The Christmas Train

This past weekend, we took Bug up to Blue Ridge to enjoy the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. Every Christmas they do Christmas train rides complete with the Grinch, Frosty, and an Elf. The best part is that Santa and Mrs. Claus are on the train too!

I was a little apprehensive about how Bug would handle the train and sitting on our laps for the time. She's not much of a sitter, but she loved it! It helped that there was a lot going on and the train was moving.

There were people moving back and forth throughout the train. Lots and lots of children. It was such a fun setting for her!

She seriously loved looking out the windows.

See what I mean?

She kept bouncing up and down and hitting the window, cooing and talking and laughing up a storm!

Despite the look on her face, she was completely in awe of Santa! I expected some screaming due to her behavior earlier that morning, but she was an angel! And that bell in her hands? Her new favorite toy. She likes to stick it in her mouth (don't worry, it's huge and the strings are always outward) and crawl around with it.

See what I mean? In complete awe! She loved it!

The hubs and I have decided that this will definitely be a tradition we do every year! It was so much fun and I loved sharing it with my little girl.

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

Hey mamas!

Welcome back for another great week of Mommy Moments Link Ups! Thank you for linking up and for spreading the word last week! We love all of the great posts!

 This week's most viewed link belongs to Rachel from Diamonds In The Rough! Her post titled Realizing My Season Of Life was a post of few words but with one of the best lessons I've learned. Although Rachel has been MIA from the blogging world, she sees what's important and this little angel is to blame! Stop by and show Rachel and that sweet baby of hers some love!


Now it's time to link up your posts!

1. Follow Host: The Life Of Faith 

 Co-Hosts: The Not Quite Military Wife, Beautiful Family Affairs 

2. Link up your post!
Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

3. Add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up!

4. Explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

5. Tweet or Share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

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P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the day that the hubs and I typically go and get our Christmas tree. It had been a hard couple of days for us, so I was looking forward to getting out and taking Bug tree shopping. 

We went to Cagle's Family Farm to pick out our tree. It was amazing! There were so many beautiful trees that we had a hard time choosing one! Mrs. Claus was there to bring smiles and share joy. She made Bug's day by giving her yummy cookies. Bug was sold after that! They also had free hot chocolate, coffee, and marshmallows to roast. It was such a wonderful experience and we will definitely be going back there next year!

Once we were home, it was time to decorate. Bug went straight down for a nap, so that made decorating a little easier. But once she got up, we had a mini photo shoot.

She was completely fascinated by the lights! I loved her reaction to seeing everything for the first time. It's amazing seeing the magic through her eyes. It makes everything new once again!

I am loving sharing this season with her! It's so special!

I love my cozy fireplace and mantle. It's so cheery and bright. I can't help but smile when I see it.

Our beautiful tree that we got from Cagle's Family Farm! It's seriously perfect - I may be biased though. I loved watching Bug's reaction to the tree. And it's a new reaction every morning. She's already found her favorite ornaments and I make sure to keep those at the bottom so she can play with them all she wants.

I think my favorite decor is the strand of lights we added to Bug's room. There's something about sleeping underneath those lights that is simply magical. I hope they bring sweet dreams to her as she sleeps.

10 Months!

Again...better late than never 

(she was 10 months November 17)

weight: 21 lbs 6 oz       

height: 28 1/4 in (I know she's grown, but I don't know how much)

eating: nursing 3-4 times a day and 3 meals of solids a day  

floor time: crawling, standing, getting into everything

happiness: she is such a happy baby! we are so blessed!

loves: her mommy, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, peek-a-boo, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, music, standing, and eating

sleep: we're down to two naps a day and still sleeping through the night!

first word: MAMA! second word: DADA! and she's continually stringing sounds together! 

I could seriously eat her up! She's so funny. Her favorite room in the house is the bathroom. Why? I don't know, but she loves sneaking in there! And bath time is her favorite.

She's so active and always keeping us on our toes.

We've had a wide range of temperatures here in Georgia, so we've used our fireplace a good bit. I love having a fire. We've blocked the area off with ottomans and such, so far Bug has been good about ignoring the fire.

We went to our first wedding (my cousin's). She was a complete angel! I was so proud of her. And she was pretty darn cute in that outfit!

Dear Bug,

You simply amaze us. You're growing up way too fast, and it makes us sad. But we love watching you grow up and discover new things. You make these cold days warm with your snuggles. I love your giggles and the way you've started to play. I can't stop thinking about just how blessed I am to have you in my life. You are truly amazing and your daddy and I love you so incredibly much!

Gitchee gitchee goo, baby girl,

Mommy and Daddy

Thank you

Thank you everyone for your kind words yesterday. Today has been a rough day. I don't know what it is, but it's just been hard. I've allowed myself to cry multiple times. Sometimes you just need a good cry, and I have gotten my fair share over the past few days. 

I wanted those of you who may have experienced a miscarriage to know that you're not alone. You don't have to battle the hurt alone. Not only are there other women who have experienced this, but you have Jesus to comfort and hold you. That's something I have had to learn and accept.

I'll share more of my story later, but now I just wanted to say thank you for your kind words and prayers. They really do mean a lot to me.

Two Pink Lines

It's amazing how quickly one can come attached to someone you've never met before. But the instant my eyes saw those two pink lines, I was in love.

It didn't take much at all. Just those two pink lines. I was over the moon ecstatic. I immediately told the hubs that "Bug was going to be a big sister!" We couldn't stop smiling. I was in love once again. My heart was expanding.

I wasn't worried about things at all, but things started off completely differently. I knew this pregnancy was going to be different than my first. My cravings were different, my aversions were different, everything was different. But I didn't expect anything of it.

That picture was taken just a little over three weeks ago. Everything was going smoothly. Until the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Everything was normal for the most part. I went to church, hung out with some cool kiddos, and then went to hang out with my family to celebrate an early Thanksgiving. 

It was at my parent's house that I started spotting. It scared me to death. This didn't happen with Bug. It started to get heavier, but never as bad a full blown period. I didn't know what to think, but I prepared myself for the worst.

Today we got word that I am no longer pregnant. It's heartbreaking. I cried a lot. The hubs has been my rock. He's been so strong during everything. I'm so thankful to have him in my life.

I don't know why I'm sharing this with you, but I felt it necessary. I want you to know that if you've gone through this, you're not alone. 

If you have any questions or anything about going through this, I'd be happy to answer them. 

I'm okay. I know my baby is with Jesus, and that's a far better place to be than down here on earth, though we would have loved to meet the little one. God had bigger plans for them as an angel, and I like to think that they're up there looking down on us and watching out for us. Our own little angel.

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

Hey mamas!

Welcome back for another great week of Mommy Moments Link Ups! Thank you for linking up and for spreading the word last week! We love all of the great posts!

 This week's most viewed link belongs to Brittany from Sweet Country Roots and her post titled Why Wait? I personally loved this post on marriage and how God intended marriage to be such a wonderful thing! Brittany addresses the fact that many people brush marriage to the side thinking they have to wait until they are in their mid-twenties or whatever the culturally acceptable age is even when they may be sure they have found their match!

Now it's time to link up your posts! All you have to do is...

1. Follow Host: The Life Of Faith 

 Co-Hosts: The Not Quite Military Wife, Beautiful Family Affairs 

2. Link up your post!
Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

3. Add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up!

4. Explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

5. Tweet or Share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/baby" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/mommymomentsbutton.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!