Ushering in a new year...

I am having a hard time believing that 2007 is over and that a new year is upon us....ALREADY! Where did 2007 go????? Would you agree that the days pass faster and faster the older you get???

This year, as in most in the recent past, will be pretty low key. Having babies in the house makes New Year's Eve not quite as eventful as it was pre-kids, but that's not a problem for me. I'm not in the mood to be out and about, fighting crowds and traffic this year. I just want to be home. So that is what we are doing...staying home. A few of Ty's friends will come over and our neighbors too (who have a little one) to have dinner and then just hang out. Ty's trying out his new smoker that he got for Christmas. We'll do some ribs and tri-tip. Mmmmm....sounds yummy!

Would you believe that I haven't even picked up my camera ALL week??? Amazing, I know! **wink**. So that means no new pictures for today. Sorry. But, I DO have some pictures of past New Years Eves for ya. I could not, for the the life of me, recall how we ushered in the new year over the past several years, so I had to journey through my photographs to remind me.

Here is us on New Years Eve 2003 to 2004. Ty and I spent New Years with Krystal and Will (all pre-babies, of-course!) at Knott's Berry Farm. They were hosting a bunch of Christian bands and artists that night and we saw Jeremy Camp in concert. Pretty fun!


And 2004-2005....the night that I really started to feel pre-eclamptic and swollen. I was admitted that next day...


I have no pictures of the actual night of New Years 2005-2006, and I have NO idea how it was spent. Luke was just 11 months old. I can't remember if we went out or stayed home. We must've done something....we always do. We've never just spent a New Years at home alone. But, again, I can't recall, so here is a picture I took of Luke on the 31st.


And finally last year....we had just moved into our house 2 weeks prior. I was a mere 7 weeks pregnant with Ellie and we had some friends and family over for a chili dinner and games afterwards. We also celebrated Luke's birthday that night, since we didn't have a special party for him planned. Here is us having 2nd birthday cake!


Oh yes...BIRTHDAY...that reminds me. Just 3 short days until my sweet son has his golden birthday (he turns 3 on the 3rd). Has it already been three years! Sheesh! The party plans have been made, invitations sent and all of you within a 100 mile radius have all been invited (I don't think I forgot anyone!). I desperately wish ALL of you could come...even those of you with kiddos far away...(Heidi, Amy, Roni, Diana....well with a kiddo on the way for D.) And with all the plans for an outside Thomas The Train birthday party set for Luke this coming Saturday (were were planning to have a bounce house and everything!) I learned yesterday that it is forecasted to be pouring down rain Thursday through Sunday! Crumb!!! How crappy is that?! So....I've been in a mad scramble to make alternative plans. Not so easy of a task 5 days out! But, My Gym saved me and it sounds like they have some openings for a party this coming weekend. I'm not sure what time yet though...still have to talk to our friend Terra there. So, all of you blog fans who were planning on coming, just know that I will be emailing or calling you in the next day or so with updated birthday details. Hopefully, the change won't mean fewer guests, but I'm guessing that it might. :(

Well my friends...I should be going for now. There's laundry to be done, the dog to be walked and things to prepare for dinner tonight. I hope that you all have a fun and safe night tonight! Happy New Year!!

Christmas

I trust that you all had a wonderful holiday. I know that we sure did! It was busy, busy, busy, but wonderful nonetheless! Monday (Christmas Eve) was Christmas with my side of the family...my sister Jenn and the girls came up to my parent's house, and we treated the day as if it were Christmas, rather than Christmas Eve. We had breakfast and presents, then lounged around until dinner. So nice! Once dinner was through, our little family headed home to prepare for Santa's big arrival! Luke helped Ty prepare Santa's snack, with a little something for Rudolph as well, and then it was off to bed for a Christmas themed bedtime story and a good night's sleep before the big day.

Christmas Eve has always been so magical for me. As a child, I have many memories of lying in our darkened living room, gazing with awe up at a light-filled Christmas tree, and basking in the anticipation of all those glistening presents delightfully wrapped beneath the branches. Our Christmas Eve was much the same this year, only my anticipation was more focused on my kids rather than gifts wrapped with bows. I was eager to watch Luke open his gifts the following morning, and I delighted in all the magical moments of Christmas....setting out snacks for Santa, telling Luke to listen for reindeer hooves and jingle bells on the roof, turning out the lights at midnight and tiptoeing to bed with a giddy heart at the thought of what our son would find in the morning under the tree. And yes, of-course, lying silently in the darkened living room, relishing in the beauty of our lit Christmas tree with the fireplace crackling behind us. Ahhhhh......how much more beautiful can life get?????

