December 2011

 

Hello dear family and friends, we hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Thank you for all the sweet comments/emails about Madi.  Jay and Angie are hanging in there and are very grateful for all of your prayers…

Well, on the best food day of the year, we were unfortunately all struck with a serious stomach bug.  So in between watching people enjoy Thanksgiving feast after Thanksgiving feast, we stayed in bed sipping gatorade and took turns cleaning up the kids diarrhea and throw up.  Taylor had diarrhea for 4 straight weeks (accompanied by a rash)!  However, if it had to happen we are thankful it did before the baby arrives!

Here we are the day after Thanksgiving cutting down our Christmas tree—fortunately we had the help of Trey and Grandma Becky! 

It has been a very mild winter here in Atlanta, which works out well for Tay because she probably hates jackets/coats more than anything in the world. 

Here she is in the backyard giving us the countdown for a plunge into the leaves!

And check out the “corn box” at a fall festival. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other November news includes:  1.  Jackson finished his beloved soccer season, only to begin basketball (which is “just ok because they don’t let us steal the ball and they also make us stop so the defense can get ready”).  But he loves every sport and seems to enjoy it enough.  2.  I got diagnosed with gestational diabetes—I’m still in denial!  I have to check my sugars by pricking my finger 4 times a day, but I am able to control it by adding more protein to every snack/meal.  Oh and no juice (I was kind of addicted to ‘Simply Orange’ orange juice).  3.  Tay moved to her big-girl bed!  It was actually easier than we anticipated.  So the nursery is ready for baby brother.  We are still struggling with potty training.  When she is naked, she does perfectly—no accidents.  But the moment we put underwear/pants/clothes on her bottom, she thinks it’s a diaper and holds nothing back :).  4.  Tay got her first paycheck!  Here are the photos from the shoot:                   

Don’t ask me how they got these 2 shots…She was TOUGH!

 

Not bad for 30 minutes of work—more than I ever made!

 

December was magical for the kids…They are at the perfect age for Christmas.  They get the whole Santa thing, and they BELIEVE!  For some reason Jackson had 3 advent calendars—1.  chocolates; 2. Hariboro gummies; and 3.  Christmas activities.  It was hard to think of 24 activities!  After the typical:  make cookies for neighbors, decorate tree, write Christmas cards, Secret Santa for a needy family, decorate a gingerbread house, watching the Grinch Stole Christmas, wrap presents, go see Santa, etc…we started getting desperate.  We had activity's that said:enjoy a Christmas pomegranate, or savor a candy cane.  But the kids LOVED it, so I think it is a tradition we’ll be forced to continue.

Jackson was a shepherd in the church Christmas play—he nailed it!  :)

The best part about Christmas, is that almost all the family is around.  And this year it worked out that we got to host!  We had 11 people for Christmas morning:  Mom, Dad, Jeff, Becky, John, Esther, Muck, Scott, Jackson, Taylor, and me (13 if you count Chip and Renita on Christmas Eve)!  Preceding Christmas day, Scott’s siblings dazzled us each night with ethnic food—we had a Hmong feast and an Indian feast.  I’ve been craving both meals ever since!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Christmas Eve, we had a touching devotional about what Christmas meant to us.  There were Christmas carols (in English and Spanish), and many references to the Savior.  This year was particular special given that John and Becky will not be with us over the next 3 Christmases (leaving for a mission this summer). 

When the big day finally arrived, it did not disappoint!

The kids of course were completely spoiled.  But what can you expect with both sets of grandparents there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackson received:  golf clubs, hockey guys, a football helmet, army fatigues, rocket launcher, Chess 3 (computer game), and a play mobile. 

Taylor got:  a scooter, trains and trains and trains, bead maker, Dora Leapster game.  Every time she would open a present she would squeal at the top of her lungs “OH MY GOODNESS!!!” 

Scott and I did well too.  Receiving a camera, crepe pan (which came in handy for Christmas morning breakfast), serrated spoons, gloves, maternity shirt, iTunes gift card, target gift card, best buy gift card, and some fun little presents for the baby.

After a big breakfast (crepes and Becky’s famous egg casserole), we headed to church and then off to Scott’s extended family Christmas, then my parents house for another Christmas (poor Dad is never pictured, because he is always busy taking the pictures!).  It was the perfect day and the best Christmas I can remember—especially since Scott got the entire following week off to just stay at home and play!

Now we are really just biding our time until this little guy arrives.  It is hard to believe that my next entry we’ll have another member of our family.  I can’t wait to meet him, and see who God has selected to join our family.

This last week leading up to New Years has been so fun.  Scott just finished up a project right before Christmas, so he was truly ‘off’ all week.  We rode bikes at Chastain, brought the kids to Catch Air (indoor playground), and even went to a friends lake house in AL for New Year’s Eve weekend.  The best part was that Scott had all the guys go wakeboarding on New Year’s Eve day.  However, he reports it was nothing compared to last years Polar Bear Plunge in Lake Michigan!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackson was horrified that Scott attempted a flip without a helmet!  Ha!

Well we wish you all increased health, happiness, and faith in 2012.

May God be with you and your families.  We love you all,

 

TFK