Thomas is 5 months!

Dear Thomas,

You are 5 months old, wow! Time since you have joined our family has gone so quickly. You had a very busy month! You decided you like to roll over. You don't always make it all the way but you are sure figuring it out quickly! You also took your first plane ride this month! You did great on the plane. You came with Mommy down to Sacramento to see Mandy and Nick and meet their new little boy Ben. You guys are destined to be best friends!

About a week ago we started you on rice cereal. You aren't a big fan of it yet. You seem to not know what to do with the stuff once it is in your mouth. I'm sure you will figure that one out quickly though.

We also celebrated your first Thanksgiving and did a trip to Zoo Lights. You loved looking at all the lights as we walked around. It was a bit cold but you were nice and bundled up!

You continue to be a happy boy, you love to watch your sister, you love to be talked to, you love your carseat and you laugh when we kiss your neck.

Love you my sweet baby boy!

Mommy

Halloween and Thomas turns 4 Months Old

Thomas turned 4 months old on October 29th. We went to his 4 month doctors appointment on Halloween so he was all decked out in his Tiger costume. It was so cute! This post is really late but I atleast wanted to get a picture up. He weighed in that day at 16 lbs 15 oz, yikes! He is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. He is my growin' boy!

Kora dressed up like Tinkerbell and she made the perfect one! She was adorable in her green dress that I made for her. I made little pom poms out of yarn to attach to a pair of green shoes she already had. Turned out great! She was very excited to be Tinkerbell!

Boo!

I just had to share this very simple project I did this Fall. I had my niece Jasmin over one day and we went to town making these adorable mason jar jack-o-lanterns. I can't wait to light them in our window on Halloween!

What you need:

Glass jars
orange tissue paper
mod podge
black construction paper
paint brush

First, cut 1 inch strips of orange tissue paper the length that will cover from the top of the jar to the just under the bottom. Then dilute the mod podge - 1 part water to 3 parts mod podge. Brush the mixture onto the jar and place the strips of tissue paper over it. Cover the entire jar this way. Then cut out your jack-o-laterns face with the black construction paper and attach to jar. Last you will want to brush a coat of the mod podge mixture over the entire jar. Let dry over night, then put a lit tea light in it and enjoy!

Thomas James - 3 months old

Thomas,

You are a delight. You are precious. You are funny. You are happy. You are my world.

You have really started to develop a personality in the last month. You laugh and smile at things - especially at your older sister, she can make you smile really big. You are very ticklish, I discovered this by accident one night when drying your armpits after a bath. I was shocked when the little belly laugh sound filled the room. I laughed out loud with you. Now you still laugh a lot when I am getting you dressed - I think your 'spot' is your neck and upper back.

You have eyes for people. You like to have someone to look at and get sad when you are left without a familiar face or someone to talk to.

You are growing like a weed. I am not sure what you weigh these days but I am sure you have surpassed doubling in size from the time you were born.  I had to pull out clothes that are 6 months in size already, yikes!

You love to watch your mobile in your crib and get really sad when it stops 'singing' to you.

You kick your feet like crazy. This creates a bit of a mess at bath time these days. Those feet sure do make that water splash out of your baby bath.

You found your voice! And it can be loud. But it is adorable. Your little squeels fill our home and I love it.

You were dedicated to the Lord on September 25th. It was a special day. Pastor Thomas spoke great words over your life, annointed your little feet, hands and ears with oil, and prayed over your life. Your daddy and I look forward to teaching you about the Lord that we believe and trust in. There are big things ahead in your life!

Thank you for being such a swet little man in my life.

I love you buddy,

Mommy

Trick - O - Treat!

So I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of Halloween. It just has never been one that I look forward to or want to really get into. I don't like scary costumes and spooky things and the way the world portrays the holiday is just evil. But, there are aspects of the holiday that I enjoy - like carving pumpkins, corn mazes and pumpkin patches, the kick off of Fall, and picking out cute outfits for my kiddos to wear.

The other thing I admit is that I play BUNCO....and I love it, a lot. Us girls get together once a month, laugh a lot and have a great time! This month was my turn to host and I got a little carried away....but doing a halloween themed treat station was just way too much fun!

I used a black and orange color scheme - very classic Halloween colors. I gave it a retro feel using the polkadots thourghout and striped paper straws (which I love by the way - the paper straws come in a variety of colors and just add this little touch of fun to every beverage). 

