i have never thought mady and liv look alike. but out of curiosity, i was looking back at some old pictures of mady when she was liv's age. these are pictures of the girls, both 7 months old at the time the pictures were taken. if i look at these pictures, side by side, and cover up liv's hair, i now think they look alike! i definitely see a resemblance!

what do you think? do they look like sisters?

love,

shannon

this is what we call a mady patty pie. it's delicious! nothing sweeter!

because she told me yesterday that olivia is her best friend.

she sings as loud as she can every chance she gets. seriously, ALL the time.

she gave both matt and i unsolicited leg hugs last night...and topped it off with a kiss.

she always comes running full speed ahead with arms wide open when matt or i get home from work.

she runs around with no pants on for a better part of most evenings.

she has a stuffed monkey that she named "april."

and that great big grin and big ol' eyes warm my heart everytime!

i'll take at least a million servings of mady patty pie please!

love,

shannon

liv has a sinus infection. again. that means...another trip to the doc. another round of antibiotics. struggling to get her to eat. or drink her bottle. constant snuggling. praying for her to feel better, because it hurts our hearts to see her so miserable and sad. lots and lots of tlc. lots. a late night trip to walmart to buy a new warm mist humidifier because our last one died but we will do what it takes to help her sleep. lots more snuggling. and tlc.

our little trooper. she doesn't feel good. but she stays mostly happy. and still wants to play. she's learning to wave. it's precious. here she is...at 6:27 this morning, as you can see on the clock in the background. trying to wave like a champ. even though she doesn't feel good. and it's early in the morning. cuz she stays mostly happy. and cuz mom wanted to take a video. what a trooper.

we are so blessed. our girls are our angels. truly. blessed.

love

shannon

let it snow?! no thank you! the truth is, i do not like snow. at all. not even a little. it's this time of the year that i REALLY miss florida! but despite the little white flakes falling from the sky (friggin' snow!), it's been a good week for us! we've gotten to spend lots of time together, and playing with the neighbors. we also got olivia's 6 month pictures taken last weekend. yes, we know she is actually 7 months old now...we intended to get them done a month ago...oops! we should have those back in a week or two, and i can't wait! but in the meantime, here are a few good shots i've gotten over the past week. check out that grin! i'm addicted!

i swear she gets cuter by the minute, if that's even possible!

love

shannon

p.s. don't you just wanna smoosh all those rolls of chub? baby chub is the best!

eating dinner together. as a family. at the table.

has always been something i want to do with my children.

i think it's so important for a family to stay connected.

to communicate. to talk to each other. about things on our minds.

or about nothing in particular.

just to enjoy each other's company. to be together.

it's important. it's simple.

tonight, all 4 of us got to eat dinner together. at the table!

it's the first time olivia has been at the table with us.

normally, she is in her highchair, which doesn't fit at the table. so i have always felt guilty that she has been separated from the rest of us while we all sit down and eat together. but she is finally big enough that we could put her in the booster chair at the table! she got to sit at the table with us while we ate! i could not be happier about it! it warms my heart! all 4 of us.

matt, madyson, olivia, and i.

sat at the table together tonight.

*sigh*

life is good.

love,

shannon