Our very busy weekend!

Or should I say our very busy LIFE!! It seems that the closer the holidays come the more hectic life gets! We have been blowing and going non-stop! Mondays are our days off...or should I say our one day to go to the grocery store, clean the house, and do the laundry! Whew!

This past friday, Amelia took her first trip to Panama City to visit her great-grandma! It was an enjoyable visit and Amelia, needless to say, was the center of attention. All eyes and cameras were on her! We made it home late friday night and Amelia slept the whole way back. But wouldn't you know that as soon as we pull up in the driveway, she is wide awake from her refreshing 3 hour nap!!! I'm sure you can figure out how late we all had to stay up till Amelia decided she was sleepy again! Thank goodness for saturdays!! We all got to sleep in a little and gear up for our busy sunday!

Now that the weather is turning cooler, Amelia has been able to sport all her cute little winter clothes!! The sweaters, corduroys, tights, jackets....AH! I love it all!! Too cute! She is growing by the minuet and will officially turn 6 months on Thursday! She is sitting up all by herself now and has grown fond of applesauce...finally! So now she's a spoon eatin', feet grabbin', sittin up, cutie patootie!!

Amelia will be posing for her 6 months portraits on friday. I'll be sure to send everyone the link for viewing when they are posted on the internet! until then... happy monday everyone!

Every vote counts...

Even little Amelia's....well sort of! But hey...you got to train up a child in the way they should go right?? We went after lunch today to cast our vote for McCain! I tried to pass along a text message that read..."Due to the long lines, if you are a democrat voting for Obama your voting times have been rescheduled for tomorrow!" I wonder if anybody believed me? Anyway, Amelia did enjoy her time outside wating in line to vote with mommy and daddy! If you know anything about Amelia, you know that she is one who likes to make her presence know wherever she goes! All eyes MUST be on her! =) She is pretty cute if I don't mind saying so myself!

We are keeping our fingers crossed!! We know that God will not allow anyone to be in leadership that he has not already appointed...however, it's up to us to pray that God will " hear from heaven and heal our land"!

Hip Hip Hooray!!

I think this calls for a celebration! Amelia can sit up on her own!!! (well for at least 20 seconds or so!) But hey, it's a start! Everytime I hold her I can feel her strength... and weight... get better and better. So today I thought...."I wonder how long she can hold herself sitting up..... let's see!" 1,2,3,4,5....WHOA....25 WHOLE SECONDS!! That's a long time for a beginner! So everybody give it up for our little Amelia!!

Well the shirt says it all.... Our little 5 month old is quite the chatterbox these days. She's always got something to babble about! She loves the cooler weather and I love her cute little winter clothes! FYI...just because a baby wears jeans doesn't make her a him!! I can't tell you how many people think Amelia is a boy just because she has pants on! Oh well...

The cooler weather reminds me that the holidays are just around the corner! YIPPEE!! I think I would start decorating for christmas tomorrow if I could! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

Well, I know this post is short and sweet, but I just had to share AKA brag about our sweet little Amelia!

Our day at the park!

Today, Amelia was invited to her first birthday party at the park! One of our friends from church were celebrating their son's 1st birthday. So, we decided to take advantage of all the fun things a park has to offer! We attempted to swing, slide down slides, and just enjoy the fresh air. Amelia LOVES being outside. Something about the wind blowing in her face makes her laugh! It's actually starting to feel like fall here in Alabama! Thank goodness! We love the fall! Amelia has been a little "under the weather" the past few days...but she is starting to feel better. It's hard to believe that she is 5 months old! She is trying so hard to sit up on her own, but I believe her chubby little cheeks keep pulling her back down! Nonetheless, she's getting stronger by the day!

I figured that when Amelia starting crying every time she saw the camera, that was code for..."ENOUGH WITH THE PICTURES MOM!" *Sigh* oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

Camera, lights, action....

We sanitized the bowl and spoon, secured the pretty, clean bib, and made a perfectly measured bowl of rice cereal. Both cameras are in place and mommy and daddy await anxiously to see the reaction on Amelia's face when she tasted food from a spoon rather than her mommy!! We quickly realized this spoon feeding thing is not what it's cracked up to be! I'm not sure how much got into her tummy. Instead she decided it was more fun to let it drip down her chin than swallow it! I know, I know... it's all part of the learning process! Then I could just imagine her thinking..."My fingers are more fun than this....and in they go!

Well...maybe I'll give it another try!

I think I'm getting the hang of it!

Our first time feeding experience was great overall! The true test will be to see if she sleeps through the night tonight! That would be great! Amelia will be 5 months old next week. She is growing like a weed! She has developed quite a personality too. Little miss drama queen... I can't imagine where she gets that from!?

Of course we captured a clip of this fun moment on video to share with all of you! Enjoy!

Bon Temps Rouler...Let the good times roll!

Vacation time has come and gone but we soaked up every minute of our visit with family and friends. This was such a refreshing time for Matt and I! Amelia did great on her first vacation! She made new friends and lots of new discoveries...like Muffalettas and Beignets! YUM!













You never realize how much you love a place till you leave it! We definatly realized how much we missed Louisiana! Allow me to recap our week for you. It all started with a trip to Lafayette for my friend Janna's wedding! I have to admit, I was a little nervous about Amelia fussing in the middle of this beautiful ceremony. But not our little girl! No, she wouldn't fuss... instead.... PASS GAS! She's a true Donley alright! Everyone in the row in front of us just turned around and smiled! The phrase "welcome to mommyhood" was flashing through my mind. We then headed to Destrehan to spend the rest of the week with my mom and brother. We ventured to Baton Rouge for some shopping, ate all of New Orleans fine cuisine, including my mom's amazing cookin'! We even attended our first crab boil! Talk about an experience! I've lived in Louisiana my whole life and have never been to a crab boil. I didn't have a clue how to peel those suckers! I eventually got it...well sort of... I ended up eating the meat that everyone else picked for me. I guess they felt sorry for the poor cajun girl who couldn't crack the crab! Nonetheless, they were tasty! For a north Louisiana boy...Matt did a much better job than me with those crabs! Amelia wanted to play with claws but mommy didn't let her get too attached to those pinchers. Our week ended with lots of laughs, new memories, and a few extra pounds from all that good food! To all our friends and family back home...It was great to see everyone! We miss you already!

Can I get a band-aid?...

...And a sticker, and a sucker!! We took Amelia to the doctor today to get her 4 month shots! Definatly not the highlight of my day. I dread shot day!! Last night I tossed and turned over the thought of Amelia getting shots and both of us crying inconsolably! However...I managed to make it through the day without shedding one tear!! GO ME! Amelia did great and is getting so big! She weighed in at 13 lbs. and is 24 1/2 inches long! Last night, my sweet hubby put together this exersaucer that was given to us by my grandparents! This thing is unreal!! Our child is overwhelmed with all the fun toys on this thing. It will take her a while to figure out how to play with everything on there! Talk about a great baby sitter! Here is a picture..

We are gearing up this week to head back to Louisiana for our vacation! I can't wait to go home and visit with friends and family! Matt and I desperatly need a break! Blogging will probably be put on hold till we get back, but I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and share them with all of you when we get back! Until then, enjoy this little video of our squealin' baby! =)