A shameless blog to post our new pictures! Oh, yeah, and Thanksgiving!

On this Black Friday, as I fought through the crowds for the savings of a few dollars, I am reminded of the things I am thankful for. Here is the short list:

-Family-dance in the kitchen while Natalie Grant sings "Joy to the World"

-Laughter

-Tickling

-What Garrett would call "wrestling"--but Mommy really knows its just snuggling!

-The ways Charlotte smells after her bath

-Healthy babies

-A husband, who has a heart for God and a longing for wisdom

-The way Garrett calls me "Mommyyy"

-The way Charlotte likes to sleep in Mommy's bed in the mornings

-Dallas Cowboy football with Poppy

-Fried turkey!

-Mama Cook's pumpkin roll, hand-fed by Nana

-Charlotte's first Thanksgiving--and already joining the women for our annual "plan the Black Friday shopping " event

-A man named Sam, who took this amazing picture of my kiddos this week--both looking at the camera with pleasant looks on their faces! Sam deserved a tip!

-A man named Ricky and his pipe snake that saved us a lot of money and kept us from a lot of poo in our house and yard

(Sorry, no photo to insert here!)

-A God Who is such a real part of my life--Who I feel every day, Who always provides, always loves, always forgives, and is always faithful!

Six Months Ago...

Six months ago, I turned 27.

Six months ago, Randy and Garrett took me to dinner to celebrate my birthday.

Six months ago, my water broke at Carrabba's during the salad and bread.

Six months ago, Randy drove us to Baptist hospital at an average speed of 90 mph as I attempted to convince my mom that this was no joke!

Six months ago, Garrett watched the Lion King in the LDR while eating Goldfish as the anesthesiologist attempted and failed to start an epidural.

Six months ago, my OB was out to dinner with his lovely wife.

Six months ago, my epidural didn't take.

Six months ago, did I mention the epidural didn't work?

Six months ago, Garrett became a big brother.

Six months ago, Randy became a big softy!

Six months ago, I received a wonderful birthday present!

Six months ago, our family grew into 4!

Six months ago, my beautiful baby girl, Charlotte Grace was born! At a whopping 8 lb. 13 oz. and a week early!

Six months ago, I learned that my heart did have room for someone else!

We Are Fam-i-ly...

When Garrett was 6 months old, we took his picture in my little t-shirt I got from the hospital where I was born. He was posing with the blanket my Mama made me. Now that Charlotte is almost 6 months, we also took her picture in the t-shirt and with the blanket. I always knew they both looked like us, but didn't realize how much they looked like each other until I pulled out some old pictures!



See anybody you know?

What I learned from my kids today

Today, Charlotte taught me a few things:


1.) How cute she looks in her little khaki dress and pink sweater with the hat that Aunt Alice bought her!




2.) It is really cold in the front seat of the van in the middle of the Sam's parking lot while the cold wind blows on her bare fanny!


3.) She will always pee on her khaki dress, pink sweater, cute tights AND her pink minky-dot blankee when the wind hits her bare fanny!


4.) When brother's diaper is the only one in arms reach in the van when the first one gets soaked, it will be okay for a little girl to wear a big boy diaper!


5.) It doesn't matter how gross and wet the blanket is with pee, she will still have to wear it over her on the way home because it is 40 degrees outside and Mommy didn't plan ahead!

There's a lot of Sapp in here...a lot of Sapp

I've been bugging Randy to put up the Christmas tree for weeks now, and this weekend he finally conceded. If you know me at all, you know that I love Christmas! I can't wait to put up the tree and decorate the house with lights and bulbs and ribbons. I love the reflection of the lights in Garrett's eyes as he looks at the Christmas tree and says, "Wow!"

Well, this year was no disappointment. This is Charlotte's first Christmas and the first year I saw her eyes dance with lights! Poppy, Nana, Aunt Dana, and Mama Cook were all in attendance for the big event. There was Christmas music playing, much to Randy's disapproval ("Does this mean that we will have to listen to this music for 2 months?" Yes, it does!) Here are the highlights:

We got through with only 1 broken bulb and 1 good-talking-to!

