Road Trip, Thanksgiving, and more fun stuff!

Sorry for the long overdue post. It has been so busy and I just never seem to have the time or the will at night to sit down and get some pictures posted. We have had a busy last month or so with a road trip out to Colorado for Thanksgiving. Besides our trip we have been just trying to get ready for Christmas with decorating, baking, and learning lots of new tricks to show everyone! Aubrey is not crawling yet but she is moving from one place to another without a problem and is loving getting into all of the Christmas presents under the tree. She is just getting so big I can't believe it! Hope you are all enjoying your Christmas preparations!!!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Ok so it's not quite THAT cold but it is getting chilly and we even got some snow a few days ago! I didn't see it since I stayed at home that day with the kiddos but I heard about it from plenty of people to know that it is in fact true. I can't believe that summer just went away and it's already feeling wintery. I am getting prepared to put on the Christmas music soon. I'm not quiet there but I am guessing that by a week from now I will be. I can't wait!

There isn't too much to report. Aubrey has passed the 7 month mark which I can't believe. She is rolling around all over the place and I am expecting her to start crawling pretty soon. She has also mastered eating and eats most of the 1st foods (peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, and apple sauce). She just has a few new ones to try out before she's finished them all. She is also learning about her sippy cup even though she hasn't actually drank out of it yet. She is just chewing on it and holding it but she seems to like her new toy well enough.

Life's Worries

It is almost 11:30 here and I am ready to go to sleep. In fact I have been ready to go to sleep for a while now and laid in my bed for about 45 minutes with no success. While my husband and daughter are snoozing their little hearts out my heart is heavy and I can't seem to just close my eyes and relax. Maybe it is all spurred on by my forgetfulness recently and the distress that can bring when you forget about a special event for someone that is close to you or you forget a doctors appointment (grr) and don't know if there will be a penalty. Maybe it is because of my own interpersonal difficulties right now that could make any person burdened on a daily basis. Maybe it is because I just watched a show on the 5 big threats to our world dying off (what a light hearted choice of Troy's don't you think?) Whatever it is I just can't seem to get myself to fall asleep so I figured I would just ease my mind by sharing my thoughts on here. After all, this is my blog. And if you don't have an interest in reading this since it's not happy fun pictures of my baby girl then you don't have to. Thankfully you get to choose.

When I go into Aubrey's room at night it is so bittersweet. I look at her in her cozy pj's and her sweet little face as she dreams away of who knows what (sometimes she smiles and I have to wonder what in the world she is smiling about?) and I worry. I don't remember being a baby and not knowing that things are too expensive and jobs pay too little. I didn't worry about losing the people you love whether they are taken from this world or merely taken from your world. Aubrey lives in this sweet happy world where all she knows is her mommy and daddy and milk and twice a day some bananas or pureed carrots. But one day reality will hit and she too will have to face some of the demons that we all have. I just dread that day for her. When she gets laughed at or let down. It's ok to have disappointment, it's only human. I am definitely not one of those parents who thinks that every person should be allowed to make the team and there shouldn't be cuts. We all have our strengths and we all have our definite weaknesses and to ignore that fact is ignorance. But what about the stuff that we can't really control that really hurts us at our core? Will she be liked by people? Will she fall in love? Will someone ever love her? Will she get to hold her baby in her arms? Will I get to hold her baby in my arms? I really don't understand why I have gotten myself into such a melancholy mood tonight. I think it was the tv show. But whatever the reason these feelings are real and I can't imagine that I'm the only one thinking these things. And now that I have pulled you down with me you will probably be thinking these things whether you were before or not. It is reality and it's ok. God is good and He is in control. Sometimes I just have to remind myself of that. Sometimes it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference anyway even though I absolutely believe it to be true. I think I am going to go to sleep and think about my beautiful daughter sleeping in the room next to me and be happy that I am so blessed to have even met her. Even for a day. That in itself really does show you how good God is.

Fall Fun!

It is officially fall and we are finally getting weather that feels a little more like it! It has been chilly enough to pull out some sweaters and jackets which was a nice change since it has been such a long and hot summer. It has been busy around here with Troy working tons and fitting in a weekend trip and then a visit from Troy's parents but we have all managed to keep up! Aubrey is just changing and growing like crazy. At her last visit she was 16 lb 11 oz. She did have a little bump in the road a few weeks ago when we woke up to find her entire body covered in a red rash. I took her to the doctor and they said it was just a virus and by the next day she was much better. It broke my heart to see my little girl like that but I was happy to see that it went away quickly. She is rolling over like crazy and loves to sit up and play all the time now. I am wondering how long it will be till she starts to crawl because she is just getting very mobile all of a sudden. I have lots of pictures so enjoy!

Happy Belated Labor Day!

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend. Sorry I haven't posted in a while but it has been pretty crazy around here and I haven't had time to sit down long enough to upload all my pictures and since I know all 2 of you who read this are not interested in my ramblings but instead want to see baby pictures I have forgone any entries that don't contain pictures. Anyway, things here are good. We had a really fun long weekend up in Michigan visiting our friend Julie's parents and brothers and sisters in Ann Arbor for a night and then going to Grand Rapids, Holland, South Bend and finally Amish Country before finally admitting that our weekend was over and it was time to return home. Aubrey has changed so much even since my last post. She is now a pro at sitting up. She can't sit herself up but she can stay up if someone sits her up. She really likes playing with her toys and also her feet when she is sitting. She is also really enjoying her baths now that she can sit up and splash around in the water. She even plays with her rubber ducky! Tonight we actually fed her some rice cereal for the first time which she thoroughly hated but it was cute and I think she'll do well after some practice. Besides that there isn't too much to report. I have loved looking at all the cute fall and winter clothes and am already on a hunt to find her the perfect Christmas dress! There are so many cute things to chose from I don't know how I'll ever make up my mind! I'm already training her to be a good shopper like her mom :)


Her first taste of food... not too sure about this whole eating thing


ok, well maybe a little


our trip up to Holland Michigan


talk about having some big shoes to fill!


sadly it is the end of summer and these wooden shoes are still tanner than me :(




Look what a big girl I am!


Beginning


Middle


End




Troy being double teamed by the girls




She looked like the Princess and the Pea


of course my picture woke her up but it didn't seem to sour her mood any!

Fun Pictures

My first time in my high chair



Meeting Mom's friend Traci

We ran into Grandma and Grandpa at church!