An Incredibly Busy Weekend

So...Mary Paul is two years old!!! I cannot believe we have had the honor of such a blessing!!! We had a great time at her party. As you can see, the girl loves her sweets. This past weekend we went to Knoxville to spend some Christmas time with my family. Then we went to Gatlinburg to spend the evening. I ended the weekend with our church Christmas party. This year I organized a Christmas pageant. It went very well. Mary Paul was an angel, literally.

It snowed in Nashville, again, and we took Mary Paul out, late (meaning past her bed time) so she could play in the snow at night.

Waiting to paint pottery after a long drive to Knoxville. We made a reindeer plate with her hand prints.

Ashley with an very creepy wax Nicholas Cage at some random Hollywood car museum. Wax figures creep me out.

Can you guess what color sucker Mary Paul picked? I think it was red. I could be wrong though.

Mary Paul was a great angel. She loved wearing the wings. She did a great job walking and sitting/standing in her place.

Thanksgiving and the Pink Pig

We had a great Thanksgiving. We got to see both sides of our family. We spent the first part of our week with Bryan's family. During that time we went and rode the Pink Pig for the first time. She started off happy, but as you can see got quite upset as we waited. Once her turn to ride came around, she was a happy camper again. Then we went to my side of the family and got to see all my aunts and uncles. Finally, we spent a nice weekend with mom that was very relaxing. We are busy getting ready for Christmas now and can't wait for Santa to make his appearance at our home!!! Also, enjoy the video of Mary Paul singing "Jesus Loves Me."

Tidbits

This past weekend we went to a birthday party. Mary Paul had a great time. It was at a local playground, which she loved. There was a huge dinosaur cake with green icing. In other news, we made Mary Paul's crib into a toddler bed. She had her first nap today and is sleeping in it as I write. She did play a lot during her nap time, but tonight has gone straight to bed. Also, a note of interest, we were at Bass Pro Shop last night and found out that they have a Santa Claus this year. The one here is great. Anyway, the set up is, of course, more rugged, but with trains, two games and a coloring station. Mary Paul saw him, ran up, climbed in his lap and proceeded to ask Santa for a globe. The best part is, the picture is free! You can order more, but every first picture is free. I'm sure we'll take Mary Paul in a pretty dress for another picture, maybe a different Santa, but it was a great surprise!!!

Last weekend a couple at church had a cookout and a couple of things set up for the kids to do. They do this every year and and the kids wear their costumes. Not being so crafty, I just bought a costume. But, Mary Paul loves it...she is Alice in Wonderland. I am hoping to get better pictures tomorrow. We also carved two pumpkins and roasted the seeds, yummy!!! In other news...we are having a girl!!! She is perfect and everything looks great!!! Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!!!

Just An Update

Here are some updated pictures of Mary Paul. I hope you enjoy them. She is getting more fun everyday. Friday in the grocery store there was a very stressed out mother being really mean toward her children. Not just firm, but loud and mean. Anyway, as we passed them, Mary Paul said, "Mama, she's being rude. She's being rude." Thankfully the mother did not hear as she was still yelling at her children. Here are a few phrases she's said over the past few days that have made me laugh. "What's the problem, Mom?" "I'm a genius." "I'm soaking wet. I'm so happy." "I have a booger in my mouth." Mary Paul brings us such joy!!!

Mary Paul is making her "stinker face". She does it on command. It is so funny.

Magic Moments

We've been fine. Not much has been going on. The other day I gave Daisy a bath out front. I let Mary Paul play with the hose for about half an hour. She loved it. A few nights later I made homemade chocolate ice cream. We invited some friends over to enjoy it with us. Needless to say, Mary Paul and their son loved the ice cream. It was everywhere. So, we pulled out the hose again and let them play on the deck in the hose. I went and got the shampoo, stripped Mary Paul down and bathed her on the deck. Then I got warm towels fresh from the dryer and the kids snuggled up with their dads while we talked in the dark with only candle light. It was a great night. I know Mary Paul won't remember it, but I will. I felt like such a good mom, like my mom, doing something random but fun like that. I hope as my kids grow older that I will always be able to create special moments for them. Moments they can look back on as adults and remember with a little bit of magic. I have magic memories that exist only because of my parents. So, as you enjoy the pictures of my daughter, I am wondering, do you have any "magic" moments? Mary Paul the organizer. Like mother like daughter.

News

I know it's hard to imagine life getting much better then this...but come the first week of March, we'll be adding a little brother or sister to our family!!! I guess I'll have to change the name of our blog!!!

A Hike and Bathtub Trouble

Saturday evening Bryan and I took Mary Paul to a local park and hiked around the lake. Mary Paul did great, walking about 1.5 miles of the 3 mile hike. Needless to say she slept wonderfully. As usual we had a bath before bed, she was exceptionally filthy after our hike. She had an episode in the tub which she'll tell you about in the video. Mary Paul keeps our lives very busy and full of fun. You never know what she's going to say. Sunday, in the car with me, unprompted, Mary Paul said, "I love Daddy so much. Get a balloon at Publix."

Bryan's Ultimate Tower of Blocks, that Daisy's tail demolished shortly after this picture.

Why We Don't Buy Dog Beds

Daisy, obviously is very pleased with herself. Daisy can destroy a bed in like 6 seconds flat. We even bought one of the indestructible beds from Orvis that has a lifetime warranty, she put a hole in it within 5 minutes. We kept it for 2 1/2 years and then got our money back after Daisy destroyed one whole side of the supposedly amazing bed.

Gotta love pink cowboy boots. They are still too big, but I had to try them on her. She was hilarious walking around in them.

This picture makes me think of how she'll look on her first day of kindergarten. I can't believe how grown up my little Mary Paul is getting.

Can You Guess Her Favorite Verse?

We've been busy at the Thornton home. We spent several days in Atlanta with my family during the passing of my GG. During that time, Bryan was out of town so Mary Paul, Daisy and I were solo. Since we've been back, it's not been too crazy, but very hot!!! These are just some pictures of Mary Paul in our first tent. She had a blast reading underneath it. Daddy even squeezed in to share some special moments. Just a note to any other tent makers...don't use a duvet cover...they're heavy.

This video was taken just after Mary Paul did a perfect rendition of "If You're Happy and You Know It" with me. So I thought I'd get it on film. She is distracted by her book, which she realizes has been signed by the author. I am wondering if you can guess which verse is her favorite. Enjoy!!!