Merry Christmas!

Christmas Festivities...

We have had a fun Christmas Season around here! Cooper has had a blast, and he seems to be grasping the true meaning behind the season (as much as his 3-year-old brain will allow). He has played with several nativity toys (with one he nicknamed Joseph- Joe), and the other day had the funniest question for me. As we were driving down the road, he asked how Jesus was born in a manger if babies were born in hospitals. He wondered if Mary went to the hospital to "get under the cutter thing" like I did when I had Reese Ann. Since I did not want to describe to my little boy how else babies are born other than c-sections, I said that Joseph must have helped Mary birth Jesus.


A more commercial Christmas tradition that we started this year was the Elf on the Shelf. In all honesty, I thought it might help get strong-willed Cooper to mind a little better- not sure if it worked but it has been fun! Cooper named him Jack, and one morning Jack brought Cooper and Reese Ann a treat from Santa.



Cooper had his first-ever Christmas program at school. The director of the program warned that sometimes the 2-year-old class will be scared of the crowd. Luckily, Cooper was the opposite- he hammed it up the entire time!



the whole crowd of kids



and Santa was there too!

Surprise Birthday Getaway!

My sweet and thoughtful husband wanted to make my Christmas-time birthday special this year, so Friday morning he told me to pack my things and the little ones things for an overnight getaway. My wonderful mother-in-law kept the little ones, and Dan took me to Memphis to stay at our favorite hotel, The Madison. He did his research on a different place for us to have dinner, and Flight did not disappoint- in fact it was wonderful, and I highly recommend it! We forgot our camera, but I didn't want to forget about this fabulous getaway! Thanks, honey!

Thankful!

We are very thankful parents today! We had a horrible household accident on Sunday when- under my supervision- Reese Ann fell off of a changing table onto a tile floor and fractured her skull. Dan encouraged me to blog about the experience to document its place in the story of our lives.

The first thing that I am thankful for is mother's intuition. Reese Ann showed no signs of a skull fracture except for a bump on her head, but Dan and I both felt led to take her to the ER.

The second thing I am thankful for is the kind, compassionate people the Lord placed in our hospital ordeal. We had to be transferred via ambulance to Memphis to Lebohner Children's hospial because there is not a pediatric neurosurgeon in Jackson, and every single nurse, doctor, emt, etc was so nice. Almost everyone of them had a story about how their son or daughter had fallen and hit their head- they were trying very hard to comfort this upset, guilt-stricken mother.

The third thing I am thankful for is our amazing family and friends! We have been so loved-on and cared for by sweet friends and our wonderful families. We are truly blessed!

There are many, many more things that I am thankful for, but the last I will mention in this post is for Reese Ann's health. She has done as well as she possibly could have throughout this ordeal, and is recovering very well. We had an ultrasound today to confirm her progress, and we see the pediatric neurologist again in a couple of weeks. I have been so thankful for her life since my horrific pregnancy ended, but the Lord has made me even more so after this ordeal!

Three Months

Reese Ann is three months old- my how time is flying by! She continues to be a wonderful baby! She has been sleeping through the night for the last three weeks or so which has changed this mama's life! I am sleeping well for the first time since last December! She has rolled over several times, is quite the babbler, and is grabbing things. She loves to watch her big brother and is a really good sport when he gets a little rough with her! We are all three really enjoying our time at home together, and I am thankful that maternity leave will take us through the winter months! We can't wait to see what this next month of Reese Ann's life will hold!


first bumbo experience


patiently dealing with Cooper

Turkeys, Trains, Trees and Tinsel!

We are in the Christmas spirit around here these days! We had such a great Thanksgiving, but since our computer crashed, I didn't blog, so here is one picture of Cooper and one of the many "feasts" (his word from school) that he enjoyed.



Now, onto Christmas! Our first project was a gingerbread train for our train-obsessed son! It was a kit from Bed, Bath, & Beyond, and it was really fun and turned out pretty cute! Here is before:



and after:



My mom thoroughly enjoys all decorating, and she has extended this to trees for Cooper & Reese Ann's rooms. Reese Ann's tree is baby-themed and looks so cute in her room-



and Cooper's is a transportation-themed tree with fire engines, buses, etc, but many of the ornaments have been transferred to our tree downstairs.



here are a few more pictures of some of our decorations. Because of my love of bright colors, I adore our house decorated for Christmas-







and while this little girl has not totally decided what things in life she adores, taking Christmas card pictures is probably not high on the list (she sure does like to stick that lower lip out, though)!

