Merry CHRISTmas!

This Christmas was probably the best one we've had so far. The kids were so excited and so good. They loved the presents, but I have to say that Cooper really got that it was all about Jesus' birth. We got to spend time with family and friends, and that was wonderful as well. Warren was on call the full week of Christmas which was interesting to say the least. Let me just say, when a home health office is closed for 4 days, people will be calling the on-call nurse! Whoa! But, we kept saying that if it were us that were sick or our kids, we would want someone as caring as Warren to be on call.

We hope you all had a very Merry CHRISTmas!!!

I read a devotional that said Have a Mary CHRISTmas!!! Not the mother of Jesus, Mary, but the Mary and Martha, Mary. Soak in what is important. Do not worry about your chores or duties or the things that "have" to get done. Don't stress with the shopping, wrapping, etc. Love your family, enjoy your children, and just sit at Jesus' feet!!!! That's what I chose to do this year and it was unbelievable. Thank you, God, for sending your Son. Without Him, I have no hope!!!

My Baby is 10 months old!!!

Can you believe it? I cannot believe that in two months my sweet baby, Madelyn, will be one year old. This time is going by really too quickly.

A few things about Madelyn right now. She is just such a sweet baby. Everyone that she is around comments on what a sweet baby she is, and it is true. She is pretty laid back, and as long as I don't leave the room, she is usually a happy girl. She has begun doing so much the past few months. She now crawls like a pro (although her style is a little different), is pulling up on everything, and has started cruising somewhat. Her favorite thing to do is to find things that she is not supposed to get into...and get into them. :) She loves music and has started dancing in the past few weeks. She loves to watch her brother and is often seen grinning and laughing at him.

Madelyn already knows how to get what she wants. She has a sweet smile and if she really wants to get you, she will tilt her head to the left and give you her best grin. She has a smooshy face where she squishes up her nose and sometimes that accompanies a snort. :) It is too funny.

Madelyn is very verbal (imagine that..just like her daddy...:) She can say Hey (while waving) and Bye Bye (while waving). Those are actually two different kind of waves. Hey is a circle wave and bye bye is a hand wave. Then, she has a come get me wave where she hand waves towards herself and then holds out her arms. She says, Mama, Dada, Bubba, Bye Bye, Hey, and does a lot of other talking. She can also say Papa...it is funny...it comes out in whisper.

Her newest trick was funny the first time, and we all made the mistake of laughing. She now has started doing it everytime she eats. A raspberry sound with a mouth full of food. Needless to say, I am usually wearing much of her food by the end of her meal these days.

She normally sleeps through the night. Her naps are iffy. She naps great at daycare, but not so much with Mommy. She will fall asleep with Mommy, but Mommy can't figure out how to get her down. So, this summer, Mommy has been enjoying some naptime with Madelyn while poor Cooper has to tiptoe around. :)

Speaking of Cooper, he is still as in love with her as the day we brought her home. He is so good with her, and has never once been a bit jealous. The only thing he wants is her attention, and I am happy to say that she is NOW starting to give that to him.

Here are some recent pictures of our sweet baby girl. We are so blessed to have her in our family.

DAD

This is the present the kids and I gave to Warren for Father's Day this year. He is such a wonderful Daddy. I couldn't have asked for a better father to my children. I thank God for him. He is so many things to our children. He is a jungle gym, a comedian, an impressionist, a Wookie, a Jedi, a teacher, a preacher, a pray-er, a comforter, a doctor, a chef, a rocker, a roller, a dancer, a disciplinarian, a soother, a calmer, a rollercoaster, a leader, a reader, an author, an athlete, a shopper, a fan, a cheerleader, a feader, an eater, a coach, a counselor, a gardener, a singer, and so much more. If you have ever seen Warren with our children, you understand. He really is the best Daddy!!! His goal in life is to make sure that our children grow up knowing and trusting in Jesus Christ. That is his number one goal and his number one mission. He strives for that everyday. And in all these roles, he is building such a relationship with each of our children, that will give them a foundation where his goal, through God's help, can be attained for our kids. Happy Fathers' Day, Warren! We love you so very much!!!

Our Whirlwind Nashville Trip

Our family at the reception


A few weekends back we had a whirlwind trip to Nashville. We went to witness the wedding ceremony of two of our favorite people in the whole world, Dave and Mindie Cantrell. Yay, it's so nice to say that now!

