Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Tonight we went to my Mom's house and spent Christmas Eve with Gigi and Papaw. Price's favorite thing about their house is their train that goes around their tree. He had so much fun playing with the train with Papaw.


Then we had to get back home to get ready for Santa. Price and I made cookies for Santa. I'm no cookie artist, but I thought Price's was really good for a 3 year old. The only help he had was with the sprinkles and a little help with the lips....otherwise, he did it all on his own. Santa is going to be proud!

The cookie I decorated for Owen


Price's Cookie
(Pretty good, huh?!?)

We even left Santa Chocolate Milk cause we know it's his fav!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a GOODNIGHT!!

Meet JuJu!

This is JuJu. Our Elf on the Shelf. We have had a lot of fun looking for him each morning and I have enjoyed listening to Price talking to him occasionally. Tonight is his last night with us until next year. I'm not sure who's going to miss him more......me or Price......

Ho! Ho! Ho!

My friend, Traci, personally knows Santa Claus and invited him over for cookies the other day, along with a few friends. P & O both were excited to see Santa and crawled right up in his lap. I was so glad that neither of them cried. I'm sure it helped a little that he was handing out a few presents....

Santa reading "The Night Before Christmas" to everyone.

Not a Creature was sturring....

Owen & Santa

Santa Love

Santa said they were very good this year!

Price crawled right up in his lap w/o me even asking.

Opening presents...

and showing them off!!!

Santa even let us take a little picture with him......so sweet!

Merry Christmas!!

Hope Santa's good to each of you!

Thankful!

This Thanksgiving I had so much to be thankful for!

My husband! We are a TEAM! He takes care of me and makes me feel so secure!. I know with him I can get through anything. I depend on him for EVERYTHING. He is the most responsible man I know (Just like my grandfather!). He always knows what to do and I never have to worry with him by my side. He's a great dad and his only fault would be working too much, but I can't complain too much about that since I do reap the benefits..... I am a LUCKY woman to be married to him, for sure!

My two precious children! My beautiful boys! They are my life line! They make me smile on days when I'm sad. They keep me going when I feel like I can't go anymore. They make me miss the days behind us while still looking forward to the days to come. Motherhood is such an emotional and uplifting journey. I hate leaving them for fear of missing something but I am so very blessed to be able to stay at home with them and watch them grow everyday. I miss very little of their lives and I hope that I am always able to say that. As they go to school and become more independant I will miss the days at home when both are home whining and fighting. I have been praying for patience (I know they say not to do that) but I truly feel that I have gained an appreciation for the small things, even when they aren't so much fun!

My MOM! My mom is my ROCK! She takes care of me in more ways then I could ever explain. She listens to me when I need to be listened to. She supports me no matter what. I don't know what I'd do without her. REALLY! She is a great Gigi and I am glad to have such a close relationship with her.

Our ENTIRE Family! We have such a fabulous support system. They are right where they need to be when we need them. I always know we can count on them regardless of the situation. We are fortunate to live close to Josh's family who helps us at a moments notice. Who loves our our children and are a big part of their lives.

My FRIENDS! There are some old and some new.....What wonderful blessings each of you are! It's amazing how each of you add something special to my life.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my Family. We didn't do much but being at home gave me time to think about all I had to be Thankful for instead of worrying about what time I needed to be where. I missed seeing everyone but I am glad I had such a great family to miss!

I'm an only child and I can admit to being a little selfish at times. There are plenty of times I think of what I WANT way more then what I HAVE. If I never got another thing in life, I'd still be blessed beyond belief.

The Storm

The lyrics to the Casting Crowns song, "Praise you in this storm" keep going thru my head. I am in the middle of a storm but I know that the Lord is in control and no matter how sad I feel, he knows what is best for my life and I trust him.

On Monday I went to the doctor for my 16 week OB Checkup and they couldn't find a heartbeat. I had to go to Lexington Medical Center for a dnc. I am recovering but I am sad.
My plan didn't work out. The Lord has another plan in store for our family, and for that I am thankful. But it is hard to see the big picture at the moment when my heart is so heavy.

