Our December

Our December in pictures

We met Santa

we played with Rudolph
we got ready for the cold with new hats
which we look adorable in
we decorated a gingerbread village

we slept
we lounged with the baby
we got even cuter
we received Christmas cards from family and friends
we painted our nails to celebrate the season
we spent time with Pappie and Grammie
we were introduced to the Polar Express
we drank winter drinks
we played around with picture apps on our phones, this one is called sexy lips
we helped Grammie in the kitchen
we slept some more
we played Santa
we cuddled with Pappie and Grammie (again not pictured, sorry mom)
we had our first Christmas as a family of four.

the rest of the thankfuls

21. My extended family ~ I just love having such a large family on my moms side. I have 6 aunts who are delightfully southern, love bleach, and have always been beyond generous with their love towards me and Sam. So very thankful to all of them.

22. Starbucks ~ Hallelujah for seasonal flavors at Starbucks. Pumpkin Spice, Salted Caramel Mocha, and Gingerbread. Every sip is heavenly.

23. Online shopping ~ So thankful I can shop for my loved ones while being in the comfort of my own home, in pajamas with wet hair.

24. Family visits ~ I am thankful that I have been blessed with family members who have taken time out of their California lives and come to visit us and our new baby. It is so appreciated.

25. Gummy smiles ~ So thankful for Jude and his gummy smile. Teeth are adorable, but there is something so precious about a baby and a big toothless grin.

26. Kauai ~ Thankful for childhood memories on this little island with my mom and dad.

27. Moby wrap ~ I can sit here and write this. Make lunch. Do laundry. All while having my babe on me.

28. nap time ~ thankful for the quiet.

29. Christmas time ~ It feels so magical.

30. you ~ I am thankful for you, the reader.

10 more Thankful's

11. Eternal life ~ I am so thankful to be able to have complete peace with where I will spend eternity. And I am thankful that I share this peace with my husband, family and hopefully our children.

12. God ~ I am thankful that he gave me the opportunity to have peace in where I would spend forever. (Obviously my 30 thanks for 30 days is not in any particular order, God ranks higher than 12. I promise.)

13. New England Architecture ~ It sure makes living in a place so far away from everyone you know and love much easier. I am amazed with just how much I love it here. I get giddy driving through small beach towns, viewing cape cod style homes, and the gorgeous city of Boston.

14. This girl ~ A friendship that started just two years ago. Meeting at Starbucks, conversing over our babies, mutual respect for our husbands and our love for sarcasm. Since then she has inspired me to increase my nail polish collection, sent countless packages to our house (she knows I love a package delivery), spoiled me rotten with her time and devotion to my photography "business", and loves on my little family as if we were part of her own. She writes about us quite often on that blog of hers, ever so kindly. The only thing I am disappointed with is that we did not meet each other earlier in our lives.

15. Tennessee ~ Sam and I talk almost daily about living here one day. This one is not so much just about being thankful for Tennessee as it is about being thankful that we dream together.

16. Liam ~ I am thankful for every day I have been and will be his mother.

17. Airplanes ~ Not only do they take me to dream vacations and now back home to my family, they offer the promise of adventure somewhere other than where you live your mundane life. And with the added bonus that airplanes give myself and Sam our jobs and the introduction to one another. They are pretty fantastic flying metal tubes if you ask me.

18. i ~ Just to show how up with the times i am, i will say that i am thankful for anything that starts with that adorable little i. And, also thankful that my toddler knows how to work these little i contraptions because that means he won't turn out to be computer illiterate like my parents.

19. packages ~ yes, this was mentioned earlier in number 14, about how that girl knows about my love for packages. Now you know about it too. I am thankful for any kind of package. I would be really thankful if you sent one ;)

20. 5th floor ~ I am thankful that we live on the 5th floor of this 5 story building because that means that I can hear the rain fall as it plummets against the roof. And plummets, is no exaggeration. When it rains here the sky literally opens up and rain pours down from above. Sprinkles? They don't know that word here in any other context other than toppings on their donuts.

10 thankfuls

10 thankfuls

1 ~ Newborns. The way their little body folds up in your arms. The way they smell. The little chirps that come from them as they drift to slumber. The sweet smile that accompanies the passing of gas. The way they grasp your finger with their tiny hand. And when swaddled how they look like giant burritos.

2 ~ Books. Little worlds bound together with paper and glue. How characters become like friends. How a story can become as close to your heart as your own. The way the pages smell.

3 ~ Rice krispie treats. Little crunchy marshmallow goodness. Divine.

4 ~ Nail polish. Bottles of happiness. Colors for every season, for every mood. You can make a statement with just your fingertips.

5 ~ My parents. For everything. Everything.

6 ~ Autumn. Sweaters, boots, scarves. Foliage.

7 ~ Rocking Chairs. Even though it is a pain in the b.u.t.t. having to rock a certain little boy to sleep every nap and night, I am thankful that in the future I will have these memories of our time singing and talking and rocking.

8 ~ Accents. They make my heart happy.

9 ~ Photography blogs. Inspire.

10 ~ My husband. Who makes me laugh. Holds me to my word. Makes me keep my promises.

DHOP ~ Daigle House of Pancakes

The infamous Pancake Breakfast!

This year the colors turned out perfectly, as opposed to last years pastel pancakes.

Liam blew out his candles 8 times, he just thought that the song and the blowing was way too fun to not do over and over again.

Two cupcakes for two years

Happy Birthday Liam! We love you so much.

And then there were four

Jude August Desmond Daigle

October 25th

1:26 AM

7 lbs, 5 oz.

19.5 inches long

And, I'm madly in love with him.

I am so grateful that God had his hands all over his birth. Every single detail was perfectly planned out. Literally.

