Our favorite little Elf

Arie has been having a lot of fun getting into the Christmas gifts and playing with the bows! She is really going to love opening gifts on Christmas, we cannot wait to watch her! What a blessing!

Look it's Santa!

Joel and I had the day off to finish our Christmas shopping, we took Arie to daycare so we could have the day to get it all done...wrapped and all! That afternoon we picked Arie up early from daycare and headed back to the mall-much to Joel's dismay but this time it was to meet Santa!

Arie did great, she kept smiling at the "elves" and looking up at Santa and playing with the fur on his sleeve. We got a great picture to always remember her fist time meeting good Ole Saint Nick! Wish we could put it up on the blog for all to see but we don't have a scanner...but let me tell you it is CUTE! :)

Arie's 1st Christmas tree!

Arie loves the Christmas tree! She crawls over to is and sits there looking at it and so gently touches the branches and the ornaments. She is so sweet!

Happy Turkey Day!

We had a relaxing and quiet Thanksgiving this year in Fargo. We spent the day with Joel's parents and had a great feast for just us 4! Arie tried a little bite of mashed potatoes and enjoyed spending the day on Grandma's lap looking at the Black Friday ads. Later that day Kara, Andy and the kids joined us for left over turkey sandwhiches, chip dip of course and "orange stuff". We managed to get a couple quick family pics in before all the kids had had enough! We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving too! We know how busy it gets around the Holidays and wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday season!

Fun at the park!

Our little princess is 6 months old!

Such a sweet little girl! My good friend Stef took some 6 month pictures of Arie when we were in Brainerd last weekend. Here is just a sneak peek at a few...more to follow when I get them this week! You can check out Stef's website to see her other work at mudandmagnolia.blogspot.com if you would like!

BOO!!!!!!! HaPpY HallOweEn!!!!!

Arie's first Halloween! YAY! She is napping right now getting ready for her big day of dress up! We are heading up to Joel's grandma's house this afternoon and then over to Joel's parents for the evening with all the fam! Can't wait to see the kiddo's costumes! Pics soon to follow!!!! :) Hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

One of Two Halloween outfits...

Party time with the babies

All the kiddos
Landon and Breckyn, Reese, Arie, Mila and Rocco


The girls-Reese, Arie, Mila and Breckyn

Arie and I were in Brainerd for the weekend and of course we had many people to see and places to go! Arie is such a little social butterfly, she loves to meet new people and be in the all action. We visited her great grandparents at the nursing home and Arie wore her Halloween costume to show all of her great grandparents friends. She was a hit! All the people were coming out in the halls to see the cute little duckie and were so amazed by her and how full of life she is. She was in a deep conversation with two little old ladies for awhile, they just loved her and she was just talking away to them. We have pictures but are going to wait until after Halloween to post them cause grandma and grandpa Speral are waiting to be surprised on Halloween with her costume.

On Saturday night we headed over to my good friend Jessica's house for a little get together. Jolene, her husband Corey and their daughter Reese were also in town so we thought it would be a great time for a little baby party! The kids all had so much fun playing together. They are all very close in age and it is going to be so fun to watch them grow and develop together.

Wow were did the time go....

Ok, so I have been bad at updating this blog I guess! Wow, seriously where did the last 2 months go! Arie is just about 6 months old now! She is changing ever day and already so busy! She loves to play and talk, her new favorite is the exersaucer and her jumperoo! It is so funny watching her jump-she really gets into it and is of course very serious about it! She eats rice cereal and some baby food (veggies) once a day. She is a champ at the rice cereal and loves it!!! The veggies are taking some time to aquire the taste for...first making an "ick" face, then shaking her head and body in disgust and then gagging and spitting it out! After a few times of testing it out she now likes sweet potatoes...still working on the peas before we venture out and try other like carrots....mmmmm! She has now had 2 sleep overs and of course behaved like an angel. She sleeps through the nights, which she stopped doing for awhile so it is so nice to have her back to that again. And then maybe the most exciting thing...she popped a tooth!!!!! It is so funny to see it popping through as she smiles and talks, she is working on number 2 right now, it is just starting to come through-she has been a champ at the "teething" game! It is so much fun to watch her learn and discover, she is growing up before our eyes. We are so blessed.

She's 4 Months Old!

Yep, believe it or not our little girl is 4 months old already! We are scratching our heads and trying to figure out where the summer went and how she went from a brand new teeny tiny baby to this funny little chubby cheeked girl! Arie is doing great, she is so funny and really entertains us! She is rolling over and over and over all over the house. If you put her on the floor and leave the room within minutes she is all the way across the room. She loves to COO and talk-non stop just like her mom! She sings in the car as we drive to daycare every morning and has so much to tell me when I pick her up. Speaking of daycare Arie started daycare full time on August 9th when I returned back to work. The transition went so smoothly-way better than I expected. Arie loves her daycare and is all smiles when she walks in the door and sees her new daycare friends. Work has been well work, but it was nice to get back into a routine. Arie had her 4 month check up and is weighing in at a whopping 13 pounds 11 ounces (51%) and is 24 inches long (49%)! Our doctor is so pleased with her growth and her health and said she is perfect...of course we already knew that! She did great with her second set of vaccinations barely even crying, yep she's a champ!

Well enough bragging for now...at least for a day or two!

Arie Grace 3 months old!

It's hard to believe that Arie is already 3 months, we are not sure where the time has gone. I am on my last week of maternity leave already, Arie is getting used to daycare a little at a time. She is there right now for a half day to get here used to it before I return to work on the 9th....and when I say her I mean me! It is going to be hard not pending all day with her :(

Our friend Jason took Arie's 3 moth pictures-these are just a few so be sure to check out all of them on his website-www.jmwrightphotogrpahy.com

Enjoy!