Thanksgiving 2014

Another holiday under our belt as a family of four! Yay! Calla's first Thanksgiving was wonderful! First off it was great to be on break and have so much family time! 

We started the break with Augusta's third birthday party (see previous post). Tuesday, Augusta and Chase had a daddy-daughter day--they shopped all morning and she even accompanied him to his haircut that afternoon! At home, they also put up the outside Christmas lights! Really glad they got some good time just the two of them. And of course Mommy and Calla got to enjoy each other too. 

Then Wednesday we went to Tupelo to do some Christmas shopping. (Almost done--yay!) We went to Walmart and Toys R Us and got the girls a few things, and then we headed to the mall. At the mall Augusta was pumped to see Sabta. She hugged him and talked to him. When it came time to add Calla to the mix, baby boo completely freaked out--obviously she's not a Santa fan. Since baby sis was crying and being held by mommy, Augusta started whining too. So meeting Santa was an epic fail! We ended our mall trip with cookies and a ride on the carousel. Then we had Dickey's BBQ for lunch. It was our first time to try it and it was amazing! Def will be back! 

The next day was Thanksgiving! We left early for Memphis and headed to Bass Pro Shop. We had to do some Christmas shopping and had been planning to meet Santa. (We were hoping this trip went better than the day before!) And success, we ended up with a family pic, but at least there were no tears! (In the picture, anyway) 

We had a delicious lunch with Chase's mom's side of the family. There was a huge variety (even Augusta ate something! Lol!) and it was all delicious! Augusta had a blast playing with her cousin, Emma Claire. That's one little girl that can put up with her roughness! :) it was so nice to see everyone and it's always nice to have a really warm, loving, family-filled place to go at the holidays. 

For dinner we headed to my parents house--we actually made it home in time to help with some of the cooking. Just like at lunch, the food was fabulous. But there was nothing Augusta would eat. So after socializing with everyone and loading up on food, we headed home to make her own thanksgiving dinner! 

Friday we slept in (while the guys went hunting) and then had a girls day. We relaxed around the house and then went out to do some Christmas shopping! Town was crazy, but I always love shopping in the crazy, holiday bustle! I'm crazy, I know! 

Saturday was a lazy day where we hung around and watched the game with family--minus Chase who had to work. But Sunday was Augusta's third birthday! She had a great time celebrating with family and going to church! So thanksgiving holidays were a blast--now to breeze through these three weeks of work and on to the Christmas holidays!! :)

  

Where has my baby gone?

Instead if a baby, I now have a smart, strong willed, compassionate, snuggly, gorgeous three year old! Time has gone by way too quickly. Cannot believe that three years ago we were in the hospital, taking in the realization that we were parents and it was up to us to care for this little miracle! I think we've done alright so far! 

This year has been a big year for Miss Augusta. She became a big sister--watching her interact with Calla, with such love, passion, and protectiveness has been nothing short of amazing. You're also now completely potty trained--even through the night! Way to go big girl! (Hope you're not too embarrassed now!) 

You went from speaking in shorter sentences and being not completely intelligible, to being able to carry on conversations with totally strangers and have them understand you. You're vocabulary is huge! You never cease to amaze me with the words and expressions you use (even if they aren't always used correctly!) I sometimes wonder where you learned the things you say--I guess it's true that you're just a little sponge and you're soaking up everything! 

Here are done of your favorites as you turn three...

Food: chicken nuggets and Mac & cheese

Drink:cranapple juice & chocolate milk

Candy: M&Ms

Books:Search & Find Series, Where's Spot, The Very Hungry Catepillar, and Peek-a-Baby

TV show: Team Umizoomi, Sofia the First, Lalaloopsy, & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Toys: Lalaloopsy dolls

Animals: Gorillas and Fish

Colors: Pink and Purple

Friends: Maddie, Turner, & Emma Claire

Restaurant: Chick-Fil-A

Desert food:Chocolate Chip Cookies & Chocolate Milkshakes 

Movies: Frozen & Despicable Me (1&2)

