Lots to be THANKFUL for!

Thanksgiving was spent in Indiana and it was wonderful.  

Unfortunately I didn't take my real camera out ONE time! :(  

Of course I took pictures on my phone however.  

 First stop after arriving in Indy was to the cemetery where much of my mom's family is buried.  I hadn't been able to visit my grandmother's grave who passed away last August.  It was a beautiful day and nice to be there.

 I also was able to visit my great-grandmother's grave who Makenzie share's a birthday with!  My great-grandma lived to be 108 so she only missed meeting her great-great-granddaughter by 2 years!

 The best part about going to Utah or Indiana is Makenzie's time with her cousins!  She always has so much fun and can't get enough of all her cousins!  

Lots of scooter time! and she couldn't forget her purse! haha!

Makenzie and Bailey

Makenzie is a little  completely obsessed with my parents dog, Shelby.  She was so excited to ride with Shelby to the doggie groomers! 

 Makenzie and Grant having a serious "Guess Who" battle and being too cool! 

 Seeing "Wreck It Ralph" 

 All that running around with the cousins totally wiped Kenz out too!  This is how I found her 2 nights in a row!  I love that she fell asleep with the book on her face! 

 Ingram tradition to participate in the "Drumstick Dash" on Thanksgiving morning!!!  All 22 of us!! What a good lookin crew!! 

 Sadly, I didn't get a family picture of us on Thanksgiving but I did get these two cute shots of my two favorite people for whom I am most thankful!!!  

 And a trip home wouldn't be complete without a fun visit with these girls!!!  Had a great time sipping hot chocolate and catching up with my girlfriends!  

A Kitty for the week!

This year for Halloween Makenzie was a black kitty cat!  She was so excited about this and it was very fitting because she is always pretending to be a "baby kitty"!  I loved it too because it was the easiest costume to pull together!  Ears, a fluffy tail and all black!  She also LOVED having her whiskers and nose "put on" for every occasion!   We had a really fun week leading up to Halloween with 3 different occasions for her to get dressed up! 

She first got to dress up for the library Halloween story time and costume parade!

 Makenzie and her buddy Austin the Fireman

Next was a costume party with her little friends from Gymboree!  This was their 3rd Halloween together! 

 Such an adorable group!  This gang has been together since they were all about 6 months old!  

 The Saturday before Halloween we went to "FAlloween" in Clarendon, Arlington to trick-or-treat around to the stores.  They also had family pictures and a petting zoo!  It was a really fun day!  

 CUTEST KITTY EVER! 

 And finally, October 31st!  Kenz was so in to trick-or-treating this year and was running from door to door!  A couple houses she gave a cute "meow, trick or treat" and others she froze as soon as they opened the door!  But once that candy was in hand she was so excited!  She wanted to stop and eat a piece after every door.  Luckily by the next morning she had completely forgotten about the candy and hasn't asked for any since! 

Fun-tober

October is my absolute FAVORITE month!  And we definitely made the most of it!  

We took a visit to a new-to-us place one Saturday and it was awesome!  

We checked out The Reston Zoo.  It's a family-owned farm/petting zoo/exotic animal zoo.  Makenzie was in heaven!  She was able to feed sheep, goats, and llamas.  They take you on a "Zoofari" wagon ride, where the animals are super friendly and just come right up to you, you can pet them or feed them.  We had a great time!   

 Another Saturday was spent at Lake Accotink.  It was a gorgeous fall day and a fun new place!  We took a paddle boat ride, rode the carousel (of course!), and just enjoyed being outside!

The next Saturday was spent with our best friends at Larriland Farms in Maryland.  We picked pumpkins, went on a hay ride, ate apple cider and apple fritters, pet farm animals, had a bonfire, and had a great day!  

(The adventures in potty training!  Makenzie hasn't had any accidents since day 2 and we couldn't be more proud of her and thrilled how easy she made the process on us!  We have a little potty in the back of our car for emergencies such as this....15 minutes into a 90 min car ride! when you gotta go, you gotta go!)

We also had a great weekend with Jake's mom and dad in town! We saw some new things in DC and went to the Wizards first preseason game!  Makenzie was just in heaven with her grandparents around to show off for! :)

My favorite day of the year...my birthday, was also this month!  :)  I'm like a little kid on Christmas when it comes to my birthday and i'm not ashamed to admit this!  Jake made the day special and we made "just another Wednesday" a very fun day!  I woke up to the kitchen decorated and french toast waiting for me!  Makenzie and I spent the day in DC at the Aquarium and "The Building Zone" and also met Jake and some friends for lunch.  That night the 3 of us went out for a fun Hibachi dinner and then a few days later Jake and I had a great dinner-and-movie date night!  

Another one bites the dust...

I've said it before and I'll say it again...where did the month go!?!? I am definitely not complaining about September flying by, however, because OCTOBER is my absolute favorite month. ever.  I'm kind of obsessed...I mean what's not to love...cooler weather, changing leaves, cardigans, boots, and cute scarves, Halloween, pumpkin flavored everything, and last but not least, my bday :)

We had a busy but oh-so-fun September!  Makenzie's "play school" started up again and we are both very happy!   She loves playschool and I love some time to myself and missing each other for a couple hours is good for both of us! 

 We went to a Nationals game with our friends, Brian and Steph!  Makenzie (and Steph!) were in heaven because it was "Doggie Day" at the ballpark!  We love the "Normkins" and had so much fun with them, eating ballpark food, seeing all the doggies, and cheering on the Nats!  

It was perfect day at the ball park! 

Enjoying a beautiful DC day! 

We were so excited that Jay and Steph were able to come visit us!  They were only here 2 days but we packed them in with lots of sight seeing and fun! 

being a funny girl at the Hirshorn Museum