Trip to the Farm

We took a little trip to the Farm today for a couple different reasons. It looked really fun online and they also had 16 acres of pumpkins planted where you could pick your own. It was about 90 miles from our house, so we left early this morning so we could get there around lunch time.

These little chickens were singing away and the "itty bitty" really enjoyed watching them.

She sat on this little bench and paid very close attention to every cluck they made.

Mommy and Emma feeding the goat. Daddy was afraid they were going to bite her fingers, because there was a sign on the fence that cautioned us of that. Remember, he is the rule follower...not me. She loved when the food was gone and the goat just licked her hand.

Here she is in the "punkins". You can really see how black her eye still is in this picture and this is 2 weeks old.

Daddy and Emma touching the pigs snout. Emma was not too sure about this, but she finally got down there and started rubbing him and calling him Beamer (our weenie dog).


Out of all the pumpkins on the farm...this is the one she picked out and wanted. She was really excited about it too.

I decided to just put Emma in a pumpkin shirt and jeans today and we would go to the pumpkin patch closer to home next Saturday where she could wear her little pettiskirt. After we got there...I was so glad that I did not dress her in that, people would have been staring at me like I was a crazy Mommy. I am hoping her black eye will be gone by next weekend too, so we can get some great pictures of her for my scrapbook.

Honestly, Emma was still a little young to enjoy all they had there...she really needed to be about 3. We just wanted to take her to a real pumpkin patch and to see all the farm animals. Yes, we are probably a little eager to do somethings with her. Oh well, it was fun for the 2 hours we were there and she enjoyed the animals and the hot dog she had for lunch.

Itty Bitty's Nursery

I am so glad that Kelly decided to do this and I have really enjoyed looking at everyone's Nurseries...they are all beautiful. Here is Emma Caroline's Nursery and yes, it is my favorite room in the house.

We are expecting the 4th Frazier in March, so Emma will be getting a big girl room soon. She will be 20 months old when the baby is born and we do not want to have 2 cribs...so she is getting a room makeover in January.

We had these letters done by Pink Taffy Designs to match the bedding and they matched perfect. I just sent them some fabric samples and we were so pleased when they arrived.

Our crib which we just fell in love with the minute we laid eyes on it. We knew this was the one...we had looked at furniture for months.

Dresser/Changing table, I must confess...I have NEVER changed a diaper on this. We set up a make shift nursery in our bedroom for the 1st 6 months of her life, because she slept in a cradle. Out of habit, I just continued changing her on our bed.

Top part of the dresser, which I use to sit stuff around.

Shelf that hangs above dresser/changing table...where I place all of her trinkets.

We had this curtain made out of leftover fabric from our bedding.

This is my very favorite item in her nursery. This rocking chair was my Nanny's and her Grandfather made it and gave it to her on her 1st Birthday and she kept it for all of those years. She left it to me when she passed away. This little chair is over 86 years old and it is BEAUTIFUL.

Diaper Genie & Cover that matches the bedding...Nope, I have NEVER used this either.

This is a family tree that hangs on the wall above a book shelf. I have pictures of Emma's cousins on this tree and a few of her too.

A cross with her name on it hangs on the wall by the window.

This little sign hangs above her closet door & her Daddy just loves it.

Yes, the Angels did dance the day she was born. This hangs over her door and it reminds daily of what a miracle and blessing she really is...sweet girl!

Pillow with her initials monogrammed on it.

Closer up view of her bedding.
We have several pictures of her hanging in her room, sorry the glare is really bad. This one was actually taken at the hospital after she was born. We took this matte to the hospital and had all our visitors sign it in a pink sharpie that matched her room.

And last, here is my rocker and ottoman that has never left our master bedroom. We ordered this in brown with the green piping, so it would work in our 2nd nursery also. Remember me saying that we set up a makeshift nursery in our room. It is still there and we use it daily and it is so convenient. We have a shelf that sits right beside this rocker that holds, diapers, blankets, wipes and all sort of things that we have used in the last 15 1/2 months. This just worked out great for us with me nursing, because I would just sit in our room and nurse and the HOTY would wake up with me and keep me company. We also changed her in here, opposed to having to go to the other side of the house and do it every time. It worked out so well that this will be the plan for the 4th Frazier too.

I am sure you noticed the "itty bitty's" room is very pink with 18 inch polka dots all over the walls. The HOTY painted this room and then went to Lowes and had them mix the same paint at 75% where it appears to be a glaze, very subtle polka dots all over the walls. It took forever because he wanted them to turn out perfect and he did a great job. I can not wait to see what he does in the 4th Frazier's Nursery.

