Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Decorating for Christmas

We decorated for Christmas the Sunday before Thanksgiving this year.  We didn't have an evening service that night so when the girls woke up from naps we got started.  Emily and Hannah were sooooo excited...it was fun!  

This little munchkin was sweet to just hang out while we were all working.  


The big girls were so excited about their luke warm chocolate break!!  


Hannah was putting all the ornaments in the same spot.  We kept going behind her and spreading them out.  Cutie.  


We moved our Christmas tree to a different spot this year and we're excited about the change.  


Crazy that this cute baby will probably be walking by Christmas.  


As I was decorating and trying to keep a constant (and I mean constant) eye on my busy 10 1/2 month old I kept thinking about the fact that she wasn't even here last Christmas.  Crazy.  I was soooo ready to meet her and have her in my arms.  


We had a fun afternoon/evening of decorating!  I'm definitely still very excited about Thanksgiving AND Bert's birthday AND my dad's birthday AND our anniversary, but we're already enjoying our Christmas decorations, listening to Christmas music and I've already watched 2 Christmas movies.  Merry Christmas everyone!!:)  

Monday, November 24, 2014

Thankfulness Jar

This year we started a new tradition for the month of November and I just love it!  Each night at dinner we all say something we're thankful for and Bert or I write it down and then put in the the jar.  At the end of the month (probably won't be Thanksgiving day since we won't be here that day) we'll take them all out and read them together.  Emily was in charge of cutting all the slips of paper and I must say she did a great job!  


It's been so sweet to hear some of the things our girls are thankful for.  Here are a few of my favorites...

"I'm thankful for Aunt Alison, Uncle Stephen, Solomon and Rosemary." - Emily
"I'm thankful for Mimi and Papa."  - Hannah
"I'm thankful for my Ariel sticker that I got from ballet.  Oh and one more thing...I'm also thankful for ballet." - Emily
"I'm thankful for Claire." - Hannah
"I'm thankful for my Grandmama and Pawpaw."  -Emily
"I like to go to Mimi and Papa's house." - Hannah
"I'm thankful for the whole planet and the whole world God made."  - Emily
"I'm thankful for Claire standing up." - Hannah
"I'm thankful for my Mommy because she is beautiful and the dentist's office and I am so proud of Hannah."  -Emily
"Mimi and Papa."  - Hannah
"Bunny."  - Emily
"Grandmama and Pawpaw."  - Hannah
"I'm thankful for my friendship with Triumphant."  (friend from school) - Emily
"I'm thankful for Mimi and Papa."  - Hannah
"I'm thankful for Hannah's new classroom."  -Emily
"My favorite part was Mimi and Papa."  - Hannah
"I'm thankful for my Mommy, Daddy and my sisters."  - Emily
"I'm thankful for Mimi and Papa."  - Hannah

In case you didn't notice, Hannah was verrrry thankful for Mimi and Papa this month.  She said she was thankful for them most every day.  Sweet thing.  It's been so good for Bert and I to write down some of the things we're thankful for too.  We have so so much to be thankful for.  Praise God!  

Monday, November 17, 2014

Backyard

I just love this tree in our backyard.  I look forward to it changing colors every year!  This year I think it is especially beautiful!  


Just to the left of this tree my three babies were swinging on their swing set, which is also a beautiful sight.  Thankful for the cool temperatures with a few warm days thrown in there, the beautiful leaves changing colors, hot chocolate, and looking forward to the holidays coming up!  It's a fun time of year!  

School Picture

This is Emily's 4-K school picture.  


Sweet thing.  

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Claire - 10 months

These months are flying by.  Claire is crawling faster than you can blink your eyes.  She's pulling up on everything. "Talking" to us more.  Eating new foods all the time (and liking all of them).  She's still not a huge fan of the sippy cup.  Drinks 3 bottles a day...around 20 ounces.  Her favorite game is to drop her toy on the floor and watch us pick it up and hand it to her and then she drops it again.  She could do it all day.  Sadly her yellow duck that we bathed her in got a hole in it and we haven't bought another one (it did last though 3 kids though, so I guess that's pretty good).  So, she's graduated to a big girl bath with her big sisters.  Emily and Hannah LOVE having her in there with them. 


Just in the last week she's discovered that she can pull her bows out by herself.  The only reason why that bow was in her hair in the picture above was because I made Bert jump around and distract her while I slid the bow in.  If she notices me putting it in (which she usually does) it doesn't last more than 2 seconds.  

It didn't take too long to find the bow though...


And as soon as she grabs the bow she gets this biggest grin on her face.  She's soooo proud of herself.  Cutie.  


We're thankful for you Claire and we praise God for blessing us with you!  

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Hannah's First Trip to the Dentist

Hannah had her first visit to the dentist on Monday.  We had been talking to her about it and she was pretty excited about going.  Emily went first and I snapped this picture of Hannah while she was "reading" to Emily while Em was getting her teeth cleaned.  I know I'm biased but she's cute. 


Hannah and Dr. Mary after her first check-up!  


We love Dr. Mary and Hannah did so great!  I was so proud of my big girl!  I talked to Dr. Mary about Hannah's thumb sucking habit and she wasn't too concerned because of how verbal Hannah is.  She also said that Hannah's mouth really doesn't look like the mouth of a kid who sucks her thumb.  Hannah only sucks her thumb when she's holding her bunny.  A few months ago we started putting bunny in the cradle during the day and only letting Hannah have her for naps and bedtime.  Dr. Mary said maybe we could try to take bunny away at naps and/or bedtime sometime after the first of the year and see how she does.  Ummm...Wish us luck.  

