How Can This Be?

I can't believe that my baby is 9 months already! Tell me I'm not the only one who feels like each child seems to grow up faster than the last. Her life has flown by. I wish I could preserve all of the cute little things she does right now (like making a "t" sound with each inhale and exhale whenever she gets excited, or how she flaps her arms like a little bird when she's happy, and how her face tells you she's about to cry before a sound comes out.) What can I say, I LOVE the baby stage. With all the talk of feminism, and making a name for yourself and yada yada yada, I can honestly say that I don't feel more feminine or needed or special than when I am with my children. I am grateful to be a mother. It is NOT easy! I have much to learn, and though at times I feel like I have lost part of who I used to be, I have found joy in who I am becoming. So my little Bubbas (Bubs, Ellie, El, Ellia) here's to you, and the cute things you do as of late.

You are very happy to have joined the family at the table!

You hate being left out or alone (you get this from the Hardy side I think)

You move your hands constantly while nursing. Usually you pinch the back of my arm (and it hurts!), but my favorite is when you just hold my hand.

You put EVERYTHING in your mouth. I do dread this a little, especially since your favorite things to put in there are toilet paper, paper, paper towels, and Polly Pockets. By the way, I don't know how you always manage to find these things, but you do!
P.S. STILL NO TEETH

You are very mobile, and love crawling over, into, on top of...everything.

You are my first child who doesn't do the stand on Dad's hand thing. Janie and Addi were champs at it. You are a little scaredy cat. You HATE being thrown in the air or even being lifted above someone's head.

You are standing and walking along furniture, and even stand on your own and attempt a couple of steps from time to time.

You LOVE your mama! It is starting to get hard...you are clingy already. I leave the room, you cry. I put you down to do a load of laundry, you cry...I don't hold you every second of the day...you cry! AHHHHH! But, so long as mom is close by, you are a very nice baby, and I ADORE you (Dad and sisters adore you too)!

* Could those baby blues get any better? You have beautiful eyes and every one always comments on them!

And this little bunny is second only to me. You love it, and sleep with it every day!

HaLlOwEeN in AZ!

Wade had a medical conference in Phoenix this year, and we decided to pack up and make a little family vacation out of it. We arrived in Gilbert Halloween day. The girls were so excited to trick or treat with their cousins! My grandma Prince always feeds the grandkids and great grandkids chili before trick or treating. Let's just say our little ghosts were not completely white afterwards! It was so fun to see my grandparents, aunts, cousins, brothers, nieces, nephews.

Here are our little ghosts!

Ready to go!

The dads stayed home and passed out candy.

We were in AZ for a week and the weather was beautiful! It was 90 degrees this day.

Nothing better than playing in water in November! What I really should have pictures of is us EATING! There's pretty much subway and a humburger place at home, and so we jumped at the opportunity to eat out. We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings (twice...ahhh...I love you Asian Zingers!), In n Out (twice), and Texas Roadhouse...not to mention Cold Stone and Nielsen's Frozen Custard. Wade is happy to report that he only gained 3 lbs...I am happy to report that I am still nursing! Though my gut does look a little bigger! ;)

PUMPKINS!

Carving pumpkins is quick becoming one of my favorite things to do with my little family. The girls are always SO excited. Usually they just paint their pumpkins, but this year Janie wanted to paint one and carve one. Dad helped.

Addi was just a little obsessive about painting her pumpkin. It took her AGES to finish it.
She was SO SERIOUS about it!

Addi didn't make it for the family picture. She threw a fit when we tried to take her pumpkin and get her in the family picture. "NOOO! I'm not done yet...!"

My pumpkin is "eating" Ellia's little pumpkin. The girls were very concerned and upset about this, and once the pumpkins were outside I noticed the little pumpkin was no longer there, but had a place of it's own next to the other pumpkins. ;)

Wade's happy pumpkin looked the best lit up. I think he wins the award this year.