Little Changes...

Make a HUGE impact! For example, we switched out the UGLY light fixture in our dining room with a pretty one. This one doesn't hang, just sets flat against the ceiling. And we took down our HUGE 9 foot Christmas tree that was also in our dining room. Between the two small changes, this room now looks huge!!! I feel like all of a sudden we live in a bigger house. And I'm happy!

Happy 6th Anniversary

I can't believe it's been six years since we said I do! It's true what they say, time flies when you're having fun! I'm so happy that on this day six years ago I married my best friend.

I love you babe!

Memorial Marker

I'll finally be signing off on the memorial marker for my daddy. It makes it a bit final. I guess with the year anniversary of his death looming in just a few weeks, it is appropriate to close out this chapter of our lives.

First Draft w/misspelled name

Second Draft that will go for approval.

**Thomas is brother, and he wanted to be on the marker too so that he wouldn't be alone :)

Christmas!

Christmas Eve

What a year! I must say, this is Christmas is on my list of top favorites. Not just because we got great gifts, but because this year we had less money to work with and so the gifts meant more!

Jeremy and I have had to sort of combine traditions to create our own. He's used to doing ALL of Christmas, including Santa, on Christmas Eve. Growing up, even coming from a split home, we did it on Christmas morning. Over the years we've done things a bit different each year but have finally come to do the family gifts on Christmas Eve and gifts from Santa and stockings on Christmas morning. It's perfect for us!

Jeremy had to work yesterday until about 4:00. And since his brother and their family went to North Carolina this year, we decided to just do dinner at our house instead of going to Clarksville. Originally we were going to go to Etta's for dinner and gifts and then she was going to follow us home to spend the night, this just eliminated us the hour drive each way. Bonus!

Our day started out when the boys were napping, our home teachers stopped by and brought gifts for our boys. It was so thoughtful. Lucas got a Hot Wheels color changing station and Benjamin got a set of mini Chuck trucks!




As soon as Etta got here, Jeremy walked in just a minute later and we started dinner. It's our little tradition to just do finger foods. We started that in 2006 when Jeremy and I lived with Etta and I was pregnant, still pretty sick and not in the mood to cook. Jeremy had to work and really there was no point in cooking a big feast for just three people. Anyway, we had mozzarella sticks, loaded potato sticks, spring rolls, bbq wings and a cheese ball. She brought several more things, but that was all we cooked. We also had our favorite lemonade, Turkey Hill.

After dinner Lucas couldn't contain his excitement anymore, so we headed in by the tree to open presents. We all took turns opening presents and being excited for each other.

Lucas got:

Handy Manny Repair Shop
Bounce Back Racer
Desktop Computer (kids one)

Benjamin got:

Color changer Mater (from Cars)
Bessie (from Cars)
The Maserati (from Cars)
Two new shirts
Cooking Set
Tricycle

Jeremy got:
New shoes

Alexandra got:
Shark Steam Mop (I'm so beyond thrilled about this!)

Etta got:
Return address self inking stamp
Mouse pad with the boys picture on it
Snuggie ;)


Jeremy and I together got:
Seinfeld Scene it

And the big reveal on the family gift we thought about taking back......

We got a....

Wii!!!!!

We are so excited about it! We've wanted one for a long time but have never had the fund to splurge on such a luxury. This year we were blessed to have everything we need and so when family and friends (who are really just the same as family) were generous with us, we decided to go ahead and purchase one. The reason we considered taking it back is because when you're so used to be so careful with money, and only buying things that you absolutely need, it's hard to just be frivolous. It felt kind of strange paying for it. This is seriously the first time in our married lives that we've done anything like this. And we're so happy about it! It's something the whole family can enjoy. This year our goal is to watch less TV and spend more quality time together and while this involves the use of the TV, it's definitely quality time. (Also, now we'll know what to get each other for birthdays from now on!)

The night ended well. Benjamin went right to sleep when we were finished. Lucas put out cookies and chocolate milk (it had to be chocolate) for Santa and sprinkled his reindeer food outside and left carrots inside for the reindeer. Then soon after he was asleep too.




Santa's helpers got busy filling stockings and putting out presents and then we enjoyed watching MoTab on channel 4 before heading to bed.