The wedding was gorgeous, as was the bride. We are so happy for Dave (Warren's lifelong closest friend...like a brother) and we think that he couldn't have chosen a better life-mate. AND as for Mindie's choice-- We think the world of Dave, so we know that she is blessed as well. We were so happy to be able to be a part of their happy day. The wedding was simply elegant (outside in a sunken garden in Centinial Park in Nashville), and the reception was beautiful, fun, and a time to spend with friends and family. It was all perfect.

Daddy and Madelyn

Cooper in his tie (he was so proud).

Dave walking his grandmother to her seat.


Dave waiting to see his bride

The beautiful bride. Cooper said, "She looks so pretty!"

Mr. and Mrs. David Cantrell

Cooper and Madelyn stayed up late to celebrate at the reception.

Cooper loving on Madelyn at the reception

Mr. and Mrs. Cantrell leaving the reception

The kids were invited, which meant a lot to us, and so we packed up the family (and all the stuff that accompanies a four year old and 9 month old (why someone that small needs twice as much stuff as everyone else always amazes me!).

Cooper was amazed by so much at the hotel. The glass elevators that took you up 20something floors, the ice machine, the huge King sized bed that we ALL slept in, the big TV where he could watch Hannah Montana, the little bottles of shampoo, the bathtub, the big mirrored doors on the closet, the valet parking (I loved this, too), the keycard that he could use to open the door to our room, and did I mention the elevators??? If we had just gone to the hotel and done nothing else, that boy would have been one happy guy! ;)

The only picture I got in the hotel. I can't believe I didn't get more. Madelyn enjoying her crib in her swimsuit and coverup. :) Her first hotel stay.


The next day, before we returned home, we took Cooper and Madelyn to The Discovry Center in Murfreesboro. On the way, we got caught in a two hour traffic jam, but let me tell you, God was with us. Both kids fell asleep and slept the entire time we were stuck in traffic. Are you serious??? You know that was God looking out for us.





The Discovery Center was WONDERFUL! Cooper loved every minute of it. He played on everything there. His absolute favorite was the water table where he made a really cool fountain, made waves, saw how rocks change the water's flow, and many many more things. He also loved dressing as a fireman, climbing on a fire engine, changing a tire, working a backhoe, pretending to be in a coalmine, seeing a tortoise, a hedgehog, a gecko, and lots of other hands-on activities. Madelyn had a great time watching her brother run around. As we were leaving, Cooper begged us to come back the next day. :) We will definitely go back when we are in the area again. I would have a yearly pass if I lived anywhere near there. It is a great place!

Cooper at the watertable making his fountain.




Cooper had so much fun at the water table.

Daddy had fun playing, too.

Cooper on the Penny Farthing



Helping Daddy change a tire.

My heroes!!!



Working in a coalmine



Madelyn loved getting down and playing, too.

She also had a good time watching Cooper play.

Yep, he's our monkey!






It was a great get-away, and we had such a wonderful time. Congratulations David and Mindie!

Spring Has Finally Sprung!!!

What a beautiful day it was today! We spent almost every second outside. It was wonderful. Madelyn loves outside so much. I don't think she fussed one time the whole time we were out there...which was for hours. It started out just us. Then the boys (Cooper and Warren) went to the "Highway Nursery" (really it's called Greenway, but Cooper calls it the highway...I guess because it's on...um...the highway!:) to get some plants, fertilizer, and some other things needed to start our garden. Cooper is his gardening buddy and they already have plans for a big garden this year.

After a little while, Warren's parents came over. Warren's dad tilled up our garden (wow!! it's big this year) with his new tractor. It was so much easier than Warren having to use the walk behind tiller. Plus, Cooper thought the tractor was really really cool.

Cooper presented me with some lovely petunias he got for me at the "highway nursery". He is so thoughtful. That's the fourth time that he's brought me flowers. Some girl is going to be lucky one day. His daddy is teaching him right.

I hope to have some pictures of the garden soon. I didn't get any this afternoon. I did take some of the kids this morning when we were out. Notice Cooper helping daddy with the gardening by watering the weeds! ;)

I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful day! It was gorgeous!