Welcome Back, Ralphie!

I don't know how he does it, but every year he knows exactly when we are setting up our tree and he returns on that night! Oh boy, was AB excited!

I mean, the joy on this child's face is priceless!!! Seeing Ralphie at our porch makes her Christmas.

Daddy reads the Elf on the Shelf story every year. It's so much fun!

All Things Fall 2013 -- Thanksgiving Edition

As if I didn't already love the fall and Thanksgiving itself, this year, Annabelle was in her first play. She was a pilgrim in her play. And what an adorable little pilgrim she was, with her little basket. Made Mommy and Daddy very proud!

Preschool has been the BEST thing for her this year. Her teachers are wonderful and I love the social interaction she's had with the sweet friends she's made. This will serve her well in Kindergarten.

Annabelle and her "best" friend, Zachary.

So much fun spending the afternoon with her girl at her school. After her play we stayed for the Thanksgiving feast.

I brought home several Thanksgiving crafts for the girls to do over the break. I thought it would be fun to do one a day and teach them about the first Thanksgiving. Fun was had by all!

Well. Almost all. Landree got tired of the coloring real quick.

But AB is at the age where it was a blast for her. Preschool has also really helped her with her fine motor and I've seen a huge improvement in her handwriting and work!

This is Annabelle's Thanksgiving outfit I had made for her this year. 

I was super proud of Landree. I did Thanksgiving shopping with BOTH girls this year at Wal-Mart. As much of a beating as that was, the girls were amazing little shoppers and this was LC's first time to sit in a grocery cart for an extended period of time. She did wonderful! It wore her out, but as always, she was a trooper.

Of course, we couldn't make it through the break without an ear infection. Landree came down with one over the break. At least I got a cute shot out of it!

Thanksgiving night was fun with the cousins. Baby Jerzee isn't pictured (neither is Zoe), but now there are five cousins! Six, when Zoe gets here! So excited to add to the group.

These two little turkeys had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving break. So blessed I get a whole week to spend it with them. 

Another Milestone

We went out for breakfast one morning to one of my FAVORITE places - Barbec's in Dallas. It's a little crowded and didn't want to mess with the umbrella stroller. So, we thought we would try to put her in a high chair at the table with us. 

SUCCESS!

She even busted out with some crayons and colored while we waited for our food, too! So proud of her! 

Sweet girl making huge leaps! Love her!

All Things Fall 2013 -- Halloween Edition

Fall is in the air!! My favorite time of year! Oh, and how it keeps getting more fun each year! Crazy to think there will be another Aldrich sister with us next year! So, we will have to buy THREE matching Halloween shirts and bows next year, instead of just two!!

FBC Garland's Fall Festival is a part of our fall/Halloween festivities. Miss AB got brave this year and tried the pony ride for the first time. So proud of her {although, take note of the tight grip on Daddy's shirt}. 

Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch was less exciting than last years. Which is a good thing because last year Landree threw up all over me when we got there. Not to mention, look at that big girl sit up!!!! 

I took a day off work to volunteer for AB's Halloween carnival and party. So much fun!!! Love being a mom and getting to spend these fun days with her! 

Halloween night was spent at our church's trunk or treat. Love spending time with our faith family on this night. My little witch and peacock were very excited about it!

Huge Milestones=Small Victories

Sure, most {almost} 19 month olds would be walking around and getting into everything. Not this girl. And that's ok. We absolutely love this sweet little bug and everything that makes her Landree. Tonight, she was lying down on my, slightly elevated, pillow on my bed and pulled herself up into a sitting position. Wow!! This is a huge milestone for her. She's been working so hard at this for weeks!!! I'm a proud Momma!!! She was quite proud of this feat as well. She was smiling ear to ear once she got herself sitting. 

So proud of you my little love!!!

The Great State Fair of Texas 2013

Oh, State Fair, how I love thee!!! It's like Christmas to me to get everyone up early, dressed and ready to go to the fair! I can't wait to smell the smells, see the sights and EAT THE FOOD!!!

With each year, AB gets just as excited as I do about it. She's come to love it, too. Last year, we went to the fair the same day that big Tex burned down. So, she was excited to see the new, improved and "healthy" Big Tex.

It was THE perfect day to go. Not a cloud in the sky and the temperature was chilly enough for a light weight jacket, but warm enough to lose it by the afternoon. Just perfect.

We walked the girls through the livestock to see all the cows, and we even caught a glimpse of hatching chicks and newborn baby pigs!! I loved showing Landree all of these things, since last year she was too young to know what was going on. 

We stopped, first thing, to eat some chicken fried bacon and tater twisters. It was delicious! AB ate her preferred, PB&J from home. That's ok. I'm ok with her missing out on all the fried goodness. She was holding out for some ice cream. We decided to introduce her to dip and dots this year.

