Christmas (the short version)

Christmas... the short version, in a nutshell was wonderful and wild (as to be expected). On Christmas Eve, we took Trace to the doc and found out he had an ear infection and tonsilitis so that meant skipping our plans to go to Alabama to see all of Jimmy's extended family. This was heartbreaking to me because I LOVE going there. Imagine... 25 + people, 4 generations spanning in age from 4 months to 94 years all spending the night under one roof! It is literally like a Christmas out of the movies and I have come to look forward to it every year. However, we weren't going to take the chance of exposing anyone to tonsilitis so we didn't go this year and missed everyone terribly.


I must say, I am terribly disappointed in my photo taking skills this Christmas, I don't know what was wrong with me but I have no pictures of Trace with either sets of grandparents, with Jimmy and I or in front of the tree... horrible!!

Here are some of the pictures I took throughout the week. This first one is of Trace (once he had plenty of Amoxicillan in him) and his cousins trying to kiss the "baby" that is in my cousins belly! You can imagine the task of trying to gather 3 toddlers and then expecting them to all simulatiously plant one on poor Carrie's belly... needless to say, this was as close as we got.My dad and Carrie relaxing on the couch just 3 days before the birth!

Trace had had enough of all the hoop-la and was ready to go outside on Christmas morning. If you notice, he's in his footed pajamas with his shoes on (very stylish)!
He got an Elmo Live and was mesmerized by him, he decided to take Ole Elmo on a little ride in his fire truck and show him around the house. Elmo looks like he's hangin on for dear life!
Uncle Andy and Trace on Christmas Eve just relaxing and watching Barney.


Giving Aunt Kadi (my brother's fiancee) a big hug... precious!
It's hard to tell who is having more fun here. Uncle Andy sure did love that Plasma Car!
Having a child around at Christmas again really does make it more fun. Jimmy was playing with one of Trace's new trucks the other night and was setting up ramps using our rugs so the car would "catch air". He really lost control for a minute and sent the car sailing down our staircase. Trace turned to me with this horrified face and said "no-no". I told him, "That's right, daddy did a no-no," I had to scold my 38 year old husband in front of my 2 year old... boy, I have my work cut out for me!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and enjoyed their time with family and friends as much as I did. I am so amazingly blessed! Happy New Year!

Gingerbread Mania!

Jill, Leslie and I decided to get the kids together for a little holiday cheer and chaos and yes, make gingerbread houses. Jill and I have both done them for years with our kids at school so we thought... how hard can it be? About 5 minutes in, we remembered. Doing this with 5 years olds, who usually have a smidge (and I use that term loosely) of self-control as opposed to our toddlers ranging in age from 17- 26 months was a practice in patience. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time!!

Ethan, Jill's oldest son, who will be 5 in March, did his by himself with a skilled hand and an exact vision of what his wanted his to look like. The babes on the other hand wanted to simply cover themselves in icing and inhale as much candy as humanly possible. You could almost hear them saying to one another in their little toddler gibber-gabber, "Wow! What is up with my mommy, she never lets me do this... here, fast, eat another pack of M&M's."

Some pictures from our adventurous morning...These are the finished products. I couldn't take any pics of us actually making them because I was covered in frosting and trying to prevent my son from choking on red hots and gummy rings.

This is Leslie's sweet sister Emily, who volunteered to come and take pictures on her day off. She is an amazing photographer and a pediatric nurse. Fortunately we only had to use her photographic services that day. There was one minor choking/puking incident in the kitchen floor due to an overindulgence of candy, but luckily no "nursing" skills were required. Thank you so much Emily for documenting our hilarious experience, I can't wait to see what all you got. You can see her pictures at estprints.com.

This is Abby, Jill's youngest, who thought the icing was "lotion". She kept saying, "ohhh, look mommy, lotion" as she rubbed it all over her face. She got a nice little spa treatment out of it! By the time we got it all off, her face looked like she had had a chemical peel.
As if making a giant mess in Jill's kitchen with the gingerbread houses weren't enough... I threw in some reindeer hats for the kids to wear in pictures. Aren't they cute under the tree!