Hope you enjoyed my Nursery tour.

Too Sweet

So, I got these two surprises on my blog the last couple days...thought I better play along (I don't usually do things like this). I always just tell people, I am blogging to journal the memories of my family and to become a better Mommy, Wife, Christian and Friend. Yes, I feel like my short time as a blogger has helped me in all of these areas...not to mention I have met some amazing people on here as well.

This first blog award came from Lianna at Be Thou a Knight....thank you so much Lianna. I would do all the little links, but the truth is...I don't know how. I am sure my friend Darla will be calling me after she finishes laughing & reading this to explain how it all is done. I am hoping to learn soon, so I can participate in Kelly's Nursery Share on Friday.


So, I am suppose to pass this on...the truth is I love all the blogs I read or I would not be reading them. There are different things I like about each one that is for sure, but all of them have put a smile on my face, inspired me, lifted my spirits and touched my heart at some point. If you are on my Daily Inspirations list, consider yourself a recipient of this award today, because I really do LOVE your blogs.

The next one is from sweet Danielle at Mueller...Family of Four. Nope, I have never met her, but love to read her blog and admire those two beautiful little girls of hers. She inspires me to be a better Mommy and her faith and love for the Lord is amazing to me.

I am hoping one day Kelly from Kelly's Korner and Angie from Bring The Rain will hold a joint Bloggers Retreat and we can all meet up one day...doesn't that sound like a great idea? Man, imagine what we would all feel like when we left there. Mimi from Mimi's Making Meals & Mimi's Memories could cook for all of us ~ YUMMY! I would SO be there and so would my friend Tedra.

So here I go...I probably will not pass this on, well you all know why...I don't know how to do the link thingy...but I will tell you 6 things (yes, there are way more, but these are the 6 that come to mind today) that make me HAPPY:

1. The "Itty Bitty" ~ everything about her makes me Happy, it is a privilege to be her Mommy
2. Hearing the heartbeat of the 4th Frazier every time I go to the Doctor
3. The HOTY ~ he is an amazing husband and Daddy
4. Spending time with my BFF and other friends
5. Parents who love/loved me unconditionally (my Daddy is in Heaven...that is why I wrote loved...but I know he still loves me).
6. God's Grace

Okay...so I participated...I am proud of myself and hopefully you girls are too. I realize I probably did not follow the rules 100%, remember the HOTY is the rule follower (not me).

Thank you both so much for your kindness and the sweet things you had to say about me.

Build~a~???

Today we took the "itty bitty" to Build~a~Bear and yep, she built a DOG ~ DOG! She seemed to be a little overwhelmed with the machines that were loud when they were stuffing her dog~dog. I think she would have just been happy with his empty little body if we had not encouraged her to go through all the steps of completing him. You can see her sweet little self below picking out the exact dog she wanted.

Actually she picked out 2, so her Daddy had to help her make a final decision on which one she would keep.

She quickly picked out a little heart and gave it to the lady who stuffs the animals, this part made her a little nervous because the machine was loud.

Daddy & Emma giving the dog~dog a bath and cleaning him all up for Emma to take home.

You are looking at it...the newest edition to our dog~dog family. She was not interested in putting any clothes on him, not to mention they were not age appropriate due to the small parts that she could choke on. I am married to a rule follower, so we just got her this little pink rhinestone collar to put around his neck.

Emma loves this little dog...as for me and the HOTY, we feel like we are living at the SPCA with all the stuffed dogs we have around here.

We also picked up her costume for Halloween today and I must admit, it is really cute on her and she really likes it. Of course she does, it is a dog~dog.

A Girl's Best Friend

It is pretty safe to say that our Weenie Dog, Beamer is the "Itty Bitty's" best friend. This kid loves this dog and when I say love, I mean loves this dog. If you have read much of my blog you know that she is obsessed with any and all dogs. We have dog stuffed animals, dog pajamas, dog webkins, dog pillow, little dogs, big dogs, books on dogs, movies on dogs and she is always talking about and looking for "dog-dogs". I mean she can spot the red dog on the gift cards at Target when we are standing in line to pay. She finds dogs any and everywhere we go and points them out to me and the HOTY. Which brings me to this...

Last year for Halloween she was this cute little Butterfly that I just absolutely loved and had to have for her 1st Halloween.

We were so excited about this costume to the point that I think we put it on her about 6 times before Halloween even arrived. This is one of my very favorite pictures of her in it with that sweet little head lifted and that beautiful little round face showing.