Oh...how could I forget to mention that it was

SNOWING
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A white Christmas....the best gift of all!
(I know it's not much, but this is a BIG deal in TN)

.....................

Christmas Day

Christmas day began really early for me. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't get comfortable and I was so anxious about the morning that it made it hard for me to actually get into a good sleep pattern. Benjamin was fussy all night too, which made it all the worse. I finally gave us about 7am after getting Benjamin back to sleep for the 10th time. I came out, turned on the Christmas tree, enjoyed the quiet morning and view of WHITE outside and then put my breakfast in the oven. Thursday night I prepared a french toast casserole (which by the way was AMAZING!). I put on some Christmas music and just straightened up a bit waiting for the rest of the family to wake up. I was hoping to get Lucas' reaction to Santa dropping by on film, but the kid is too quick. Bummer. Once I heard his little foot steps running down the hall I grabbed for the camera but was just a few seconds too late. He saw the pile of presents and started jumping up and down shouting at the top of his lungs "PRESENTS! SANTA CAME! PRESENTS PRESENTS PRESENTS!!!" And then he ran back down the hall to tell grandma what he had found. And then in to wake up daddy and then back out to rip them open. Once Jeremy and grandma were out here we let him tear in. He was pretty excited to discover that

Santa brought him:
Silver Surfer (AND the 'fire guy')
The Blue Lightning McQueen with "shiny wheels" (This part is very important when you are 3)
Marco (a plane from the movie Cars and the latest modification to his "list")

and finally a Slot Car Race Track (which was the originally asking)

And lastly, a bell from his sleigh (Like in the movie Polar Express)

When he was done everyone opened their stockings to find some chocolates and goodies, and Lucas got a few other small gifts. Then we found a gift we hadn't seen before. It said it was for Grandma, From Santa. We handed it over and it was a blender that she had been wanting for quite some time now. The look on her face said it all. Not only was she completely not expecting to get anything Christmas morning, but to get something that she had really been wanting was really special.



Also, she told me that in the 40 years she's lived in the United States, this is the first time she has celebrated Christmas on Christmas morning. They've ALWAYS done it Christmas Eve. So I think that made it fun too. (Remember, Jeremy and I have had to mesh traditions, and that just proved to me that we did a good job and got it right this year!)

After gifts, Benjamin woke up and ate some blueberries for breakfast before opening his stocking and gifts from Santa. He got a Tonka Race Track. He loves it, and the boys have both had a blast playing with it.



We spent the next little while playing with all the new toys. Playing Christmas games (bingo, memory etc) and then the long awaited nap! Benjamin and I laid down and slept for THREE HOURS! When we woke up, Etta was gone and Lucas was sleeping. And there were MORE presents from our neighbors!

We opened Benjamin's gift, which was this really neat ball popper thing. The balls line up on the top, and he hammers them in, they go back and forth and then pop out the bottom. He LOVES it. It's by far his favorite thing! When Lucas woke up he opened his big box and inside was Ants in the Pants game, a voice changer thing and some Hex Bugs. I've never heard of them before, but I must say they are incredible! We've been having so much fun with the new family pets. Oh, and they also gave Jeremy and I two movie tickets! When went next door to thank them and they gave us these brand new hand blown glass glasses from Crate & Barrel. They're beautiful! They're so generous and thoughtful and I can't imagine having better neighbors. Really I can't. They never fail to amazes us with their kindness.

He's one happy little man!

Now we're home relaxing more, and getting ready for bed. As I reflect back on the day I'm amazed at how we ended up having such an amazing Christmas when we started the season with virtually no money, then used the Christmas money that we did have to repair my broken down car. My Nana recently told me that I would be blessed for finding the good in that situation. And as always, she was right! I don't know that I was blessed specifically for that, but just in general. This has by far been the best Christmas that I can remember in a long time. And with all the sadness that also has been looming this time of year because of losing my dad last year, it was exactly what I needed. God is so good! He's so thoughtful and so kind and loving. He never fails to provide what we need when we need it, and this year, this day it came in the form of being able to enjoy the best holiday of the year with people I love and to be able to fully enjoy every minute of it.

Merry Christmas!

Painting

Jeremy and I can't keep our hands off Etta's walls! We really think it's because we can't do anything with our place since we rent. We really need some sort of creative outlet, and since she is willing to let us, it works out well.

