All for one SPECIAL little girl!

Miss Lottie is such an inspiration to all of us. She is battling Leukemia and besides not having any hair, you wouldn't even know there was anything wrong. But on a weekly basis, if not more, she undergoes some sort of treatment or has her levels checked. She has been poked and prodded countless times but takes it all with a smile. So tonight, family, friends, church members, and even strangers gathered in Avilla for an auction to benefit The Love for Lottie Mae Fund. The turn out was amazing, the support was overwhelming. We bought t-shirts and even put an orange extension in our hair to raise awareness and show support. We took part in the auction and won a few items. Papa Tom went home with a new maple tree, a block of cheese, a rick of wood and some birdseed. Aunt Pam and I were bidding against each other and in the end decided to split a basket of haircare supplies. It was such a great evening for such a great cause and it gives us all yet another reason to be thankful. We are so thankful and blessed that the treatment seems to be working and that Lottie has been responding so well to everything, so well, she was able to come out to the benefit and see each and every person there that is rooting for her and her family. We can't forget about the strength that her mom and dad, Scott and Victoria, have shown. What they have been able to do for their little girl is remarkable and we can all learn from the love and support that they give to one another. In the midst of all the ugly, so many beautiful things have shown through and conquered.

Blake and Leah in their new shirts. 

Kaden propping his feet up on Papa Tom. Time to settle in. 

Photo courtesy of Miss Leah

Family Tradition

Ever since I was little, I can remember getting out the Christmas decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving and helping put the tree up. Even though we weren't in "our" home, I still got to help put up the family tree at my mom and dad's and this year, Kaden got to get in on the action. (We go artificial in our family, too many pets over the years.) Kaden would pull a tree branch out and march around the house listening to the noise it made on the floor. At each step of the way, he would clap his hands in approval. He even got the big task of putting the star on top of the tree-but needed a little assistance.

What-NO PUMPKIN PIE!

We started off our Thanksgiving morning a little later than usual. The little guy hasn't been feeling all that well and his sleeping has suffered and so has mommy's. But finally at 6:30 he fell hard asleep and slept in until 8:45. We got up, had some breakfast and then turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Kaden absolutely loved all the colors, music and dancers. He even managed to work in a few new moves that I haven't seen before.

But the sweetest thing came during the commercials, he would go over to Stoli and just love on her-makes my heart melt.

We finally got out of our pajamas around 1 o'clock and headed over to Grammy's House for our 2nd Thanksgiving. There weren't as many family members attending this function so the boys were able to get out their tunnel and play a little chicken.

Grammy Janet had one goal, to take a picture with her grandsons and the stuffed turkey she had purchased after Thanksgiving last year. Only problem, the turkey scared the living daylight out of the boys and they wanted nothing to do with it. We were finally able to get Kaden to sit on Grammy's lap and the turkey in the same vicinity but as soon as we tried to pull the turkey closer, he pushed it away. But in the end, Grammy met half of her goal.

The evening at Grammy's ended with dessert. Justin made an apple pie that was top notch but Adam and I couldn't wait to get our hands on the pumpkin pie. I mean, what is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? Grammy made a pumpkin surprise dessert which was good but it just wasn't the same as the traditional pumpkin pie. Next year, Adam and I are bringing our own pumpkin pie!

Daddy drove Mommy and Kaden to Butler where we met Grandma Sara and Papa Tom. We swapped out the car seat, loaded the stroller and suit cases and Kaden and I jumped in for a quick trip back to Carthage where we would spend the weekend and would be joined on Sunday by Daddy. Grandma Sara was in heaven when all Monkey wanted to do was climb into her lap and rock.

Introducing Miss Sophie

Our very good friends, Jason and Tiffany, welcomed a beautiful little girl named Sophie Ann on Friday, November 26th at 7:13 pm. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. We are so thrilled that Kaden has yet another playmate and another baby to corrupt. We can't wait to meet you, Sophie and watch you grow over the years to come. Congratulations to the new Mommy and Daddy! Welcome to the best thing about life!

Mommy and Sophie just minutes after being born. 

Day Two and already has Daddy wrapped around her finger.

The Letter F.

Today is Thanksgiving and I can't help but think of the letter F. Strange? Maybe, but the letter F is everywhere today...

