Merry Christmas!

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that you might live!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our King! I am so thankful that Jesus was born to save you and me - that we might live a life abundant, full of hope and peace!

**How fun to have a white Christmas!?**

Christmas Day!

Christmas was so fun with Lee this year! Santa Claus came and brought him a bucket of tools and a train set. He had so much fun playing all day long. Deedee and Happy came and brought him a tent which was a big hit. And, Erin and DJ gave him Frisky the cat (Lee loves a cat in my mom's backyard that we named Frisky and if you can get him to "meow" it is the cutest thing ever). After such a busy day Lee was a little wound up. When he was supposed to be taking a nap, we went into his room and found him dancing like a naked jay bird in his crib. Down below is the g-rated version of our wild man!

Who is that behind our door I see?

Why, its Santa Claus coming to visit Lee!

Christmas with Pop & Bebe

The night before Christmas Eve we went to dinner with Mom and Dad and then came back to our house for presents. Lee was very into presents - giving and getting! I am so thankful that Lee has both sets of grandparents close by that love him so much. Thank you for the fun things Bebe and Pop!

Priscilla the Pink Pig Train

This was our 2nd annual trip to ride the Pink Pig with DeeDee and Happy. We lucked out again and didn't have to wait in a very long line. But, long enough to have a little dance party with lights for Lee. Lee & Thomson loved this - such a fun Christmas tradition!

Three Weeks From Today

Whoa! Just three weeks from today sweet little baby boy will be here. I can't believe it! It seems like I have been pregnant for.ev.er but now the time is flying. I can't wait to meet him and hold him, snuggle up and see what he looks like and what kind of person he is. Cannot wait! Things I have been praying for are:

That he would have a heart for the Lord and that he would know Him one day.

That he would be healthy.

That he would be super sweet.

That I will have more and more love to give.

That Lee would have an easy time adjusting to a new baby.

That they would be the best of friends right from the start.

That I will have a lot of energy come out of no where.

That any sort of weird postpartum would stay far away from me.

That my mind would be clear so I can take care of two boys, Whit and myself.

That Whit and I would soak up the sweetness of a new baby together.

Thank you Lord for the gift of this baby. Come on January 6th!

My Sweet Boy

Santa's Reindeer

We have some new friends around here that Pop & Bebe let us borrow. Lee loves them! Going to meet the reindeer for the first time...

So fun. If only they were real...

Walker is still Lee's favorite and he looks like a deer...

Hey! Merry Christmas everybody!

Where is Lee?

There he is!

Happy 32nd Birthday to Whit!!!

Whit is the best husband and dad,

such a great friend and son,

a sweet brother and uncle,

a really hard worker and likes to play too.

Thank you for loving us - We love you!

Sitting on Santa's Lap

Little Lee wasn't quite sure what to think when he sat on Santa's lap last night. But two for two, no tears!

Merry Christmas Santa Claus!

And, in other news... Today is 1 month until baby boy gets here! I am so excited!!!

Christmas time!

Lee loves Christmas time! Can't you tell?! Whit asked me the other day if Christmas was my favorite holiday. I said that Easter is my favorite. He asked why and I said because I am so thankful that Jesus died and rose again for us. He said that sounded like a "Roswell Street Baptist Church answer" - but I was serious. I love Christmas so much (I mean a whole, whole lot!) and everything that comes along with it, but Easter truly is my favorite holiday. BUT, so far Christmas seems to be Lee's most favorite by far! Some things about Lee & Christmas time...

~ He loves Christmas lights. Driving in the car at night all you hear is Ho, Ho, Hoooooo until you get to the next house with lights.

~ I got Lee a little tree for his room at Target before Thanksgiving. I took that thing back right away because after a 45 minute (normally 3-4 hour) nap Lee would wake up saying Ho, Ho, Ho over and over. It was cute but not that cute.

~ Definitely likes to say Ho, Ho, Ho!

~ Loves the tree. I love how his face lights up when he sees it again.

~ Runs up to the tree and throws his hands up and yells, "Don't touch!" and then runs to me dying laughing over and over.

~ Sweetest sound ever when he says, "Meeerrryyy Christmaaaasss!" but you can't get him to say it very often.

~ Likes to sing Jingle Bells and say, "Hey!"

I know there will be a lot more to add but these are just a few things so far. We are going to see Santa on Sunday night and I can't wait to see how that goes. Love this time of year!

So much to be THANKFUL for!

