My "Sisters"

God has blessed me with two WONDERFUL sister-in-laws. My brother's picked themselves some great wives! The three of us got to enjoy some together time today. We went to Olive Garden for lunch and then got pedis! Hopefully we can make this an annual tradition. Thanks Leslie and Laci!

A Closet Makeover

As a Christmas gift to my mom, I gave her a closet makeover. I should start by saying it really wasn't "that bad" but it definitely needed organized. The first thing to go was the wire hangers. You know the ones that come from the dry cleaners that get tangled up in a big wad and you just wanna scream? Well, I got her some nice white plastic ones that all match and don't tangle. After a few hours of cleaning out and straightening and folding and replacing hangers...the finished product was great! She was very happy but said, "I'm just worried I can't keep it this way!" I'll have to do monthly check-ups (hear that mom?). Funny thing was, when my dad saw it he said, "Will you do mine too?" It's a good thing I LOVE cleaning out and organizing!

BEFORE


AFTER


AFTER


BEFORE


AFTER

AFTER

The Huntin' Camp

We joined our friends the Stivender's down at their hunting camp for a night. It was COLD! I did not do good taking pictures but Erin did and I know she'll post them soon on her blog. I will have to steal them from her! Brooker and August both got Power Wheel riding toys for Christmas. They rode them all around the camp. The big boys (and Mrs. Cathy) went hunting. They returned after their morning hunt with two does. Way to go! Lucky for the little boys, they have direct TV at camp so they got to stay up with their shows...you know Dora, Little Bill, Max and Ruby, etc. And a little football watching for the men! Because everyone was so full and sleepy after dinner, we saved the 'smore making for breakfast. Yummy! Thanks for having us Erin and Travis!

He was FREEZING!

'Smores....breakfast of champions!

A lazy morning....and full bellies too :)

Christmas - Round 5

Our last stop on Christmas day was at Mammy and Pappy's house. Brooker, Rylie, and Baxlee were nice and spoiled with all the wonderful gifts they got. Brooker got a new scooter and doctor kit from Mammy and Pappy among other things. Bo & Leslie got him a cool t-ball set and dinosaurs, and Bear & Laci got him Deer Hunter Pro. Mommy and Daddy were spoiled the most to receive an ornament filled with nice green paper (just so happens you can spend it)! Wow...nice! We say this every year but we are so blessed to have such wonderful parents who love and care for us.

One of my favorite moments from this evening after we were done with all of our Christmas festivities was when Brooker and I were playing in his playroom. He kept asking me if I felt alright and I kept saying, "yes Brooker." He just kept on with "are you sure mom, are you sure?" Then I finally realized why he was asking me, he pulled out his new doctor kit and wanted me to be his patient! I just laughed. He gives me so many laughs and fills my heart with so much JOY!

Does he look excited here or what?!

Leslie showing Rylie her new chomp chomp dress from Aunt Bonny & Uncle Jared

More gifts.

Love this idea mom and dad :)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!

Christmas - Round 4

One thing that has always been a Christmas tradition in my life, is going to my Nene and Pepa's house as our second stop on Christmas day. I'm so blessed to still have two wonderful grandparents alive. I have fond memories of sharing the holidays with them all these years. I really enjoy being with my aunts, uncles, cousins, and all the kids! One of the funniest memories from today was when Brooker came in from the porch and he was crying hysterically. Once we got him calmed down enough to ask what was wrong, he said, "There's a beetle bug out there." Unfortunately, my phobia of all insects has rubbed off on the poor little guy. Jared went out to exterminate the little critter and he said what Brooker called a beetle was actually a HUGE cockroach...NO WONDER!

Nene, Brooker, & Pepa

It's so sweet how much these two LOVE each other!

Brooker's new Hess car...Nene and Pepa get him a new piece from the Hess collection each year.

SIL's!

The girls cousins and our babies!

Christmas - Round 3

Christmas morning at our house was a little different. Santa did things sorta of unconventionally this year :) Read on....The first thing we did was head outside to be sure Santa's reindeer ate the carrots we left him. Then we had to double check he ate all his cookies and drank all his milk. Brooker then opened his stocking and found lots of great treasures including a new book....Bear Snores On, moon sand, nemo underwear, a ring pop, an electric Diego toothbrush, and at the very bottom a "key." We told Brooker he had to use the key to unlock his playroom door. Santa's "elves" had been hard at work in the few days before Christmas giving his playroom a transformation. They painted a wall, put in new furniture, hung book racks on the wall, got a new TV and DVD player, and finally a bean bag chair! He walked in and attempted to take it all in...he didn't quite know what to think but I'm pretty sure he liked what he saw. The first thing he did though was run to his toy basket and pull out his toy rifle (the one he's had for months) and say, "I found it guys!" Not exactly the first thing we wanted him to notice but that's alright! I didn't take a picture of the completed room but I'll post one as soon as I do!

Holding the "key" to his Santa gift(s).

Seeing his new playroom for the first time.

Not a great shot but the only one I got of the chair.

A quick note left on the easel from Santa.

Christmas - Round 2

We celebrate Christmas with Jared's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on Christmas eve. The night began with the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at our church. I especially loved this year's service. We enjoyed appetizers for dinner....so many different things to choose from! Brooker was a happy camper with his new Bass Pro Toy Set and Spike Jr. Dinosaur... Mommy got a gift certificate to Cat's Corner (don't think I'll have any trouble finding myself a gift!) and Daddy got a new dry bag for his boat. The time spent with family was the best part!

Brooker had just as much fun "giving" the gifts!


Wow, this is cool mom!


I love my boy!


Cousins...Amy, Jamie, and Bonny


Yeah for Spike Jr.


Our Family

Christmas - Round 1

We celebrate Christmas with Papa, Jamie, & Kenny on Christmas Eve morning. We loved the gift from Jamie and Kenny....tickets for all of us to go to Disney World...great idea! Brooker LOVED the gift from his papa....a power wheels 4-wheeler. I just couldn't capture his expression on film when he first saw the 4-wheeler....he was very pleased! He really liked getting his very own cowboy hat too. A funny moment occured while he was riding his 4-wheeler in the back-yard....he was wearing his cowboy hat and he lifted it off his head and in his most serious cowboy sounding voice said, "yee haw, ride 'em cowboys!" We all got such a kick out of that!

Opening the first Christmas gift of 2009....





THANKS Papa!

I love this one!

Superboy!

Brooker showing off his new Superman jammies! I mentioned to Mammy that I thought he might like a superman costume and this is what she found...perfect! He loves to make the cape in the back whip up in the air like he's about to take off! Thanks Mammy :)
P.S. He wanted to be super cowboy on this particular night!

It Snowed!!!

Not here...in North Carolina! Papa was there this past weekend and brought Brooker a cooler FULL of snow! We dumped it out in the yard today and had a blast. Jared and Brooker made a cute little snowman, had a snowball fight, and threw snow in the air to "pretend" it was snowing....I just sat back with my camera and took it all in. What a cool thing it was! Our snowman is still standing outside and I think he'll last through the night....when the sun comes out tomorrow it'll probably be a different story! Not many Floridians can say they built a REAL snowman in their front yard :)