Merry Christmas!

What a sweet weekend we have had! Pops came to visit and the boys couldn't get enough of him. Thankfully he was here to help Mark put together Santa Sunday. It has rained ever since. The boys were excited for Santa, but like I've said before they don't fully understand. Bently said this morning, "Santa should have woken me up!" and then when he saw Anderson, he asked, "Did the reindeer wake you up?" He then said that Santa said, "Reindeer you need to be quiet so you don't wake the boys!" Hmmm imagination juices were flowing this morning! These are a few pictures that I had on my phone from the past few days.

Merry Christmas to you all and I pray that you have a blessed day with family today. Our family consists of the four of us, but we are happy, healthy, and thankful! Happy Birthday to Jesus!!

Handsome little reindeer!

Sweet dreams next to Pops!

Riding Pops' horse!

My heart and soul x's 2!

Sharing one of Santa's cookies before heading to bed.

Stocking fun! 

Santa Came...

My funny little reindeer!

Wherever You Are, No Matter How Far...Come Back to the Heart of Christmas!

I'm not sure if it's just me or if all of you feel there is more sadness happening around Christmas time this year. All of which have been accidents and tragic for all involved. This breaks my heart for the families involved. I can't help but think of presents that may be under the tree that won't get opened by that person, traditions that won't be the same with out that certain someone, and just not being able to hug and love daily. It's just sad. I love this song and I hope you will hear something that makes you enjoy your Christmas a little bit more this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASJktrBObrI

We had yet another cookie swap and pajama party last Saturday night. The boys had a blast and we had great food! When I think of cookie swap, I think of several different cookies that can be frozen and taken out when you need them. Needless to say, I was wrong. You come home with a few dozen cookies that have to be eaten THEN or they go bad. Not good for a waistline on top of all of the other holiday food!! ;) Thankfully, but not really, I got sick Sunday and haven't been able to taste a thing, so I wasn't even tempted this go around! Then I shared with the boys' teachers Tuesday to get out of the
house!

Anderson & Lacy

Bently & Liam

Lacy, Anderson, Bently, Liam, and Ezra watching the Elf movie!

Not much has happened this week with me sick. The boys have gotten away with everything because I have not felt like arguing or disciplining and Mark has come home late and that's the last thing he wants to do. So yes, my house looks like a zoo, a whole container of cookies were eaten in one setting (Anderson) and baths were skipped 2 nights, BUT they/we survived. Now I'm praying they don't get anything right before Christmas.

We are excited that Pops and MaC are coming for a visit this weekend. The boys have been waiting on them to come and have several things they want to do and show them. One of which is eating fish! Bently thinks you can only get fish at the beach! ;) Mark and I are hoping they watch the boys for a few hours while we take care of a project and hope they the two of us can tackle it! Pictures to come Christmas of just what this is. Merry Christmas and have a wonderful weekend. For those of you traveling, be careful...we will be all day next Thursday!

Just a snapshot of two cute boys!

All of our practice and talking is finally clicking. Bently made several "B's" on his color sheet Monday and I was SO proud of him!

Love to all

Kids say the ...

Our days are filled with lots of conversations even more now that Anderson is really talking. His sentences really amaze me at this age. I guess because he has an older brother and I took his paci earlier, he is talking so much. Anyway, I thought I would share some of the phrases that have been said recently that make me laugh!

Bently:
"I am all cowboyed up." Hmmm, not real sure where this came from!
"Come here little red head boy."
"Raise your hand if you are a homeboy." Straight from the mouth of his Daddy!
"I need to go call the neighbor. Be quiet while I call the neighbor!"

Anderson:
"Bubba need a pank." Bubba needs a spanking!
"Mom, come." Just the words I HATE hearing in the middle of the night!

I'm sure there are more, but I haven't taken the time to write them down as they say them.

It's only Wednesday of this week and I seriously think I am losing my mind! Monday I washed and dried a load of clothes before I remember that I didn't add detergent to the washer! Today I texted Mark asking about some of our plates. All of the dishes were clean and the plates were no where to be found. I just knew someone had "taken" our plates. As crazy as that sounds! :) He quickly reminded me that they are on the buffet right in front of my eyes!!!

Just a little Christmas cheer!

While Mark was on call this weekend, we made these cute and yummy cookies.  Anderson was eating the chocolate chips faster than I could get him to put on his cookie! :) Bently really took his time and designed his just as he wanted. Fun Sunday afternoon..

One morning I came down the stairs to find this...the boys had their bears and animals at the movies. To my surprise, they were more still at the pretend movies than the real one! This made me happy because I can remember playing on stairs like this with my best friend when I was younger. We played school though and had all of our students lined up!

