Christmas recap

We had a wonderful Christmas with our family.  Our house was full of love, laughter, and lots of people...just the way I like it.  The boys were in hog heaven because so many of their favorite people were in one place.  We started Christmas Eve morning by baking cookies for Santa.

My mom and David's parents met us at church for Christmas Eve service. IPC had a precious family service that my boys enjoyed.

Austin was not in the mood for pictures after church.  Their faces in the next few pictures crack me up.  Real life with 2 little boys.
My 2 brothers and sister in law came into town right before dinner.  We celebrated that night with low key dinner and enjoyed doing all the fun traditions with the boys like putting out reindeer food.


After we left food for the reindeer's we came in to read the Christmas Story, the birth of Jesus, and a precious book my mom bought (totally forgot the name of it).
I couldn't sleep that night (9 months pregnant and Christmas Eve) so I woke up early to fix breakfast for the clan. It was so much fun to see the boys come down the stairs that morning. They were so precious!
We were spoiled...especially the boys and baby sister.
After a great breakfast together we started to open gifts. We do 1 gift a time and everyone oohs and aahs over the gift.

It was truly a wonderful Christmas and I am so thankful for the blessing of our families.

Five for Friday - a little late

Sorry I didn't post yesterday.  I had a terrible night of sleep on Thursday night and felt pretty rough all day yesterday.  This sweet baby girl is still tucked nicely in my tummy.  We are all ready for her to come out and meet us but she seems a little too cozy.  We set an induction date of the 27th so if she doesn't join us before then than her birthday will be December 27th.

This Five for Friday will be another random assortment of pictures.

1.  Last week Austin's school had Donuts with Dad before school.  I think CMDS must have known they were combining 2 of Austin's very favorite things....his daddy and donuts.


2.  On Monday we spent a fun morning painting at Seize the Clay.  The boys did remarkably well considering it was full of breakable objects and paint.  We had a great time.


 3. They played jail with their babysitter Carlee the other day and made funny faces as she took their picture.


4.  We are finishing up baby sister's room before her arrival.  My good friend Grace made this beautiful dress/coat holder.  I am so excited about hanging her baptism gown along with some of our favorite dresses.  The dresses on the far right and far left were mine when I was a baby.

There is finally more pink in her closet.  We have had the most precious friends hand us down a lot of pink gowns, blankets, onesies, and burb cloths.  I think we are ready to bring home our precious girl now that she has some pink to wear.

5.  One of the families at Le Bonheur that the Fund is helping and I have been mentoring gave us such a special gift.  They have a 4 and 5 year old at home that helped with it as well.  They placed our logo in the middle and used the hairdryer to melt the crayons.  Truly love it!


Happy Saturday!  Hope you have a great weekend!

Zoo Lights

We took the boys to Zoo Lights at the Memphis Zoo and had a great time.  Austin kept telling us it was the best night ever.  The littlest things bring so much joy...love having kids!  We picked up Chick-fil-a on the way there and met daddy at the zoo.  We started by walking through and seeing all the beautiful lights and and visiting with Dasher and Dancer.

We then headed straight for the Ferris Wheel.  Austin saw it from the entrance and really wanted to ride it.  Miller was definitely hesitant and unsure about the whole thing but did fine as long as David held him tight.

After the Ferris Wheel we jumped on the Tram and rode it all around the zoo. It was definitely the way to see the lights and the zoo at night.
We headed to the Farm area where the Christmas Express Train was running.
We then finished the night by making some crafts.
Definitely a fun family night full of great memories!

O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem...

O morning stars together,
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the king,
and peace to all on earth!

We are continuing to prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas and the greatest gift ever given.  On Tuesday Austin's Pre-K class along with the other 3 classes had a Christmas Program for the families to watch. It was truly precious and uplifting. The staff at Christ Methodist amaze me daily with their love and care for the children in their care.  We weren't sure how Austin would do considering last years program in Boston all he did was keep his fingers in his mouth and march but he did great.  Truly great.  He sang his little heart out for all to hear.  I was so proud of him.

Austin and Kennedy, our old neighbor, after the program.

So blessed to live in the same city as his grandparents.  
Afterwards the grandparents and I took him to brunch and then we had a special mommy/Austin afternoon.  He loved spending one on one time and I cherished my time with my biggest before our littlest arrives.  Truly a great day.

That night David was working so I took the boys to eat Mexican. Doing what I can to get baby sister to make her presence.

Five for Friday-daughter addition

I am about to have my first daughter and I am giddy, scared, eager, nervous, and thrilled all at the same time.  I know having a daughter is very different than having a son and I want to make sure I am doing everything I can to love her, teach her, and discipline her the way I should.  I am praying for discernment in my parenting with all my children and when I came across the article below I knew I had to hold onto it.  So here is my Five for Friday in regards to having a daughter in a few short weeks:

1.  Read this article...it hit home with me.  Especially #'s 1, 2, & 3.
#9 I would have added that Jesus can be your everything but I agree that not one single person can be your everything...only the one true Savior.

2.  I am the youngest of 3 with 2 older brothers so I feel like I have a little insight into what life may look like for baby sister.  My parents cultivated my spirit to be girly and sweet all while being tough and strong to keep up with my big brothers.  Hoping this little girl knows how very special and unique she is all while being able to handle her big brothers.

3.  I can't wait for the girly clothes...I am ecstatic about outfits like these next two.  How cute are these Brownie Goose Originals?

Source: browniegoose.blogspot.com via Kristi on Pinterest

4.  I can't wait to do the girly things together like play with dolls, paint our nails, and do fun things with her hair.

Source: grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com via Krista on Pinterest

5.  I also want to instill in her a love for others, herself, and most of all the Lord.

Source: Uploaded by user via Misty on Pinterest

Happy Friday...hope you have a wonderful weekend!