We can find it in our Faith, our Freedom, in Family and Friends, with watching Football, and eating the never-ending supply of Fantastic Food. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. You are able to gather with those that you love and that love you and just spend time together. Here's to wishing you all the best Thanksgiving yet and hoping that you are all surrounded by your faith, family, friends and that you enjoy all the football and food while remembering our freedom and those who have fought for it or currently fighting. God Bless.

The first of our Thanksgiving Events, Thanksgiving Eve with the Sophie Audsley Family.

Another day of giving thanks...

And today, I am thankful for expanding bellies.

But it isn't just about the the little joey that is growing inside my pouch, it is so much bigger than that. Expanding bellies mean families and I have the best family that one could ask for. My life as I know it, wouldn't be possible without my best friend and partner in crime, my one and only, husband. He has given me more than I could have ever imagined and I am so blessed for our life together. And then there is Kaden, words aren't enough to express the sheer joy and happiness he has brought into my life. Knowing that we are gearing up for round two in a few months, couldn't be more exciting and just more reason to give thanks. 

Of course, it doesn't even begin to end there. Justin and I are so thankful for our families, they have been there for us in times of need, in times of celebration, and when time doesn't matter. We wouldn't be anywhere without you all. 

My apologies to the South Family, I have searched for the last 30 minutes looking for our family pictures so that we all would be in one shot, I have no idea where they are. I am in a little bit of a panic. What did I do with them?! I guess that just means, we need new family pictures. Maybe we should do them in the snow!

A Little Bit of Thanks

Seeing how Thanksgiving is upon us, I thought it was appropriate to blog about what I am thankful for. Today, I am thankful for Immaculate Cleaning. While that seems very shallow, having our house cleaned allows me to spend less time worried about the state of the house and more time making memories and playing with my boys and our four legged family members. Immaculate Cleaning, you are a steal of a deal.

"What do I want for Christmas this year?"

One roll of Bounty = hours of fun.

Our dearest Stoli, she doesn't leave my side. 

And Brodi, our big teddy bear that is full of endless energy. 

Riddle me this...

What is white AND just as messy as spaghetti??

Mashed Potatoes! And he loved them as much as the spaghetti!

This weekend was a pretty low key weekend, just want mommy and daddy ordered. We started the weekend off with a girls night, Jennifer came over for movie night while the boys went out for a lively night. Saturday brought a very lazy morning, a quick trip to Town Center to see Grandma Sara and then it was off to PF Chang's for dinner with the Johnson Family. We were told we would be sat at a table so that monkey would have a highchair but we got a booth and monkey got a booster. Now, I look forward to the day in which we are able to use a booster and he knows how to sit still but until that day, we will gladly take a highchair. We need something to confine this wild and crazy 14 month old! Considering what we were working with, Kaden did a great job and really seemed to enjoy his chicken lo-mein. We will definitely being going back!

On Sunday, Mommy and Kaden started the morning off with a play-date at Little Monkey Bizzness. I was a little worried about letting him run and play with the bigger kids so we went down a couple slides and then made our way over to the infant/toddler area. Here Kaden was able to run and climb on wedges, ride a duck, and crawl through tunnels. Much more his speed and made mommy much more at ease. We were home in time for the Chiefs game and then settled in for a good afternoon nap. Once we were up, we headed outside to enjoy a little bit of the nice fall weather in KC. Kaden loved "running" in the leaves and for some reason, loves to be in our neighbor's yard and cries if you bring him back into his own yard to play. A little strange but who am I to judge. Here are a few pictures from our low key weekend while we rested up for a family filled Thanksgiving week.

Mommy's little helper.

"Now you see it."

"Now you don't! Man, I'm good!"

On Top Of Spaghetti...

all covered with cheese. 

Kaden lost his poor meatball 

when Sir Brodi sneezed!

Tonight we had spaghetti and Kaden dug in all by himself. It may have taken more than 30 minutes to eat but he loved every piece of it!

In other news, we were on the hunt for Kaden a chair. We thought it would make a great Christmas present since he is obsessed with the little chair at daycare. My search has been long and far and nothing seems to be popping out at us and then I remembered his swing. His swing had 3 steps and one of those steps was a rocker, we pulled it back out, set it up and Kaden climbed right in. Looks like we can start searching for other Christmas presents...