Notice, Trace's change in wardrobe. After arriving at Jill's and seeing all of the others in their "holiday" ensembles, I realized I had stupidly dressed Trace as if he were the mascot for the UTC Mocs. Nothing screams "Merry Christmas" like yellow and blue horizontal stripes. So before the final pictures (see top, they are out of order), Jill graciously let me borrow one of Ethan's sweaters to put on Trace's sticky, icing coated body... thanks Jill!

Here they are eating their breakfast before we started at the little table... like little grown people!! Had we known how much candy they would eat later, we could have skipped breakfast entirely but at least they got a little nutrition first!

We had so much fun, we decided to make it an annual event... although we will probably have to rotate houses, you should have seen the mess we made! The kids loved it and it created memories I won't soon forget! Can't wait till next year girls... oh boy, by then they'll be 3!

I love Santa... not so much!

Well, we went to visit Santa this morning. Last year, Trace sat up in his lap and was mesmerized by his beard and fur. This year, I knew would be a different story. Jimmy opted to be the "photographer", leaving me to do the dirty work... thanks dear. You have to watch these in sequence to get the full effect. Picture 1 & 2, warming up from afar... not actually touching him though. Mommy holding me... OK, mommy putting me down BUT standing right beside me... not bad.

Picture 3, we have landing... and DON'T like it! Bless Santa's heart, he just sits there, stares straight ahead and keeps smiling at the camera no matter what is going on in his lap! I've often wandered if Santa wears a cup under that suit... I certainly would! I hope they pay them well!

Picture 4, look at that sad little face. Can't you just hear him saying, "I'm here but really not liking it. I surrender, just take the *#@! picture and get me out of here!"

Baby luncheon for Carrie

My cousin Carrie is about to have her second baby boy in January. We had a little luncheon for her to celebrate. It was at the Gallery Cafe last Saturday and it was to "shower" her with a few little things she will need for baby #2! Here is everyone... my mom, my cousin Casey, Aunt Carol, Aunt Gail, her mother in law Shirley, Carrie and me.The proud grandmas!!
Here is a card from Drew, Casey's daughter. She is only 2. Look closely, she personalized it... so precious! I know Drew can't wait to meet her new cousin!
One of our gifts to the new baby is a hand-me-down from Trace. It was a sweatshirt that says, "I'd rather be hanging with Papaw" given to Trace by my dad. He got it in Gatlinburg this summer but Trace has already outgrown it so we are passing it down. I don't know what I would do without the hand-me-downs I got. I mean, baby clothes are so expensive and lets face it, they can only wear them for a season or two. Not to mention the spit-up, poop, tee-tee, spilt food, etc... so why not wash em and pass em on down!


This baby also has a wonderful Papaw so we thought he could use it. But before we gave it away, we had to get a picture of Trace wearing it with his Papaw. Don't ask why Trace is wearing a gangster looking Michigan tobaggan inside the house. Let's just say he had just gotten a haircut and it didn't go very well. Hopefully by Christmas, it will be grown out enough to actually be able to take his picture without a hat on!

Boat Parade of Lights

Saturday night we went to the marina where my dad keeps his boat to watch the boat parade of lights. It was down on the dock and the boats literally came right in front of you all lit up with various decorations. Trace loved seeing the "BBIIIGGG BOATS". He has learned to emphasis certain words for effect and it is quite amusing!


Here is a picture I took of one of the boats, but, again, my knowledge of technology is so limited I couldn't even figure out how to use the "night" vision setting on my camera. It is really sad (and a little scary) just how inadequate I am with these types of things.


Anyway, the boat was beautiful... doesn't the picture just say it all! LOL This boat had so many different lights and gadgets going at once, it truly amazed me that all of that ran off of a generator while it was floating down the river. I can't even get my puny, pitiful lights wrapped around my front porch railing to stay on without burning out a strand. We have also replaced our wreath on the window of our dormer at least 3 times. It is currently laying on the top of the roof just waiting to be retrieved yet again! So, you can imagine my wander and admiration for the captain of this boat who was able to pull this off! The dock is about 5 feet wide and has no railings, so we honestly could not put Trace down for one minute. Imagine, a VERY active toddler walking along a narrow dock surrounded by water in the dark... needless to say, we didn't stay long, but it was a lot of fun!

