Thankful Thursday

I have so much to be thankful for, and here are a few highlights for the week:

*Waking up to the sound of rain
*Sleeping babies
*Yummy sweet corn
*Watching a best friend love on my baby like she was her own.
*Family support- Thank you sister!
*Haircuts
*Cupcakes
*Planning trips
*Maxwell House Vanilla Caramel Latte
*Michael's safe travel and return home
*Zoo passes
*My Parents
*Being amazed at how much Isabella changes in one week and loving the new things she is picking up!



We are looking forward to the long holiday weekend! We will be having lots of fun and family time!

Summer Snapshots

I am linking up with the starfish blog for a week of Summer snapshots. I forgot to get pictures of some things we did, so here is some of our week in pictures:


Wednesday 6/22- We had church outside in the park with ice cream bars.


Thursday 6/23- Thursday night we went to the twilight swim with friends.


Friday 6/24- We played at home in the morning before heading to Dallas to see my best friend. Isabella got an amber teething necklace in the mail from her Nana!


Saturday 6/25- Worn out from swimming with Hayli.



Monday 6/27- Beating the heat inside at the library reading a book.




Tuesday 6/28- We headed east to a local farm to stock up on sweet corn. Later we had lunch with friends.
Happy Summer!

9 months

My blue eyed girl.


9 Months old! Only three more weeks and she will have lived outside of my body longer than she did on the inside. Which is very strange to think about. On her birthday, I allowed the pang of sadness to wash over me in thinking about Isabella being 9 months now, sent Michael the "I can't believe our baby is 9 months!" text, and then moved on to how much we are enjoying her.

Over the last month she has really started moving all over the place to get to things she wants. Which is usually to press the buttons on the DVD player! She isn't getting up on all fours yet, but has begun trying. She has been attempting to pull up on things, but not with much success. At her 9 month appointment she weighed 17lbs 13oz and was 27 inches long, putting her in the 25th percentile. It was our first time to go to the doctor without Michael. I guess we are both big kids now! I did all the parts he usually does and entertained her for 50 minutes (!!!!) while we waited for the doctor to come in. This is no great task for a baby that is now mobile and just wants to go all the time. She now has two teeth, both on the bottom. She babbles a lot and likes to see how loud she can make her voice go. She became extra clingy over this last month, and even cuddly at times. She is so smiley and that has blessed us and a lot of people we see while we are out. I love seeing her many expressions and tiny glimpses of what her personality might be like.

On to our monthly zebra/chair pictures:







Getting quite boring.


MAKE IT STOP!


The wave.
Isabella started waving about a week ago. You would think our child just graduated from Harvard with the joy this new skill gives us!
Love you Isabella Grace!

Thankful Thursday

Some of this week's gifts include:

*running
*good books
*Isabella's burts bees baby wash
*Wednesday swims with Hayli
*sleep
*Isabella's wave
*Michael Mitchell
*book club girls
*bright full moons
*birds singing in the morning
*church friends
*spending father's day with two men I love
*the sky after a storm

Summer lovin' had me a blast...

Love, love Meg's Summer list found here. Seems like her list is popping up on several blogs I read. Great ideas of things to do with kids. Love the chalkboard and colors!

I love making lists, doing fun things, and making memories, and her list got me excited for all of the fun I will have with Isabella some Summer. But for now I am relishing our simple list of reading as much as we can, enjoying our morning play times, using our zoo pass, and swimming as much as we can.


Intently playing yesterday.


Rarr!




I asked Michael if there was anything special he would like to do for father's day. He said he would love to go to a movie. We rarely go to the movies these days, so it is a special treat. We went out to dinner, then home to put lovey to bed. My cousin kindly sat at our house while we went off to the movies and our baby slept. I had to text just once during the movie to see if everything was OK, and was relieved to get a "not a peep" text back. Other than the movie, my favorite thing about going to the movies in the Summer is when you exit the theater and the exchange from freezing to heat. It reminds me of youth group days and all the movies we saw in the Summer.


#25 on my 30 before 30 list: "grow herbs". We picked some up at the farmers market a few weekends ago and I just potted them today. I just got basil and cilantro. I was tempted by the rosemary and oregano, but I decided to go with two I knew we would use. I will be using the basil to make Oprah's favorite grilled cheese, and one of mine too. Although, I just use one type of cheese, whatever we have on hand. I'm not quite that fancy!




