Nella's First Christmas

Ummm for some reason...the pictures loaded recent to past...so that is how our post will go.....so we are taking you from the present to past....so enjoy :)

Last year, my Christmas time was hard...it was filled with hoping and longing for a little one to share it with....so this year...I WAS overjoyed that Nella was here...we had our little one to share Christmas time with.....She was a true delight...you could fill everyone's excitement and there were so many smiles......Our Christmas time was busy, filled with lots of love, and huge smiles....it was beyond what I could have expected....we started many traditions and enjoyed past traditions from a new perspective
Nella had 3 Christmases...how lucky is that...she had her Christmas at home, Christmas at G and G Spencers, and Christmas at Mamaw and Papaw's....We ended Christmas at mamaw and papaw's house....she got this cute hooded towel...so fun. She loved opening gifs....I was amazed she really seemed to get the concept...her eyes would dance with excitement, bang on the gift, and pull the paper....she was so fun and talkative
G and G Spencer got her a door jumper....she LOVES it and she is the cutest thing in it....Matt and I continue to giggle everytime she starts bouncing.....it is the funniest, cutest, and most joyful thing she has ever done...so fun

She had a blast being with her Grandpa Spencer. I always knew he would be a fantastic Grandpa, but how he interacts with her is beyond what I ever dreamed. He gets down on the floor and plays with toys, makes silly noises and faces, and throughly enjoys her. He enjoys every sound, movement, face, smile she does. I love it! She treasures her time with Grandpa and I can tell she adores him....can't you tell
Nella is one lucky girl.....Santa comes to Christmas Eve every year on Matt's side. To say that I have been looking forward to this tradition would be an understatement. Secretly since marrying Matt, I have dreamed of my child sitting on his lap at Christmas and everyone whooing and ahhing at him or her.....so I was giddy with excitement as we took her up there....would she cry...would she pull the beard....would she smile...I couldn't wait...I was like a little kid nervous, excited, and proud as I took our beautiful daughter...more beautiful than I ever dreamed....to Santa....She adored him...she smiled and looked up at him and was completely content....to say our girl is easy going is an understatement...she rolls with whatever and she won Santa's heart just like she does everyone else....
Nella playing with her cousin Bailey....I truly think Bailey thought she was a doll....she keep pushing her tummy and patting her head like Nella was going to make a noise or go to sleep or something....so precious to watch them interact with one another....they seemed to have their own conversation together....so fun
Christmas Eve was so fun being with family.....and it was more than that...you can feel the love with Matt's family.....usually we are squished in Ma Knox's house where it is hot and stuffy and hard to move around...this year it was moved to the Youth Center....it was nice to see kids running, adults talking, and everyone just enjoying each other....I love being with Matt's family....it is always filled with laughter, good times, smiles, and lots of hugs....:)
Our girl is a lover....she wants to give kisses and hugs....she gets what a kiss is...she will pull you in close to her face and then plant the most wet and slobbery kiss you could imagine....but it will leave you with wanting another and another because it is so sweet how she wants to kiss you...she wants you to know how much she loves you....my momma heart mushes when this happens when she decides to not only kiss me...but now everyone.....she got in trouble by dada for kissing Mr. Oliver and Mr. Lincoln...dada said you don't kiss little boys.....lol it starts already
Matt and Nella had so much fun with each other over Christmas...Her daddy adores her....and I love how the world stops when Nella is around and how he just drinks in all her giggles, noises, and smiles.....man....she has won his heart...
We headed up to Albion on December 19 for Bushong Christmas....as a child Bushong family events were always something I so looked forward too....they were one of my favorite things....and still are.....Bushong events will have really good food, lots of LAUGHTER (people will be crying they are laughing so hard), good stories, lots of hugs and kisses, and an abundance of love
This year...we did craft time with all the kids.....I LOVED IT....it was the teacher in me that wanted to see creativity, excitement, and smiles...and I got it....all the little ones gathered around to make a reindeer craft..we traced a foot, two hands, two wiggly eyes, a red pompom, some crayons..and you have RUDOLPH.....what I love about crafts..no one's looks the same....love THAT!!