I got to see the baby by ultrasound on Monday and it looked so perfect. Perfect face, perfect arms and legs. Perfect baby. I chose not to find out the sex because that would have made it more real. It was hard enough.

Thank you for everyone who has called, your cards, your flowers, your emails, and most of all your prayers. This Thanksgiving I will spend my energy being THANKFUL for the wonderful family and friends I have.

Soccer Season Ends

Price's last game was this past Saturday morning. I can't believe how fast his season came to an end. He played in all 9 games and you could definitly see a great improvement by the end of the season. I am already looking forward to next season, and I think Price is as well. I am very proud of my little soccer player. A BIG THANK YOU to all of our friends and family who came out to support Price. We really appreciate it!

Below is video from his very last goal. The footage is thanks to my good friend, Micah! :) (Thanks, Micah!!)

12 Weeks Along

I went to the doctor yesterday for my 12 week appointment and everything looks great. I asked if he wouldn't do an ultrasound next time because I know I'd be tempted to find out the gender so it will be my 20 week appointment that will be the hardest. I guess we'll see if I can do it then!
Wish me luck ! :)

God, You ARE my Provider!

This week is stressful for me because I'm a HIGH stresser when there is a lot going on, although I thrive on it at the same time. This week I'm not feeling the greatest, hormonally, and so I guess that has contributed to my high emotions. Yesterday when I picked Price up from Preschool, he started singing:
"God, you are my provider, God you know my needs!"
This is a song learned in preschool choir and we have his preschool choir CD that we listen to often, but we hadn't heard it in a while and for him to sing this and remind me God IS in control was absolutly convicting.

God, You are MY provider! I know your in control! Thank you for your daily reminders!

Preschool Choir

Ever since Price was a baby, I would tear up when the preschool choir sang in Church because I always thought one day Price would be up there praising the LORD, worshiping him thru his songs... Today was Price's turn. It was so wonderful to see him up there semi singing.....

It didn't go quite as I had imagined in my head, but he did alright. He doesn't go in the sanctuary often so I think he was in awe of how big it is, and he kept watching himself on the big screen. When he saw me he screamed out "MAMA" then "DADDY" then "GIGI". You can hear that on the audio. Everyone laughed and thought it was cute. I was laughing so hard I was crying.....but of course that's my child: "Mr. Personality"! :) He's like his mama in the fact that if he thinks it, He must say it!

He did sing a few notes and hopefully he will carry these songs and moments with him thru his life. Next time he sings, I'm sure he'll do even better.

"Worship the Lord with gladness; Come before him with joyful songs." ~Psalm 100:2

If you'd like to watch the worshipcast, click HERE!

Country Adventures

We went with our Church to Country Adventures on Friday Night. It was our 3rd time going but O's first. Both boys loved it and we had a great time with our Church Family. Can't believe it's almost Halloween! This year is flying by.....

Introducing....

The Third and FINAL Baby Jackson, due May 14, 2010!!

We went for our first doctors appointment on Thursday and got to see that sweet little heartbeat! Josh and I are excited and so far I am having a very easy pregnancy. (With both boys I was sick by this time so I'm crossing my fingers that won't happen!) AND I am hoping NOT finding out the sex this time.........We'll see if I can do it! :) I think that would be so exciting! No one thinks I can do it which makes me want to even more.....but since my doctor does an ultrasound at every visit, this will make things much harder on me. I am sorry to all of those who I didn't call to give the good news but I figured with my 3rd child there was no reason to make a big spectacle of things. Besides, you guys were expecting this soon anyway......right?!?

Josh's 30th Birthday!

My wonderful, fabulous, awesome, incredible hubby turned 30 on Sept 11th! He didn't want to do anything big......well..........because if you know Josh, he's pretty low-key! Me, one the otherhand, not so much! I decided to surprise him with a bday party at Carolina Wings. I think he was VERY surprised and enjoyed the party even though he was against it! :) Thanks to EVERYONE who showed up to support my sweet hubby! We both are so blessed with great friends. You guys are wonderful! (I didn't do a good job of taking pictures so forgive me!)

