Christmas Part 2

Christmas afternoon my family took its traditional trip to the capitol to see all the decorations. Gracie loved them! And here she is in her cute new outfit from Nana and Grandpa.

The huge tree with hand-painted ornaments from each county in Arkansas.

Gracie's favorite activity of course--climbing the stairs. When they got to the top and were ready to go down, though, she said "Oh no! Up!" But soon wanted to go down herself afterall.

Attempting a nice posed picture.More like it!

Well, we tried.

Christmas last year at the capitol!Don't you love Gracie's curly mohawk?
Christmas night, Clay's parents (Mimi (Mi) and Papa (Pa)) came into town, along with his sister Dana (Na) and her hubby Matt (she says Matt fully!). Dana and Matt cooked delicious chili in bread bowls and had all kinds of delicious snacks and treats to go along with the meal. Here is Gracie in her new rocking chair from Mimi and Papa--a huge hit!

And the day after Christmas, all dressed up in her new Christmas coat from her great uncle Bobby and aunt Jo Lynn and her new winter coat from Mimi.

Gracie and Aunt Dana. Everyone went over to my parent's house for brunch the day after Christmas. It was fun to have both our families together on Christmas day after!

What a great Christmas! Wish I had some up close shots of all the family, but I spent most of the day sitting down and enjoying everyone's company instead!

Christmas Part 1

We had a fabulous Christmas this year. It began on Christmas Eve at my parent's house. Here is their lovely tree. My mom goes to a Christmas tree farm every year and picks out the perfect tree! That night we had our Christmas Eve traditional meal--cornish game hens, baked with red potatoes, carrots, and onions, in a garlicky butter sauce--yum! Gracie loves Nana (Na) and Grandpa (Pa) and of course the Cat. She asks for the cat all the time, but is actually a little skiddish around the cat because the cat is skiddish around her. My mom or dad has to hold her down so Gracie can pet her.

Me and my big ol' belly!

Christmas morning at our house! Here is our tree and you can see the grocery buggy Santa brought Gracie. We decided to tell Gracie there is a story about a man named Santa, just like there is a story of Peter Pan or Cinderella. She obviously didn't get it all, but was very excited at the present!

Our tree once my parents arrived with their loot!

Gracie's favorite present from Nana and Grandpa--pajamas that she carried around with her most of the day!

And a book from mom and dad!

Part 2 to come soon!

From the Photographer

Graeme was the resident photographer on our recent trip to Tanyard Springs. Here are some of his shots--they're fantastic!

Hugs!

What's up?!?!?!?!

Yummy dinner, Layla!

Sweet friends and happy memories!

Belly Shot

I am now 36 weeks and 4 days prego, and this pic was taken about a week ago. Sorry, baby boy, that I haven't taken more of these shots! Time is just flying! On another note, I actually thought I might be going into labor last night. I was in bed and started having bad lower back pain. I got up and went to the couch, and also got really shaky. I called the after hours doctor, and by the time he returned my call the pain had subsided, never to return. Could the boy come early? We'll see!

Tanyard Springs and Reflections

We just got back from an absolutely phenomenal weekend in Tanyard Springs with two other couples from our house church. The weekend was incredibly energizing in so many ways. It truly felt like we were on a trip with family. Each family provided different meals, and mealtime was always my favorite as we got to sit down at one huge table together. I'm pretty sure it used to be a conference table, so it could seat all of us plus the kiddos. Here we are enjoying Layla's baked zitti--yummy! Another highlight was staying up late (the adults) and playing games. Mad Gab, Graeme's version of the newlywed game, and Apples to Apples were a ton of fun. And I am pretty sure one day years from now I will burst into laughter as I remember some of the embarrassing moments that were shared when we played the newlywed game. But don't worry, to those of you involved--my lips are sealed!

Reese quickly discovered the best place to play--in the kitchen cabinets! She did this all weekend and had so much fun!Grace's favorite pastime was blowing her nose on a wipe and then "cleaning" the huge picture windows in the house. This huge window had amazing views, but unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures of them! Gracie had trouble adjusting the first night and was up with us pretty late. But by the next day she took naps and went to bed at 7:30 Saturday and slept until 7 on Sunday. On Saturday the guys and Reagan hiked down to the waterfall. It looks absolutely gorgeous. I want to go back and see it myself!Each morning, Graeme led in a devotional around the breakfast table. And Sunday morning we gathered together and celebrated Advent. Advent has been new for most of us, and I have really enjoyed it. Advent looks at the birth of Christ with the expectation of His second coming. To me it has been a more complete look at Christmas, and I can honestly say it has been the best Christmas ever as we have read scripture and prayers together, as well as singing songs about Christ and his second coming. Next year our family hopes to also do the daily scripture readings as well as the weekly readings. As you can see, Reese was totally into the candles on the Advent wreath!

On the way home, Clay and I reflected about the weekend. It was amazing to me that we felt so totally energized, when you would expect us to be exhausted (although we all took pretty good naps Sunday afternoon!). I think a couple of things energized us--one, being able to spend so much time with friends in an un-rushed way. There was no agenda to follow, just having fun. Another thing that really energized was being able to share our lives with one another. Each family had time to share things going on in each of our lives. As we each deal with taking steps of faith in our Christian journey, it was so wonderful to be able to share our concerns, needs, and our excitements about the future. John 13:34-35 says"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." For the first time in my life, I am beginning to understand those verses. Others will know of Christ because of our love for each other. And as we have been a part of this house church, I have seen our love for one another grow. We actually talked one morning about what that means to have love for one another. It is so much more than being nice to each other on Sunday mornings and then going on about our weeks as isolated families. It is more about truly sharing life together. We all believe we've only just scratched the surface of what it means to love one another, but this weekend got to experience more of it, and even talked about how to be more in community with one another when we return home.

What a great weekend! Thanks Ramseys and Goldings for making it so special! Oh, and Graeme took a fantastic group shot that I'll post as soon as he sends it!

Recent Fun

Gracie and I had a playdate with Iris and Kekoa over Thanksgiving break. The kids were so sweet together. For those of you who don't know Kekoa, he was born 4 days before Gracie. We always have fun with these special friends! Here we are at Chick-fil-a. They loved the balloons.

Our fabulous friends Luke, Courtney, and dog Lucy from Savannah came for a visit on their way to Rogers for Thanksgiving. We love Luke and Courtney so much! We are able to be our goofiest with these friends, we always pick up where we left off, and are already planning another friend vacation with them! Gracie loved them too, she just wasn't in a picture mood.

Gracie loved Lucy. I think she enjoyed playing with a dog more her size! Lucy was great with Gracie too.