Merry Christmas

    Christmas is almost here!! I can't believe it. Our family has been so blessed this year from the purchase of our first house to the birth of our second son Reid! I have definitely seen Psalm 37:4 come to fruition in our lives. ("Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart") I have had two main desires this year and I am sitting inside on the couch in one and holding the other in my arms!  God has been so incredibly good to us!

   Milt and I had a conversation the other night about Christmas with the boys and how we want to make sure that the focus is always on Christ a not how many gifts they get. We shared stories of other couples that we admire and how they either put a money limit on each child, or a present number limit. Milt shared about how a couple that he knows give their children four gifts each year. Each child receives these gifts: something they want, something they need, a book, and something meaningful (a bible, devotional, or even a memory making gift) I LOVE this idea! 

   Christmas is such a huge part of my happy memories from growing up, but as I recount my memories I couldn't tell you more than maybe three gifts that my parents gave me. My happy memories are making Christmas cookies with my mom and sister, playing our annual Foosball game with my dad, brother, and sister, sitting with the whole family on Christmas Eve listening to my dad read us the Christmas story out of his bible. I cherish all of these memories and I want Cooper and Reid to have some of the same! 

   I am so excited to spend our first Christmas as a family of four in our home! I have loved taking the boys to pick out their Christmas ornaments, and making our first batch of Christmas cookies. I know we will have many more Christmas seasons here but for some reason this one has been so incredibly meaningful!

                                          ~ Merry Christmas from our family to yours ~

   
  

My Favorite time of Year!

   This is my favorite picture from Thanksgiving break! I have never seen two brothers love each other so much. No one can make Reid light up like Cooper can and Cooper loves it when he gets a smile or laugh out of Reid. I can't believe that 5 months have passed since Reid was born. It has flown by. I find myself enjoying each stage much more than I did with Coop. I don't want any day to rush by or any new stage to get here before its supposed to. I realize even more after having Cooper grow up on me that these first few months are precious and priceless! 

  Reid is in the process of cutting his first tooth and attempting to roll over. He has quite the tummy so he gets angry at me if I leave him on his stomach for too long :D He is such a happy baby and will flirt at anyone that looks his way.

  Cooper and I have started doing a few preschool things at home during the week. He is so smart (witty really LOL) We have talked about homeschooling him. If that happens, I will only have him at home through elementary school. After that I am sure that he will be smarter than me and teaching him would be more of a challenge! 

  I am so excited for Christmas and to start our own family traditions this year. So far Cooper and Reid have had their first taste of Eggnog, we have made Christmas cookies, put up three Christmas trees (two of them at my parents house, and started an advent calendar. I can't wait to be able to share with you the stories that I'm sure I will have of Cooper and the unique way he views the world this Christmas season!

  

  I am one hooked mommy. Both of them have me wrapped around their fingers. I am truly thankful this year for the boys in my life and the amazing husband that just stares at me when I become a pushover at one droopy lip look from Cooper!

Season of change

  We have had the best month! It has been filled with many get togethers with friends, family days, days of doing nothing, and days of making memories. Our family has been so blessed these past few weeks with the closing on our first home, to the friends that help us celebrate. This pictures was taken on Halloween. We spent the evening with friends from our small group at church. As I watched Coop run around in his cowboy getup with his friends, I thought about how happy I am that he will grow up surrounded by these amazing people. We are part of a church community that has loved on us from day one and is so completely invested in our lives so much that we never thought once about moving away from Knoxville once Milt graduated.

  This has also been a month of change. Cooper started preschool the week after he turned 3. He has been hesitant, to say the least, every morning to go but enjoys it once he is there. We were still having problems with him feeling comfortable and getting sick from nerves up until this past week. We decided it was best for him and us to pull him out and feel out preschool next year. Where does that leave us? I have a nice little area set up in the dining room where we are going to do a little preschool at home. I am a wife and mother at heart first, but a teacher next. I love watching him catch onto new concepts! I am pretty sure I am more excited about it than he is. 

  I loved having three mornings a week when it was just me and Reid, but I am looking forward to having Coop home again. I don't ever want to look back and feel like I made him grow up to fast or force him to do something that wasn't what was best for him. We live right next door to one of his best friends, and we have play dates with his other friends at least once a week, so i'm not to worried about him interacting with other kids! I'm praying for the best and hoping that this ends up being a great experience for both of us. I'll keep you updated!!