do you hear what i hear?

mommy, can i have an orange? mommy, can i have a hershey kiss? mommy, will you come wipe me? mommy, where are my colors? mommy, where is my "na"? mommy, where are we going next? mommy, can i have a snack? if she could talk...mommy, will you please come nurse me or would someone please just look at me?!?! (bless her heart)

while all of this is absolute music to my ears...most of the time...it will also explain why i haven't been able to blog very often...huhmm...ever!!!!!!

life is zooming by but i definitely don't feel like i'm in the driver's seat...i'm the grasshopper on the hood holding on for dear life...trying not to lose my grip...whew, i look just plain tired!

because i'm SOOOO very behind, i will just have to catch up in "snippets"!!!!!

ella was adorable at her thanksgiving feast performance...as was maddie (our little dancing butterfly)...

they were both equally as adorable at kk & dodo's wedding (aka aunt kristin and uncle russell)...as were my precious nephews. ella debuted as one of her flower girls...and of course, "repeat" had to be an "honorary flower girl" in our eyes! in fact, maddie boo FINALLY got her first hair cut...and she loved every minute of it! she even told me the next day that she wanted to go back and get another one!!!! here's to hoping baby girl...grow hair grow!

we enjoyed having the tucker family join us for thanksgiving day...no five cousins could love each other more! they play so very well together...and it is so incredibly fun to watch them grow up together...taking care of each other at all costs! nate and caleb are certainly "seasoned" veterans at making sure their girls are safe...and of course, ella & maddie do their share of "mothering"! i can promise them...it will only get worse!!!!! all four of the big kids are 100% infatuated with "baby ava" and it is precious to see them dote on her!

and speaking of precious baby girl...she is growing by leaps and bounds...and i mean GROWING! she is one adorably chubby princess with the cutest leg rolls you have ever seen! she is definitely a big fan of "mommy's milk" and was perfectly happy to indulge on that for her thanksgiving feast! oh how we are thankful for this child...her tiny little smile melts my heart in a HUGE way!

goodness, i have left out so very much of our past few weeks...but i suppose that's just "our life" right now. snippets. better than nothing i suppose! i L.o.V.E. this time of year and feel so incredibly blessed to have what i have & do what i do!

but for now...do you hear what i hear?

that would be an incredibly hungry princess crying for mommy to quit blogging and tend...

and so it goes.

that is exactly what i will do.

my girl and me...

well...one of my three girls and me.


even after being a mommy for just about six years, it still touches me deep down in my heart that i can love someone so completely. i look at ava and can't fully comprehend how this special little girl could feel so much a part of our family already...and only be a mere 35 days old. she depends on me for her very life...and yet, somehow...she breathes life into me. she and her two big sisters. every thought in my head somehow impacts these precious children...from what are they going to eat for dinner - to what they are going to be when they grow up.

ava absolutely breaks my heart...in a beautiful way. she has the sweetest temperament and is simply content to be content. she is perfectly accepting of the crazy amounts of love she receives from the "two queen bees"...and let me assure you - it is CRAZY amounts of love.

she is just starting to coo a little bit and i so very much look forward to the way she will begin to interact with all of us more and more. although as i type those words, my heart sinks just a bit because i don't want her to grow up too fast. after all, for now, she is my baby. truth be told...

all three of them are my babies.

now and forever.

and it will always be...

my girl and me.

i just get to take my pick.

ava ashley is ONE month old!

it hardly seems possible that we have only been able to love on our sweet girl for just one month...and yet it seems like her life is already flying by. there are moments that i want to freeze time, just so that i can memorize every tiny feature...and then there is the desire for her to get bigger so that she can engage her sisters who love her so very much.

i stare at her eyelashes, her tiny fingernails, her beautiful lips, her soft feet, her dainty hands...and i'm so thankful she's ours. she's perfectly wonderful...and such a sweet addition to our family.

she is doing great. she likes to nurse every 3 -3.5 hours during the day and goes about 4-6 hours at night...and apparently she loves my breast milk...because she weighed in at 9 lbs 11 ozs!

she is being treated for some reflux although she exhibits no real signs that she is bothered by this ailment. she is truly a content baby...and rarely cries...except for some "fussy time" around 9:30ish at night.

we've gotten a few smiles...not sure whether they are real smiles...but nonetheless, P.r.E.C.i.O.u.S!!!! she is focusing more, following us more and more each day, and letting out a few tiny "coos" here and there. ella proclaimed today "mommy, mommy...ava said her first word...she said 'heh'"! she was so proud of her!!! ava definitely gets a floor show on a daily basis...and i can't wait for her to really notice those big fans!!!!

she has definitely won our hearts...just look at that sweet face!!!!!!!!

this is our life...

i thought this was so hilarious...i just had to share! apparently, this is what photo sessions are going to look like from here on out. in a nutshell, lots of bloopers...just to get an "almost keepable, sharable" pic...just too funny to me!!!!!

everyone's looking except for mommy!

ladybug is being tickled to try and get a smile...while baby pumpkin's face is being covered by the oversized costume...daddy & "dorothy" look great!!!

once again...does ava have a face?!?!


ladybug's eyes are closed...but everyone else is smiling!

mommy's eyes are pretty much closed, ladybug is cheesing, pumpkin doesn't have a face...daddy & ella are once again on their "A game"!!!

we may not be "picture perfect"...but if mommy has anything to do with it - we'll certainly keep trying!!!!

happy halloween...

from our three little pumpkins!

boo to you...

happy halloween from meredith, jeffrey, "dorothy", "ladybug", and "teeny tiny little pumpkin"!!!

we had such a fun day!! our street is fabulous for "treating"...and it was fun meeting some of our neighbors that we had not been introduced to yet! the girls LOVED getting candy, especially our precious maddie! we'll have to ration until thanksgiving for sure...if mom and dad can stay out of it!!!!

honey and grandpa graciously accepted our request to keep "baby ava" while we took the big girls to a halloween party we had been invited to! they had a bounce house and TONS of fun food...and the girls had an absolute blast! it was great to get out of the house for a while and see the rest of the world! thanks so much, honey and grandpa, for letting us do that...we love you!

i LOVE this time of year...when halloween is over...and the countdown begins towards thanksgiving and christmas! i love the commercials, the "stuff" in stores (bought my first christmas candy T.O.D.A.Y!!!), the made for t.v. movies, the music...everything about these seasons!!!! my girls love it too...and this year, we're "triply" blessed!