Sis-sis is 30!

Happy Birthday, Sis-sis! I can't believe you are 30! We are looking forward to celebrating with you tonight!

Smiling...

My mother-in-law (aka Nan) has been the best baby photographer, and she has proven her skills once again in these pictures of Reese Ann! Finally, some sweet pictures of her smiling have been captured!

Belated Pumpkin Patch Adventure

Since we never made it to the pumpkin patch during the month of October because of the rain, the beach trip, and the baby, we decided to make it a November trip. Cooper wore his turkey shirt and had a great time hunting for the right pumpkin! He was not really into having his picture taken, but I did get a few shots...

Two Months

I can't believe Reese Ann is two months old already! How time flies when you are having fun! She has been such a great baby, and I am trying to soak up everyday! She smiles all the time and is starting to laugh and babble some! She is almost making it through the night- waking only once to eat. She is a motion-sensitive baby for sure because even though she doesn't like to get into her car seat, once the car is moving she is out! The same is true with her stroller! She weighs in at 10 lbs and 2 oz- firmly planted in the 50th percentile! She is not the most photogenic baby, so I am going to have to work harder to get some cute pictures with her eyes open, but we still think we'll keep her!

Weekend of Festivities!

Here are some pictures from our fun weekend of Halloween activities and a 3rd birthday...


during the neighborhood costume parade


the spectators at our house watching the parade!


our family out trick-or-treating with friends!


our little critters- the butterfly & spider


trick-or-treating at the hammond's!


at the zoo for Cooper's birthday celebration!


Dan loving his camera at the zoo!






happy as can be in his conductor suit!


at school on Monday celebrating with his friend, Lainey Kate, who shares the same birthday. They both love Thomas the train, so we had a train-themed school celebration!


my best attempt at cookies for school! having a little boy with food allergies makes even this mom- who doesn't have a domestic bone in her body- try her hand at baking!

Three!

Cooper is three today! We cannot believe how quickly the last three years have gone. He loves trains so for his birthday we decided to let him wear his train conductor suit (aka costume that he plays in) to the Memphis Zoo with all of his family. The plan was for him to ride the train there, but it was closed, so the tram came in as a close second favorite attraction! We had a great day!

Cooper is such a little person now! It is so much fun having full conversations with him about his day at school, little sister, or a favorite toy. He is quite a little boy and very much a first child! I hear him bossing someone around and am very quickly reminded of how much he sounds like me! He loves watching Disney movies, spending time with all of his grandparents, going to Target with his mom and Waffle House with his dad, petting on his baby sister, and playing with his toys (especially trains)! The Little Engine that Could is his favorite book right now and he could read it 100 times a day! He is very dramatic and loves to sing and dance!

We are so blessed by this child and thankful for him all the time- even when he is testing us! I can't wait to see what God has in store for him and us over the next year of his precious life!

More pictures and a weekend recap to come...

The Beach!

Our week-long trip to the beach was such a fun interruption to the rainy fall we have been experiencing here! Cooper loved the beach and playing in the sand, and Reese Ann was perfect! Six weeks is a great age to take a baby to the beach or on a road trip in my book! Dan and I enjoyed good friends and food and the mostly beautiful weather!


king of the sand hill!


what Reese Ann did best on the beach


our family of four on a night out


kite-flying- the favorite new beach pastime


beautiful sunset


a good book and sleeping baby at the beach (with a yummy margarita next to me)- pretty perfect!

First stop on our fall vacation...Birmingham!

All four of us made a trek to Destin for a week with some of Dan's college friends, and on the way down we were able to stop and visit with some great friends in Birmingham! The boys all had a great time playing together while the adults enjoyed catching up over lunch!


the four little boys- Matt, Cooper, Henry, and Read- best posed picture we could get!


Cooper, Read, and Henry having a great time playing!


my lifelong friend, Allison, and her son Henry

more to come from the beach!