Yesterday while I was at Lauras house with the boys, Jeremy was busy painting the guest bathroom. Originally we thought it should be brown, but Jeremy found some green oops paint that Etta fell in love with and so that is what they went with.

And of course, it was one of our Christmas gifts to her. (We pretty much paint something for her for every 'gift').

...I'm pretty sure the shower curtain is going to be replaced next...

...A view with the hall...

...A view with the hall and living room...

...Another angle...

Next up were hoping to do her room and bathroom, and then eventually the guest room and office. Those four rooms and we will have successfully painting every room in her house! Builders grade paint really is yucky, so the whole idea is to just get rid of it!

Fat Lip

Is it just me, or has any one else noticed how often my little Benjamin is getting hurt!? Today he fell at the store and split his lip pretty good. It was pouring blood within seconds. He's such a trooper though, and only cried for about 30 seconds. Now that it's been hours and I've got him dosed pretty heavy on the Motrin, I can look in there. The loose skin has fallen off and it's obvious just how bad it really is. He has a chunk of skin missing on the inside of his lip and it's really swollen. He tore the little flap that is between his lip and gums also. (He tore that a few weeks back.

Despite having a fat lip, he's been eating and drinking well and acting like his normal self. I just hope it doesn't become infected.

...Here you can see the loose skin hanging...

Reindeer Food

Yesterday we headed up to Clarksville to do some home projects for Etta. I figured it would be easier to head out to a friends to play instead of try to keep the kids entertained at Etta's while Jeremy was working and painting. When we got to Laura's she said they were about to make reindeer food! Fun stuff. I guess it's just supposed to be oats (for the reindeer to eat) and glitter (to attract the reindeer). But she put her own twist on it, oats and colored sugar.

Getting started...

Levi

Landon

Leila

Lucas pretty much used half of each color in his bowl. I felt really bad about it. Luckily all the kids were nice to him, and there ended up being enough for everyone. Phew! (Lucas went first...so I was worried there wouldn't be enough to go around)

After we made the treats for the reindeer we played some Christmas games that we brought with us. I made them for my primary class. We played Bingo, Memory and a Nativity game. It was a lot of fun. We stayed for a few hours and then Lucas started acting up, and Benjamin needed a nap so we headed out.

Merry Christmas From Heaven

I got another package in the mail today. Oh how I love to get packages in the mail! There is just something so exciting about it.

We were in the car about to leave when the mailman arrived, so I opened the box in the car. As I opened it and saw the contents, I immediately felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks. I can't even begin to describe the emotions that over came me. Inside this little box, which to be honest I thought was jewelry (I guess I should mention the package was from my aunt Lynette and she has given me a lot of jewelry over the years...).

But instead it was a small silver ornament with a picture of my dad inside. The frame had engraved on the top, "Merry Christmas from Heaven" and along the bottom, "I love you all dearly, Now don't shed a tear, I'm spending my Christmas with Jesus this year"

Just to the left was a poem. I was literally sobbed, my sweater had a puddle on it by the time I was finished.

Merry Christmas From Heaven

I still here the songs,
I still see the lights
I still feel your love on cold wintery nights

I still share your hopes and all of your cares
I'll even remind you to please say your prayers

I just want to tell you, you still make me proud
You stand head and shoulder above all the crowd

Keep trying each moment, to say in His grace
I came here before you to help set your place

You don't have to be perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip, if you continue the climb

To my family and friends,
Please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you,
In a new special way

I love you all dearly
Now don't shed a tear
Cause I'm spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year

-John Wm. Mooney, Jr. 1989

She sent one for my brother too, and I will put it in the mail first thing tomorrow...I hope he gets it in time. What a special special gift! I don't know that I'll be able to pack it away with the rest of the ornaments. I think I'll have to find a special place in my house or car for it!

Ben's Words

My little boy is a man of few words, but the ones he does say are very cute!

He sings "oompa loompa"

Says, "Ow"

"No!" with the finger out and all

"This"

"Get down"

and of course, "Mama"

He picked up "ow" and "no" over the weekend. I'm afraid he's on his way to talking and it saddens me.