Song: "Let it Go" & "Floatin' Bubble Song"

Things you dislike--your family being separated. It causes you slight anxiety when we (Me, Dada, you, and Calla) are not all together. Your parents going to work--trust us, it's not our favorite either! Almost all foods--you are so picky and have an extremely hypersensitive gag reflex. You'll just look at food and gag--like last week you gagged at the sight of your Dad's biscuit! Sharing--you still haven't completely mastered this, but Calla is helping you learn. Not getting your way--think it just comes with the toddler territory, but you do not like to be told no. Waiting your turn--again, part of being a toddler but you're not very patient--you really don't like waiting in line or being told not to interrupt. 

You really love: your family! And we absolutely thank God for this everyday. We hope you always love us this way; in a way that there's no one else you'd rather be with. It's so fierce and so amazing--the same way we love you girls. Spinning--this is your dancing. And it's pretty much your favorite thing to do. You will literally spin for five minutes or more without stopping--don't know where you got that balance from but it's incredible. Snuggling--you are a cuddle monster and love to cuddle up and watch TV and most nights need a snugglebuddy to fall asleep. Being with friends--you are starting to be a little social thing. You love playing with your friends and going to your classes (church and tumble) to see them. You especially love the times you get to play with your cousin! 

On your actual birthday, you had an awesome day--you had sprinkle pancakes for breakfast. You helped by pouring on your own sprinkles. Aunt Lys and Uncle Brad were also down to help celebrate. Then you headed to church and got to see your friends in children's Bible time. Next Mims made you a big lunch and even had cupcakes and ice cream with sprinkles for dessert. We had a great afternoon nap and ended the night watching Frozen! 

At her 3 year check up, she was 39 1/2 inches tall and weighed in at 34 pounds. She is in the 94th percentile for height--she definitely didn't get that from her mommy! Her weight was around the 76th percentile, which is awesome! Her bp was great, she was so still whole the cuff squeezed her arm. And she did awesome with her finger prick--only whining, no tears. We ended the appointment with our perfect bill of health and a purple sucker! 

Augusta Kate--you have grown into an amazing little three year old. I am blown away by your independence. I love all your confidence, and your strong willed nature (even though it tests me at times). You make your daddy and I want to be better people, and to do better for you girls. You two are our inspiration. God blessed us so greatly by choosing us to parent you. We cannot wait to see what great things your future holds--though hoping like it won't feel like it's coming too quickly. We love you, our first born baby girl! 

Just a few shots from this past year--I could so keep posting pics, but I don't need to make this the longest post ever! We love you, Goo! 

Augusta's Third Birthday Party!

So today we celebrated our first born's third birthday!! Cannot believe it's been (almost) three years since this miracle entered our world and forever changed it for the better! 

We had Augusta's party at Oxford Cheer and Tumble--the same place she has her weekly tumble class. It was a blast! There was plenty of space to run, mats to flip on, and even a bounce house! Needless to say there was no shortage of things to keep the kiddos entertained! 

The theme was Lalaloopsy--Augusta's favorite dolls. She also really enjoys the TV show. She had a lalaloopsy cake with her favorite character, Misty Mysterious, on it. Also lalaloopsy themed snacks and a lalaloopsy piñata! 

Lots of her family and little friends were in attendance. They all had so much fun playing together and just running around. So glad so many were able to come celebrate our baby with us!  

Augusta said her favorite thing was the piñata! But she was so pumped about her entire party. She'd been talking about it for weeks, and on the morning of, she kept wanting to leave and go. She asked nearly 10 times if it was time to leave yet. 

When we got to OC to set up, she wanted to get the whole thing started. As soon as we got the cake out, she wanted to eat it. When presents started arriving, she wanted to open them. When I got our bday snacks, she wanted to eat those too! She was such an eager little partier! 

At the end of the day though, she had the best time. She loved everything about her party. And even though there were some meltdown moments (but hey, that's normal life when you're three), nothing took away from the fun of the day. Thanks to all who came out to celebrate with us!