I started talking to the HOTY about a month back asking him what he thought she should be for Halloween. I said, "you know, I think I will let her be something that she would really want to be and not something I really want her to be". She is still probably a little young to walk in a store and pick one out, so we looked at magazines and catalogs...and you are looking at it, a DOG ~ DOG! Yes, my little girly girl is going to be a dog for Halloween. I am still not 100% sold on the idea, but I feel like it is probably the right thing to do and what she really wants to be.

Never did I imagine I would be walking a little puppy around at the Mothers Day Out Fall Festival, instead I thought it would be a fairy, lady bug or maybe even a little ballerina. I plan to try to put some red bows on the ears to make it look a little more girly, any other ideas?

This is actually sold out online, so the HOTY called several stores today looking for it and paid for it over the phone when he found it. He also got her this little treat bag that I plan on having monogrammed on the backside in red with her name and the year. Oh, I plan on adding some red bows on the side of this little guy too.

One thing is for sure...the "itty bitty" will love this costume and we probably will have a hard time getting it off her, once she puts it on.

Pumpkin Patch 2007

Fall is here and we can not wait to take the "itty bitty" to the Pumpkin Patch this year. She was only 3 1/2 months old last year when we took her, but she still managed to pick the pumpkin she thought was best. Yes, we had to get it for her and I would still have it today if it had not rotted. We will be returning to the same patch this year for our 2nd year of fun and photos. I love the idea of this one...it is at a Methodist Church and this is the youth groups yearly fundraiser. The teens are out there working, pulling wagons, shuffling pumpkins around, loading your stuff, taking family photos, helping you select the perfect one, checking you out and then they walk you to your car and send you on your way.

I am sure our experience this year will be much different than last. Emma will be running through the pumpkins, touching them and probably attempting to pick them all up. It is amazing how much she has grown in a year. I always tell the HOTY that every age is my favorite and I don't want her to get any bigger, but I am here to tell you...she is SOOOOO much fun right now and every age just gets better and better. I am amazed at how independent she has already become and how good of a communicator she is at such a young age. I could talk about her forever, she is just the sweetest and most loving little person.

We are welcoming Fall with open arms at our house. The house is decorated for the season and the scent of pumpkin and apple spice are everywhere. Our decorations consist mostly of pumpkins and things that can be left out through Thanksgiving. I have gotten rid of the ghost, cats, bats and witches around here. However, the "itty bitty" did get a little spider candle holder the other day from Kirklands. We always sing the "itsy bitsy spider" and do the hand motions that go along with the song. Well, the other day when we were shopping she kept saying, "spider, spider, spider". To be honest with you, I was quite surprised because I did not know she knew what a spider was or had ever seen one. Sure enough it was a spider, so we bought it and she carries that little spider around everywhere. So we do have a few Halloween decorations, but primarily "punkin" stuff...that's what the "itty bitty" calls it.

Bo~Bo

Nope, I am not misspelling Boo & this post has nothing to do with Halloween. The "itty bitty" had a little accident last night and now she has a really bad "bo~bo" to prove it. Last night I was taking a bath and the HOTY and Emma were in the bathroom talking to me. Emma was standing outside the tub (which has no corners on it at all) and she lost her footing and fell and hit her cheek bone on the side of the tub. I knew when she hit that it had to hurt. The HOTY immediately jerked her up and it was already bruised and swollen.

We felt HORRIBLE that this happened to her and the HOTY said, "you know I was just thinking today that with all the tile in this house, she really hasn't fallen and gotten hurt that many times". Needless to say, this picture does not do it much justice...it looks BAD!

We go back to MDO tomorrow after our 3 week HURRICATION, so hopefully things will go well and the "itty bitty" will get right back into the swing of things. I am hoping they don't call the authorities on us after seeing her little face all bruised up.

She has the best attitude about it and just continues to smile. However, she loves to look at herself in the mirror and point to it and say "bo~bo, bo~bo, bo~bo". Of course she knows the perfect way to get to her Daddy...we might have the pink kitchen before Christmas if she keeps this up.

We have LIGHTS

Yes, yes, yes... our power was restored yesterday afternoon & it was better than winning the lottery. I told the HOTY that we would not be going camping anytime soon, after 16 days without power. The good news is...we are all okay, the refrigerator has been restocked, the house has been cleaned, the Fall decorations have been put out, 9 loads of laundry have been done, "itty bitty" slept in her bed last night, the yard is freshly manicured (thanks to Green Gardens Landscaping), caught up on all my favorite blogs, checking account has been balanced, my housekeeper comes on Thursday, we are having Mimi's meatloaf for dinner tonight, my kids are coming back to school tomorrow and Curtis has been cleaning and organizing the garage all weekend.

