All Things Paige

P: You're not my best friend, Mommy! 

M: Oh Yeah? Who is your best friend? 

P: Daddy! 

M: Then who is my best friend? 

P: Alainey. 

A Visit to Nana and Papa's

We went to visit my parents this past weekend.  It had been a LONG time since Mark had been there.  I took the girls a couple times this summer by myself during the week without him.  It was Fall Fest and we had a really good time.  It's nice to get  some help every now and again.  I don't think I changed a diaper the whole visit and they get up with the girls in the morning.  Thanks Mom and Dad for the great weekend.  (I think Alaina looks a lot like my mom in this picture, minus the hair of course.)

Paige just lounging on the porch!

Paige always has a great time playing with my cousin Tiffany.  Paige is about 6 months older than her and they have so much fun together.  My mom called me "Aunt Melanie" to Tiffany.  I had to remind her that I am her cousin, not her aunt.

Sitting so proper and somber.

Aren't they the cutest?!

Paige is most certainly "Papa's Side Kick", as her shirt states.

We also got a chance to visit my grandparents and play a little wii bowling.  My dad is in the background making his famous homemade pizza.  He's been doing that every Saturday night for as long as I remember.  It's always a favorite.

Aunt Amber was home and spent the weekend with us. 

Alaina with her Great Grandpa. 

I just love these picture of my grandpa.  They just show his personality so perfectly.  He has always given the grandkids "pony rides" and lots of kisses. 

All Things Paige

Paige changed Alaina's diaper today. . .without asking me. . .and it was poopy. I just happened to come into the living room to find Paige wiping Alaina's bare bottom with toilet paper. Great!?! So I got her a new diaper and we finished together. Thankfully, she did a good job and there was no other mess to clean up afterwards. Oh does she LOVE to help!

And here is a conversation I had with Paige today!
P: "I have 2 thumbs!"
M: How many thumbs do I have?
P: 2!
M: How many thumbs does Daddy have?
P: 2!
M: How many thumbs does Alaina have?
P: 4! 

Please Pray!

UPDATE:  Thanks for your prayers and continued support.  Grandma is stable.  They found a large stomach ulcer.  The bleeding hasn't stopped, but at least they now know what they are dealing with.  Thanks again!

Please join with my family in lifting up my Grandma tonight.  I just found out she is in the ER and hemorrhaging.  They aren't sure what is causing it, but she is losing a lot of blood.  Pray for wisdom for the Doctors and comfort for my Grandpa and Mom.  Thanks everyone!

To Facebook or Not to Facebook?

I don't get it. I don't understand the craze. Are we just all a bunch of cyber stalkers or do we really care about that person that we haven't seen or talked to in 15 years who wants to be our friend now? And do they really want to be my friend or do they just want a glimpse into my life through photographs and an occasional post about taking my girls to the park? Oh, that's right, it's all about networking. But, seriously, how much "networking" really goes on? So, what do you think? Are we cyber stalkers or networking?

A day at the park!

We spent many hours at the park the other day Emily and Natasha and their kids. The girls played so well with their friends. We all had a lot of fun. Paige climbed the tree with a little help from Natasha.
I have photographic proof that I actually let Alaina play in the sand. It's not that I hate sand (note that I would never have it my house), I just avoid it when my kids are at the "put everything in my mouth" stage.

She played in the sand for hours. It was actually a relaxing day at the park for me. I'm glad we've gotten to this age and she can do more things.

The kids saw "chickens", or ducks to most people, so we sat down to watch.

Alaina was super excited!

Look at that face!

Paige loves to swing.

St. Louis

We took our family vacation to St. Louis. We like to go the weekend after labor day so the weather is still nice, but school is back in session, so hopefully attractions are less busy. We had a great time going to the zoo, The Magic House, and the Arch. We really like St. Louis because it's family and budget friendly. This is the best family photo we could get. I think it's great and totally us!

Alaina is our brave girl. She loved the animals and was not a bit afraid.

The new stingray attraction was fun. The first hour of the zoo, the stingrays, carousel, and children's zoo were all free. We made it to everything and just made it on the last free ride of the carousel.

Mommy and Paige at The Magic House, the children's museum.

Of course, we thought it would be funny for Daddy and Alaina to show us how their hair sticks up, too.

A rare photo of Mom and the girls at the Arch.

We ended the trip renting a quadricycle. It was a lot of fun and the girls did great. It was a good workout for the quads. Wouldn't it be fun to have one at home?

Naptime!

Naptime is sometimes interesting. This particular day I thought Paige was in her bed sleeping. I thought I heard her, so I went to the bottom of the stairs and sure enough, she was sitting at the top. I told her to get back in bed and she said something about the leaves. Curious, I went upstairs to find that she had plucked a bunch of leaves off our fake plant. As I was scolding her she said, "But Mom, I was feeding the cow!" How do you argue with that?

My thoughts for the day!

I was reminded today (thanks for your post Deb!) of how fast my baby is turning into a little girl, and not just a little girl, but a girl with her own thoughts, feelings, and ideas. I sometimes get stressed about her still sucking her thumb, if she will ever be able to distinguish between blue and yellow, if she will ever eat without making a huge mess, first time obedience - what's that?, will she ever let me do her hair without complaining, is she ever going to eat her vegetables without a reward, am I spending enough time reading to her, am I being a good example to her, and the list goes on and on.

In reality, she's my baby (do you ever stop thinking of them that way?). I don't have many years left of true innocence, of being the most important person in her life, of snuggles in the morning, or just one more hug and kiss at night, of endless giggles for no apparent reason. She's growing up and I don't want to miss this precious time because I'm so worried about her hitting milestones that really don't mean much. God gave us this beautiful, precious gift we named Paige because we were the perfect match for her. I am the perfect mommy for Paige and Alaina. God didn't make a mistake, even though, most days I think someone else surely could do this better than I do.

I am trying my best to raise my girls right. Am I making mistakes? Ummm . . .YES! Probably everyday, but I am trying to learn from them. Thankfully, I am surrounded by wonderful mommy's who teach me a lot about grace and patience. Right now, I want to forget about that checklist of things Paige can't or doesn't do, and focus on Paige and her unique spirit.

Apple Orchard