Fall Family Pictures

It's been an ongoing family tradition for several years for us to do fall family pictures with my family. This year was a little different because we now are a family of 6 adults, and then we also had a little addition! We had the pictures done in mid October and since Mac also turned 6 months old, we did a combo session of family pics and Mac's 6 mos pics.
The pictures turned out so good! We love them all, and I'm still undecided on which ones I'm actually going to print because they're all great! Ashley Westfall with Ashley Thompson Photography is the photographer behind these little gems. She captured some great shots, and we'll cherish these little memories forever.

All the photos above are copyrighted by Ashley Thompson Photography. 

Do not use, copy, save, or print without permission. 

It was a warm October evening and we were all almost sweating by the end of our session in our fall clothes. This is why my child is only in a diaper in a few of the pictures. You have to love Oklahoma weather... it can be 90 one day, and 45 the next. 

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thankful thoughts.

We all have so much to be thankful for. No matter what battle you're fighting, you can bet that there's someone else out there in the world that's fighting a bigger one than you are. This time of the year I enjoy challenging myself to find something new to be thankful for every day. Yes, I do thank God for my many blessings daily, but it's the season of Thanksgiving.

I have been beyond blessed along with my little family. All of our needs are met, and we also get a lot of our wants. I know we are often guilty of taking advantage of the things we have, but I always try to be grateful.

I have so much to be thankful for everyday. I've been saved by God's grace. I get to share life with my best friend, and though our relationship has its faults, we make a good team. I have been the best gift I've ever received, the gift of motherhood. I have an amazing baby boy and he's made this life so much better. Mac gives us a whole new reason to strive to do our best. I have the best parents. I have an amazing support system of family and friends. They lift us up and are always there for us when they're needed. I am blessed to have a handful of true friends who would do anything in the world for me. I have a great job I enjoy, and coworkers that I also get to call friends. Mac has a babysitter and friends at daycare that he loves (and that love him). When I drop him off he's always excited to see them, and I'm thankful every Monday-Friday that Mrs.Cindy was put in our life. We have a home. We have a soft, warm bed to sleep in and running water to bathe. We have a closet full of clothes, and a pantry full of food. We have bills to pay, but that means we have jobs and a steady income to pay them. We're American... and I'm certain I could think of many more things. All of that being said, I AM THANKFUL.  Not only during the season of Thanksgiving, but every day.

What if you only woke up tomorrow with what you thanked God for today?

|| Photo Credit ||

ashley thompson photography

My two biggest blessings are my two boys. The pic above is a sneak peak of our fall family photos, another post coming on that real soon. 

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Celebrating a Decade!

10 years ago... 10 WHOLE YEARS! A long, shaggy haired, boy took me on a date and when he dropped me off before curfew, he asked me to be his girlfriend at the end of my driveway. Neither of us ever imagined that cool November evening that we'd be where we are today 10 years later! 

a look through the years... in no particular order!

It sounds CRAZY to say that a whole decade has gone by since the mr and I first became "an item", but as crazy as it sounds it's TRUE! The past 10 years have been a roller coaster ride, but I'm so grateful for God's plan and that I get to share this life I live with my best friend. We've had our fair share of ups and downs, bumps in the road, and our relationship has literally been through hell and back, but we always seem to overcome the impossible. I truly believe that what we have is special. There are a lot of couples out there that wouldn't make it through the things we have.  

Clete is my daily source of laughter, and someone who pushes me to be a better version of me. He's the best daddy, a big dreamer, a hard worker, and a team player. There's no one else I'd want to live this beautiful life with! 

Looking back... 10 years ago neither of us would've dreamed we'd now be married, living in a different city, and have a family of our own. I'm sure glad God's plan is always best! Cheers to the first decade, and to many more to come!

7 months old

Mac is 7 months old today! It's hard to believe time is going by so quickly. He's so much fun right now, but also very hard. He is developing quite the personality, but also wants to be mr. independent.

