here comes peter cottontail....

well we had a perfect easter here in tennessee...80 degrees with lots of sunshine and blue skies. miss maggie rae napped through the easter egg hunt at nani's, but i have a feeling next year she will be running around with her basket just like her sisters and her cousins :)

:: our baby girl looked so sweet in her bonnet :)

:: some of our cute easter stuff we packed away today....emme grace asked what holiday do we get to decorate for next? and i said i believe we have a very special holiday to decorate for next...miss maggie rae turns 2 in just a few weeks :)

:: LOVE this colorful spring chick...

:: rayley beth loved her new pink shoes and told EVERYONE she saw 'they are just like my mom's, except her's are silver'... made me smile everytime she said it so proudly :)

:: emme grace checking out her sweets :)

:: my beautiful biggest baby girl ;)

:: surrounded by everything that makes me feel so blessed...

:: my sweet aunt fay smocked miss maggie rae's bunny dress which made it so much more special...and our girl looks oh so pretty in blue :)

:: those sweet, tiny feet in her new easter sandals...

:: miss maggie would clap for emme grace everytime she would be up to bat...or run by her....or just look her way..while playing wiffle ball :) our baby girl reminds us daily to celebrate every little thing...

:: this little face makes my heart so happy :)

happy monday :)

spring has sprung...and so has a house!

well we have had a busy few weeks...field trips, spring break and finally sunny skies to get the addition framed! after SEVERAL cold and gloomy, gray days the sun was definitely a welcome sight :) i have always loved spring ....the warm sun on your face, the barren trees sprouting green leaves, the flowers that have been hidden in the ground all winter peeking out. just so many miracles that HE is giving us this time of year.

:: our beautiful baby girl, and oh my the forsynthia....it is just like a big ball of warm sunshine :)

:: oh how emme grace is growing up too fast....i look at pictures and think 'does she really look that old?'

:: the beautiful tulips outside where maggie rae goes to see miss terri for pt. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE me some spring flowers. LOVE :)


so for spring break we just stayed home and did a few special things. like a trip to the movies with nani to see 'hop' ... spending one night with nana... and one day i took the girls to our discovery center museum. we have had a membership there forever because my girls love going. it is a wonderful, fun place to help inspire little minds :)

:: they have added a new baby/toddler area that miss maggie loves...

:: after lots of fun inside the big girls wanted to explore the 'wetlands' and hit the outdoor playground ;)

:: first painted piggies of the season :)



and finally....we have walls! we have been waiting for this for years, literally! the day the floor was finished the big girls were just running around it in circles...and maggie did not know what all the excitement was about but she knew she should join in on the celebration! she was crawling so fast chasing her sisters stopping every so often to just scream and do 'happy hands'....it was sooo cute!

:: our little construction crew ;)

:: miss rayley beth holding up some art work she painted on the some of the scrap lumber laying around. and no, she does not have glasses now. she just wears this pair of old glasses all the time now because she says she wishes she had glasses ... she'll just look at me and say 'don't you think i look cute in glasses?' yes baby, you look very cute :)

:: more scrap lumber creations made by our two little artists :) it just amazes me what they can come up with ....

:: miss maggie has been so content spending many hours patiently watching from the quilt or her stroller while we work :) and our big girls have been such good helpers picking up wood, sweeping and watching their baby sister.

:: our girl keeping herself busy while we work ;)

:: rayley beth always says 'look momma, maggie can sit criss-cross-applesauce! she's such a big girl!' maggie rae's big sisters are so proud of everything she does :)


so i will try and not stay away so long again....i have just been feeling a little overwhelmed with all that is going on. but as i sit here and look at all of the pictures and relive the past couple of weeks i am reminded of one of the reasons i love doing this. i started miss maggie rae's blog almost one year ago. to share with others how wonderful a life with a child with down syndrome can be. to provide hope to any new moms out there. to say that it is truly a blessing. and in the process of each post i am also reminding myself of how blessed i am. there are days when i am feeling tired or frustrated with the addition or overwhelmed by the never-ending piles of laundry....but as i look at these pictures of my beautiful baby girls, i am reminded of just how lucky i am. and it reminds me to thank HIM everyday for my wonderful little family :)


one last happy for your weekend.... this is miss rayley beth's drawing she just did of her and her 'boyfriend', eli. she said he told her friend that he loves her. and i said of course he does , what's not to love ;)

happy weekend :)