Nella with her older cousin Aubrey....hmmmmm Nella looks gigantic compared to her....makes me giggle
Her Christmas outfit was one of my favorite things this year......I secretly bought it...Matt thought it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen....and when we put it on her....we seriously couldn't handle the cuteness...
We had Christmas at home before all the other Christmases started......we were so excited to have a real family Christmas to have a little one to share our traditions with.....we first started the season by going to get our christmas tree.....the day was perfect...it was snowing and we headed out to Spencer Farms to find the perfect tree...We then began decorating our home and preparing for Christmas. We baked Christmas cookies....made special cards for Aunts, Uncles, and grandparents....

We had our Christmas early in the morning....we opened gifts and Nella loved ripping the paper, chewing on ribbons, and all the sounds her new toys made. Matt and I decided to start a tradition where we write her a Christmas Letter each year and then read it to her. We stayed up late the night before just trying to capture what we wanted to say to her in a note together....daddy read it to her and my heart melted....the way she looked at him and hearing him be so emotional and sentimental with her.....We ended our morning with a christmas breakfast....we cannot wait for the many Christmas mornings to come

We had an extra special early Christmas gift this year....Baby Clay Jameson Spencer was born....we met him on Skype for the first time and we are thrilled for his parents, Corey and Les. Watching their gigantic smiles, hearing the proudness in their voice, and seeing them with him.....just melts us and we could not be more excited for them. We are going to visit in two weeks and we are dying to meet him...to see his little fingers and toes in real life....he is just precious!!!!! Can't wait Clay to see you!!!


Christmas was magical at our home.....it was beyond what I dreamed and thought it would be like.....Nella even made it extra special...by saying dada on Christmas day for her daddy for the first time! This was by far my most favorite Christmas ever. I will never forget the excitement on her face, excitement in our hearts, the new traditions we started, seeing her on Santa's lap on Christmas Eve, being with family and watching everyone just melt with her, it was perfect! She is perfect! Seriously....I am humbled by the gift God sent us...choose for us....the gift of this little girl!

Our Angel Girl

There is something about Christmas time....something that makes everyone smile and feel happiness. Out of all the holidays, Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love our home at Christmas time, the smells, the decorations, the Christmas music, wrapping gifts, getting cards in the mail, stockings on the fire place, and especially making Christmas cookies....but this year is way different than years past, this year....I get to be a mommy on Christmas.....there is something about having a little one that makes the holidays even more special! I think it is the excitement on their faces and everything being new and exciting, traditions are created, and enjoying, soaking up every little minute. Nella is LOVING Christmas and it makes my heart so excited as we see what she will do next....

Last Saturday, we went and got our tree....it was so cold out on the farm and the snow was falling...it was perfect. Nella wanted to touch all the trees, she would flap her arms with excitement as Matt and I tried to find the perfect one....We came home and decorated the house and then later that night the tree.

She loved seeing all the decorations and we had to go through the whole house and touch every decoration.....her little eyes were so wide and she would flap her arms with excitement.....so sweet.

She has her one tree in her room. It is pink with pink little decorations....she loves it. Every night we turn off all the lights except for her tree and read our night night story and then we say our prayers and snuggle....it is my favorite time of the day.....snuggling in the quiet with my sweet little Christmas love....

She is the most precious gift I have ever received.....so precious

So thankful

I find myself so thankful tonight......

When I look at my daughter, sometimes I swear my breath is taken away by her beauty. We are beyond grateful for what God has done for our family. Why God chose Matt and I to be this beautiful baby's parents is beyond my understanding, but I am humbled.

This Thanksgiving, we went around and shared what we are thankful for in our lives.....my thought was Nella, but really I am thankful for more than just my beautiful daughter. I am thankful that she is the happiest, sweetest little love I have ever met. She smiles all the time and giggles so loud and when it happens, when the magic of that little giggle bursts out, I swear my heart skips a beat. Oh I love that sound.

We are thankful for all the little things she does now....flapping her arms with excitement when she sees you. Reaching for all the things she wants and especially reaching for mommy and daddy. Her little voice is so sweet and she talks softly and does a giggle during her talking.... it's priceless

We are thankful that she gives kisses (seriously opens her mouth when you kiss her now and will lean in to give others kisses pretty adorable), she will hug you tonight when we are snuggling. She is also now sitting up which is so adorable because she is bursting with pride.

But most of all I am thankful for momma angel, because without this beautiful, selfless person I would not have my daughter. I would not be able to be someone's mommy! I will forever be grateful for her and what she chose to do for Nella. I will forever have a deep connection with her.