Friday, November 7, 2014

Nanie

It was 5 years ago today that my Nanie went to be with the Lord after battling pancreatic cancer. Since I grew up living 10 minutes away from her, she would often pick us up from school, or let us spend the  night at her house, or we would just stop by to say hey.  She was one of my favorite people ever and I miss her, but I am so thankful to God for the 27ish years I had her in my life.  I thought I would write down a few of the things I just loved about her.

-She loved people.  She was always the first to welcome someone and make them feel loved.  She did it with her warm smile and by taking an interest in them.
-She loved shoes.  All shoes.
-She also loved to go shopping.
-Nanie loved fruit, yogurts, Raisin Bran and Wendy's Frosty's...just to name a few.
-I remember her giving me a friendly lecture when I was a teenager about how I needed to drink more water (and like it!).  She would be glad to know that it is basically all I drink now.
-If you couldn't find her at home, she was probably at Ingles or Belk's.
-She was VERY active.  She died at 82 years old, but she didn't look it and she definitely didn't act it.  She went to an aerobics class or walked most every day of the week.
-She loved to travel.  She was always planning her next big trip with her group of girlfriends or with family.
-She was a very big Weight Watchers fan.  She was a life time member and would have been happy to tell you about why you should be too.  I've done WW after I had each of my babies to get the baby weight off and I always though of her.
-She was very active in her church and it seemed like she was always going to one meeting or another.
-She loved the Lord and she wanted her grandchildren to too.  I remember sitting on her couch one night and her reading me the whole book of Ruth.
-She liked to talk theology.  She had lots of thoughts and opinions and enjoyed talking them through, especially with Bert.
-Speaking of Bert, she made him feel so loved from the minute I introduced him to her. He loved her too.
-She loved to bake.  She baked pound cakes ALL THE TIME.  She would often cut them in half and take half to one person and half to another.
-She was kind and compassionate.  She would visit people, bake for people, make calls to check on people.  She just loved people well.
-She also loved to please people.  She would often make/buy our favorite foods when she knew her grandchildren were coming.
-She had such a great sense of humor, which made Nanie just fun to talk to.
-She was a great listener.
-She liked to take "cat" naps.  20 minute nap and she was good to go.
-She was very good with the sewing machine.
-She loved movies.  Romantic comedies were her favorites.  I love movies too, so we watched so many movies together.  I would call her from the movie store to ask her which movie she wanted and she would always say she didn't care....she was good with anything.  When I walked in the door with the movie, she would hand me a couple dollars to cover the movie.  She would not hear about me paying for the movie myself.

The picture below of me and Nanie was taken in August of 2007 at my friend Misty's wedding (just 3 months before I married Bert).


After I graduated from The University of Tennessee with my Masters I moved back to Toccoa to work as the office manager at my dad's car dealership.  I loved that job and I loved being near my family.  I worked there for about 1 1/2 years before I met Bert, got married, and moved to be with him.  During that time I felt like I got so much closer to Nanie.  Her house was only about a 5 minute drive from work and about 3 or 4 days a week I would go over to her house and have lunch with her.  It was such a special time.  I just loved being with her.  We would both have a sandwich and just talk for about 45 minutes.  She never put pressure on me if I wasn't able to make it to lunch for whatever reason, but I know she looked forward to me coming.  She always greeted me by saying "There's my sweet girl."  Or if she was on the phone with a friend (this was often...she loved the phone...just not the cell phone) she would say "I've got to now...my Stephanie's here."  She knew how to make you feel loved.  She valued spending quality time with people.  I'm so thankful for my relationship and my friendship with her, for all that I learned from her.  I pray that I will love God, love people and love life like she did. :)

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Celebrating Katherine

The girls and I got to spend the day with Katherine (and Jacob) ON her actual birthday!  So fun!!  The big kids were exploring Mimi and Papa's back yard.  Claire Bear was napping.  


That night we drove to Anderson for dinner at Olive Garden to celebrate Katherine's 30 years.  We missed Stanley as he couldn't make the dinner.  


My sister is selfless, loving, smart as a whip, kind and generous.  I'm so thankful for our friendship.  I just love our quick (and sometimes long) talks though out the week.  Glad you've joined me in the land of the 30's. I love you, Kate!:)

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Halloween 2014

We had a fun Halloween this year!  Emily has been asking to be Ariel ("The Little Mermaid") for Halloween for about 364 days, so we definitely had to make that happen.  I thought with all the Elsa and Anna hype that she might change her mind and want to be one of them, but she never did.  Ariel it was.  


Hannah was Minnie and was sooo excited about that too.  The fact that they were so excited, made me so excited!:)  Cuties!  

Claire got to wear the beloved cow costume that both of her sisters have worn at about the same age.  She is one cute cow.  


Bert had to leave earlier in the afternoon to set up for the fall festival at our church, so the Halloween picture taking fell to me.  With their level of excitement (Emily and Hannah) or annoyance (Claire) it gets a little tricky trying to get them to stay still, smile and take the picture. This was the best I got.:)  


This little Minnie melts my heart.  


Claire was fresh out of smiles but I thought her scowl was adorable. :)



Emily had been telling Bert for weeks that she wanted him to be Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid since she was going to be Ariel.  (Bert had brought his old high school letter jacket up from his parents' house last time we were there and had planned to wear that as part of his Halloween costume.) She kept pointing to a picture of us from the day of our wedding...Bert in his tux and me and my dress...and she would say "That's what I want you to wear Daddy!!"  Bert decided that there was not going to be very many more years when she would want her Daddy to dress up as her prince, so he got out his black suit, stopped by Burger King for the crown and he made one little girl VERY happy.  



We had fun at our church's fall festival and we stopped by one of our neighbor's houses to let her see the girls.  It was a fun night!