We drove in late Sunday night after our Christmas play and got up Monday to spend the day with the Isham family. The kids are big enough to play together now so it makes for great memories watching them together. Tristan calls Griffin "Biffin" ha! And Olivia is as tough as nails!!
Granny and her boys
silly pose
the boys sliding together
My best attempt to get all 3 of them together in a picture.
Griffin- 20 months, Olivia- 14 months and Tristan- 34 months
Another attempt! Aunt Lindsey spoiled them with sugar :)
This picture just cracks me up! You see, JR decided he wanted to get he and his brothers matching shirts again.. just like old times. So of course we have to get the classic pose like back in the day- too funny!
We had a great visit with VDiddy and Susu while in TN. Griffin really enjoyed chasing their dog Jessie around and yelling for her everywhere he went. Susu cooked amazing food as usual, we had the spade card challenge and soaked in the time we had together.
Here is Griffin wanting to be in on the action when Sue was cooking. He would say, "UP!" wanting to get on the counter where he could see.
Both my brothers were there as well. Notice the college kid who refuses to cut his hair. Ha.. love ya Moose :)
Spoiled? No way!
our family picture
Mason finally convinced Griffin to give him a hug. I really think he was scared of his long hair the whole time sadly haha.. but he did warm up to him eventually!
silly Griffin with Daddy's glasses on
Classic group shot. This year we decided to go with Mason's colleges color scheme. Go TN Tech. Believe me.. if I didnt love him so much there would have been NO WAY I would wear my LEAST favorite color. Ugh purple :(
And an added bonus for me was that JR played the song he wrote for our engagement while we were all hanging out. I love this man!!!
We were able to spend the majority of a day with each of our different families while we were in and Thursday was Pipper and Cici's day! We just hung out that morning and then exchanged gifts that evening. Griffin loved having Cici and Pipper to play with him... they marched, played with the train, danced to the reindeer and sang JOY :)
giving Pipper his present
tractor!
big boy backpack!
train table- he had no idea how much he would love it once it was out of the box :)
car carrier
He loves his Aunt Rach! He called out for her every time she was out of his sight.. so sweet!
Potts and Mimi came over along with all the other family. They sure spoiled Griffin GOOD! Well all of us actually ha!
Mom's wonderful spread
More fun times with the birthday twins. Its getting harder and harder to get a picture of these two VERY active boys!
Uncle Ty
Mimi and Potts with my handsome cousins Alec and Drew
Pottsy and Rachey
love my Mimster!
Rare photo of brother and siter here!
1. they dont take pictures and 2. they dont HUG ever :)
all the cousins!
Megan, Caylor, Drew, Alec, Raymond, Rachel, me, Griffin and Tyler
love the tradition of taking this picture every year.. definitely cherish them!
Knowing that Carter will be joining our crew very soon and Daddy and Griffin's time will be added to by another sweet boy... I wanted to do something special for the 2 of them as their little movie together.
There was so much joy today watching this little boy enjoy Christmas! Last year he really had no clue what was going on so this year was extra special. Each time he opened a present he said "Ohhh!" and was so excited. He also went around saying "Happy Jesus" skipping the birthday part ha!
This was the scene when he walked into the living room. Daddy had prepared it special so that he would be so excited when he woke up!
This is what he did for about 75% of the day. He was SOOO excited about his basketball goal... and in fact between opening each of his presents he had to go and "shoot it"! :)
I gave the gift of dates this year. More specifically Project 52, where I have planned out a date for each of the 52 weeks of the coming year. Plently more on this to come!
Griffin gave Daddy a book of their pictures together as well as a movie. I wanted them to have something special to remember their "daddy and Griffin time" together because Carter will be joining in soon. It was the first of several emotional moments of the day!
Momma and Carter on Christmas day! Hard to believe we will have another boy for next year's Christmas :)
Uncle Phil came over and spent the day with us! Griffin loved having a playmate!!
With my two greatest gifts on our first Christmas in our own home! One that we will never forget for sure :)
We worked hard on getting his room set up while he was napping... it was a fun project for the day! So...after he woke up, he saw his big boy room for the first time and LOVED it! Here is Mr. Cheese on his bed... once we get some shades up on the windows he will get to sleep in it!
Griffin's new train table in his room. When he took a break from shooting his basketball, he ran into his room yelling "Choo Choo!" He had endless entertainment!!
Our amazing Christmas dinner compliments of the Marsh family. Completely in awe at their generosity! Yet another emotional moment :)
Griffin and Daddy with Jesus' birthday cake. Mommy did the cross and Griffin decorated with sprinkles. It was a precious memory!
And probably the best memory of the entire day.... these precious words from our sweet boy.
Celebrating Jesus' birth today and ALWAYS! Hope yall had a wonderful Christmas too!
I wish I had the money (and postage!) to send every one I knew a card, even the blogging world family, however since I cannot I just wanted to share it on what else but our blog :)
Wishing you and your family a VERY Merry Christmas!!
This Christmas Eve has been one of many emotions for me. I am not always good about communicating those so this blog serves as a time for me to unload them and as I do it helps me understand them more.. so bare with me!
First of all, we had a wonderful visit with family in Tennessee. There never seems like enough time when we are home even though we got four full days and were able to spend one whole day with each of the different families we have been blessed with.. still never enough. Anyways so we had to pack up and leave today... very sad! I love spending time with family of course, but it is extra special now to see my son love them too and enjoy seeing them. He grows so much in between each visit so I love seeing them get to know him even more each time. His little voice calling out to each of them this time was too sweet.
