Thanksgiving with Friends...

We had a great evening this Saturday in the old neighborhood in Noblesville.  Our friends, Aimie and Jeff had lots of our near by sorority sisters over for an early feast!  It was so nice to see everyone, and boy how our gatherings have changed! From wild nights that started at 10pm to rug rats all over the place and home by 9pm!  The food was wonderful, but even better was sharing stories and catching up with all my busy friends!  I had the pleasure of having the biggest kid and the baby...how funny!!  

Ella is just a month younger than Mason, and they wouldn't hold for many photos..too busy playing with all of Sophie's toys!!

Here is adorable Ella (Angela's baby girl..2) and Wyatt (Amanda's little bubba..8 months)

Here are the 3 11's!!  Wyatt (3-11-08) is exactly 6 months older than Marlee (9-11-08) and Blake (6-11-08) is sandwiched in between 3 months older than Marlee and 3 months younger than Wyatt!

And here are the babies of the group, added in is Sophie who is just 4 days older than Wyatt!!

Mommy Katie and Baby Boy Blake

Mommy Courtney and Baby Boy Brady, 1 year younger than Mason!

And another Thank You to our Hostesses with the Mostest, Aimie and Sophie!!

It was wonderful catching up with everyone.  Also in attendance was Abby and Julie.  It was great to hear how everyone was doing, and Abby--best salad ever...I need the ingredient list!!

Take care all, hope to see you again real soon!

Chuck E. Cheese

Our first trip to Chuck E. Cheese was a little over a week ago and Mason is still talking about it and all the fun he had spending a day with his cousins!  We left early in the morning and headed to Selma for  a day with the Bucks!  Mason played with all Jackson's cars and trucks, Anna's little people, Avery's books and their Thomas the train table.  Later in the afternoon we went to Meijer for a  little trip where Mimi and Poppy bought everyone a toy, then off to Chuck E. Cheese, again a gift from Mimi and Poppy to all!!  Thanks for the fun day everyone!

Here is how Mason and Anna play Skee Ball!!

Anna and Jackson with that super cool mouse!!

Avery and Mason riding on Scoop with Bob the Builder!!

Marlee's 2 month pics!

Here are the pictures of Marlee at 2 months we had taken at Portrait Innovations.  They turned out pretty cute considering we were pushing nap time.   

In her fuzzy "yo my booties!"

Classic Marlee face!

Pretty smile showing off those earrings!

Already loving the feather boa!

Scott said if he were there this picture wouldn't have been taken!!  I think she's a cute little angel!

Strong baby girl!

This is a concentrating face, often seen during a poop!!

She's 9 weeks today, I just can't believe how fast this time has gone.  We are experiencing our first cold of the season now.   She has a very runny nose, but so far no fever (knocking on wood!)  It's harder on Scott and I, who are having trouble sleeping with her snorting and fussiness!  Hopefully she's back to her old self soon. 

Precious Earrings

Today was a pretty big day in my little 8 week olds life.  We had her 2 month follow up, which all you mama's out there know means round 1 of immunizations!!  From going through this once before I do remember that this 2 month is actually the best, as they get older the crying and pain seems to get worse and the process is harder on everyone.  Now, having a strong obsession with jewelry and loving fun earrings I guess I made a decision for me and Marlee to go ahead and get the torture over with and pierce those ears.  I don't know what it is about an infant with earrings, but it is something I have always known I wanted and I wanted asap!  When I was a little girl my most favorite baby doll's name was "Precious Earrings" and she had her ears pierced and a paci!!   An offshoot funny story...

When my brothers oldest girl was a baby one day he was talking to her in baby talk and called her Precious Earrings!!! My sister in law was like, What the hell!!??  Where did that name come from!  He had to babysit her a lot while growing up!  Sorry, back to today...

My original plan was actually to see if the doctor would do it at the hospital but with all of Marlee's drama (an IV for 6 days and tons of pricks for blood work and labs) I decided to hold off.  But now that I have a healthy infant I was ready to roll!  My doctor prefers to do it at this age too, and luckily she is the one that does it.  It made me feel really safe as opposed to the 17 year old at Claires!  So, in addition to 2 shots she also got 2 holes!!  Of course she wailed and it wasn't pleasant but as you will see in the pic's later she was feeling better and enjoying those flashy ears!  

She weighed in at 11 pounds, 4 ounces and was 23 inches long!!  She's really growing.  (7.13 and 20 inches long at birth.)  You will also notice her birth mark on her head in one of the pictures.  It is called a strawberry hemangioma and is a birth mark that continues growing through about the first 6 months.  So of course I wanted an absolutely perfect baby, but this is a birthmark that will eventually go away and in no way is harmful to her health.  So she has a birthmark on her head--big deal right!! :)

Here we are calming down and getting the pep talk from mommy!

Here is Dr. Fox and her nurse getting the job done.  Marlee was a real trooper!

The final result, a beautifully decorated ear!