Long story short, we have a 3 car garage and the 3rd bay has been loaded with stuff/junk that is just stacked from ceiling to floor since we moved in 18 months ago. We purchased shelves and it is looking good and I am so darn excited. He actually came in a little bit ago all dressed up in a Halloween costume he must have stumbled upon while he was cleaning. It was definitely from his single days, when he went to a party as...uh, I don't even know what to call it...maybe a pimp. It was a purple suede jacket with leopard trim, big necklace and some brass knuckle dollar sign ring. For those of you who know my husband...he is super conservative, so of course I was like, what the heck when he came in wearing that. I am sure the neighbors enjoyed watching him put that get up on before coming in here to show me how "pimpin" he was back in the day. Remember, this is the same guy that did not think it was cute his daughter had on a 2 piece bathing suit in the backyard. I managed to get a picture of him, but he made me promise not to post it on my blog. Trust me, it was funny!

The littlest Frazier must be really excited the power is back on too...because I felt that sweet baby kick around 10:00 this morning and he/she has not stopped since. I use to love feeling Emma move all the time and kick when I was pregnant with her ~ I have missed those days, so I am glad they are back.

I am off to fold another load of laundry. Thank you for all that kept us in your prayers during the storm and the days that followed.

Oh, let me not forget those Centerpoint Energy fellas that are working from sun up to sun down restoring power all over the area. I appreciate all that you have done for my family and my community. Hopefully you will all be home with your families soon and getting some rest and relaxation. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed.

Pictures of IKE & Normalcy

After 13 days I have returned to work and I am feeling a little bit of normalcy this morning. I can not wait for our lives to be completely back to normal. We are beyond ready for our power to be restored and for the "itty bitty" to be back in her nursery where she is most comfortable.

Upon returning to work this morning, these pictures were in an email I received from a colleague. My heart breaks when I look at these and for all the families that are experiencing grief and loss in Galveston and surrounding communities.

http://www.tpicks.com/pictures%20people%20have%20sent%20me.html

They are allowing the residents of Galveston to enter the island today to assess the damages to their homes and property. Please pray for these poor people today and for their safety as they return. My prayer for each of them is that God will bring them through this more abundantly blessed then they were before IKE made his appearance.

I had a Drs. appointment last week and all is well with the 4th Frazier. My initial test came back from the chromosome disorder testing and everything looks great. Even though I am 36, Dr Irwin was more than pleased with these results and does not recommend that I have an amniocentesis, unless I just really want one. I mean who really wants one, right? We are scheduled to have an Ultrasound on October 16th to find out if we will be blessed with another baby girl or baby boy. We will be happy and content with whatever God chooses to send our way. I am updating my baby website weekly, so that is where I journal about the 4th Frazier. I have chosen to keep that up and running, because I can save that information on disc, just as I did for Miss Emma.

I am at work, so I better get busy...lots to do.

Thank You for your Kindness

So, I must be honest and say that I am so ready for my life to be back to normal. Today is the 10th day we have gone without power. We are projected to get our power back at the end of the week, however I am praying for it to happen sooner. We managed to stay at our home through all of this, but the last few nights have been rather toasty so we have stayed at my BFF's house. Emma and I have been hanging out here in the day also, while the HOTY has been at work.I can never Thank this family enough for opening their home, their pantry and their hearts to us at such a time. Of course they have always unconditionally loved us and done very unselfish things for us and this is just another to add to the very long list. I am so appreciative and grateful for their friendships.

Robin and I have been friends for 24 years now and their is not much we have not experienced together in life. Of course our husbands think we are the biggest dorks, because yes... we still have BFF shirts, frames and other memorabilia. We say it every chance we get because we know they think we are so darn silly and plus it keeps us feeling young.

As for their 3 little girls...aren't they beautiful? They are sweet, funny, thoughtful and oh so entertaining for us. The "itty bitty" wants to be so big...just like them.

Today leaves me feeling very thankful for the Lemoine family and so blessed that they are a part of our lives.

Robin ~ you are the very Best Friend in the whole world & it is all going to be worth it when... you know the rest!

Fun without Power

We have had to find many ways to entertain ourselves and a 15 month old with no power for the past 8 days. Thought I would share one of the ways with all of you. We decided to put stickers all over the "itty bitty" for some fun. She seemed to enjoy it as much as we did.


Please continue pray for everyone that has suffered a loss from Hurricane IKE!