Thankful

I know I'm a few days late, but I wanted to take a second to finally write about some things I am especially thankful for right now.  Our Thanksgiving was wonderful.  We all ate way too much food, and laughed a lot.  I'd call it a success.  We also got to meet and get to know my mom's new beau.  Robert the Brit- good man.  Most importantly he makes my mom happy, something I've wanted for her for a long time.  You know what makes me the most happy?   These two.....

I am so thankful for my family.  Jeff is amazing.  He is the best dad and husband, and I am so grateful for him and everything he does for us.  And Blakely, my sweet girl.  I thank God everyday for her and what she's brought to our lives.  I am lucky to spend all day everyday with my little munchkin, and nothing brings me more joy. 

We packed up and headed to the mountains last weekend and it was the perfect getaway.  We stayed at a cabin in Blue Ridge, like we did last year {quickly becoming an annual fall tradition}, and had a ball!  We relaxed in the hot tub, took in the gorgeous views and let Blakely and the dogs enjoy the great outdoors.  The only wildlife we saw were a bunch of wild turkeys, I guess they escaped the dinner tables this year! 

I am way ahead of the game this year, for me anyway.  I already have most of our Christmas decorations up!  We are going to get our tree on Saturday, something I'm super excited though because this will be our first real tree!  I'm in the process of making a tree skirt, it should turn out pretty cute.  I'm trying to stay ahead of schedule because Blakely and I are about to fly out to Utah for a  week.  It will be SO great to see everyone, and I just love Utah in the winter! 

On a totally unrelated note-  I just had to share this picture.  Silly girl.

Happy New Year

There's no way 2010 can be topped!  Let me start off by saying we had the best Christmas ever this year!  Our trip to the cabin in Blue Ridge was awesome.  We had the best time together, I love our little family.  Having Blakely this year totally changed the meaning of Christmas to me.  We celebrated Christmas eve by going to church (Blakely was so good) then eating with the fam.  Christmas morning was fun as we sat around our little tree and opened presents for each other and the girl.  It just felt right!  We went over to my moms and opened gifts with everyone.  Santa was very good to us this year!  Once the snow started falling....well, lets just call it icing on the cake!  Perfect Christmas!!  The rest of the day was spent putting together Blakely's toys and playing games!  

All in all, the Wright family had an incredible year!  It's crazy to think that for the first half of this year I was pregnant.  That seems so long ago now, but I have one amazing little girl to show for it.  I can't believe how much our lives have changed in just one year.  I'm going to do what many of you have, and post a little recap of the year in pictures {I have about a million to pick through}


January 2010

Fabruary 2010





March 2010

 


April 2010  My baby shower in Athens

 

May 12th, 2010, best day of my life.  Happy Birthday Blakely Anne!

4th of July!

Labor Day weekend.  Day trip to Dahlonega with my cousin and her husband, Mark.

Fall=Football GO DAWGS!

October in the pumpkin patch

B's first Halloween as a lamb!

Fall 2010

First trip to the Zoo in November

Turkey Day at Gramma's!

Christmas trip to the cabin in Blue Ridge.
Ha ha ha, I just noticed that Blakely looks like she's picking her nose! 

Christmas day!!

New boots from Great-grandma!

Sweet new jogging stroller!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is enjoying the New Year!  I'm excited to see what 2011 brings!  Looking back on this year I am incredibly thankful for my wonderful family and friends!  I do not make resolutions, just goals.  No, they are not the same thing.  My goals for this year are to travel more and learn to cook better meals for my family.  I already have my first trip booked.  Blakely and I will fly out to Utah in February to visit the in-laws!  I can't wait!  We will have all three grand kids on that side together for the first time.  Three girls under three!  Should be a blast!!  Although, I am just a little nervous about flying with a baby for the first time.  Any advice??  

Happy New Year!

7 months and Christmas fun!

So this is just a little late, but here are the pictures of Blakely at 7 months.  I forgot to make the little sign I usually put in the picture with her.  Oh well, it would have probably been slobbered and chewed on anyway!  Miss B is sporting one of her festive Christmas ensembles.  I can't get over how big she's gotten!  She has two little teeth on the bottom and the first upper tooth is trying to break through...oh so fun!  I may or may not have drugged her the other night so that both of us could get some sleep.  Don't judge.


"Oh man, I am so freakin' cute!"




"Oooo, what's this?!  I MUST have it in my mouth!"




"Um, mom, I can't reach it when you put it way up there."
*Cutest little profile EVER*




"Oh yeah, we were takin' pictures.  Ok, cheeeeeese!!"

 We have some pretty awesome holiday plans!  For starters, Jeff is done with this semester (YAHOO!!!)  and today is is last day of work for 9 whole days!!!  He'll be all mine!  We have a Christmas party to go to on Saturday, a white elephant exchange to be exact.  This is the kick-off to our Christmas-season-of-fun!  My best friend is hosting at her beautiful home and it promises to be filled with good food and bad gifts!  We still have to get our gift.  I'm not sure we can top last year.....a three foot tall statue of a shepherd.  Pain in the @ss to wrap!  Hilarious to give away! 
The very next day, Jeff, Blakely, the dogs and I are off to the mountains!  We are staying in a cabin in Blue Ridge for a few days.  We're packing up all of our crap and hittin' the road!  We can't wait!!  We haven't gone any where this year so we are desperate for a little get-away!  {Side note--I am never letting this much time go by ever again without traveling.  It's necessary to my soul to see the world.  Not to mention I have to show miss B what's out there}  I will say that planning even a small trip with a baby is not exactly a breeze.  I just don't want to forget anything....good thing we have a big vehicle!
Once we get home we have a bunch of family coming to town {all from my side} that I can't wait to see!  Blakely will get to meet my grandmother for the first time.  I plan on getting some great pictures of the four generations together! 
I realized that through all of this, what I am most excited about is just spending time with the ones I love.  My family and my friends.  Sure, gifts are nice, but I have known for a long time that quality time is my love language, and this year that's exactly what I'm getting!

