Halloween and a baby...{both a week late...}

Halloween was a week ago.

So was my due date.

One was fun, the other is not so much.

I'll keep moving on, as I'm sure you can guess which is which...

 

We gathered at our friends Dave and Sarah's again this year to get all the PEPS kiddos together for a Halloween brunch. We have some seriously talented and creative mom's in our group who put together darling and original costumes. Thankfully, I have a talented and creative mother in law who volunteered to make Charlotte's clown costume this year. Score!

And just because it's fun...a look back at the last two Halloween celebrations...

It is amazing to me to see how much these guys have grown...and so very special that Charlotte is creating memories with these wonderful families.

 

On Halloween night Charlotte's school had a Harvest Party complete with a costume contest, and guess who won?? Our girl! So funny and adorable. Talk about a proud stage mom!

Holding hands with her buddy Mary Lou (cutest name ever, right?!)

 

And because I seem to take a lot more pictures on my phone than my camera these days...my Instalife lately.

 

That about brings me up to speed on things.

  How about you follow suite real shortly little one?

Mama is getting a bit tired {understatement} of waiting for you...

Keeping busy {or trying to}

I am fairly certain that the vast majority of women, regardless of how well their pregnancy has gone, would agree that the last few weeks are the hardest.

The uncomfotables have officially set in, perhaps the nightime insomnia, walking has become something more similar to waddling, and the trips to the bathroom to pee have reached what can only be concluded as a ridiculous level. Couple that with the anticipation of labor to come, meeting your new little love and knowing that one of your lifes most major events is about to happen...it all makes for a bit of anxiousness these last weeks.

 

Or at least for me it does.

 

And don't get me wrong, I've been truly blessed in both my pregnancies that they have gone so smoothly, that I've felt so healthy throughout and that there haven't, thus far, been any big complications. But even still, I'm on the home stretch here...and I'm ready.

 

That's why it has been so nice that we've had so many fun fall activities to fill our time with this past month. Not only to embrace the season and the what it has to offer, but also to help this mama keep her mind on something other than the feet that keep kicking her ribs.

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We had our now annual tradition of gathering at the pumpkin patch/petting zoo with our dear PEPS friends. And Grammie was even here to join us! Thankfully the weather held off and made for a perfect morning adventure.

Charlotte was much more adventurous in petting the goats this year than last.

 

The mama's and their babes...ever the challenging pic to capture!

Our growing littles...

 

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We also got to spend a delicious afternoon with our best buds Emma and Avery decorating Halloween cookies.

When I grow up I want to have Avery's gorgeous locks!

 

Amazingly Charlotte I think didn't realize that it was actually cookies she was painting the frosting on and didn't eat one throughout the entire process. Quite a feat for our little sweet tooth girl. (not to worry, cookies were most definitely consumed after the project was complete!)

 

Happy weekend everyone! Here's to some cozy football and grilled cheese afternoons, Halloween gatherings...and a bit more waiting.

Three going on Four.

In a few short weeks, give or take, our little family of 3 will be a growing family of 4.

 

I want time to speed up so we can meet our new little love. I want time to slow down so I can cherish this time with just my one girl.

I am a mix of emotions.

I try and imagine sometimes what it will be like to be a mama to two little girls.

The amazing responsibility and opportunity that awaits me is both exciting and nerve racking. I want them to know they are beautiful, they are capable, they are smart and that they are loved every day of their lives. I want to protect them, to help them grow, expose them to new opportunities and teach them to be kind.

 

I imagine the deep and unconditional love my girls will share with each other and it literally makes me giddy for them. I imagine their giggles and playtimes, and later their inside jokes and eye rolling faces to each other when they are annoyed with their parents. I imagine and dream of their futures together.

 

And I look at Charlotte, who has turned into such a big girl...and I know she will become and even bigger girl soon. The big sister. How can it be? My baby is going to be the big sister.

 

I know that there are many sleepless nights ahead of me. That there will be challenging days and times when Nick and I wonder how we're going to do it all. And as awful as this sounds, it's hard to imagine that I will love another person as much as I love this little girl.

 

But I know that I will. That in truth, I already do. I know that our lives are about to get even better and our hearts are about to grow again.

 

Because I have never felt as fulfilled in my life, as I do in my role as a mother.

I love her beyond measure.

And I love her beyond measure...

 

Looking forward to our days as four...and cherishing our days as three.

 

*Photos taken a couple of months ago by the extremely talented Erin Schedler. Check her out!

Sprinkled.

A few weeks ago, on another of our gorgeous fall days, I was "sprinkled". Family and close friends gathered at Auntie's gorgeous house for an afternoon of celebrating this new life to come.

 I am one lucky girl. This baby is one lucky girl.

I've realized that I am a serious nose-scruncher when I smile...has it always been like that? or are the wrinkles just setting in???

 

I whole heartedly believe in the saying that "it takes a village to raise a child". These amazing women are part of our village, and I realize more and more just how fortunate we are to be surrounded by their love and companionship. They are our support system, a listening ear, a sounding board...and they make my life and the lives of my girls joyful.

 

Group huggie...Charlotte's favorite thing to demand!

 

Thank you to everyone for creating such a memorable and special day for us. You sure know how to make a girl feel loved.

 

xoxo

Last days of summer...

It's seems quite appropriate that I'm finally getting around to blogging about a few of our last summer adventures when tomorrow is the first official day of fall.

At least I'm getting it in before the seasonal deadline, right?

*****

 

We headed over the mountains on Labor Day weekend to soak up some eastern Washington heat one last time before summer concluded. And because Charlotte's school was closed we were able to take some extra time and make it a super-extended weekend.

There was sidewalk chalk, impromptu sprinker runs and baby's first Coug game...

 

Along with the discovery of a new favorite toy.

 

Charlotte had her first bang trim...

 

And loved picking 'matos' with papa!

 

The Walla Walla Fair is always Labor Day weekend and was a childhood staple of mine. It was such fun to experience it all through our little one's eyes...it is everything a small town fair should be!

Don't let that face fool you...by the end of the ride we were pulling her off that carousel.

 

The slower pace, good food, naps and time with mom/grammie was just what we needed.

 

*****

 

Our September weather has been amazing. I mean, AH-mazing! I sort of don't want people outside of Seattle to know how amazing it is for fear that they would all move here and add to our traffic...because these are the kind of days that make you say a thankful little prayer for living in such a gorgeous area.

Lucky for us, we had a chance to check off one last summer goal of boating with our friends...the girls had a BLAST!

They discovered the boat horn and thought it was the hands down funniest thing they had every experienced.

The squeels, jumps and giggles coming out of these girls was the purest, most happy sound you ever heard. It feeds my soul.

 

And so as we welcome a new season tomorrow and I dig out my Fall decorations, we bid a thankful farewell to Summer. You were so very good to us this year. We needed you (and by the way, we'll need you again next year).

I am acutely aware these days of how quickly time is passing...and I plan to bottle up the memories of the last 3 months and hold them close.

 

Bye Bye Summer...hello Fall!