And what Christmas is complete without 1 teenager with her iPod shoved in her ear as to drown out the merriment of the season!

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Thursday night, we made Rice Krispie treats with red and green M&Ms. Garrett loves to help--I think its mostly because this is the only time he can stand on the furniture!

Garrett had to take another peek!

I LOVE THIS SEASON!!!

Applesauce!

Again, this is one of those videos mostly for the grandparents to keep in touch. It is really funny, though. Charlotte was not a huge fan of applesauce!

The Bandit and the 10-gallon hat

My Funny Girl

This is mostly for all the grandparents out there who just can't get enough!

Baby laughter is always contagious, though!

(Sorry its so dark!)

Mystery Monday

I'm no fairy princess!

I understand that when it gets cold, you sometimes get little furry visitors that like to come in to get warm and eat all your chocolate chips in the back of the pantry. We had a few last year that met a quick end with the mouse trap and some peanut butter.

Today, however, all I wanted was a bottle of water! I casually reached into the box to grab one when my hand touched something warm and fuzzy! I nearly peed my pants! I quickly withdrew said hand only to find this:





Thank God!

Apparently the giraffe was thirsty, too!

Your neurology lesson for the day

Do you ever get sentimental?

You know how certain smells remind you of certain things? Let me tell you why that is. Two brain structures, the amygdala and the hippocampus, play an important role for the storing of memories, and the olfactory ("smelling") nerve has very direct connections to both structures (Randy is waiting on a "medulla oblongata" comment here). I feel a diagram is in order:

This is why the smell of cinnamon, cloves, or vanilla may remind you of Christmas at Grandma's when you were a kid. (For some reason, when I smell glue sticks, I also think of Christmastime--my mom is crafty!) That's it in a nutshell!

Well, the smell that got me this week was Tide and Downy--not just 1 independent of the other--it has to be both together.

I was taking my laundry out of the dryer--while it was still hot, mind you (I usually don't get to it until its cold). I piled the towels onto my bed and breathed them in deeply. I then wrapped one around my shoulders and breathed it in again. That smell is my Mama.

When I was little and would spend the night, she would put my blanket in the dryer to get it warm and then wrap me up in it on the couch. The warm embrace of that blanket felt so good to my little body. It, too, smelled like Tide and Downy.

Today, my laundry became more than a chore; it became a hug from my Mama.

I love you, Mama!

Fall

Fall is my favorite season!

Here are my 2 cuties enjoying the warm weather--while it lasts!

Garrett's Take on Politics

God made most of it....

We were playing outside yesterday when Garrett noticed the beautiful yellow leaves in one of our tall trees. Looking up as far as he could, he proclaimed, "Wow!" in his most pure childlike tone. Recently inspired by my friend H. H., I asked Garrett, "Do you know who made that beautiful tree?" He immediately responded with, "Nana!" As if it were obvious. I corrected him and told him that God made it and He made everything. Later, as we were preparing for bed, I brought up the conversation again. I told him that God made him, and that God made Mommy and Daddy. Hoping that this concept stuck, I asked him, "Do you know who made Charlotte?" He confidently replied, "Daddy!"

No arguments there, Garrett!

That's one dedicated baby!

Sunday, we had Charlotte's baby dedication. She looked so beautiful in her long white gown. I couldn't help but get a little misty-eyed to think of her in a long white wedding gown one day. We had family in town, clothes to iron, snacks for little ones going out the door--it was a crazy afternoon! Before we left the house to go to the service, my Charlotte needed to nurse, so we tucked away in her room for a few moments. In the quiet of our glider, God spoke to me. He reminded me that the day was not about how beautiful my sweet baby looked in her dress, or that our family's outfits were so well-coordinated for our picture, or even that the camera batteries were charged. God reminded me that we were publicly making the committment to give our baby girl back to God--whatever He wanted for her life--to commit that to Him because she was His to begin with.

I was reminded of Hannah who also prayed for a child, Samuel. She told God in I Samuel 1:11--"O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then will I give him to the Lord all the days of his life." After Samuel was born, Hannah said in I Samuel 1:27-28--"For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord."

As long as you live, Charlotte, you are dedicated to the Lord.