All Aboard!!!

We ventured to Birmingham again this year to ride the Polar Express. We went with our friends, the Glovers and everyone had a great time. 

Excuse all the silly faces. She will not stop no matter what we bribe her with.

Sweet Laurie.

Ford has learned to say cheese at the camera.

O.M.G. I can't handle the cuteness.

The old man himself.

Ford wasn't a fan at all.

Olivia on the other hand...would have taken Santa home with us.

Just a Little Fun

An appointment got cancelled the other day so we ventured to one of their favorite spots, the bookstore.

 Yes, this tower fell about 3 times making an awful, loud, crashing noise for everyone in the store to turn their heads our way. Yes, I helped the girl rebuild it another two times. We had fun...even with the strangers staring at us after they fell multiple times. 

I can't handle these two. The one on the left can cause so much frustration that I want to pull every strand of hair out of my head and the one on the right is SOOO heavy and I have to carry him practically everywhere....but man, my heart could explode with how much love I have for them. 

A Little Christmas Cheer

We have started preparing for Christmas around our house. I have decided to not stress about having everything just so. There are a lot of things we might not get to this year and that is going to be okay. Our tree is crooked with a crooked star on top and colored lights and I am also okay with that. This year along with every other year after this we will focus on the true meaning, Jesus' birth, and if we get around to all the other stuff than great but if we don't then oh well.

It was rainy and cold out the other day so we decided to stay in and have a jammie day and do some finger paint art work. A good time was had by all.

The nameless elf has made her or his (she has a skirt but Olivia is convinced that it's a boy) appearance. She/he has had a bubble bath in marshmallows, swung by the chandelier and wreath, been caught reading Frosty the snowman and is currently playing Candy Land. Olivia has a good time finding he/she every morning.

Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Jay surprised Olivia with her very own Christmas tree. I'm sure you can't tell she was pretty proud.

The most prized Christmas decoration is the Polar Express train under the tree. Daddy even likes putting it back on the track every 5 seconds because little hands keeping grabbing for it....

Update on Ford

Ford has made leaps and bounds the last couple of months. He has started standing on his own and is much more steady and his vocabulary has almost tripled in the last 2 weeks. He is saying juice, cheeeese (when we take his picture), ball, do it, see it, tree (almost always referring to the Christmas tree), monkey juice, that, dog and ice.  He is still doing physical therapy, occupational therapy 3 times a week and speech therapy. 

He is scheduled to have an MRI and spinal lumbar test on December 27th along with an appointment to see a neurologist in January. Please be in prayer for him and us. Pray the he starts walking VERY soon! Pray that the Lord would give us great peace about these tests because we know He is in ultimate control and has ordained such a special plan for our precious little one. 

December Park Visits

Who goes to the park in mid December with no jackets? Well, we Mississippians do!! 

We had an absolute best time at the park the other morning and just played, played and played some more. 

When we pull onto the road that leads to the park this little guy gets all giddy and tickled with happiness because he knows exactly where we are going!

Does this momma's heart a lot of good to see such simple things bring so much joy to my children. 

Happy Birthday to Wil Franklin

We are a little late in wishing the BIG boy a Happy Birthday but he turned the big 5 on the 26th of November!!! I cannot believe just how quickly five years have gone past. He is a loving, vivacious, well mannered, kind, robot loving, smart and handsome little boy that our big girl just adores (and we do too)! 

We love you, Wil! 

May this year be filled with lots of learning, growing and lots of good times and laughter.

Thankfulness

Hays and I have so much to be thankful for that this list could literally go on for days and days. I will narrow it down to the top 10.

First and foremost, we are thankful for a Heavenly Father that loves us more than our minds and souls can ever imagine. We are thankful for the plan He has ordained for our lives even though we are not always certain about it. 

Secondly, I am thankful for a Godly husband that cares so deeply for me and his children. He is always putting himself on the back burner and never wants recognition for all he does.

Thirdly, I am thankful for our children that fill our days with pure joy (some frustration too), love, smiles, kisses, hugs and avenues to learn more about ourselves and our Godly Father.

Fourth, for a house that has become a home throughout the last few years. It is NEVER clean and always a mess but it is filled with childrens laughter and the pitter patter of little feet and I will be sad to leave the memories in the house one day.

Fifth, I am thankful for the means to be able to afford and pay for the medical bills that have accumulated in the last few months. The Lord supplies all of our needs and for that I am thankful.

Number 6. I am thankful for warm coffee in the mornings (even if I have to heat it up several times before finishing it). 

Seven, would be music and the joy and healing it brings. Music is so powerful and soothing.

Eight, I am thankful for God's beautiful creation. Trees, the sky, sunsets, sunrises, flowers, animals. I could go on forever.

Nine. Thankful for the friends and family we have been blessed with. They stick by us through thick and thin and never veer away. 

Lastly, I am thankful for another year. I have learned so much through this year. I have experienced so much joy and pure happiness through this year. I have also experienced sorrow through this year. I am grateful for this year and for this blessed ride called life.

What We've Been Up To...

We have been busy little bees around here. Hays and I took a little, all adult, mini vacation to Las Vegas for a Wendy's golf tournament that raises money for adoption. We had a wonderful time away from the busyness of our lives and enjoyed the down time. We are so thankful to Nano (my mom) for coming down and keeping our ship afloat while we were away. 

Ford even learned how to say the blessing while we were away. Now we cannot eat a single meal without him clearing his throat a hundred times and putting his hands together to get our attention to what we are supposed to be doing, starting the meal with the blessing.

This boy may not know how to walk yet but he knows how to do some good sleeping.

We got back from our trip and my bed partner for that night increased in cuteness and quantity. I'm glad to know that I was missed while we were away.

Olivia and I left the boys at home and had a little girls night at Disney on Ice. We both had a great time and it was nice to spend some one on one time with my one and only. 

We completed a little afternoon craft. Things this 3 year old is thankful for: dogs, birds, fish, swings, God, Monsters University, Mike Wasowski (of course), trees, colors, the color green, candy and lastly I convinced her maybe she should be thankful for her family. Geesh.

I'll give y'all one guess who this drawing is of....yep, me. Her mommy. Hopefully, she sees me as looking a bit more friendly with at least two eyes and some hair. 

This girl...always keeping us on our toes.

What an amazing God we serve and how magnificent is His creation.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

We finally made it to the pumpkin patch. We barely made it seeing that the day we went was the last day they were open to the public for the year. We drove to Collins, MS which is about an hour away to Mitchell Farms. It was well worth the drive and hands down, the best pumpkin patch ever. We had such a fun day with our two pumpkins!