{ AJM }

Deck the Halls

While there's no holly our holiday decorating is almost complete. The tree was begun over Thanksgiving as a group effort and last week Mallory & I finished adding the few ornaments we will hang this year. We had a grand time playing with the reindeer and Friday night's family movie night was the classic Burl Ives' Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.

 

Also over Thanksgiving we did all the outdoor decorating and replanted the urns for the winter. I am so happy to have all these projects done so we can enjoy them along with Baby Mark when he arrives.

 

So we have decked the halls and are ready to meet Baby Mark and see what Santa will bring :) Happy Holidays!!

learning to love the camera part 2

Last Thanksgiving Mallory began following her mommy's footsteps into photography world learning how to use the camera. This year, she branched out a bit and may have started a new tradition all on her own....

During the parade, she was interested by the dancers and the floats, but CAPTIVATED by my tripod. She kept asking, "what can I do for you?" This was translated to mean, "what can I take a picture of now?"

 

When I drug the family outside for a picture, SHE wanted to take it! And was desperately disappointed when I insisted she be IN the photo.

 

Our new tradition may be Mallory taking a group shot (or 7) of the gathering as the timer on my camera gets set :) Yes, this makes me proud and secretly thrilled that she and I have yet another interest (however temporary) to share. 

Thanksgiving Recap

Our Thanksgiving began with a visit with the Nashville Mankin cousins-thanks to Ashley and Jennifer for the great costumes!

We met my self appointed deadline for naming baby brother. We will call him Mark. His full will come with his arrival-I hope!!

Mallory delighted in reading to a captive audience of adults.

 

This year's limited Christmas decorating was begun-and mostly finished.

And....our most favorite Christmas candy was made.  

A productive & FUN Thanksgiving!! Now we are counting down to baby brother's December 18th (I hope) arrival.

Happy Thanksgiving

Us right now....and for the next 21 days, a family of three.

I'm so thankful for family. There really aren't words.

mother and daughter

For the last three years, it's been me and her. Lots of her and me. We play and read and shop and hang out together. It's beyond surreal that in a few short weeks, we will have a new playmate. Little brother will change things dramatically. Less of my time for her, more needs to meet, less sleep, and lots more love to go around.

 

My sweet SWEET little girl. I love you so very much. Our next adventure is just around the corner!

 

Thank you Ben for taking these-it's way WAY more fun to have you around to play and read and hang with us.

Cookie Baking Playdate

Our new friends from church arranged a cookie baking playdate. Yum!! We enjoyed meeting some new faces and fellowship with a few we've known awhile. It takes time making new friends and we are fortunate to have opportunities to be with our new church family.

Showered with Love

Last Saturday several of my sweet neighbors, the women who's husbands work with mine, my sweet sister and an honorary sister gathered to shower baby boy with joy. Jenn made this amazing quilt square for a pillow for baby boy's rocking chair-I am so excited to have it!

 

A delightful lunch and an AMAZING cake. Julie did a great job with the table--we even got to use her grandmother's china!

 

Beautiful and scrumptious!

 

Then we ohhed over small blue boy wonders.  Thank you sweet friends for blessing us with your love.

Halloween 2009

We got to be at home this year for Halloween and all the festivities (I am 31 weeks pregnant and can't go anywhere.) Our evening was beautifully crisp and clear, even an almost full moon! After dinner, Mallory got her costume on and out we went.

 

This year she helped pick out her bumble bee costume. Several days after we brought this home from Target, she discovered the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and REALLY wanted to be a cupcake. Thankfully by the time I inquired, the company was sold out system wide. Yeah for me, we saved about $60! Her next option was to be a bumble bee like the one in their catalog. I stuck to our original Target costume but caved on the yellow face painted flower. She talked about this flower on her cheek for three solid weeks. yes, seriously.

 

We ventured out into our kid friendly neighborhood and made it to 3 houses. Yes, only three. Mallory has this fear of scary masks (rightfullly so in my opinion) and she was DONE. "Mommy, I want to go home." Alrighty then, home we went. Once we got home, she DELIGHTED in the trick-or-treaters ringing our doorbell. She lit up each time the bell rang and wanted to help pass out candy. I will also confess she wanted to trick-or-treat from our candy bowl. Since I really didn't care, she got to have lollipops and bubbles from our stash every time the door closed and it was "her turn". So very cute and such a fun night for us all.

a tale of two pumpkins

As using knives is a bit much to ask of a three year old, we choose the "Mrs. Potato Head" approach to decorating pumpkins this year. I will confess to waiting WAY too long to purchase said pumpkins and we ended up with just this one. As we had two complete sets of "faces" to decorate, I decided the coming and going approach would be perfect.

 

It took a bit more "adult supervision" than I anticipated as an ice pick was required to drill holes for the various pieces. Thanks Ben for hanging out and taking these pictures of your girls.

 

Mallory is FASCINATED with talking on the phone and ichat-ing, so these "Diva" pumpkin pieces are rather appropriate for her pumpkin-provided it is a method of self expression.

 

 

I thought the clown was pretty cute. But Mallory's favorite BY FAR was "Diva Pumpkin." I kid you not, that's how the package was labeled.   

Happy pumpkin decorating!

Pumpkin Patch

Sunday after lunch, we headed to the pumpkin patch with Nonnie and Pape. I love the pumpkins piled in front of the Christmas trees! Mallory loved climbing over all the "mountains" of pumpkins. 

 

 

 

Mallory wanted to sit on this giant turkey-I was amazed that she asked for these two photos

not much fun had here......then we moved on to the unique & much smaller pumpkins.

 

 

Lots of fun!! Thanks Nonnie and Pape!