I thank God everyday that he made this happen. I am so thankful this was his plan...many times I was unsure of his plan even angry for what seemed unfair....but boy did God know what he was doing.....I would do it over and over again if this is what I was waiting for! A beautiful, amazing little girl that is full of love and smiles....

Mommy Thoughts

I was talking to my sister today about her future delivery of her little one. Oh how I cannot wait for her to hold her little one for the first time. I feel like that no matter what path God lead you to be a mom, there is nothing like holding your baby for the first time! It is this huge rush of emotion of excitement, disbelief that this perfect baby is yours, and pure joy! I will never ever forget the moment I first held my daughter and what it felt like to be there in that moment with her! I just remember her sweet little face staring up at me like you are my mom! I have never ever smiled so big! She was here! She was ours! I cannot wait for my brother and sister as they embark on this journey!! Oh, it makes me smile so much for the joy they are about to have! I love this picture of our family because we are in love from the moment we met! And I love how big Matt is smiling! I have never ever seen him be more in love!!!

I love looking back at Nella's little baby pictures! This weekend I organized all of her clothes that she cannot fit into in tubs for our next little one....if we have another little girl..if not they will be a great gift to someone! I cannot believe that little sweet face has changed so much in five months! I feel like each day she changes and grows and it seems so fast, but I have loved every little moment with her! She will always and forever be our wish come true! Our special little blessing! Oh how she has changed into this little sweetheart with big smiles, giggles, and silliness! I cannot believe how little our peanut was here!

This our Nella and my how she has grown and changed from that little picture above! She is the sweetest little girl! I could not have asked God for a more perfect little girl! She is so excited to meet her little cousin in January! May God continue to bless Corey and Leslie on their journey to meeting their little one! We love you!!

Our butterfly

Our little love girl is growing and changing so much! This past month with her has been so much fun! She smiles all the time. I mean huge smiles constantly! I love it! I cannot get enough of her smiles and every single one melts my momma heart! Oh she is such a doll baby!

Here Daddy and her are getting ready to carve her pumpkin. Oh she was so adorable during our carving time. She loved touching the goop inside the pumpkin and she was talking the whole time and telling us what she thought her pumpkin should look like. I love this pic of them! Matt melts me when I watch him with her. He is so SO in love with his daughter. He smiles all the time and he becomes this gentle man that turns into complete mush with every move, sound, or smiles she makes. I love how in love they are with each other!

Our little love girl is five months....can you believe it? I still cannot believe how much she has grown. I have to say I have loved every month with her, but I am really enjoying this month with her. She is like a little person now. She is SO talkative....matt says she gets that from her mom...lol....and she smiles so much. And when you get her to giggle, it is the cutest little sound in the world. She bursts into laughter and I love it. She also is getting excited about things. When you start mixing up her bottle...she flaps her arms with excitement and tells you about it. She also does this when you walk in to the room or when she wants to go to you. Oh talk about tugging at a momma's heart strings. I love this...she is wanting to go to me now...it tends to be when Matt has her which I don't ever want to take her away from him, but it feels so good when she wants me and I can make her smile....shhh!

This is our Nella has a butterfly. Her Aunt Leslie had that idea for her for a costume and I am so glad we went with it...she was the most beautiful butterfly I had ever seen!!!!!!! Butterfly means new life and hope...and when I think about it that is what she is in our lives. Nella was what we hoped and prayed for for so long and she is a new little life. But also, we have a new life with Nella. One filled with happiness, love, and laughter, not that Matt and I didn't have that before, but we did have a part that was missing in our lives and we knew it was a baby....and Nella is our little hope that came true! She completed our family and we have never ever been so happy!!!!!!!

Pumpkin patch

Our fall with Nella has been so fun! It is crazy, but for the longest time I would sit and wonder what kind of traditions we would have as a family. I would dream about going to the pumpkin patch, dressing up for Halloween, carving pumpkins, showing off our baby at Apple Fest. And you know what my dreams, those thoughts at times, I wondered if they would ever happen, came true! I am so ENJOYING our fall with Nella!!!

These photos are from the pumpkin patch. It was so fun heading there with a group of friends and watching all the smiles and excited faces about picking out a pumpkin. Nella was precious, bright eyed and as always taking it all in. Her buddy Oliver loved all the pumpkins and even found his favorite a woof at the farm. Little Lincoln loved all the "balls" and wanted to drive the tractor on the hayride. Little Reese was her sweet little self trying to help find her pumpkin and little Miss V, she just loved snuggling with her mommy in her Ergo. It is so fun to see all the little ones together at the pumpkin patch and watch their little personalities already! I cannot wait to watch these little ones grow up together.