A few scarves that I have made for birthday and Christmas gifts. I've really tried to enjoy this season more this year and make more gifts rather than buying. I have been praying for this season that more people would take the time to see the real Christmas and make the most of it rather than wish it was over. In the past,  I've always been sad when the last present was opened because I knew everything was over. So I am looking forward to this year. We will celebrate just the 4 of us Christmas morning. We are hosting a Christmas Eve dinner for friends here that will be alone as well. I look forward to the laughs and stories that will come of that night. Then the boys and I will go back to Louisiana to extend the holiday cheer! We've really been working on the reason for Christmas with Bently and he can tell bits and pieces of the story. It makes my heart happy! They know of Santa (how can you not) but don't understand the concept that he brings gifts and I like it that way!!

Playing with snow at school Tuesday! This boy LOVES going to school.

Have a fun rest of the week. I am headed to a scarf and cookie swap tonight, so I get to get out of the house, YAY!!!

All I Want for Christmas...

December. Christmas. Peppermint. Jesus. Lights. Trees. Carols. Hot Cocoa. Fun. Memories. Santa Hat.  Busy. Scarves. Hats. Coats. Well I guess all of that would be true if we lived up North somewhere, so for us only half of those come to mind! It is so fun living in a new city and joining in on all that they have to offer. Friday we thought we would join Mark at a FAMILY interview dinner, but learned quick that our boys were not cut out for their home!! So we left him and went to Chick-fil-a and played until the dinner was over. I can say that I have never been on a date there on a Friday night, but we were not the only one! Saturday we went to a Christmas parade (not special and made me think I was in New Orleans for a moment!) Later that night we had Mark's Christmas party at the Chair's home. It was fun and a very nice home. I never intend to have one quite that large, but would love to have some of character that it had. They had a whole room with leather, stadium seating and a huge tv for football games or so I assumed. A beautifully landscaped backyard and gorgeous kitchen! Sunday, Anderson ran a fever all day, so we were lazy until that evening when we met friends for dinner, and then went to Lights of the South. Today I took the boys to Edventure in Columbia. I had bought a groupon for a membership that I needed to activate before the end of the month. They had the BEST time and slept all the way home! It is similar to Sci-port in Shreveport, but offers a ton more for their age.

The boys are currently outside playing with play-dough while I update! They are really excited about Christmas. Bently has been learning the story of Christmas at school. I occasionally will hear them singing "Jingle Bell Rock!" Bently would like a green horse for Christmas along with a puppy and an extra see-saw for his friends to play on...sorry to say, but he may be a tad disappointed come Christmas morning. ;) Mark started back at MCG today after spoiling us to early hours while at the prison last month. He is busy (or should be) studying for a test in January.  This week is full of several long call days, so I am happy I have taken up knitting to help pass the time!

Here are a few pictures of the fun that we've been having. I am so tired at night as I am sure most of you reading are too! I hope this week and holiday season finds you well. Our Christmas cards will go out this week and we'd love to receive yours! Our new address is 702 Muscadine Court Martinez, GA 30907

All of our love

Chick-fil-a date night!

Headed to Lights of the South

Edventure - milking the cow 

My 2 firemen

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!

Deciding which tree...

They found the one they wanted!

Loaded and ready to take home!

Precious helpers

Just right!

LOVE ;)

Not a fan this year!

Hayride through the lights

Thanksgiving is over!

I don't know about you, but the past week or so has been a blur for all of us! We have hosted a dinner, had 2 sets of visitors, and 2 sick boys! The weekend before Thanksgiving Brandon & Erica came and stayed a few days with us. He interviewed here that weekend so we decided to host the dinner that night. It's nice to finally have a place so that we can accommodate more than 3 people! The boys enjoyed having Kylie to play with and I loved having a baby to love and snuggle. Mine are so big now, but it hits me even more when I see a newborn! That Saturday we made a trip to Columbia to see the Christmas lights at the zoo and tried a new restaurant that was on Diner's, Drive-in's, and Dive's. Lots of fun was had!

They left Sunday and Mom arrived a few hours later. We took it upon ourselves to start knitting. So after a few trips to Joanns and several videos on u-tube, we finally finished a few scarves! She watched the boys while Mark and I cooked and prepared for Thanksgiving. Leah and Cary made it in late Wednesday or early Thursday rather! Thanksgiving was very low-key, but tasteful! This was the first time in several years that we've been able to do black Friday shopping since Mom and Leah were always working the store. It was fun to be able to do so for a change. And props to Mark for being a good Daddy and watching the boys!

We made a trip to the Christmas tree farm yesterday and the boys picked out a tree. It's smaller than what I envisioned, but like it said, they chose the tree! Bently has been really in to decorating this year. I guess he can understand more. We managed to get the tree finished last night and everything else this morning. It's been a nice quiet day with only us here. It's always hard getting back used to it being just us when we've had visitors.

School starts back this week and a month full of holiday activities. The boys and I are ready and prepared. I love this time of year and look forward to doing some of the things offered here. I hope you all make the most of this season and take time to enjoy it. Above all else, Jesus is the reason for this season and that is why we celebrate!!

Bently's way to eat Thanksgiving!

Lights at the zoo!

Happy Birthday Nonnie!

He is so proud of his tree this year!

Bently is 3!

