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 ~