Thanksgiving 2012

Auntie Erica made this amazing, home-made pepper jelly (above) & gave us each a jar. Delish. Here is the post I posted on my blog....

We have so much to be thankful for this year. The night before Thanksgiving, just like I do every night, I said a prayer thanking God for all that he has given me this year. For Ty who rescues me time & time again. For Scarlett who teaches me the wonder of small things, patience & the meaning of love.

For my family. Friends. Life. A home. Love. Most of all, love. 

I got to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year. It was really lovely to catch up with everyone. My older sister, Erica, hosted it at her house. She always puts on a great display of food & her hospitality is superb. We ate until we were about to pop, laughed (as we always do), and spent time just being together.  Scarlett was sick with a bad cold for Thanksgiving but she was a trooper & made it through the day. She enjoyed playing with her older cousin. 

Many of my most happy moments happen with my family surrounding me. 

This was no exception. I realized I miss my family tremendously. The short holiday was not long enough, but I am thankful that they are all traveling to New York to spend Christmas with us at our new home. I am really excited about this! After Thanksgiving at my sister's, we went to Ty's family's  for another yummy meal. On Black Friday, we decided that we would furniture shop for our new place. We went to one of my all time favorite Vintage Shops. It's an antique shop in Massachusetts that has the most amazing vintage treasures & furniture! I was in my glory. And I was happy to be supporting a local business. Needless to say, we ended up coming home with a truck packed full of treasures.

We are home relaxing on this Sunday, preparing for a VERY busy December full of moving, decorating, & getting settled.

This year, we gave thanks for all the wonderful things in our lives.  

(Scarlett is wearing the dress that I wore when I was her age, 26 years ago.)

Possibilities.

(From my blog)

      A lot of times, I sit on the edge of the grass & watch Scarlett play.

The wonder in her face.

Her infectious giggle and her curious eyes.

The way she gravitates towards the swings every time we visit the playground. She loves those swings.

She would stay there all day, swinging & reaching her arms out to catch the wind that hits her face.

She is so small in a giant world. She is merely one tiny girl in a sea of children.

But as I tell her, She is kind, she is smart, she is important.

The possibilities for Scarlett are endless. One day, she might teach someone to love, or make something just in the world, or save a life. She might sing like a lark or paint like Van Gogh. She might dance with  every ounce of passion in her soul or kick a ball with all her heart...

If I could tell Scarlett one thing, I would tell her, 

"The world if full of opportunity. Go be what your wildest heart desires.

Nothing can stop you, sweet girl."

Statement Tee: H&M

Striped Leggings: Old Navy

Moccasins: Minnetonka 

Fall Time.

Dear Scarlett,

We took a trip to the pumpkin patch with your friend Chloe. Here are the photos from our fun day. 

Happy 18 Months.

Dear Scarlett,
In the blink of an eye, you are 18 months old.
You are sick today. Cold.
You didn't sleep the last couple nights but it gave us some cuddle time.
Right now in your life, we are getting ready to move to our new house in New York.
We are finally going to have a permanent home! Hurray!
We move in on December 1st, right before the holidays.
I am so excited to decorate your room.
I'm surprising you with a new completed room for my Christmas present to you.
Santa will bring the toys to fill it ;)
Lately you are talking more and more. It seems you understand everything that I say to you.
We keep busy with play dates & your toddler play groups.
We have been enjoying the wonderful fall weather. You came with me for your first 5K.
And we have also been taking lots of fall walks. Collecting leaves....
Pointing out all the things that you are curious about.
You can point out all your animals on your puzzle board. Horse, cow, chicken, sheep and goat.
Although horse has gone missing lately....we are on a hunt to find him.
You stand on the couches now. I don't particularly like this & I scold you.
But you smile and sit down like it's a funny game.
When I say that it is time to change you diaper, you run. I have to grab a little person toy and call out in my make-believe little person voice, "Scarrrrrlett, wherrrre arrrrre youuuu?"
You come running, without fail, every time.
It is the sweetest thing.
You are growing into a sweet, caring, and loving little girl.
Every night before bed, we tell you to give good night hugs.
You run to each of us, giving kisses before you head to bed.
Happy 18 months Peanut.
We love you!

Love Mama & Daddy

Three Potatoes.

Dear Scarlett,

A lot of the posts on here will be from my blog. I share a lot of my best on my personal blog and therefore, I want to share those with you too. Here is a post that I wrote last week about your 3 potatoes. It's one of my favorite posts. 

I find these three little potatoes all over the house.

Scarlett snuck them out of the lazy susan one day while I was cooking and she's been smitten with them ever since.

When I first found them, I thought it was humorous and picked them up and put them away.

When I found them taken out again the next day, I thought, what on earth?

One day, I peeked into her room to see her counting them, "Onnnne, twoooo, freee.."

Smiling I let her be. I started to think about the potatoes.

Those three little potatoes bring her so much joy.

The little things that Scarlett does in her eagerness to learn, it melts my heart.

One day she will be all grown up and I am going to miss those silly three potatoes.

This reminds me that the simple things in life really are the most important.

I am pretty sure that Scarlett loves those potatoes more than some of her most expensive toys.

It gives me perspective and lets me remember to stay true to the things that matter.

I love those three potatoes.

Grandpa's Birthday.

Dear Scarlett,

I thought I would share with you a post that I put on my blog. We went back to Massachusetts to visit and celebrate Grandpa's birthday. We had brunch at a cute country-side breakfast place.

When we tell people that we are from Massachusetts, they automatically think that we are from Boston.
Even though we are only about an hour from Boston,
we are actually from a small town in Massachusetts that is more like the sticks than the city.
This weekend, we went back to our Mass home to celebrate my father's birthday and take care of a few things.
It's always nice when the family gets together.
It's been awhile since Ty has been able to make it back with me so it was a treat to have him with me this time.
Usually, I dread the long ride back to Massachusetts but with Ty beside me,
it's really enjoyable and it lets us enjoy some "us" time while Scarlett sleeps in the back. 

On Sunday, we went to a little countryside breakfast spot for brunch.
The scenery there is just gorgeous.  The ride there was pretty dazzling, itself.
Golden leaves everywhere and cows roaming the fields.
It gave you that warm and toasty feeling.
I love New York more than I thought I ever would.
But once in awhile, I still love going back to my tiny little hometown in the woodsy countryside.
It's days like this that I love.
I have two sisters. One older, one younger.
I took a photo of Ty, my father, my sister's boyfriend & other sister's husband.
Looking at these 4 men standing all together in a line...it made me sentimental.
My father, he raised us girls with my mother. He helped us learn, dried our tears & watched us grow.
And in the blink of an eye, we are all grown up.
Now, he stands posing for a photo with the 3 men who love his 3 daughters immensely.
It's just a wonderful feeling to know that we have all found such great men in our lives.
Our time together was short.
Of course, the weekend is never long enough.
But it was a great day and I loved seeing us all together for a change.

It's now Sunday evening and Ty, Scarlett and I are all cozied up on the couch back in our New York home,
relaxing before the week begins again.