I think this is the last thing that I had yet to do for the first time with Chloe since she turns a year old in one week from yesterday!!!  I just can not believe it has gone by sooooooo fast!!!

 

I am feverishly getting things together for her 1st birthday party this Saturday----its only in 2 days, and I am freaking out!!!  I have so much to do, and not a lot of money to spend on a 1 year old's party that will be just happy to get her fingers in that cake and get messy- the harder I try to keep her clean.  Hahahaha!!

 

But we are still getting several proofs of our amazing photo shoot we had as a family this past Saturday.  I have only gotten about 8 of the over 400 pictures she took, but you will not believe how beautiful these pics turned out!!!!  My gracious- I just love it when things turn out like you envisioned!!!  I am going to include just one here so you can get a taste of the beautiful images I will be sharing with you real soon, as soon as she sends me the CD!!!

 

Here ya go.........

BE STILL MY HEART..........

52 weeks!!!! Yipee!!!

Well we finally arrived at 52 weeks old!!!  I know there are 52 weeks in a year, and her birthday is not until next Tuesday, so I don't know why this is the 52nd week??  My mom says I miscounted but I will have to go back and check and count the weeks I guess......  but we have been counting these weeks for as long as i can remember!!!

But anyway, she is more precious each and every day!!!  We got her 1year pictures taken Saturday and she did so wonderful!!!  She smiled and clapped and was just a baby doll!!!

We also had our first professional family portraits done while we were at it!!!  We all wore black tops and dark jeans and I received 4 previews last night and I must say there is not one picture in the bunch that I don't like!!!  As soon as I get the finished CD of them, I will be sure to show you!!!

So this will be such a busy busy week ahead!!!  I have so much last minute things to do for her party this weekend!!!    My mom is helping me so much and I would be lost without her!!!  She said last night that we were going to love the present she got for Chloe, so I cant wait to see what she got for her birthday!!!

Mommy and Daddy bought her a leap frog table that has all sorts of light up and singing things on the top of the table.  I like it because she has to stand up to play with it- and I hope that keeps her standing longer to build those leg muscles so she will walk sometime before Christmas!!!  LOL

I just can not believe how big my little angel has gotten in just one year!!!  She is soooo full of personality and just loves life!!!  She plays so hard all day- she never wants to stop and take a nap, she loves her Daddy more than anything and gives the sweetest kisses to her Momma!!!  How could I ask for more??

She is always just a clapping.....  and being such a happy girl!!

This picture cracks me up!!  She looks as as if she is saying "Ta Da!"

And this is her Ms. America wave--- Daddy says we are starting her early- and I say absolutely no to the pageant arena!! I know Chloe would win them all she is so beautiful, but I do not want her to base her self worth on whether she wins this competition or that one.  She is of worth because she is a child of the King!

Also this past weekend we went to the pumpkin patch with some of our friends and took tons of pictures.  I will blog about that next.  But all in all this week is going to be so fun and so busy.  We have lots of people coming to her party- more than I even thought- but that's great!!  the more the merrier!!  And you know I will have TONS of pictures of that great milestone event!!

Until tomorrow or Wednesday- I will be working on the Pumpkin patch post!!

Have a blessed week!

Her first piece of jewlery!!!!

I had my princess her very first piece of jewlery made.  It is a very cute baby pink braclet.  I thought these pictures were so precious, I'm going to just post them for you to see, with  no unnecessary commentary!!! Hope you enjoy these!!!!  Man I love this girl!!! 

51 weeks old- I can't believe it!!!!

My baby girl is soooo grown!!!!  My goodness, she is so independent and has sooooo much personality!!!  She is just the happiest little girl ever!!!  She babbles non stop from the time she wakes up until she literally can't talk anymore, she falls asleep babling to me as I rock her.....Her happiness is infectious!!!!  These pictures were snapped about 10 minutes after waking her up and getting her dressed.  She is always this happy except for when its time to go to bed, then she just wants to snuggle!!!

 I'm still busy planning her 1st birthday party in 2 weeks!!!  I think back to where I was emotionally and mentally a year ago.....I was a hot mess!!!!  All the unknowns.  was I going to get the baby, what was going to happen?  Her birth mom played some games with me and my emotions and I was just so raw and on edge, but if I could have only known the amazing outcome, the amazing joy to come, and just rested in knowing HE had everything in the palm of His hands....ah lessons learned!!

 I'm so excited about her 1st birthday pictures this weekend!!!  We are also having some family pics made of the 3 of us, and I can't hardly wait!!!  We have decided to wear black shirts and jeans, and maybe be barefoot, we will have to see.  Then after her photos that morning, we are headed to the pumpkin patch with our friends and their little girl Sarah!!!  I can't hardly wait!!!

 

Chloe's teachers at nursery school say she has a little boyfriend, his name is Benjamin!!  The two of them play together every day almost exclusively!!  I think it is soooo cute!!!  I am planning on taking in cupcakes for them on her actual birthday Tuesday Oct. 16th for them all to have, and I hoe to get some really cute pictures of them wearing party hats!!!  But who knows how it will go, babies are babies and they are messy!!

 I included this picture, because I thought it was so funny that she was yawning in the middle of all her smiles!!!  She had just woken up as I said earlier and she started to show the signs after a bit of smiling and posing.....but she is such a ham in front of the camera these days!!!  I guess I have had it pointed in her face since the day she was born!!  Ha!

 And she has finally learned to wave a real good-bye!!!  Before it was like a whole arm wave, but now she has mastered the turn at the wrist, and she is just so precious!!!  Here she is waving bye to Daddy..... 

So with that, I will wave bye for now.  We will definitely be back with more fun stories and pictures as we begin to celebrate my very favorite season....FALL!!!!   Happy Fall Ya'll!!!!

Chloe loves her Grandma!!!!

So here is Miss Priss, happy and ready to go play with her friends !!!

Her shirt today reminds me of something I have been wanting to post about for awhile now but keep forgetting........ When I was going through infertility struggles, I lost or dropped most of my friends.  I was jealous in part of them having baby after baby and it was too painful to be around, and I also could not relate to where they were in their life at that point.  Having a child changes everything and they wanted to talk about that, and I .....well was still pining away for that life for myself! 

But through it all one constant friend remained, my mom.

My mom empathized with me as best she could, having not been infertile herself.  But she did desperately want a grandchild as much as I wanted to give her one.  So in that space we could relate and understand the feelings of unfairness, jealousy, confusion and the why me's???

 

Since we have been blessed with Chloe, I have gotten a chance to see my mom become the grandmother she always wanted to be.  She adores our little princess, and she takes every opportunity to see her or play with her etc.  My parents live about 45 minutes from our house, but my mom works right near our house and her daycare.  She will sometimes go pick her up from daycare and bring her home for us, just to spend some time with her.

 

Other times she will come over for the evening after work and play and play with Chloe, help bathe her and rock her to sleep, then spend the night to see her in the morning and go to work from our house since we are so close by.  Chloe has come to know and LOVE her grandma and I am so happy she does!

I hope their bond lasts a lifetime, like mine has with my Nana.  I hope she can always find that solice in life with her grandma...... and learn from her all the wonderful advice she has to share.  Thank you Mom for being the Grandma I always knew you would be.......

And to Sean's Mom, Grandma Mary, you never got to meet our baby Chloe, but we know she has an angel in heaven watching over her all day, and she would have adored you too!!!  :0)