Happy Halloween!!

Wow!

Today is a big day at school! They are having a big Halloween party and a kid parade. Meaghan is Tigger. We tried it on her last night and she is cute as can be! I wasn't so sure she'd be happy to wear the head part but once she saw herself in the mirror, she thought it was very funny. Bill is taking pictures at the party today and I'll have my camera back for the big pictures tonight. We carved two pumpkins last night that we purchased from the great pumpkin patch - they don't last very long here in Florida!

I can't believe it is almost Meaghan's birthday. This time last year, I was going completely insane, trying to distract myself. We hadn't put up any decorations, nor did we have any candy in the house because we were so close to traveling for Meaghan's birth! I sent Bill to the store on the way home from work and he pulled in with the candy loot literally 5 minutes before the first door bell rang!

It's been an amazing year. I've revisited all of Meaghan's pictures, pulling together the year update for Meg's first mom, H. It's hardest for me to write the letters because I get very emotional. I love telling H all about what has happened since the last update but I know they must be bittersweet for her. The best part is pulling all the pictures - the places we've been, the things we have done, the funny faces, new milestones. I alternate between laughing and crying and sometimes both at the same time!

Meg has grown so quickly and every day I am reminded what a blessing and true miracle she is. My life will never be the same. She has made me a better person. She made us a family.

The Great Pumpkin Patch

Ooooohhhh... pumpkins!!!

I spy a sticker!

No.... I'm not pulling it off.... it was some other kid, so I'm just fixing it!

Pumpkins are fun!

Can we come here everyday?

Seriously - why do you think this is a fun place for me to sit? And why are you laughing?

I like sitting here much better!

My pumpkin!
Noooooo, not time to go home yet!

Laundry Time!

If you have a front loading washer, you probably keep the door open, like we do, so it can dry out between uses. Yesterday morning, I was washing breakfast dishes, and it was quiet.....

Little Miss Helper was doing her thing:











Everything was pretty much sorted into that pile for washing anyway, so she finished loading it all in, I put the soap in. When it was time to move the clean clothes into the dryer, Meg was right there! I handed her each piece from the washer and she put it into the dryer. She was sooooo proud of herself!

She also likes "cleaning" the coffee table and floor with a hand towel. She is fascinated with my feather dusters! I wonder if this trend will continue????

How To Eat Cereal

stir stir stir
STIR STIR STIR

Get on my fork already!

Forget it!

Got ya oatie!

Into my mouth you go!

chew chew chew

Well I do declare!

These are the best oaties I've had all day!

Insert fork into mouth now... I'm a big girl!

Trip Pictures!

OK, apparently I was trying to upload pictures that were too big! I was doing our year update for Meg's first mom H so the pictures I had were large so they could be printed nicely. Well I resized them all and here they are!

We went to Culver to visit Bill's grandma and Meg spotted the little rocking chair right away! She started throwing off all the bears on the chair and wanted to climb right up. This rocking chair belonged to Grandma Mert's father - so I hoped we would get some good pictures of Meaghan with it. A family tradition!



She was more than happy to model for me!



Meaghan with Grandma Mert!



One morning, Meaghan and I went with Amanda to the skating rink. It was the only time she wore her cute mouse coat! Meg loved watching the girls skate and was dancing to the music. Amanda gave her a new kitty named Trickster... she loves it!!!



This happy face lasted for about 20 seconds and then she realized the hood was over her head...



... not a happy camper! Mean mommy! In all fairness, it's 35 degrees in the rink and we were there for an hour so I was sure she was going to get cold....



The night before the marathon, we stayed downtown at the Hard Rock Hotel. Amanda and Meg were getting silly!



Millenium Park - Bill and Brock finished!!!



It was a great trip - the leaves were starting to change and some changed overnight while we were there. I wished for cooler weather but it was still much better than hot, humid Florida!

Back From Chicago!

We're back home and I just tried loading up some new pictures. It's not behaving at the moment, so I will have to try again soon.

The weather was a lot warmer than we had hoped but we had a great time! Both Bill and Brock finished the marathon on Sunday morning.

Stay tuned for some new Meaghan pics!!!