a day at the races...

became a night we will never forget!! After 10 years- yes TEN YEARS....Brock proposed to Megan!! It was the sweetest proposal and so much fun to be apart of! I know a proposal at Churchill Downs will be a proposal Megan & her family will never forget! I know I wont forget it!!
The Knapps came to spend Thanksgiving with us (& Brock!) and he had messaged me several weeks before saying he was planning to propose here. I racked my brain for weeks to help him come up with a really cool place to propose! After all- when you live in Southern California a Kentucky proposal is not traditional!!
Although Brock wanted to propose early in the week to keep from having to keep a close eye on the most beautiful ring- it actually worked out better for him to propose after Thanksgiving day. Kelly and I suggested proposing at Light up Louisville on Friday night but then we realized how cold Friday was and we thought after a day at the track and dinner out we wouldnt make it to Light up Louisville! So we suggested Churchill Downs. Brock was on board and ready to ask Megan to marry him :)
We had seats indoors (thankfully! It was cold!) but it wasnt a suitable area for a proposal. So we let my dad in on the secret (he is great at this kind of stuff!) So we found the nicest girl at guest services and she was so kind to offer up a "fake tour" of Churchill for our out of town guests! It was perfect! We had everyone convinced we were taking them on a tour of Churchill (we even got to see where the Queen stayed!) and she took us to the balcony area where Brock was to propose! We walked around acting very interested in our tour guide- she actually had some really neat things to tell us! Did you know the Queen was surrounded by bullet proof glass while she was at the Derby? Me neither!
After we got to the balcony Brock very nonchalantly walked Megan to an area by themselves and got down on one knee!! SOOOOO Sweet! We were all in tears and I was shaking taking pictures!!
Megan and Brock we are SOOO happy for you two and Im so excited about another trip to California next fall!!

gobble! gobble!

Hannahs first Thanksgiving was alot of fun but it sure went fast! We have had the best week with the Knapps and I am SO sad to see them leave on Tuesday!! And I am not ready to go back to a normal week! Ive enjoyed not having to pack Hannah up for daycare and I have really enjoyed a week off of work! We have been BUSY this week! A trip to Lexington, lots of crafting, Churchill Downs and we went to see Due Date (just the kids, even though we are in our 20's we are still the kids!). This was the first movie we have seen since before Hannah was born! It was pretty funny! Its been alot of fun having them here all week- I always miss their company when they leave!! We are so lucky to have friends like them! It was a Thanksgiving we will always remember! We are so thankful for so many things. We couldnt be more blessed with such a beautiful, healthy daughter, our amazing families and great friends. We couldnt ask for anything else!! As long as we all have eachother then we have it all!

just waking up from a nap- she almost slept through thanksgiving dinner! & I think she is teething again- she hasnt been eating much so she didnt want anything to do with turkey or any other food!

Ill probably be missing in action this week- I have so much to do for the sale and its going to be a crazy week at work!! I will crash on Sunday!

let the holidays begin!

we kick started the holidays with a trip to Owensboro this past weekend- it was so nice!! we were able to sit around, eat great food and enjoy everyones company! I also got some crafting time in (Im a little behind on getting all my stuff ready for the Christmas in Anchorage sale- ok- alot behind!) so Jacey helped me with some crafting and I was able to use my camera some too :)
Hard not to take pictures of a beautiful subject like this!! Isnt she gorgeous?!?!

When we got home on Sunday we were greeted by our best and oldest family friends from California! We are SOOO lucky to have them here for thanksgiving! Its already been a blast and they just got here! I know the rest of the week is filled with lots of shopping, tons of eating, even more laughs, a trip to Churchill Downs and Light up Louisville! I have the whole week off and I am ready to enjoy it!!

Let the festivities begin!!

eggs & a hand turkey

No creative name for this post- just two things to write about. This baby loves eggs. I mean LOVES. EGGS. Just like her dad. I hate eggs- unless of course they are used to make a dessert or perhaps fried rice from a Japanese restaurant. This girl eats scrambled egg whites like its her job. And well that’s about all she likes. She might eat banana pieces every once in a while but that’s it. I send everything I can think of to daycare for her. Cottage cheese, chicken pieces, green beans, fruit, stewed carrots, you name it she’s tried it and hated it. I love it- now she turns her head after she takes the first bite. Ive fixed a whole bowl of something and she hates it. That will teach me! But you give her a scrambled egg and she wont look up. Its hilarious. And also very hard because she cant live on eggs and baby food!
Ive really tried to branch out and get her trying new foods but she’s not interested. She did eat chicken and rice for dinner once but then she had the eggs. I don’t think she can go back to anything else! I need new ideas- or she will be eating baby food until she is 4.

Daycare is adamant about her eating real people food completely when she goes to the cross over room (12-18 months). Ive had a very hard time with this concept because she is still my baby! I mean they expect her to be eating with a fork at 12 months. Please show me a 12 month old who sits down for a meal with a fork and doesn’t want to chew on the end of it or throw it around (ok maybe that’s just my daughter!). So I have stressed myself out trying to get her to eat new and different things. They are making my baby grow up too fast! I mean I want her to eat food with us but I feel like they are giving her a timeline for this stuff. I just want her to be a baby…forever. HA! So I need new eating ideas or I might be hiding vegetables in eggs :)

Second- Hannah made her first daycare craft! ADORABLE! She made a hand turkey the other day- look how cute!! Her precious little chubby hand. Its hanging proudly on our fridge- one of the things I couldn’t wait for as a mother. I want to fill my fridge with hand turkeys :)

Little Miss is a crazy, wild maniac these days who is exhausting herself at daycare and sometimes crashes at 6:30. Yep- We get about 2 good hours with her. Breaks my heart. Or she is a party animal like last night and doesn’t want to go to bed until 9:30. Routine? Ha!

Here she is doing one of her favorite things!

Oh, I lied- 3 things. We had to move the gate to block the stairs completely because someone who is almost 10 months old (GASP!) found the stairs!! And successfully climbed up one entire stair. Yikes. And we thought Ruby was a handful ;)
Helping daddy move the gate. Now she just stands at the gate shaking it like, "get me outta here!" I love this girl.

someone loves jewelry :)

I had the chance to take some really fun pictures of H this weekend- and what a difference jewelry makes :)

Our new favorite face to make...

this girl loves making this face! She is such a mess!

and I finally got an upclose picture of her tooth! She is so proud :) (or maybe its me!)

and just a sweet one :)

wordless wednesday

How sweet are these pictures?!?

Hannah's 9 month sneak peek is up and OH MY! I about fell out of my chair when I scrolled down and saw the first one. They are incredible!! I always say this but I just dont know how she does it! Gosh they are all awesome- I love the black and white dress, and the dress with the Uggs, and the one where she is just wearing uggs...I wont be able to choose!

http://www.amandagravesphoto.blogspot.com/

I have been so lucky to meet Amanda and of course be the recipient of her incredible work :) But we have become friends through these 9 months and she knows my love of pictures too! So when she decided to upgrade her big professional Canon SLR- she asked me if I would be interested in purchasing her old one. NO BRAINER! If anything- it has to come with "Good Picture Taking" Karma!!

I have so much to learn but I love playing around with it. I cant imagine what they did in the "olden days" when they practiced with real film and had to develop it. Now we can just delete the pictures that dont turn out. My first real session were her ladybug pictures and I think they turned out ok! Its amazing how much there is to learn but its something I love so I cant wait to learn. I have everything I could need!!! (Except more babies of course!)