B&B... Bed & Breakfast and Backyardigans & Barney

For our anniversary, I surprised Jimmy with a nights stay at the Bed and Breakfast here in town, the Stone Fort Inn. It came highly recommended by our friends, Leslie and Sean (thanks guys) so since it was our 5th, I thought we'd splurge. He thought we were just going to Tony's Pasta and to see Four Christmases at the Bijou... sneaky, sneaky!!

I arranged for Trace and Ginger to stay at my mom and dads (more on that in a minute), packed a bag, hid it in the car (complete with chocolate chip slice and bakes and DMD code reds... his favorites) and away we went!

After dinner on the way to the "movies" I told him where we were really going. I don't know if he was more surprised by the gesture or the fact that I actually pulled it off. I'm not known for my poker face! The room was gorgeous, decorated in a Victorian style with antique furniture, a fireplace, and a hot tub out on our balcony. We watched our wedding video (our anniversary tradition... one I'm sure Jimmy loves :) in front of the fire! An even bigger surprise was that Jimmy's mom had called before we got there and paid for our room as an anniversary gift! WOW... I truly have the sweetest in-laws anyone could ask for. I know, some of my girlfriends are cussing me right now... sorry!

Aside from the 15-20 minutes of searching ESPN, ABC, NBC etc for highlights of the football games and final scores (especially the Alabama/Florida game) and the few calls from his buddies to see how he finished in his fishing tournament that day (he came in 4th... good job), it was a very romantic evening. You know, boys will be boys! Here are some pictures from the B&B and of our BEAUTIFUL room!



So... as I said before, Trace stayed with Nana and Papaw while we were gone. I felt really bad b/c he had come down with a cold the day before, but mom and dad assured us he was in good hands and they would love every minute of it. As it turns out, every minute was spent watching Barney and the Backyardigans! For those of you that don't know, Barney is the singing purple dinosaur and the Backyardigans are 5 little... well, I'm not really sure what they are, but they are very entertaining little boogers.

He really didn't feel good and was perfectly content to sit in either's lap in the recliner and watch his shows over and over and over and over. THANK GOD for DVR's!! Bless my parents, they literally watched B&B from 5:00 Saturday until 1:00 Sunday afternoon, with the exception of course of Trace's long winter nap that lasted from only 9:30 pm to 4:30 am! SO, SO, SO, SORRY again Nana and Papaw! He normally is a great sleeper, but between his snotty nose and cough, it just wasn't happening.

He was sitting in Papaws lap covered with a blanket in front of the TV when I left and was in the EXACT same position when I picked him up 20 hours later! I know mom and dad could quote every line from the 3 shows they have taped on their DVR... again I'm so sorry! They claimed (as any good grandparent would) that they LOVED it because he was so sweet and cuddly but honestly... how much B&B can one person take! Once we got home, about the 4th hour, I sent Jimmy to his parents to get Barney's Christmas DVD because I honestly couldn't watch the firefighter episode one more time!! Anyway, Trace is feeling better thanks to Mentholatum chest rub, a hot vaporizer, Children's Motrin, and hours and hours of relaxing B&B! God Bless 'em!

5 years ago today...

5 years ago today, I married my best friend. The man I had prayed for since I was a little girl. I feel truly blessed and honored to be his wife and the mother of his son. Thank you Jimmy for being such a wonderful husband and father. Watching you with Trace melts my heart everyday! I love you and look forward to many more happy years together!

Back to the Past

Today, I traveled back to the past in two different ways. First, I went back to Woodmore Elementary to go on a field trip with my friends from school. One of my friends wasn't feeling well and asked if I could be "her" for the day and help take the 1st grade classes to Audobon Acres for their Christmas Past exhibit. Every year they do an exhibit showing life as Pioneers and how they celebrated Christmas. I was very excited about going and very honored they asked me.