I never gave Bently his birthday post as to what he is doing now at the age of 3! He is the sweetest little boy I could have asked for but has really caught on to talking back! Not my child, right? Wrong! He is smooth with it though. It's not rude but rather a simple "Well,....whatever he thinks!" It was cute at first, but now I threaten him if he even thinks of "welling" me!! ;)

He can count to 10 and trying hard to make it to 20. (I should be working more with him)
He knows his colors.
Has a great memory when it comes to traveling and knowing exactly where he is.
He is about 33 pounds.
His favorite color is green.
He loves to take "monster bites" when eating so he can get big.
His favorite foods are meat loaf, pizza, chili, gumbo, meat sandwiches, yogurt, icecream, and currently soft peppermint!
He is a nurturer.
He wants a sister. (I caught him talking to Anderson the other day about their older sister, Ha!)
He loves reading books and singing. Everything is a song right now.
He loves cowboy boots.
He loves his blue dog blankie, lsu blankie, and pillow.

He is mine and I am so proud of him!!!

My Favorite Time of the Year

It has just hit me with in the past few days that I am in LOVE with Fall! The weather, the trees, the feeling... it's like no other. It make me excited to know the holidays are just around the corner. I appreciate nature so much more now and am thankful for these blessings. I have been seeing people post on Facebook of things they are thankful for and I thought I would post about all the things that "I" am thankful for. I pray that each of you that read this blog wake daily with something to be thankful for. If you focus on the positive rather than the negative, your whole life perspective will change.

I am thankful for:
My husband that loves us unconditionally and works daily to provide a better life for his family.
My boys that are healthy and happy and perfect.
My salvation. God gave me this gift and I am forever grateful.
My Mom and Dad and step parents that have raised me and help mold me to be the person I am today.
My grandparents that taught me things that I will always remember and will pass the memories to my children.
My In-laws that love and support us and graciously gave me my husband with open arms.
My health.
My Home.
My Job.
My freedom.
My friends, near and far that are there for me whenever I call or text.
My sisters. Each are so different but teach me to be more open minded and free spirited. I, however, keep them grounded! ;)
My sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws that provide us with extended family to laugh, cry, love, and celebrate with.
My mornings that usually bring me joy or none the less, a new day.
The power of prayer.
Children that will hold our future, but I have a heart for kids and they always seem to put a smile on my face.
My food. That I can afford to buy what we need (even if it is off brands!)

I am certain that I have left something off that is important to me. I hope this month will be different for you and you can find something to be grateful for. So what if it's not the life you dreamed of having right now, you have a new day to tell someone you love them or show them you love them. In the past week, I know one family that lost a loved one by surprise and another that received a negative report about a loved one. We live for today and today, I am thankful for!

 

Louisiana...Home At Last!

Where to begin...we had such a great time being back in Louisiana last week. I love, love when Mark is on vacation. It's so nice to wake up and be able to do things as a family and have no set schedule. We took full advantage of that last week. We had our first fire with the boys and cousin, Kylie as we roasted weenies for hotdogs and marshmellows for smores! They weren't too interested, but sure ate their share of both. I had the best time loving on our new nephew, Nolan. He is the sweetest thing and seems to best the best little baby. We had family pictures made and much to my surprise, they turned out rather cute! I love having pictures made at this time of the year because of the boys birthday. This way I will always remember how old they were when the pictures were made!

Halloween was a lot of fun, but we all wore out rather fast. We had the cutest two doctors in town or so I think, but I'm very partial! ;) I made special pumpkin muffins for Bently's birthday and he enjoyed lunch with the guys that day at Fieldhouse. It wouldn't be a trip home if we didn't visit Cotten. As always, it was delicious, but the laughs and conversations were the best part! Nothing like best friends and being able to pick up where ever you left off. They are good for the soul!

Friday, Mom and I snuck away to Shreveport for a little shopping and to pick up the boys' birthday cake. I never realize how much I miss a place until I visit there. Shreveport is filled with so many little shops that are locally owned. We don't have near that here or I haven't discovered them yet...probably a good thing!!! It was nice and I enjoyed that time with my Mom. Thanks to Louisiana weather and high humidity the cake began falling apart on the way home. I was stressed and upset I had spent so much on it and there wasn't a thing I could do. So...realizing I couldn't do anything, I let that stress go and focused on everything else that needed to be done.

Saturday was party day, ULM game, and LSU game. We tired out at PARTY! I spent WAY too much on this party, but the boys had fun and were excited and that's all that mattered to us. We don't know if we will make it back next year for a party, so we made the most of this year. It was so hot that day! We crashed and never made it to the ULM game, but we watched at Mom's as we packed. That night we went to a friend's house and watched the LSU game. They had the best food!!! So needless to say, we came home with a few extra pounds, but it was worth every bite! ;)

Thanks to all that made a point to see us. Time seems so short when we are in and we try so hard to see as many as we can. If we missed you this visit, hopefully  the boys and I will see you late December. We will spend Christmas here as a family and make our way back there after Christmas. I dread the drive already, but I know some will be ready to see the boys again!

Love to all,