It's Thanksgiving!

Well, almost! Tomorrow it will be and what a wonderful time of year to really say thanks for all that we have! I cannot believe how blessed we have been with our children. We really are so grateful for them... all three of them! We learned so much about love, life, and letting go with Hope... she is missed dearly everyday and not a day goes by that she is not thought of. Nathan and I were sitting in the den the other night and Chayse was dancing and laughing, Garris was cooing, and Nathan and I were just taking it all in. Nathan looked at me and said can you even imagine how it would be with a 3 year old, an 18 month old, and a 2 month old? We both laughed and my heart smiled knowing that in moments like that when everything in our home is perfect, she is still remembered. For that, I am thankful...

Chayse had her 18 month check up and she is growing away! It is official... she is a TALL child! She is almost off the charts with her height as she is in the 95%, which is tall for a girl! She is growing and learning everyday. She is amazing to watch as she soaks up everyday life. She is talking and is just amazing to be around. She has such a sweet personality, even if she is a bit stubborn! What a wonderful spirit that little girl has.

For that, I am thankful...

Garris is almost 3 months old now! Can you believe it!?! He is smiling and cooing and laughing these days! He is also holding his head up and trying to push up a little. Before we know it, he will be sitting up and then running and walking! Agh! The pages of time are turning so quickly is this book of life we live! He is sleeping through the night now for the most part. He is nursing wonderfully. He is sweet sweet baby and we could not love him more. He is our sweet boy and is such a wonderful addition to our family! For that, I am thankful...

I often wonder if I am truly worthy of all that I have... my husband, my children, my family, and my friends... thank you God for blessing my life with more than I could ever imagine.

For that, I am thankful.

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I know I said it wasn't going to be long for pictures but it was. I need to apologize to Garris for not blogging about him the way that I should but he is just too stinking cute and he takes up all of our time! Now, ON TO BLOGGING!!!

Happy fall!! Can you believe Thanksgiving is almost here?? I cannot but I know it is coming because I see pumpkins and mums!! But, I have to be honest... I think that I have the cutest pumpkins in the patch! Here is our latest family photo!

Like I said, I think that we have the cutest pumpkins in the patch!!

Garris has been doing better with his reflux. For a while there, he was throwing up almost every day, several times a day. It was nasty!! But, he has been on some medication for almost three weeks now and it seems to be doing the trick! I cannot believe that he is already 2 months old! It seems like we just brought him home yesterday! He is holding his head up really well and is cooing away! He is so fun to talk to because he just smiles and smiles and ugh, it will melt your heart!! Garris went on his first beach trip a few weeks ago. We went to Myrtle Beach in S.C. and had a blast. It was a girls weekend plus Garris... Me, my mom, my aunt, Chayse, and Garris. While Garris did a lot of sleeping, Chayse did a lot of swimming!

Here is Garris, smiling... while it was night time, it was his first ever look at the ocean!

And these were taken on the same... Chayse and I walked down the beach at sunset and then we went and played in the hot tub!

Lots of things to post about and new pictures to come soon!!

Agh!

Time has gotten away from me yet again. We have been super busy since Garris was born! We have had family in town, we have been out of town, we have had lots of company... it has been hectic! Things are finally slowing down now though! Everyone is good, Chayse is adjusting wonderfully to having a baby in the house and the baby is doing great! We couldn't be happier if we tried! I will post pictures soon... baby is crying so I need to run!!

Our newest family member...

I am excited to say that we welcomed our son into the world this morning! Garris Noland was born at 12:15 am weighing 8 pounds even and he is 21 inches long. He, well we, had a rough delivery but he is here, safe and sound and that is the name of the game! He is doing great and we are hoping to go home later this weekend. Garris is my great grandmothers maiden name and Noland is Nathan's mother maiden name... Here are some pictures, more to come later!!!

Stats on a growing little gal...

We went for Chayse's 15 month check up today but in reality, it is her 16 month check up as she will be 16 months on the first... still hard to believe that she has been here that long! It seems like yesterday I was trying to finish getting her nursery ready!!

Almost 16 month stats on a growing girl!

At Birth: 7 lbs 14 oz, 20.5 inches
At 2 months: 11 lbs 10 oz (60%), 22.5 inches (45%)
At 4 months: 14 lbs 3 oz (50%), 24.75 inches (60%)
At 6 months: 15 lbs 7 oz (30%), 26.25 inches (60%)
At 9 months: 18 lbs 2 oz (30%), 27.5 inches (35%)
At 12.5 months: 19 lbs 7 oz (20%), 29.75 inches (65%)
At 16 months: 22 lbs 1 oz (32%), 32 inches (85%)

Really, a month??

I cannot believe that a month has passed since I last posted! Where is the summer going? I cannot believe it is August already and that my little baby girl is 15.5 months old! AGH! Slow down time, slow down! Chayse is WIDE OPEN! She is running and into EVERYTHING! She is so much fun to watch and play with but man oh man, does she make me crazy some days!!! She is going to be the reason I have gray hair someday! She has cut FIVE teeth in the last WEEK! She has been kinda crabby but I think that a mouth full of teeth is a good reason to be a crab! She has also been on a MAJOR growth spurt. She has grown over an inch and a half in the last 6 weeks!!!! NO JOKE! We won't go to the doctor's office for her 15 month check up till the end of the week so I will let you know her growth status on the growth curve when we get it.

We have been very busy trying to get the upstairs finished and I am very pleased to say that we passed our final inspection!! YIPPIIEEEE!! We have a CO! Can I get an AMEN on that!?! We are sooooo thankful to have much of the project done. We still have some cosmetic things to do, like put carpet in the stairwell, touch up some paint spots, and we need to get the rest of stuff out of storage but all in all, we are "done". What a relief that is! I will get some updated pics this week with the furniture in and post those soon.

Baby Boy and I are doing well, tolerating the heat as best as we can. He has found my sciatic nerve over the last few days and gracious, is that a painful thing! We are getting excited and are beyond ready to meet him! No news on when he will get here though... soon though we hope... at least we know he cannot stay in there forever!! Here is a shameless belly shot from the park last week at 38 weeks into this pregnancy!


Nathan and I celebrated another year of wedded bliss this past week. It is crazy to think how much things have changed over the years and yet know it will change even more over the next year as we adjust to another little person being in our lives... We have traveled more paths that we never planned on going down in our time together than most people experience in a lifetime together. I am still so grateful to have this wonderful person in my life and be able to call him my husband.