We have so much to be thankful for. Besides not feeling so great, not sleeping much the past two nights and burning my hand while trying to make macaroni & cheese, today was a really fun Thanksgiving day. We ate pancakes for breakfast, went to the mountain and walked the trails with Whit, Lee & Walker, made the blasted mac n cheese, ate a big huge meal at Happy & Donna's house, played whiffle ball in the front yard (big mama made some hits and scored some runs! and fell in the grass!), then ended the day by taking Lee through the Lights of Life and talking about how next year we will also have a 10 month old riding in the back seat. Just a fun day! I am thankful for Whit, Lee, baby boy & Walker, my parents and my sister & her family, Whit's mom & dad and his sisters & their families, all of my friends and the abundant love & forgiveness God gives us each day. I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving day!

Holy Goodness!

We are going over to Erin & DJ's house tonight for Chris-giving with Zach! I am bringing dessert and remembered this recipe I got from my friend Ashley. It is D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S-! Be warned: it is not healthy A-T A-L-L-! & you probably need to start the day before you need it.

Oreo Dessert

Step 1:

Crush 2 sleeves of regular Oreos. Mix Oreos together with 1/3 cup melted butter. Press down in a deep 9 x 13 dish and put in freezer for a little while.

Step 2:

Let a 1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream soften and spread over Oreo crust. Place in freezer until frozen.

Step 3:

Fudge topping: 1/2 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 2 small evaporated milk cans, 8 tablespoons cocoa

Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes constantly. Remove from heat and add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Put in refrigerator and let cool completely - stir every now and then until cooled. Spread over the ice cream layer and put back in freezer. **Allow plenty of time for this layer to freeze**

Step 4:

Spread one large container of cool whip over fudge layer. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and chocolate shavings.

This is seriously good people!

Where we have been...

Let me just start by saying that I have a little more than 6 weeks left before baby boy gets here and plenty of time to move a computer. But instead, I got a little antsy about a month ago and moved our computer out of Lee's new room and into our kitchen which turned our internet off. That is a long time without internet in this day and age! And so, today is a good day because we are now up and running again! Here is a little of what we have been up to:

• My 10 year high school reunion! I loved seeing people I hadn't seen in so long. It was so much more fun than I thought it would be. These were my closest friends in high school and I still love them so much today!

• Halloween Parade! This is such a great Marietta tradition. All of the little kids are so cute dressed up. Farmer Lee had a big time running all over the place soaking up the Halloween fun!

(This dog came up to me and said, "I'll be delivering your baby soon. He is my doctor!")

• Trick or Treat! We went over to our friends Stuart, Stephanie & Mimi's house to trick or treat and eat chili. Lee, Mimi & Webb were so cute going up to get candy. Lee liked to say, "Trick Treat" and especially enjoyed getting several pieces of candy out of each bowl & trying to break into the wrappers in between stops.

• My new niece Finley was born on November 1st! She is so sweet and I loved getting to see her the first day she was born. Love this girl and Emma Raines & Tucker too!

• Emma Raines turned 4 on October 29th and Thomson turned 1 on November 3rd! We weren't able to make it to Emma Raines party but did go to Athens for Thomson's. It was lots of fun - Lee had a BLAST because it was a bubble party! Happy Birthday Emma Raines & Thomson!

• Bible Study! I have really enjoyed this season's bible study at Church of the Apostles. I think this is my favorite book I have read since having Lee - The Mission of Motherhood. I have learned so much and really enjoyed the girls in my group. I am confident because I know the Lord has me at home with Lee, new baby and any other children we have for a reason. Being a mother is important and also very exciting even in the mundane! I told Whit he may want to kick me out because every time I leave on Tuesdays I feel like I could have 6 kids and that it would be the best thing ever : )

• Lee loves to sing! He especially likes to sing a combined version of the ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle. But he will also sing along to any song you ask - the other day we were pretending like we were in a tent under the sheets in our bed and Whit got him to sing Kumbaya. He is a funny little thing!

• Just last week I had to get a root canal. I had an abscessed tooth and it may have been the most painful thing I have ever experienced! I have never been much of a cusser (even in my wilder days!) but this tooth made me want to say the worst words possible. Yall, it hurt! If anyone of you ever has to have this done call me and cuss me out - I will not judge!

• I am VERY excited about new baby! He will be here very soon and I feel like he may even get here sooner than expected but who knows?!?! I can't wait to meet him and see what he is like. Come on January 6th!!! Also, I am a big girl - I thought I was going to have to cut myself out of a dress that I tried on at Gap the other day. It was obviously the wrong size but the worst thing would have been telling the people I couldn't get it over a certain other top part of my body!

I think that is about all. We are enjoying fall and can't believe tomorrow is the start of Thanksgiving week. We have so much to be thankful for!