Oreos & Neighbors

We have the best neighbors. Aside from the woman below us and that whole incident a few months back, the rest of our neighbors are great. A few in particular. Mike for example, he is the president of the association. If we are standing on our balcony, we are looking directly at his unit. Whenever he comes home he sees my boys outside playing and always enjoys saying hello to them. Likewise, they enjoy looking for him. About a week ago, he told me he had gifts for them, and then on Thursday let me know he had robots for them and that would bring them by on Saturday.

When Saturday rolled around, Lucas had his ear glued to the door, and the second he heard him coming he was all about opening the door and letting him know he'd been waiting. He brought each boy a robot, and batteries too! And a can of Poppycock popcorn for Jeremy and I! Talk about spoiled.

Then this afternoon, our next door neighbors brought over a case of Oreos. After dinner, Lucas wanted cookies for dessert. Benjamin didn't want to be excluded, so I gave them each two cookies and put a glass of milk between them on the kitchen floor. It was a mess, but so fun to watch. Benjamin is a pro-dipper!

Gingerbread Houses

Friday night we headed up to Etta's to make gingerbread houses. But because they average about $10 a per kit, we opted to make them with graham crackers instead. The cousins, Jamy and Cameron were there as well as an old family friend, Naomi and her two little boys, Joey and Cameron.

We ate pulled pork bbq and then laid out some plastic...dumped bags and bags of candy on the table and gave each child a house and a bag of icing. I didn't take many pictures, but let me assure you there was lots of loud hyper little boys in the house!

...Lucas and his house...

...Just his house...

...Joey and Cameron...

...Jamy and Cameron...

...Look at all that SUGAR...

Naomi took some pictures of the girls and kids and things of that sort, hopefully I'll get my hands on them soon.

Christmas w/Grandpa

Thursday afternoon, Grandpa and Susan joined us for a nice Christmas lunch. They were in town for doctors appointments at Vanderbilt, so we figured on saving them another trip out. As soon as they walked through the door, Lucas ran to the tree, handed grandpa his box and told him, "Here, my daddy got you shooting balls!" Nice.

We decided on making Lucas wait as long as possible to open gifts. You know, just to be mean ;) We had a delicious lunch. (My personal FAVORITE meal.... herb encrusted pork loin, jell-o salad, and scalloped potatoes.) While we were eating we had a special delivery from one of Santa's helpers....UPS!

After lunch we let Lucas dig into the gifts. As Lucas mentioned, grandpa got 'shooting balls' or in English, ammo for an old gun. We got Susan a cookbook, because she loves to read them. I got a beautiful beverage server...which I plan to use often. Right now it's on my bar and I'm using it as decoration. They also gave us cash which we used to put toward our family gift... which I will write about in my Christmas post if we decided to keep it. Lucas and Benjamin got a 4-pack of Cars sippy cups. Which Lucas is really excited about and had used all four of them within 24 hours....just to try them out. Benjamin got a noisy bulldozer and Lucas got a box of art supplies (coloring books, markers, puzzles and.....PLAY DOH!!!!) Immediately he talked Susan into playing play doh and within minutes had all twelve colors in one ugly glob. He loves play doh and asks all the time if he can have some. I always say no. It was fun to play though, I will admit.


I know my boys both had fun having grandpa here, and I personally really enjoyed the visit. It was probably my favorite visit with them....ever. Not that I haven't enjoyed their company in the past, but something felt a little different this time. A little more intimate, and little more loving. I'm not sure exactly. But it was just what I needed as I begin missing my dad this time of year. We're coming up on the year anniversary of his death in just a few weeks. It's nice to feel the love of others.

Before they left, I made sure to get a few pictures. If there is one thing I learned from my dads death is that you can never have too many pictures of your children with their grandparents.




After they left, we opened up the package from Santa's elf. Her name is Jae, and she is a really good family friend. She lives in Texas and she is wonderful about taking care of us and making us feel loved. Inside the boxes for the boys were a new towel for each of them. Lucas got a frog and Benjamin got a bear. I can assure you that they LOVE them. We tried them out last night. I wish I had pictures of how cute they are, but bath time last night was at 10:30 and considering it was already two hours past bed time, all I really cared about was getting them...IN bed! I will take pictures soon though. I promise :) She also included a gift card to Target for us. We put that towards the family gift too.