Happy Thanksgiving

We have alot to be thankful for this year - the arrival of Lil Miss, who is such a sweet little girl & loves to be cuddled! Lil Man, who loves to give kisses & Sissy, our teenager in training!

House Divided

Mama's Boy & Daddy's Girl!

Lil Black Dress

Every girl needs one & that's what her shirt says 'This is my Little black dress'

Happy Halloween/Birthday

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mother - also known as Grandma Mell or as my son, putting his own spin on it, calls her Moe. I could talk about all her years of dealing with raising a daughter & the trials of such, but right now at the forefront of my mind is her invaluable dedication to me & my family during the birth of my 2nd child, Lil Miss. Having been admitted to the hospital 5 weeks before my due date, Mom was there every minute (I did let her go home to sleep). While she was in charge of me, my husband took care of Lil Man, but she still found time to go check on him, clean my house, start laundry & have the carpets cleaned! She became such a fixture at the hospital, the nurses said she should be hired to decorate rooms, after making mine so homey... & then did end up spending the night after I was readmitted with blood pressure complications... I could go on & on, but that's it in a nutshell - I can never thank her enough, or tell her I love her enough... love you mom! Halloween was pretty much rained out, so I was glad we went to 1st Methodist's Fall Festival a couple of days beforehand. Ironically when folks asked me how old Lil Miss was & I said '5 weeks', I also had to tell them that the day (the 28th) was actually her due date! Lil Man was Buzz Lightyear & Miss was a Lil Leopard & she won the best infant costume!

This was a pose I used for the kids Halloween cards - I can't believe she fit in the pumpkin!

I LOVE this picture!

Not Jealous

No, he's not jealous, he just wanted to go for a swing too ;)

Welcome Lil Miss

We had a big surprise this month! Lil Miss arrived early! Although, I can't really say it's her fault... my BP was out of control & I developed pre-eclampsia. So, to help the both of us, we had a c-section on Sept. 21st - this made her about 5 weeks early, but after more testing, she seemed even younger, possibly 7 weeks early! She needed extra oxygen & TLC for a few days - which was really tough on us. Also sometimes when born that early, babies don't like to be touched - so that was extremely tough! & as she was on the mend, my situation went downhill with the BP. The condition usually passes after delivery, but mine did not. I actually had to be readmitted for treatment & was quiet scared. Everyone is now home & I'm so thankful to have everyone under one roof. Lil Miss is doing great & my BP seems to be leveling off - thanks to everyone for their thoughts, prayers & support.

Chicago - My kinda town!

We recently were able to attend my cousin/Godchild Kimmee's wedding in Chicago! The ceremony was beautiful & of course having a family reunion is alway a bonus! My poor legs/feet were so swollen that I had to wear my flip-flops to the wedding! At least they were black :D Below is our visit to Grams' house (my maternal grandmother). She enjoyed seeing the kids & the kids loved the Jockey outside - which has been around longer then I have! K was telling us that he was her Prince & giving him kisses (like her mom used to)....

A visit to the Brookfield Zoo was also on the agenda - Lil man posed on the Lion at the entrance, just like I did at his age! We loved the Dinosaur exhibit - at least he did until they moved & roared! & I still can't believe I mounted that tiger on the merry-go-round!

Navy Pier was our last day - Thomas the Train ride got FIVE visits from Lil man! The Children's Museum was also a big hit with the kids - making pizzas, fishing, playing in treehouses, changing tires - whew! Wears me out all over again! A few micellaneous - Lil man lovin' on the baby belly & his time on the putt-putt course! When golfing, he'd knock the heck out of it & then pick up the ball & place it next to the cup to put it in - then, he'd yell - 'I DID IT!'

A great visit in all & thanks to our benefactors, mom & Payne :D