Port Farms- 2013

We had a wonderful time this past weekend exploring Port Farms in Waterford, PA. There was so much to do and while Noelle was only able to participate in a small amount of the activities it was still so much fun watching her explore and smile. Here are some pictures of our trip! Thankfully we were able to beat the rain!

Awesome GIANT corn pit!

Such a lovely day and experience, I also can't forget to mention what we had for lunch afterwards! Who doesnt love Chipotle? Seriously?! I think my husband and I could eat it everyday!

I think we will be making this an annual trip and hoping to drag our family and friends along!

Noelle: 11 Months

Dear Noelle,

Its so crazy that this will be my last monthly update before your first birthday! This month has had its up and downs but you've have certainly come into your own little personality. Since last month a couple new things have happened, you had your first day with Missy at an in home daycare. You absolutely love going there and interacting with all the kids, not to mention that she spends lots of her time teaching you little ones and singing you songs! It is such a relief to be able to drop you off and know you are being well taken care of.

Secondly this month you have developed your first real cold, your dad and I ended up taking you to the doctor together resulting in fluids, rest, sucking out your nose and breathing treatments. Finally today after a week or so you are finally feeling better and back to your normal self.

Lastly I have recently started the weaning process very slowly. I have eliminated your pre-nap and afternoon nursing sessions and filling those in with breast milk in a sippy cup. I think its harder on me than you but today you just took the sippy cup SO easily. It has been such a joy to nurse you over the last year and as I'm sad that its coming to an end, I look forward to the next adventure together!

As far as development goes I would officially consider you a walker. You can stand and walk several steps at a time; however if you want to get there fast you hit the floor and crawl. Up next ...Potty Training ;) You can say words like Mama and Dada, you know what it means when we say give it to Ryleigh (You give her a toy). Your favorite cupboard ( and the only one we really let you play in) is filled with tupperware and everyday you pull it all out and we put it back in! As far as food goes you may be the pickiest eater alive, you hate all textures, you really give us a hard time with the solid foods (except for your puffs)  and I swear if you could you would just live on eating a baby yogurt for EVERY meal!

We are looking forward to planning a small first birthday party for you here at our house with some family and friends. I can't even believe I'm saying that! Heres some pictures of the last month...

And always remember that for all the happy smiley pictures that I get, there are several that look like this...

All because I took the toothbrush out of your hand, your temper is too much like your Mama's!

31 Day of Fall Favorites: Failure

While I had the BEST intentions to keep up with the 31 days of blogging, I've realized at this point in my life it's not something I can possibly do! I'm still a working mama, who has been picking up extra shifts, working on tons of project around the house, playing with my little as much as possible, been helping out at the church as well as taking our financial peace university classes and for the last week and half this has been what we have been dealing with...

Little Noelle has been down and out the last several days, her nap schedule has been all over the place, we have been doing the breathing treatments to help clear up her chest all while her top 4 teeth are breaking through. So she has been sucking up most of my attention and time lately. So I have not been able to keep up with my fall favorites... Oh Well. There is always next year.

However my little did turn 11 months today! So tomorrow since I'm off for the first time in awhile during the week I will be posting her monthly update so stay tuned!

31 Days of Blogging Fall Favorites Day 5 & 6

I'm starting to follow a pattern of doing 2 days at a time! Oh well at least I'm sticking with it!

Today I'm loving...

{one}
After much debate and trying to find a cost friendly costume for Noelle (being that she wont even remember or have the concept of trick or treating this year ) I have decided that she will be a witch! (After  my love for witches and Hocus Pocus!) I didnt want to go with a standard witch costume so I pieced together all my favorites pieces (most of which are from Gymboree). You can find them here, here and here!! Then to top it off I wanted to add a flair of a tutu so I found this adorable hand made one off of Ebay, thrown together with her black turtle neck onesie (We do live in NW Pa after all, it could even be snowing!) and TADA an adorable witch! Pictures to follow!

{two}
 As mentioned above I love Hocus Pocus and as my little and I are both sick today (with the crud that everyone seems to have), we are snuggling up and watching movies all day! So hot tea, soup and starting with Hocus Pocus...

31 Days of Blogging Fall Favorites Day 3 & 4

It should be NO surprise to anyone that I have already missed a day and will be playing catch up on Day 3! So here it goes 2 things I'm loving right now!

{one} I have found this FALL bucket list on Pinterest and I think it is perfect yet simple for my little and I to do together. Although this year she may be too small to do a couple of the activities, next year will be game on!

{two} I wanted to share a couple of my favorite ideas currently in the running for Noelle's FIRST birthday! I found this customizable chalk board on Etsy and it is too cute. I would love to save this and compare to one at her 18th birthday. 

This idea off of Pinterest is great because its extremely inexpensive and super easy to make!

Still trying to pull together all of my thoughts and ideas as Halloween, her 1st birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas are all rapidly approaching!

31 Days of Fall Favorites--Day 2

I'm barely making this one in and it's ONLY Day 2! Good Lord! Today's fall favorite is simple, I'm loving the beautiful trees and how the leaves have begun to change colors. It's such a wonderful sight! I'm even more excited because this is our first fall in our new home located out in the center of the country where we are surrounded by lots of color changing trees! I love living in this town that is known for it lovely fall foliage.

Also another thing I'm loving is how FULL our lives are. After listening to my Pastor talk at a meeting the another night he made such a great point. I'm always saying how "busy" our lives are, how crazy each week seems and how we run from here to there, but what I really should be saying is how full our lives are. I'm sitting here thinking of how blessed we are and how much enjoyment my family brings into my life everyday. I'm very thankful that God has given me this full life.

**Only 42 days till this little gal turns 1!**

31 Days of Fall Favorites & Counting Down to the BIG 1 Year

I'm very excited to be joining The Nester with their month long link up by choosing a topic and blogging about it for 31 days. Like most of the other bloggers (and Mom's) this is going to be extremely difficult for me to do as I'm lucky to get 1 to 2 blogs in per week let alone EVERYDAY, but you never know until you try. So here it goes...

I have chosen to blog on my "Fall Favorites" this will be a pretty wide open topic talking about anything and everything that I'm loving this fall from decorations, recipes to outfits as well as the exciting countdown of ideas to my little's 1st birthday.

I'm in the market for jazzing up my front door for fall and I'm loving these ideas:

Currently this is how my front porch is looking:

 If you have been wondering where I've been, this past week was our town's AUTUMN LEAF FESTIVAL! A pretty big deal and practically a holiday here in Clarion, in fact all the local schools are even shut down on friday to celebrate. Sunday there is the car show, Tuesday the kiddie parade (which  #momfail) I didn't take any pictures of Noelle's first parade.  Friday is known as CRAFTER'S DAY and thousands of people and tons of vendors line the streets selling their homemade crafts, food, and TONS of other goodies. My husband took the day off of work and we took Noelle on her first crafters day of craziness. Saturday was the BIG parade, but being that its 2 hours long, packed to the brim and during our little's nap time we had to pass this year, but next year we will be there!

We enjoyed many of the food stands earlier that week including the chinese, hot sausage sandwiches, and gyros it was a fairly exciting week around here and it left me little time in front of my computer. 

Hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful start to October and I look forward to reading everyone's 31 days of blogging!