Chocolate cake balls dipped in orange flavored melts - SO good.

Mini Cheesecakes - I used the no-bake cheese cake mix you can buy at the grocery store. It is a very easy recipe to whip up and is so fun in the mini version! Plus, who doesn't love a personal sized cheese cake in a polkadot cup!?!

A close up view of my paper straws. I made straw flags to go on each one. Such an easy extra touch to make drinks so festive!

I also had candy kabobs. I used skewers to put different Halloween candy on. I just love the way they added a little fun decor to the spread of treats.

Mini Caramel Apples! Um, yumm!! i used a melon baller to make the Granny Smith apples mini sized. I then dipped them in melted butterscotch chips. They turned out so good! A great thing to experiment with too! Maybe next time I will try them with peanut butter coating. 



Thanks for checking it out! Happy Fall!!

Grandpa Albaugh

On Friday August 26th, 2011 my Grandpa Albaugh went to be with the Lord. It still remains difficult to think that he is really gone from this earth. So badly I just want to be able to give him one more hug and to sit and have a nice chat with him. He had one of the world’s sweetest smiles and sense of humor. He loved God and his family more than anything in this world and was truly a walking example of God’s grace.

The night that he passed away I sat and through teary eyes I read through a memory book that was compiled 3 years ago as a gift for Grandpa at Christmas time. It was full of notes from each of my cousins and also photos of years past. Reminded me of how blessed I am. As I read each page I loved hearing all the things each of my cousins wrote about Grandpa and Grandma. We all have so many fond memories of our childhood with them as well as moving into our adult lives. They had a way of making each of us feel special. They impacted all of our lives and I know we are all so incredibly sad to not have them here with us. The days following his passing he became famous on Facebook. I loved reading all of people’s posts about him. So many incredible words spoken about him – you definitely felt the impact he had on everyone’s lives that knew him.

I know that Grandpa is now walking Heaven’s golden streets (probably holding Grandma’s hand) but it is still so difficult to think that I will never again see him walk into church, hug my kiddos, laugh, smile, worship the Lord, read his Bible, and fall asleep in his chair. He is going to be missed so terribly. I know in a few weeks when we have Thomas dedicated to the Lord I will for sure miss looking out into the congregation at church and seeing him there. But I know he will be smiling from above.

The day that Grandpa passed I was talking to Kora (2 ½ years old) about him. When I mentioned Great Grandpa she told me that he was sick and needed medicine, a nap, and some food and he would be all better. You have to love the innocence of a child. If only it was true though… but instead we had to receive the notice that on Friday night at 9:40pm Grandpa took his final breaths.

Love you Grandpa, thank you for all the incredible memories you left us with. I will always shake plastic Easter eggs expecting money in them, miss getting the random gifts that the grab-bag provided at Christmas, miss your amazing grilled cheese sandwiches and popcorn, and think of you whenever I eat ice cream (his absolute favorite thing and also his last meal on earth)…. but most of all I will never forget your smile.

Thomas James - 2 months old!

Thomas James,

You are exactly two months old as of today. These past two months have gone way too quickly. You are changing so incredibly fast that I am afraid to just blink an eye. You are as cute as ever and just the sweetest little baby. Your smile melts my heart every time....I am officially wrapped around your tiny little finger.

You went to the doctor a few days ago for your two month check-up. Of course you had to get shots but you were tough about it. A tiny little cry when they first poked you but then you were over it. They weighed and measured you....you are already 12 lbs and 13oz, yikes! You are definitely healthy!

Here are some things I know as of right now:

-Your sister loves you very much. She calls you "my Thomas" and always needs to keep tabs on where you are and what you are doing.

-You absolutely LOVE bathtime. Pretty sure you would be content to hang out in the tub all day long.

-You like to be swaddled.

-You make the cutest grunty noises and are now starting to laugh and coo...so cute.

-You don't like a wet diaper.

-You usually like to stay awake in the car - you definitely did not take after your daddy with this one!

-You have a strong neck, you like to keep that head held up high and look around.

-You love to be carried around in the baby carrier - especially on Mommy's chest...usually puts you right to sleep.

-You love going on evening walks laying in the jogging stroller right next to your sister. You are famous for falling asleep about halfway through.

Thomas you have changed our lives forever and we absoultely adore you. I love watching you grow and develop and I am so excited to be your Mommy. I know God has big plans for your life and I love that I get a front row seat to watch it all unfold.

Love you my chunky monkey!

Mommy