Mac is hitting all of his milestones right on target! He's been sitting up on his own for a while, and he's now starting to pull up. He also is getting up on all fours, so it won't be long before our baby boy is mobile! He is quite the wiggle worm, rolling all over the place and also a little jumping bean when he's standing up (with help of course). He enjoys sitting in his activity center and watching cartoons. He is eating baby food every day, and is loving all his veggies and fruits. Mac and Honey get along great and are the two best of friends! It's so sweet to watch the two of them play together. The boy loves his dog! Mac likes sitting in the floor and playing with toys. He still loves bath time, and still thinks his daddy hung the moon. He is talking lots, but no real words yet. He has two teeth on the bottom, and has two coming in on the top. He loves to bounce, and really likes when you help him stand so he can do so. He's recently started a fake cough, and it's quite humorous to watch. He has quite the personality, but also knows how to throw a mean fit. He loves his bottle, and is holding them all by himself now. Mac is in the 85th percentile for height, and the 90th percentile for weight. He wearing 6-12 mos clothes, and size 3 diapers. We recently lowered his bed, and put in his bumper pads. He loves going to Ms. Cindy's house while mommy & daddy work, and he loves his friends there too! He's eating 6 oz bottles, and is sleeping around 10-11 hours at night.

Mac,

We now cannot imagine life without our little nugget! You are the light of our of world. You bring us so much joy, and for that we are grateful! You're the biggest blessing we've ever received, and we love watching you grow. You are loved so much more than you know, and have made our lives so much better. We love you to the moon, baby boy!
XOXO
Mommy

Tasty Tuesday | Not Your Mama's Chili

Fall brings about cooler temps, and that means soups, stews, and chili on the menu at our house. This recipe I thought I got from my mom, but I recently learned I have actually tweaked her recipe and made my own. Chili is reoccurring on our menu during the cooler months, as it's always a big hit!

Not Your Mama's Chili

ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
2- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, chili ready
1- 15 oz. can pork & beans
1- 10 oz. can rotel
1/2 cup ketchup or tomato sauce
1/2 packet of Williams chili seasoning
1 onion, diced (optional)

instructions
1. Brown ground beef and drain any grease.
2. Mix in diced onion and chili seasoning with meat.
3. In a large pot, combine tomatoes, rotel,
ketchup, pork & beans, and meat mixture.
4. Stir well, then bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, stir, and let simmer before serving.
6. Top with your favorite chili toppings, then serve.

Our Stinker's First Halloween!

We celebrated our little stinker's first Halloween! I started thinking about Halloween months ago, and as soon as I saw this little skunk costume on the Pottery Barn Kids website, I knew Mac had to be a skunk! Let's be real, this is the only year I'll be able to get away with it. ;) He was the cutest little stinker out Halloween night!

We went over to our cousin's house for a little Halloween party. It was a good time for everyone! Mac got to go trick or treating with his cousins, Anna and Batman! He loved the all the bright colors in the candy bowl, and enjoyed walking around (on mommy & daddy hips) with the kids. He even got lots of treats in his bag! 

It was a fun evening having our first Halloween with our little stinker. We can mark it down in the baby book as a success! Hope you and your family had a fun and Happy Halloween too! 

Our Trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

Last weekend we took Mac on his first trip to the pumpkin patch! On Sunday afternoon we ventured down to the Orr Family Farm and had such a fun day with our little man. I knew going to the pumpkin patch was a new tradition I wanted to start this year with him, and it's something I think we'll continue to do for years to come. Next year, Mac will enjoy it even more because he'll be bigger and able to participate more in all the activities.

My parents, and sister & brother in-law drove down for the day and went with us. Mac had an exciting day and got to do lots of fun things! He had his first merry go'round ride with Queenie, Poppie, and Aunt KK. He went to the petting zoo and Poppie let him pet a goat. Daddy and Mac went down a slide for the first time. We played tick tack toe with tiny pumpkins, and went through a corn maze. Mac had his first hayride, and picked out his first little pumpkin. It was a fun filled day!