Its always hard to leave family but this time was different. It will be the first Christmas either of us have been away from our families. Yes, I know I am almost 28, but I still love the feeling of being in my parents home and reliving my childhood each Christmas morning with them. It is definitely going to be hard tomorrow waking up and not being able to see them or do any of the typical traditions I have always known... oh the emotions.
In the same way that I am sad about it though, I am honestly excited as well about having our first Christmas as a family in our home. Griffin understands, well mostly, what is going on and has such a joy about everything that we do for the holiday and it makes it fun. We also want to start our own traditions and will now be able to do that. Blessings.
After driving back 6 1/2 hours and just really feeling down the whole drive, we arrived at church this evening for our Christmas Eve service. I was tired, bummed about leaving and yet trying to remain positive. It didnt take long before we were completely blessed by our church family. I have raved many times before about how they have honestly taken us in as their own, but today was so sweet. We first were showered with TONS of Christmas cards. Then opened a note from one special family that went something like this: We know its hard to be away from your family this Christmas, so we wanted to share some of our family's favorite Christmas traditions with you. We proceeded to read that they had bought each of us a gift AND left us food for our Christmas dinner, complete with a ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole and dessert. SIMPLY. AMAZED. Really? A family did this for us?!?! I mean I had worried on the way home about what we would even do for food tomorrow. I am used to getting presents, but not cooking on Christmas. Problem solved and completely blessed by their generosity. We also received a gift card from another family for a date at the movies and our son was spoiled with more gifts than he could carry. COMPLETELY BLESSED.
Another emotion of the already emotion filled day- stunned. So we had received some Christmas money and decided on the way home that we would actually put it together this year and buy something bigger instead little stuff individually like normal. My stepdad had gotten this really nice recliner that we both fell in love with and so since we have never purchased a piece of furniture since we had been married, we thought it would be nice to have one too. This thing was NICE! Leather, a great deal and the most comfortable thing I had ever sat in. Well we called around to different stores to try and find that exact one and were finally able to track one down. JR was very eager to get it so that we could actually have it on Christmas day so we made arrangements to borrow a truck from a church family and rush to go get it after church before they closed. Well.... no way in the world that this would EVER happen to anyone, but yes this is a true story. JR went and loaded it in the truck and started driving back down the interstate to our house. Next thing he knows, he looks back and sees the box in the lights of the person behind him. It had flown out of the truck bed, into the middle of the road, and before he could even get pulled over to try and get it, it was hit SEVERAL times. He said it looked like a disaster in the middle of the interstate, cotton fluff everywhere and the entire box destroyed. YES. REALLY. So bless his heart he called me about 20 minutes later after the cops had been called to clear the mess and had to tell me the news. I honestly thought he was playing a joke because we were both giddy the whole way back about getting it. But NO... it really happened. So we had to get our heads wrapped around the fact that thankfully no one was hurt and in the grand scheme of things it was just a piece of furniture. But it was ALL of our Christmas money and just a terrible terrible sad time. We finally got home around 7:30, unloaded the car and just sat in astonishment. REALLY? Haha thats all we could both say. SICK. AT. OUR. STOMACHS! How could this have happened? My sweet husband felt AWFUL.... even when I kept reminding him that it was seriously just a piece of furniture.
And if all of those emotions werent enough for one day... my mind constantly went back to the feeling I had tonight in our service. Simply amazed by the gift of Jesus. I still cant get over it. Every year it seems that God reveals more and more to me during this time, truly what this time is about. I of course know its Jesus' birthday. I know we celebrate by giving gifts because God gave us the ultimate gift of His Son. But for all of that to sink in... I realize it might just take a Christmas of not running around from house to house, exchanging gifts and the day passing all too quickly before I can even wrap my mind around it. I am thankful for this year being able to have the chance to reflect on it, teach my son the true meaning and just soak in every minute.
This is my new favorite Christmas song and it speaks MULTITUDES. Take some time to listen to it. He is the reason for this season. I am SO thankful this child was born.
So as my good friend Leah said on her blog, as wonderful as the lights, food, music, and presents are, the greatest thing we celebrate this Christmas season is the coming of Jesus Christ to earth as a baby, who grew into a man, who lived a perfect sinless life and who died a horrible death to deliver us from our sins. We pray that the truth of Christ's incarnation will be real in your lives this Christmas!
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5
I am telling you what... BOYS are everywhere these days ha! SOOO many of my friends are having baby boys and I am so happy that Vance will also be joining the baby boy train!
We are so excited for the Tutens and cant wait for our boys to be bestest friends :)
These last two weeks were somewhat uneventful. I did have a few more contractions on those days I was running around like a chicken with my head cutt off to get ready for Christmas. I did go and get some iron and potassium supplements to help with the leg cramps and my constant craving of ice. So excited to celebrate Christmas and know that next year Carter will be here with us too! By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb.He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.
We drove in late Sunday night after our Christmas play and got up Monday to spend the day with the Isham family. The kids are big enough to play together now so it makes for great memories watching them together. Tristan calls Griffin "Biffin" ha! And Olivia is as tough as nails!!
Granny and her boys
silly pose
the boys sliding together
My best attempt to get all 3 of them together in a picture. 
Another attempt! Aunt Lindsey spoiled them with sugar :)
This picture just cracks me up! You see, JR decided he wanted to get he and his brothers matching shirts again.. just like old times. So of course we have to get the classic pose like back in the day- too funny!
Granny and her grandbabies
Another attempt! Aunt Lindsey spoiled them with sugar :)
This picture just cracks me up! You see, JR decided he wanted to get he and his brothers matching shirts again.. just like old times. So of course we have to get the classic pose like back in the day- too funny!
Granny and her grandbabies