One of the major stresses throughout the last month of the pregnancy was whether or not my mother would be here in time for the birth. We desperately needed her to be, because we had no one to watch Liam. And if she wasn't here in time, that would mean giving birth without my husband there beside me. I was horrified of having to tell him about how his child entered the world. But God looked out for us and my mother made it out a few days early.

On monday nights Sam gets home from work at 11:15 pm. I went into labor exactly 30 minutes after he arrived home. And I was holding our son less than two hours later. We figured I wouldn't be in labor for 26 hours like I us with Liam, but we were still thinking a good 12 or so. It never even crossed my mind that my labor would progress so quickly that if my husband would have been at work he would not have made it to the hospital in time to see his child enter the world. But again, God looked out for us and waited until Sam was home before he started working his magic.

I gave birth 20 minutes after being at the hospital, delayed because of complications getting the IV in me. Otherwise we would have probably had him 10 min. earlier. Considering that part and if I would have changed out of my pajamas before heading to the car or stopped at the red lights on the way to the hospital, we probably would have had Jude in the car. But once again God looked out for us and made every little detail of that night work out perfectly. With the exception of the no drugs part. But don't worry God and I will chat about that sometime. ;)

Side note ~ yes, my husband whilst driving me and our unborn child to the hospital, ran through every light on the way. Nor did he stop for the speed bump in the parking lot. Ouch.

So our Jude entered our world as quickly as he could. And we have been basking in our new found love for him every moment since. Our hearts swell with pride watching Liam love on him and wear his big brother role so proudly. We are completely and utterly consumed with gratitude that we were chosen to be their parents.

If you would like to see more pictures of Jude and his first days visit here.

Two

24 ~ months old

6 ~ is the size of his shoe

7 ~ days of being a big brother

16 ~ times on an airplane this year

6 ~ trips to Disneyland

2 ~ months of being potty trained

1 ~ big move across the country

28 ~ pounds

43785920.92 ~ amount of times he has watched "Toy Story"

~2 years ~

love-versary

love

is such a small word to sum up everything that a marriage encompasses

but it tries

really hard to do just that

Sam

I more than love you

you are my best friend

the consummate partner (consummate, being used as an adjective)

my teammate in everything that we do

thank you for taking the time to surprise me with Frappucinos on days you know I am tired

thank you for rubbing my feet every night for the past nine months

thank you for cleaning the toilets and making casseroles and for our children

thank you for being so literally literal that we can laugh about it

thank you for moving me to a place where autumn is a real season

thank you for 5 years of telling me it's an honor to be my husband

it's more than an honor being your wife

it's a job ;)

love you

Dear Bebe Deux,

I can't wait to lay my eyes on you.

The anticipation of meeting you grows more and more intense every single day.

I know what that moment of meeting your child feels like, because I have been blessed with your big brother.

But the moment I will meet you will be as profound and unbelievable in its own, because you are you.

I have longed to know you, far longer than the 9 months I have shared my body with you.

I already have your heart fused together with mine.

Whatever our story will be together, I will write it with you.

You will make our little family, a family of four. And we will be all the better because of it.

Love, Mommy

Babymoon

A couple weekends ago we were fortunate enough to have gotten away from the "city" and head off to Cape Cod for a baby moon. As a gift (tremendously nice gift ) from my brother Tim and his wife Cindy, we stayed at the Wequassett Inn. Which is beyond impressive, and we were treated like movie stars. Seriously.

The housekeeper actually brought gifts to our room for Liam.

From her.

I have never heard of such a thing.

It was so nice to get away to the Cape as locals call it, or the Cod as my friend Emily refers to it.

It is beautiful, relaxing, serene, and magical. We plan to go back in the future to share visits to the Cape with our children.

It was my birthday while we were there, and our baby moon, but the only one who made it into the photographs was little Liam. He is the only one worth seeing, anyway.

It was chilly and wet, which made the beach fantastic! My son and I definitely enjoy the beach better when you are fully dressed in sweaters and rain boots :)

Throwing rocks into the water, a new obsession.

Liam loves his rain boots so much, they even get worn around the house to dress up his pajamas



We spent one morning combing the beach for shells and Sam found this crab shell.
Thank you T and C, for our getaway and for giving us these memories that we will cherish forever!

To my First born

Liam, your life is about to change in a way that none of us can really understand at this point. You are going to be a big brother, and with that you might feel your place in our family shift a bit and have difficulty understanding why this baby is apart of our dynamic now. I am worried for you, I have cried many nights filled with fear about how you will take this.

I know that you will be the best big brother. You have so much love in you.

I don't want you for one second to feel like you are any less special or feel left out. Liam, you made me a mother. And for that there will always be something very special between you and I. You showed me how to love deeper than I thought possible. You changed the path of my life in the most wonderful way.
I am beyond blessed that I have been entrusted to take care of you while on earth
Knowing you is knowing joy. And hope. And love. Unconditionally.

Being your mother is the greatest thing I have ever known.
You will always be my baby. I love you so so so very much, little guy. I will never stop being in awe of you.

Our first few months in New England

We have taken a few day trips into Boston. Our first family day there we took Liam to the Children's museum. He was fascinated with the room filled with bubbles, and took some time to draw and stamp in the art room. But nothing that museum could have offered would have been more impressive to him than a train table.

We have taken many walks down to the duck pond by our place. Liam always wants to hold the bread as we walk, and yes by time we get there he has usually snacked a bit.

this was a snacking day

we celebrated Sam on fathers day with a chocolate cake
and we spent the 4th of July in Marblehead, one of the cutest towns in our area.

We are so happy with our decision to move out here and experience this journey together as a family.