After the nap, a very happy baby just loving those earrings.  She already asked daddy for diamonds!!

 Hope you can see Precious Earrings soon!  

7 weeks...

So I haven't had the internet on my computer for about 10 days now, which is why all these posts were posted today.  Make sure you go down the next few post before you leave our blog today, I think I have 4 from today!  

Here is a picture of Mason at 7 weeks and Marlee today (also 7 weeks) in their fun Alpaca hats!!  Mason was much more of a chunk but I am beginning to think they may look alike.  Marlee's eyes have really changed and I think she may have daddy's eyes as well.  

Chunky Mason

Baby Marlee

Mason is such a good boy and he loves his baby sister, or as he calls her, Peanut!  He always wants to know where she is and what she is doing.  When she cries he now says, "it's okay baby girl, I'm here."  He obviously picks up on what I say!  While playing last week he said, "here mommy, you play with my train; I'll go check on Marlee."  He cracks me up!!  He really is sincere though and I can see how much he loves her.  It's so cool to witness this bond forming.  

Take care for now...stay tuned.  Marlee has a big day tomorrow!!

Anna turns 2!

This past weekend was my niece Anna's 2nd birthday.  Mason LOVES his cousins so much and just loves to go play with them.  Him and Anna are 5 weeks apart and I know will grow to be great friends.  She is too darn cute and just looked so adorable in her tutu.  Since the recent pregnancy she has decided she has a baby in her belly!  She is a great little mama and loves the new dolls she got for her birthday.  Here is a picture of Mason and Marlee with their cousins (my brother Jason's kids), Anna, Avery and Jackson.  What a cute family, huh?!!

Here is Anna with her real life baby cousin Marlee!  She was so very happy to hold her.

And here is the beautiful Birthday Girl, Anna James!!

Happy Halloween!!

Ahhhh...Halloween.  Not just another day with a 2 year old and an infant.  It's hard enough to get out of the house, but to do it in costumes is "trick" in itself!!  Especially when a 2 year old has changed his mind and the 6 week old is too small for her massive costume!

Mason would not pose for me in Cookie!!  I am just lucky I got him in the costume on Halloween!  A few days before he decided he wanted to be Bob  the Builder.  I have learned the hard way I can't plan ahead with this kiddo! Mason gets very involved in something and obsesses for about 2 weeks, then it's on to something else.  I let him pick the costume a couple months before Halloween because I wasn't sure I could find what I wanted later and new with a new baby I wouldn't have the time to get out and shop for a costume.  So, he chose Cookie.  I had to pull out some old Sesame Streets I had DVR'd morning of and pull out a Cookie Monster book he was done with hoping he would put on that darn costume to go Trick or Treating in!  It worked!  I just didn't get a pose!  He really decided he liked the costume then too, he wouldn't let me take it off of him for nap time.  He liked trick or treating, but I think next year is the year he'll really get into it.  He did like the candy...but he liked Nona's clementine's even more!

We went to visit Mee Maw (Scott's grandma) and this was her first time meeting Marlee.  It went well, Marlee was a very happy baby and liked Mee Maw a whole bunch!!  I think Mee Maw smiled a whole lot too, Mason was chatty and Marlee was adorable!

Marlee's panda was a bit too large, so she kept ending up in this onsie, her pink tights and her shiny Mary Janes!!!  I actually think I liked this outfit better too!  Here she is on Mimi's lap.

Trick or treating the night before as our "make-shift" Bob the Builder!  Mimi and Poppy's was a hot spot!  Thanks for the treats!Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa J Merrill's (my grandparents) were on our list the night before too.  Mason had a great time and really liked the puzzle and M and M's!
Grandma holding our sleepy little Panda Bear!!

Daddy with his snuggly Panda Bear!!  Again, I bought this outfit a couple months before Halloween and it was pretty big.  Probably would have fit better if she were a few months older, but it said 0-6!!  I'm thinking 6 would have been better!
Here's Bob walking up to the door of Mimi and Poppy's.  Poppy taught him to say "Trick or Treat, Smell my feet, give me something good to eat!!"  

October 20-24

Cute little 6 week old Marlee!!  She is such a good baby, only getting up once at night!! She is on her belly with an angel care monitor and right next to me in the bassinet, but she sleeps so much better that way!  She loves her bed, when she is sleepy I just lay her in her bed and rub her back and she calms right down!! Amazing!  She is precious!

Mason and Poppy went out for a night on the big town of Swayzee for a Pumpkin Parade (or something like that!!)  Mason realized he doesn't like clowns there.  We noticed that night Mason was a little more whiney than usual and by the next evening he was running a fever.  Monday he went to the doctor and it turns out he had an ear infection, both ears! Poor little bubby, he had to be put on antibiotics, for the first time in his life!!  He has been one healthy little guy!  Here he is with Garfield....

Yes, it may be child labor but this new mom is tired!! Someone has to clean up around here!