This was Nella and I on the hayride. She didn't mind it and just watched all the scenery and enjoyed watching the people on the hayride. It was so hot that day. It didn't really feel like fall with the 80 degree weather.

I love this pic of Matt and Nella! We found our pumpkin together as a family. Just like how I always thought it would be....she is so much fun!!!

Nella is 4 months!!!

Nella is 4 months today!!! I cannot believe she has been in our lives for 4 months all ready!!! WOW~ Where does time go? To say that these past 4 months have been a blessing would be an understatement! She is so much fun! She is a cooing machine! Her little voices gets so loud! We love it! She loves life! I mean loves it! She is our bright eyed girl as she is always taking everything in! So fun! She really enjoys being outside and shopping..lol! I am serious she wants to check everything out when we are there...not sure where she gets that from!

She smiles all the time! She had her first giggle this month! Seriously, the cutest sound I had ever heard. It was uh, uh so cute! She has a new sound this week ut. She says it constantly and if you do it back to her then she does it back. So needless to say, we have long conversations. I find her talking to herself more...especially in the car...so cute! She is a heart melter! I love this picture...I think it actually captured how beautiful and sweet she is! Seriously, I cannot believe how amazing she is!

Today we celebrated my 27th birthday! How did I become 27...wow! We had a great day! My husband is beyond thoughtful and compassionate. He made me breakfast and gave Nella her 6 am bottle so I could sleep in! Then he went and bought an outfit for Nella for her to wear on mommy's birthday! It is the outfit above! :) It says I love you a whole bunch! He then planned a day for us to go to Brown County and hang out! We had lunch together and then shopped around in Nashville's adorable shops! Then we went to Brown County to hike!

It was truly an awesome birthday! I have to say it was the best ever! For those of you who know, this year was not the easiest in my life. There were many times when I would doubt that I would be a mom! I remember last year blowing out the candles and wishing that God would send us a child to love! When I was in the woods today, I was reflecting and talking with God. Even though at times this year was hard and many times I doubted what he was doing in our lives, I am thankful! Thankful I went through the pain and that I learned to trust God. I am ever so grateful that he brought Nella to us! Seriously, I still feel I am in a dream! I still cannot believe I am her mom because she is the sweetest, beautiful little girl I have ever met! Honestly, she is! It was a perfect birthday because I spent it with my family and realized that my wish that I wished for last year on my birthday candles came true! Her name is Nella! God is WONDERFUL!

I'm 3 months!!!!

WOW, our little lady bug is 3 months old! She is so awesome! I think so far, I love EVERY single stage. She is so interactive right now! She smiles and talks to mom and dad all the time!
She spent a lot of time with family and friends this month! We attended Leeapalooza! It was so fun celebrating Lee being in remission and we loved sharing her with everyone! Here is a pic of my mom and dad with her! Doesn't it just melt you? I never ever realized how much my parents loved me until I had Nella bug! Wow it is such a deep love, the kind that hurts in your stomach at times and makes you feel like your heart is going to burst at moments because you think that your love cannot grow for her anymore, but it does. The kind where you get goosebumps and smile just because she is the cutest little one ever.....so fun! But watching our parents with her has been so breathtaking. I can feel their love for her! It pours out of their bodies. Such big smiles and we love it!!!

I love putting her in her bumbo. She looks around and joins in on conversations now! Love it! You can tell she thinks she is such a big girl! So cute!

Nella loves laying on a blanket and taking in her world. She especially loves it when she has a little one to grab onto and coo too. She really enjoyed her blankiet time with Peyton! They kept holding hands....so cute! Peyton is our cousin and we are so excited to see them grow together!

She LOVES being read too!!! I mean loves it! Her eyes stretch so WIDE and she just listens and seems to take it all in! Matt and I think she loves life! She loves watching and learning. You can see it on her face! Here is Grandma Spencer and her reading! She looks pretty comfy:)

We traveled back to Kendallville for Daddy to be honored at the first East Noble Football game for being on the State Football team 10 years ago...WOW 10 years...doesn't feel like that long ago!!! It was so fun! Nella even joined Daddy out on the field. It was a blast seeing friends and being with family! She was so cute. She loved watching the movement on the field. Her eyes would stretch so wide!

Well we have had an AWESOME 3 months.....see you soon!!!!!!