First Day of School & First Soccer Practice

Today Price started his first day of 3 year old Preschool. He did great! He woke up and asked if he was going to see "Miss. Ta-wa" and "Miss. Wiz" (his preschool teachers from last year) and I reminded him about his new teachers, Mrs. Boyd and Mrs. Dunlap, this year. He actually got to go to his class and meet them yesterday. He went in with no reservations and had a good day. Hopefully the good days will continue....

He also had his first soccer practice today. He is playing for SOAR and is on the Koala's!! It is his first time playing an organized sport and I have been so excited about this!! I'm officially a "Soccer Mom"!! :) I really like this team because they do a devotional at every practice and really emphasize sportsmanship. His first game is Sept 12th but I don't even think they really keep score at the games. Josh isn't going to like that part, but I'm sure it's better for all the 3 year olds to end the game as winners! :)
He did terrific at his first practice. He learned to dribble and stop the ball pretty good. We just have to work on his pushing the other kids out of the way.....

Roomie Reunion!

This weekend Steph and I went to Greenville to stay with Suzanne. Steph, Suz and I were college roomies and it was so nice catching up with them and spending quilty time together. Since we have each gotten married and have busy schedules, it's very hard to find time to get together and catch up. As times change, your friends seem to change but it's amazing how close we have remained since college. It seems as though no time has passed when we get together. I think that there are few things in life more important than great friends and I am so very blessed to have these girls in my life!!

While I was in Greenville I also got to have lunch on Sunday with 2 of our very special couple friends; Maria & John (& Porter, too!) and Frankie & Steve! They used to be in our Sunday School class but both moved to Greenville so it was wondeful to meet them for lunch! It brought a great ending to my fabulous weekend. Thanks guys!! (I have no clue why we didn't take a photo opp. but hopefully next time! :))

Halloween Help

I'm trying to figure out what to dress the boys up for Halloween. I want them to coordinate so I'm having a hard time figuring out what kind of cute costumes I want to get. Here are some ideas I've thought of:

P-Cowboy, O - Horse
P - Police Officer, O- Prisoner
P&O - Baseball Players
P- UPS Man, O- Mail Man
P-Pirate, O- Parrot

Please let me know what your favorite is or offer up some good ideas that I can use!!
I will totally appreciate your help!!

Most of you would probably just tell me to ask Price what he wants to be........but then he'd say something that I don't want to do, like "Lightening McQueen" or "Thomas the Train" and then he'd get mad when I said no! I'm just mean like that!!

Back to Reality

We just returned home from our last Summer Vacation of the year. We spent the first part of the week in Surfside with my family and then headed on over to Edisto to be with Josh's family. We had a great time. Owen still doesn't care too much for the Beach but Price LOVED it! He's a total Beach Babe! We even got to go to our cousin, Benton's, birthday party at Wild Water and Wheels. Price had an absolute blast....except for the one little time we waited in a super long line for a super long time and got to the top for them to say he was an inch away from being able to ride down the slide! You can imagine the fit he pitched and the walk back DOWN all the stairs. It wasn't pleasant. Other than that, no major melt-downs.
Owen got a little fever (okay, a high fever: 104.4) while we were in Edisto. We took him to the doctor there and she pretty much said to wait it out which seemed to work okay. Luckily he didn't act like he was too sick and we got to enjoy our week without anyone else getting sick. I love that Price & Owen have such a large family and so many cousins to play with. It made for a great week with our wonderful family! I'm already looking forward to next year.

Good Bye Beaches!! See you again next year!!

Price is 3!!

Can you belive my sweet baby boy is 3 years old. He had a great bday party at the birthday barn. This year he understood that it was HIS birthday and wanted everyone to sing "Happy Birthday" to him. He loved opening presents and kept telling me how much fun he had at his birthday party "yesterday". (Anything that has past is yesterday to him!) I'm so glad he enjoyed it. I love seeing him get excited!! It was a great day and the weather held out just for him!

My little boy is growing up so fast!!