Merry Christmas!!

Weekend recap

I'll start off by saying I have the most amazing husband in the world!  I really do.  I love him.  We had a little "date" night on Friday when he got home from work.  We went out for some yummy bbq, Blakely was as cute as ever and quietly chewed on some saltines.  She loves to use her little chompers!  Then we made our way over to homegoods and strolled around.  Normally Jeff wouldn't be all that excited to go to homegoods, but we were looking for the perfect white elephant gift.  We happened to find the best one there last year....a three foot statue of a Shepard that weighed about a million pounds!  Well, no such luck this year.  We didn't find our white elephant gift, but I did find this cute little bowl and a new mug.  So, success! 

Saturday, Jeff had to start studying for his finals this week so I was off to shop with miss B.  We headed over to Target, and let me tell you, that place was a zoo!!  However, despite the ridiculous amount of people there, everyone seemed to be very happy and nice....maybe a little holiday cheer??  Anyway, I had about 7 people tell me how adorable Blakely is {like I don't already know!} and I had some lady offer to take my cart back for me once I had gotten to the car.  Never happens!  It put me in a great mood to see and feel strangers being so nice to one another.  I wish people were in this great of a mood all year.

Sunday was great!  Blakely is now 7 months!!!
I can't believe it!  She's such a big girl!  Jeff and I lounged around made a delicious breakfast while we watched the snow flurry outside.  How perfect!  I got around to getting showered and dressed and Blakely and I headed to church to meet my mom for the churches annual Christmas concert.  It was freezing and snowy, but oh so wonderful!  It was so funny to see Blakely's face light up as she listened to the music and jumped up and down on my moms lap.  Her first Christmas is already magical and it's only going to get better!! 

So, for a little up-date on my 7 month old!  She is sitting, standing (while holding onto something), rolling around, laughing, babbling, screaming, teething, eating, clapping, smiling, basically being the best baby she knows how to be, and I love this child more than I can put into words!  People are starting to say that she's looking more like me.  LOVE. IT.  I think she's acting more like me too.  My mom has always told me that when she nursed me as a baby I would reach up and twirl her hair in my hand.  Blakely has started doing this, and I can't tell you how sweet it is.  I haven't taken her "official" 7 month pictures yet, but I took these over the weekend.    

Us Lately

So, I know it's a little late, but I thought I would share about our Thanksgiving.  It was wonderful, and everything a  holiday should be.  Filled with food, laughter, football, more food, and family.  We spend the morning cooking the last of the casseroles, and the rest of the day playing with the kids and eating.  Only a slight mishap when we mistakenly sprinkled cumin instead of cinnamon into the sweet potatoes.  We were able to scoop enough of it out that they turned out great!  We may have created a new recipe.  My nephew Grady had made pilgrim and Indian hats at school so we put them on he and Blakely and had a good laugh!

My mama with the grandkids.  This makes me laugh!

Jeff and I spent the rest of the weekend lounging around and watching movies and cuddling with our girl.  We decided NOT to go out shopping for black friday.  We decided that there was nothing that we needed that badly to have to go out and deal with crazy shoppers and long lines.  I was totally not in the Christmas mood up until Thanksgiving, but then all of a sudden I got really excited about it.  I finally turned on the Christmas music and got out the decorations.  I need more.  It's kinda sparse.  I guess I realized that this was Blakely very first Christmas and I want everything to be perfect for her, even if she wont remember it.  She'll have no idea that it's different than any other day, but I will.  I want her to grow up with traditions and memories.  Also, we have my family coming into town this year.  I'm so excited to see them!!  They will all be meeting Blakely for the first time.  I will be camera ready!  I will leave you with these.  My life, my loves.



How sweet is this?!



Thankful

This is what I'm thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween!!  It's so fun.  I have the best memories of this particular holiday all throughout my childhood!  So last year for Halloween Jeff and I were expecting and we thought a good way to tell people, my mom mostly, was to carve it in our pumpkin.

Pretty cute, huh?!  Well, that was last year.  We don't have any big announcements this year so a regular 'ol jack-o-lantern will have to do.

I blogged earlier this month about my inspiration for Blakely's Halloween costume.  I just love the way it came together!  She's my sweet little lamb!!

We had a great Halloween weekend.  Despite Georgia's terrible loss to Florida.  I love spending time with my family!  There is nothing I'd rather do.  Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Boo!

Halloween is just around the corner and it's one of the first holidays that is going to be more fun with a kid around.  Don't even get me started on Christmas...that is going to be a blast!  I can't wait for the years when my daughter creeps into my room at 5 in the morning and whispers "mom, can we go see if Santa came yet?"  But let's not get ahead of ourselves.  Halloween comes first and even though Blakely won't be trick or treating this year, I am still so excited to make her costume and dress her up!  My inspiration came from a little lamb that my grandma gave me the day I was born.  Her name is Lambie and this year Blakely will become my little Lambie!

She's in pretty good shape for being 26 years old!

She is going to be so darn cute!  I borrowed my moms sewing machine for this little project,and it has made me realize how much I need one of those bad boys for myself!  I decided to make Blakely's costume for a few reasons.  For starters, you can't beat a price of $1.97 for a bag of cotton balls, also I have fond memories of my mom making all of my Halloween costumes for me and my brother.  Knowing that she had made them especially for us made them feel really special and I knew no one would have a costume like mine.  I know Blakely may not appreciate it now, but I'm hoping that one day she will!  I really should be working on it now seeing as she is down for a nap.  Ok, cotton balls here I come!