Gabriella's Baby Dedication

Yesterday, we had Gabriella dedicated at church. Our families were able to come up on stage and share in the moment. First, our children's pastor, Mark Edwards, introduced us and talked about the importance of raising our girls in a home where Christ is the center. He said we're "two for two' with our little beauties and that he knew we were on the right track with raising them, because Mollie has already accepted Jesus! Then our lead pastor, Ray Armstrong, came up and said the same things- knowing that we were getting it right, because he knows how much Mollie already loves Jesus. After that, the other pastors joined us on stage and prayed for our family. It was such a wonderful event, because we have such a wonderful church family, who knows us and supports us. We are so very thankful for everyone who got to be there and pray with us!

Welcome Baby Taylor!

At 5pm on September 30, 2010, Taylor Horan entered the world. She was born to my sister-in-law, Stephanie, and her husband, Phillip. Taylor has a very adoring big sister named Peyton. Our family loves babies and the excitement of adding another never gets old!

(Side Note: Peyton and Mollie were born 6 months apart. Gabbie and Taylor were born 3 months apart. These girls are blessed to have cousins the same age. Always a playmate around!)

Hello, Fall!

Tomorrow is the first official day of Fall, although it has felt like late Fall for several weeks now! I have very much missed the beautiful, crisp days of September we typically get in Western Washington, but we have still enjoyed all the Fall related activities we love each year. We did season passes to the Puyallup Fair again this year, and even with all the days of rain, we have gone about five times so far. Mollie and I also added a new tradition to the mix- The Princess Breakfast- put on by Puyallup Parks and Rec. Mollie loved getting dressed up like a princess, with tiara, wand, and sparkly shoes! It was a great time of mother-daughter bonding without the little one. We don't get much of that time these days, so it was greatly appreciated!

Annual Seaside Trip!

Last weekend we made our way down to the beach in Seaside, Or. We did the same thing last year with our friends, the Smiths, so we all decided to it again. This time the Smiths brought some additional family members and we added another baby to the mix, so our group grew from seven to twelve! Needless to say, it was less relaxing, but more fun!

We were intending to stay just two nights, but got surprised with three while driving down. In Centraila, I called the Smiths to see how close they were getting. They were shocked that we were on our way, because our reservations were from Saturday through Monday, not Friday through Sunday! (Just for the record, it wasn't my fault! :)) So instead of turning around, disappointing a super busy and excited two-year-old, and braving a three-hour car ride again with a two-month old, we kept going. We got a cheap room for the night and called Jeremie's boss to get Monday off from work. In the long run, it turned out for the best!

Mollie's favorite activity was playing in the sand. All she kept asking was, "can I dig?" And Gabbie had the time of her life, eating non-stop and sleeping in bed snugged up to Mommy. It was a great time of getting away from the day-to-day stuff of working, cleaning, cooking, etc. We love our little trip and can't wait to do it again next year!

Summertime Family Fun!

For my birthday, we headed to the Woodland Park Zoo! I have been wanting to go for the last three years, but for one reason or another, we just don't seem to make it there. We all had tons of fun and Gabbie was such a trooper. At just four weeks old, she managed to stay happy most of the day in 80 degree weather. Mollie, of course, had the most fun. She would have run from exhibit to exhibit if we had let her. And surprisingly, she requested going to see the cows and pigs (in the petting farm) the entire time. Forgetting all the cool, unusual animals like crocodiles, hippos, and giraffes, she just wanted to see animals we can see in our own backyard (not literally, but we do see horses nearly everyday!). Here are some pictures from our outing!

Happy Fourth!

Here are some pictures of our family fun on the Fourth. We went to City Blast at the Puyallup Fair Grounds with family and friends. Mollie got to play on bounce house toys and we all got to see a fun show and fireworks display put on by Puyallup Foursquare Church. We also had a BBQ at our house. Mollie got to enjoy a smore. Notice how much ended up on her face. Good thing she was wearing a bib! :)

Spring Fair in Review

Here are some of our pictures from Mollie's first and second trips to the Spring Fair. I think I love this tradition so much because it was our first real outing as a family after Mollie was born. I just remember feeling so much joy that day and going each year totally brings back those wonderful memories!

The one of the three babies is one of the first pictures ever taken of Mollie and her cousins, Josh and Peyton. Such a sweet memory, too! The one of me changing Mollie was the first time she ever peed all over a changing table. I don't know why, but it was hilarious to me at the time. The one of Mollie and Jeremie and me won't make Jeremie too happy... It was when we were both still carrying all of our "baby weight". :)

Spring Fair 2010

This was our third annual trip to the Spring Fair. Before Mollie was born I had never been. We took her when she was just eight days old and have taken her back each year since. It has become a family tradition I look forward to every Spring. Mollie was super excited about it, too. She loved seeing the animals, especially the pigs which were stinkier than normal, if you can believe that! And she got to go on rides for the first time at the Fair. We only bought a few tickets, but maybe the scanners weren't working right because she never ran out of them! We finally told her that she was going on one more and then we gave the remaining three away. She even got to go on her first solo ride! Without us, she went on cars, motorcycles, and boats. She also got to go on the slide and carousel with Daddy. Naturally, at eight months pregnant, I didn't go on any! I made it through just over three hours there, but am feeling the effects as I type. That is a lot of walking for 32 weeks along. We also loved our fair food- yummy burgers, krusty pups, fries, and scones, of course! Such a beautiful day for a fun family outing. Can't wait to do it again this Fall with both our girls!

Welcome Spring!

To welcome in Spring, Jeremie, Mollie, and I headed to the zoo. It was a beautiful day! Mollie hadn't been to the zoo since last Fall, so I was curious to see what she would remember and what her reaction would be. Surprisingly, she remembered a lot! She started asking to go see the tigers and monkeys right away! Her favorites of the day were the monkeys and polar bears. She kept telling them to "come out!" so she could play with them. Thankfully, they could not come out to play!!! Since Saturday she has been asking to go back to see the polar bears every day!