So... in the bitter cold (it was 29 degrees when we boarded the bus!), bundled in long underwear, a fleece pullover, a HUGE puffer jacket, wool socks, hand warmers, and gloves we headed out. Throughout the morning, I found myself thinking back to when I did this routine everyday... before Trace. Did I enjoy getting up before the sun came up... no. Did I enjoy getting ready (meaning makeup, hair, and acceptable teacher attire) unlike my morning attire now at home of no makeup, except the mascara still under my eyes from the night before, ponytail, and bathrobe... no. Did I like eating my breakfast alone instead of sharing my waffle and biscuit with my cuddly toddler, running around in his footed pajamas with his bus hair standing straight up while watching Barney for the 4th time... no. Did I like driving in 30 degree weather across the dam in morning rush hour traffic... no.

But once I got there, I remembered what I do miss. The little faces of children that want to please you and are so thankful you're there, even if they don't say it or always show it. Hearing several beg me to sit with them on the bus when they met me only 15 minutes ago. Walking around in miserable temperatures and suddenly feeling a little frozen hand grab yours and squeeze it, only to look down to see the toothless, sweetest grin you've ever seen.

But the highlight of my day was when one little boy asked me if I was Mrs. White's mom!!! Mrs. White is a couple of years older than me, so that would make her mom... 60 at least!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, I amped up my Wrinkle Repair cream when I got home and will be purchasing some more tomorrow. One day when I am Botoxing my "teacher wrinkles", oh, you know the ones between your eyes and across your forehead, from years of giving the "I know you didn't just do that!" or "Have you lost your mind?" look, I will silently be cursing 9 years of students that drove me to it. I think after today, I'm a little closer to the "big needle" than I thought!

I loved being with them and sharing their excitement of watching how rope is made, or how Pioneers washed their clothes and made their own soap. The kids giggled while they learned how to do dances the settlers did. I loved hearing the old couple sing and play old Christmas hymns on the banjo and guitar like "Away in a Manger" and "Silent Night". It really got me in the Christmas spirit. Once inside the old cabin that is there on the property, the people were showing the kids what life was like for the Pioneers and one was churning butter. She asked one little girl, "Do you churn butter?" and the little girl said simply, "Naw, we just buy ours at WalMart." Precious!

It was a really great day and I'm glad I got to spend it with the sweetest, more well behaved kids! It really does make me miss it sometimes, just knowing I was making a difference and contributing to the world in some way. But... home with Trace is where my heart is right now and I know I have very important work to do here too!

Thanks Penny, Lynda, and April for letting me share the day with you! I hope I get to do it again soon. You guys are amazing and those kids are so blessed to have you!

Thankful! Thankful!

I realize I'm a little late for Thanksgiving wishes but better late than never. We celebrated a wonderful Thanksgiving this year with family and friends. First, we started at Jimmy's mom and dad's for an amazing lunch. Sisty (Jimmy's mom) is a great cook! We invited our new next door neighbor to eat with us because he just moved here from Louisiana and doesn't know anyone. It made us feel good to know he wasn't sitting at home alone on Thanksgiving with his family so far away. I can't imagine not being with my family for the holidays so we thought we would use the chance to give Trace a "what would Jesus do?" moment... not that he understands any of that, but you get my point. After lunch, we all came home and took naps (isn't that part of the Thanksgiving tradition??)



That night we went to my aunt's house and had dinner with my family. It was another enormous meal and I actually brought home 4 to-go-plates!! That is a record for me!! If you know my brother, he has the keen ability to "clean up" the left overs before everyone else is even finished with their meal. Well, this year he had some competition! There was honestly more food than I think we have ever had, reminding me again how truly blessed we are and how much I take for granted.


This picture is one of my favorites! Trace crawled into my Nanny's lap and sweet talked her into getting a piece of chocolate cake! Oh... she was such a sucker. She is laughing so hard, she had tears in her eyes... and cake all over her blouse by the time Trace was through eating! He then persuaded Nana (my mom) into eating another piece about 30 minutes later. Since they were in seperate rooms, Nana didn't know he had already had a HUGE piece with Nanny. I am quickly beginning to see the "divide and conquer" strategy I have read about in my SuperNanny book. The boy knows how to work it... I'll give him that! Gosh, I love that little turkey!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with the people you love most in the world... I sure did!