Zoo fun


Deep in thought- or melting in the triple digit heat.


First time to play in the water at the zoo




She liked it!


Chomping rocks.
She almost gave me a heart attack when she found a small rock and clamped it down in her mouth before I could get it out of her hand. Thank you Katie for pulling the rock from her mouth as I was stunned and trying to recall how to perform the Heimlich on an infant!

No doubts

I do not doubt that I married the right man for me. The boy I shared my high school days with and now the man I'm sharing parenting days with, is still the one for me. But you have no way of completely knowing what kind of parent your spouse will be until that day comes. The older we have become I have seen him grow into a more patient and less impulsive man, than the boy that avenged me by super-gluing plastic placemats on a ex's car. (Minus the time he broke into our house...but I suppose that was with good reason!)

I started seeing glimpses along the way as we started this journey. His excitement when we found out we were pregnant. His love and care making food I could tolerate, holding my hair back over the toilet, cleaning up the aftermath during those very sick days. When he wore pink to our ultrasound...because he "just knew".
And then on September 23rd when we spent the day in the hospital, he exhibited his strength and patience again and again. And late that night when I watched him hold our baby in his arms...and oversee everything that was done to her, I saw him become a Daddy.



If I had a quarter for every time since he has said "She is just perfect", "I just love her so much", etc. we would be rich. I have loved standing over her crib hearing his prayers for her. I have loved watching bath time and how much fun he has with her. I have loved watching them dance around the living room to "their" playlist.



Friday when he left for work, he stood at the door staring at us playing on the floor and said nostalgically, "Annaleise, these days with her are going by so fast...soak up every moment". I have needed his perspective when I've had a day of spit up, screaming, fussing, teething, etc. The days are flying, and I'm glad to have no doubts that my little girl has the best daddy. I have been blessed with a father who has left an eternal imprint on my life of his faith, love, and patient spirit. I am happy that Isabella will have the same!



Playing after dinner on father's day


After bath cuddles.

Isabella, I hope you know you have the most fun-loving, prayer warrior Daddy who is so in love with you! We are so blessed! Happy father's day!

Summer Saturday

Last Summer, my supervisor I had for licensure sent me a post she had written about making peach jam and the many metaphors the process had brought up for her about couples she had worked with in marriage therapy. It was a beautiful post, inspiring me to be a better therapist, as she always has a way of doing.
It also made me want to know how to make peach jam! I wanted to learn from someone how to create in this way as it seems to be an art going by the wayside. I causally mentioned...'if you do that again next Summer I would love to learn from you'.
She contacted me a few weeks ago saying she had several boxes of peaches coming in and had picked a date to begin the work.

Jars all clean and ready to go.


Peaches galore!


It was a multi-step process of heating the peaches, shocking them in ice water, peeling them, chopping, lightly pureeing them in the food processor, heating the mixture on the stove with the pectin, boiling, adding sugar, canning, and probably more I am forgetting.


Just coming to a boil. Kelly instructed me how to skim the foam of the top. The foam was delicious by the way!


My jam poured, sealed, ready to eat. It.is.DELICIOUS!!! I have spent many hours sitting at Kelly's feet in supervision, and it was a blessing to spend today with her learning a new art. I think I would be able to do it on my own now.


We spent the morning at a birthday party at the Orr Family Farm. We had a great time! Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!
Recently, as Isabella has been taking in more of the world, one of my favorite things about being a parent has been watching the world through her eyes. Her curiosity. The wonder of everything. It is magic.
She had many firsts at the farm, and it was a fun day!

Riding the train around the farm.




Checking out the goats- Just like in her touch and feel books!


Just a little over two feet!

She had her first pony ride! When Michael first sat her on the horse, she was afraid. She leaned over reaching for him. But after a second, she steadied herself, the horses started walking, and she loved it!




The party ended with her first carousel ride. Carousels always remind me of my dad. After being at any amusement park our last ride before going home was always the carousel. It was always kind of funny. You spent the day riding the Texas giant, flashback, Mr. Freeze, etc...then rode the carousel. Go out with a bang right?

Getting strapped in...




My girl with some of the kids at the party.
She looks so small! She did great at the party even though we had to wake her up from her nap. She partied hard then napped for three hours this afternoon while her mama was busy making peach jam!
Great day for both of us!