Yay! It’s December!

I love the whole holiday season starting with Halloween and ending with Valentine’s Day. I know I am not alone in those feelings, and I love to squeeze every ounce of Christmas goodness out of December that I can.  We kicked it all off with the introduction of Candy and Kane, our elves, and with the lighting of the tree on the square.  

We got free tickets to The Enchanted Forest and it was just like I remembered it!

 

When Santa asks what they want for Christmas, Preston always replies,”TOYS!” and Kate says, “a washing machine.”

We went to Breakfast with Santa with some of our dearest friends. This has been one of my favorite events so far!

This was all the kids minus Reed (who had left) and Violet (who despises Santa!)

We went to the Christmas Tree farm to get our tree. We ended up on hay ride with some new people from our church. Love it when stuff like that happens!

Preston has gotten this sudden burst of energy that makes him hilarious and a hand full! I love this time of year and love having a full calendar of fun stuff to do with my kiddos! I am holding them tighter and whispering I love you a little more often, I dont have anything eloquent to say about the recent shootings in CT, because, well, I couldnt really find anything to say at all. I hate that evil continues to steal the innocence of our children. I loved this post from another blog I read.

Christmas is a necessity.  There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.  ~Eric Sevareid

Thanks Giving

We were able to make our annual trip to Fulton to celebrate Thanksgiving with Luke’s family. His sweet Granny has recently moved to a nursing home, and we were able to go by and visit with her as well.    
There are about 6 kids this size running around…just precious!
We also always have fun playing outside. Papa Q put the kids in the tree for this shot! They loved it!!

I handed Luke the camera so my kids will know I am actually at all these family events.
We headed back to Memphis to celebrate with my family. They both got good post turkey naps!

This whole scenario cracks me up. Jennifer had had it with the fighting among the seven kids under 5 over the footstools. She was pulled out the oldest cousin bossy voice and everything! And that was the best pic of the kids that I got. Yay.
Luke and I were asked to speak about Being Thankful at church on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We discussed the wreck (June 15) and what we were like before and what it did to change us. I rambled on about the actual wreck for a little too long, but I was also able to share how I know realize thanksgiving is a two part word. We are thankful and therefore we need to give. Our time, our money, our efforts. I realize when I am thankful for something, there is always an inverse to that…I love my husband, some don't have a husband because they haven't found the one, or he was taken by death or divorce; I am thankful for my kids, others don't have any because of their circumstances; I am thankful for my home, and there are others all over who don't have somewhere warm to lay their head. I need to be aware of others inverses. Prior to the wreck, I was just so thankful for my perfect little family. I remember praying my kids wouldn't have anything wrong with them when they were born. I feel like God has just broadened my scope of what is good. Different is good. Hard stuff is good. God is good! What we do with our life is what matters (and that sounds so cliche, but I have never claimed to be right brained!) What I have also been reminded of is that everyone has a story. When you are stuck at The Med, you know everyone is there because someone they love is hurt or sick. Walking around in every day life, it isnt much different. Many people are carrying around some kind of hurt or baggage and how I treat them can make a huge difference in their day. People are the way they are for a reason. The rude ones that cut us off when we are driving in a hurry, and the nosy women in the grocery store trying to give advice.
So what am I to do with my thankfulness? How can I lessen the load for someone else?

Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts. 

Alan Cohen 

November

We had a wonderful month of November. Kate learned how to plank:
We got to celebrate Nannie’s Birthday:

Kate was in charge of the letter Q at school. We made q-tip snacks (and queso quesadillas) and filled the letter bag with 10 Q items. The teacher challenged me with out realizing it when she told me the most Q items brought in were 5…boo-ya! Q week happened to fall on Muffins with mom week, so I got to watch Kate lead the pledge and the line. I love the “quiet” sign…Kate and the little girl behind her seem to give the teachers fits during nap time. Every. Single. Day.
Preston figured out how to climb out of his crib, so we bought a toddler bed from a friend. I wont say that it is perfect, but Kate and Pres have a really good time together. It really reminds me of Megan and myself.
We hosted our small group fall party hoping to have an awesome bonfire. It started pouring so we all came in…and we still have the huge pile of wood if anyone wants some smores!
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I also go to meet this living angel! She belongs to one of my best friends from high school and college. Ella Jane is about the cutest kid I’ve ever seen! I couldnt hold her without kissing those sweet cheeks! Im in love!

We had to come up with an Indian name for Kate…I was trying to think of something with “fox” in it (sneaky, sly), but Jake vetoed everything I came up with because he said it sounded like a stripper. Thanks, Jake. We settled on Babbling Brook, and when I explained to Kate a brook was a calm, quiet stream through the woods she exclaimed, “But I am not calm or quiet!” So true, my girl, so true.

Autumn's the mellow time. 

William Allingham