There he was in all of his {new} glory. Big Tex. Standing tall and proud of the Fair Grounds. They did a good job with him, and making look as close to the old one as possible. But. Those boots. Really? I don't know one cowboy that wears boots up to his knee caps. We could have worked on that a bit, I think.

She was happy to see him there this year. She couldn't put her ice cream down long enough. Even to take a picture!

The fair wore a little sister out.

I was never a midway kid. I wasn't crazy about the rides, but Daddy encourages AB to try some of them. So, we ventured into the midway and let AB try out a couple. She was much more brave this year than last. And, even little bit rode the carousel this year! So sweet!

LC and Daddy before their ride on the carousel! 

Watching Daddy and little sister on the carousel!

What a fun family day we had! I love this time of year and I love spending this time with my family! I can't wait until next year!!!

By the Way....

A minor detail. If you haven't heard...

We're pregnant with Baby #3!!

To say we weren't surprised and a little caught off guard, would be a lie. However, we are trusting 100% in God's perfect plan for us and our sweet baby. 

Just a little side note, I've been praying about a #3 ever since Landree was about a year old. I was praying about having another baby or adopting one. I was open to either, but trusting God would reveal His plan to us. Well, he did. Here's the million dollar question I'm asked so much, "So, are y'all done?" Hmm...to answer that question with a definite "yes" or "no" would be silly either way. God will do what He wants, and if there is a number four, I'll be praying the same prayer I had for #3. Just for it to be revealed in the form of our own biological child, or adoption. We'll see. 

Anyway, onto the big reveal! I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that I wanted a boy. I've so desperately wanted a little Austin running around here. I love that man so much that to have a miniature version of him would be amazing! Austin, on the other hand, is perfectly content with his girls and loves them so much and they are so crazy about their daddy. So, a girl would most definitely be a blessing, too. The day we found out Austin and I went together to find out the gender and were going to "reveal" it to the girls later on. AB, just like her Mommy, wanted a brother. Bad. So, I was praying that it would be a boy for both of us. On the way home, I stopped at a little bakery by our house to buy a cupcake with either blue or pink icing, and I was going to let AB open the box to see what color the icing was. 

The look on AB's face in these pictures should say it all.

If you can't tell by this picture what the gender is...

Landree announced for us, since AB was too busy bawling her eyes out. Baby #3 is a 

Girl!

Surprised? Yes. Disappointed? Oh, maybe a smidge. Sad? No way. This was God's precious blessing and gift to us. No way I could be sad about it. Grateful? ABSOLUTELY!

AB finally came around after about half an hour and was over it, and happy to eat the icing off the cupcake.

 Meet our precious gift and bonus baby...

Zoe Grace Aldrich

Already an Aldrich girl - smiling for the camera!

You know how people say, with each child you have, the less you do as far as go "all out." It's true. I always said I wouldn't do any less for each child I have, but the time becomes so precious and you have to manage it differently. With my pregnancy with AB, I documented each month how far along I was, took pictures, wrote a post about each month and how I was feeling, etc.

With Landree, I took a monthly picture, but rarely had time to post about it.

With poor Zoe, I'm lucky to get a picture of my growing belly. So far, I've taken two. One at the beginning and one a little more recent. And, man, has my belly been bigger than it was with the other two.

9 weeks

22 weeks

This pregnancy has been very similar to AB's. Night nausea up until about 11 weeks. No actual getting sick, but just felt like it. I was starving in the beginning. Like, wake me out of a dead sleep starving and eating in the middle of the night. I was exhausted during my first trimester, but luckily for me it was the summer time and I could do a lot of resting. I craved a lot fruits and veggies in my first trimester. My second trimester, I still want fruits, but I'm really getting a sweet tooth. And my appetite...it's outrageous. I can out-eat Austin, hands down. I need to stop. It's going to be killer to lose this weight. My thyroid wanted to act up towards the end of my first trimester and came back abnormal, but never at a scary or even treatable stage. When I got well into my 20th week, it normalized -- thank you, Jesus! Now, to just pray that my cholestasis doesn't return.

I was telling Austin just yesterday how surreal it is to be pregnant for a third time. All I've ever wanted is "a bunch of kids." I know that in comparison, three isn't a bunch, but to me it is...especially being an only child. That fourth would still make my heart super happy, but I'm perfectly happy and content with whatever God blesses us with. This pregnancy has been awesome...so far. I've been hesitant to get too excited since my pregnancy with Landree threw curve balls at me at every turn. I feel, though, that God blessed us with this baby to show His goodness. Landree, despite all of her delays and medical issues, is a tremendous blessing and joy to our family. God wants me to trust in His plan and in His perfect timing with everything and that's what I'm choosing to do. We're blessed...no matter what.