Christmas in our Home and a Prayer for You

I didn't do a ton of decorating this year. I put fraser wreaths on the front doors, and of course we put up a tree. I put a tree of some kind (gumdrop tree in the kitchen, a mercury glass tree in our bedroom, etc) in each room, along with a nativity. My mantle is the only place I really splurged and I love the way it came together. We are doing a Jesse tree again this year as part of preparing our hearts in Advent. Annie and JJ are starting to understand more and more and I love teaching them about the true meaning of Christmas! The photo below is of one of my favorite Christmas traditions: each year we frame a photo of our family. And I write the date on the back. Fun to look back at how our family has grown from year to year!

Now, may the joy of the angels,

The eagerness of the shepherds,

The perseverance of the Magi,

The obedience of Joseph and Mary,

And the peace of the Christ child be yours this Christmas.

And may the blessing of God Almighty,

Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.

The First of the Family Christmases and Why Santa Lives in the Bathroom Sink

Uncle Tyler


Cousin Jessica


the happy couple and Maycey


Annie got the hang of opening presents quite quickly


JJ and Poppa


Sophie loved the bows


Cousin Austin


New book for Sophie


a bit of Christmas and football


JJ and Santa Papaw!


She didn't cry. Her big sister got close enough to get her toy but was not going to sit on Santa's lap.


Now I know you are dying to know why Santa Claus lives in the bathroom sink. JJ watched Santa go into the bathroom, and when the door opened--no Santa! Papaw was there! From observation, JJ deduced that Santa must have gone down the bathroom sink. He now stands at the sink, splashes, and calls, "come out, Santa!" Gales of laughter over the mind of a two year old. This will be a classic story around our house for years to come.

Happy Monday

Christmas is coming!




So how hard is this crawling thing? (No, she's not on the move yet, I think I've got another couple of months...)




Yum.

Talking to Santa Claus

We are going to see our favorite mall Santa Claus next week, but we stopped by Bass Pro Shops Santa's Wonderland today. All three kids cooperated and sat on Santa's knee for a few minutes. Annie and JJ actually kind of liked it. Especially the candy cane at the end. And the carousel ride was a hit!

Wedding!

My brother got married yesterday! And I don't have a single picture on my camera. :( Too busy keeping the munchkins out of mischief. It was a lovely ceremony at my grandparent's showplace home. Welcome to the family, Kayla!

Sophie: Six Months

Someone was feeling very expressive during her six month photos. The last one is my favorite.














Half a year old already! At six months Sophie loves to play with her toys and is so interested in the happenings around her. She is interacting with her siblings more and can almost sit up. She makes it for a few seconds and then topples over. Sophie is eating oat and barley cereals, peaches, pears, apples, bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash. We're going to try parsnips and plums soon.

This month we have lots of Christmas celebrations planned and we're going to try to have our picture made with Santa Claus--we'll see how that goes! Sophie is very, very attached to her mama right now. And she saves her biggest smiles for Daddy when he gets home from work every night. Sophie's schedule looks something like this: I wake her around 6am to nurse. She goes back to sleep till about 9am. Nurse, get dressed, head out for the morning. (We are about to add solids at breakfast time.) Noon, eat lunch (usually cereal and a veggie).  1pm nurse and take a nap till around 4 or 5pm. Nurse. Playtime! 6pm, eat dinner (usually cereal and a fruit). 6:45pm, bathtime. 7pm, nurse and go to sleep. 10pm, I wake her up to nurse again. I'm not sure how long she would sleep if I just let her go, but she's so tiny I think she needs the extra calories. Sophie is wearing 3-6 month clothes in separates and 6-9 month in one piece rompers and pajamas. Still size 1 diapers.

Sophie had her six month check-up yesterday. She is a happy and strong little baby, but she is just not gaining weight as she should. She weighed in at just under 12 pounds and is 25 and 3/4 inches long. Her pediatrician is not overly concerned, but we are going to see a pediatric gastroenterologist to see if we can get some answers. I'll keep you posted...prayers for our Peanut are appreciated!

Happy Birthday, Nick-meister!

Our blonde puppy's face is turning white but he is still as rambunctious as ever! Happy birthday, sweet boy.

Thanksgiving Snapshots

We enjoyed a scrumptious dinner with family, hosted by Mama Rita and Papa Gene. Somehow I didn't get any pictures of them, oops!

Aunt Linda and Sophie


Hannah


Uncle Chuck


I have an adorable picture of Tripp reading to the big kids, but I can't post that one here. I actually got a good family photo, too! You'll have to take my word for it.

Poppa and Annie


Honey and Sophie


Early Christmas presents!