November 5, 2014

the corn maize

thankful that it's finally feeling like fall in west texas. thankful for the corn maize. thankful for getting to live life with my husband, because when he's not around, chasing two kids who are running in opposite directions is nearly impossible. 
 ***an 'aplin-sized' hay bale maize***
***his love for windmills is still fierce***
 ***mclain was not-at-all interested in participating in the hayride***
***getting up close and personal with the livestock. he may have poked this pony in the eye***
***keeping her distance***

thankful for these sweet faces.
happy fall, y'all!

November 3, 2014

banans, balloons and basketball

i learned the hard way with mclain's 2nd birthday, that i do not like having my babies' birthday parties the same day as their actual birthday. on their actual birthday, i want all my attention focused on the blessing of that day. i'm selfish in that way and i'm okay with that. 

so, for aplin's actual 1st birthday. we stayed in our jammers and ate bananas (her favorite) until it was time to go to church. we put on her fancy birthday dress. (side note: i've decided for my girls' birthdays they will get their very own fancy new dress, that they won't have to share with their other sisters. we do a lot of hand-me-downs and not a lot of dresses in this house. but they deserve something that is their very own on their special day.) before church we stopped at the donut shop (my favorite) for some tasty treats. after church, we always go to my mother-in-law's for lunch and what better way to continue the celebration than with strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing.  after nap time, we played outside in the sunshine while pop's made steaks (his favorite) and topped off the night with some basketball (her favorite) and lots of snuggles (my favorite). it was the perfect day.




i can't get enough of this little girl. and i look forward to the birthdays that we will spend at the beach, at the lake, in new york city, in napa and one day with her own children. she is special, and she has my heart. 

we love you, dorothy aplin
~pops, tootie and mclain