When dawn came, I wasn't surprised to find that I was the first one awake. My eyes popped open at first light and I tiptoed downstairs to get some coffee and make sure that the dog hadn't eaten Santa's cookies! :) When I discovered that she HAD (the plate had been LICKED clean!) I quickly scrambled to replace the half-eaten cookie and crumbs that had been left there by Santa several hours before! A chocolate chip cookie isn't such a bad way to start off a morning, if I do say so myself :) It was followed shortly by a warm cup of coffee....not too shabby of a breakfast in my book! :) Ty was up soon after and we actually got to enjoy our coffee while I fed Ellie. When 7:45 rolled around and Luke was STILL not up, we scooped up Ellie and the video camera and made our way upstairs to wake our sleepyhead. Before we knew it, we were knee-high in wrapping paper and toys were spread all over the family room! :) What a delight it was to watch Luke on Christmas morning! We videoed the whole thing, but I'll just put together a quick montage of photos for ya, I think.

The biggest surprise (for me) of the morning came in the form of a little black velvet box, wrapped in a gold bow. Resting inside was the most beautiful diamond solitaire necklace that I have ever seen!! My husband......oh my sweet husband! I tear up just thinking about this. You see....our 'budget' to spend on one another this year wasn't much. We had decided to keep it pretty simple and to just get some smaller things for one another. But my dear husband decided to nix that plan. He had other things in mind, after all. Let me give you a little background so that you can understand why I cry at the thought of this beautiful diamond hanging 'round my neck....

Ever since we moved into this house, Ty has been planning, designing and working on his garage. Its always been a 'work in progress' since money has been tight. He has dreamed about putting in epoxy flooring, is in the process of building a custom work bench and just has big dreams in general for how he wants his garage to be. It is really important to him....something he talks about all the time. His 'retreat' so to speak. Well...all along, his plan has been that he would sell his dirtbike/motorcycle and use the proceeds(which really isn't much to begin with!) to finish as much of his garage as he could. We always agreed that his 'motorcycle money' was his to spend as he saw fit. It was his 'play money' so to speak, since there isn't a lot of room for extra stuff like a fancy garage with our one-income family. And when he finally found a buyer for his bike a few weeks ago, we were so excited to think that he would be able to finally start in on his 'garage plans'. Seriously friends.....he's talked about this garage ALL THE TIME! He has been so excited about it!!!

But as Christmas approached, my husband thought long and hard about what he wanted to buy me, and our small budget for one another just wouldn't cover it. So, what did he decide to do??? He took his dreams for an awesome garage and sacrificially put them aside in order to purchase a stunning necklace for his wife! He took what meant so much to him and gave it to me! I cry now as I type this. His gesture touched my heart so deeply and it meant the world to me! I didn't need a diamond necklace. And we certainly don't have the extra money to buy me one. But he knew that this diamond would mean so much to me. It is something that I will wear each and every day, just as I wear my wedding band.....for it represents to me my children....my husband...and now, his sacrificial love for me. Isn't he the most amazing man?! In his words, he 'just wanted me to know how much he loves me.' Oh, I most certainly do, Ty.....I most certainly do.

I apologize for being so long-winded today...there is just so much to share! :) But rather than continuing on in words, I will leave you with a montage of our holiday. It's a little lengthy...just to warn you, 'cause I added in a couple of video clips. And please excuse my raspy voice in the videos....I ended up loosing it completely later in the day! Anyhooo...enjoy the montage! :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Christmas wishes....

Since I wasn't able to carve out the time to send a traditional Christmas card to all of you who mean so much to us, I decided to post our holiday greetings here...which I will do in just a couple of minutes. Ellie and I had some time alone the other day when Luke spent the morning at Meemaw's house, so I took FULL advantage of the quiet time and did her four month photo shoot. It's tough to get pictures done with Luke around, as he doesn't like it much when Ellie is the center of my attention...understandably so. And its even tougher to get Luke to be involved when I'd like him to be in the pictures. He nearly flat out refuses now, which is why our Christmas greetings are just of Ellie. :(

I highly doubt, with all the hustle and bustle of the next few days, that I will be able to get online to post again. There are birthday parties to attend, a house to clean, presents to wrap (yes...STILL!) and a bit more baking to do. And to top it all off, I have come down with a terrible sore throat and body aches. Argh! Why do these illnesses always come during the holidays???? We were all sick for Thanksgiving too! But so far, I am the only one affected. I'm sure Ellie will have it soon though, as I am always touching and kissing on her and was doing so before I knew I was ill. :( And poor Ty....I pray he doesn't get this round...he is STILL working on getting over our Thanksgiving bug. Yes....STILL! He has been sick for weeks and weeks....just finally went to the doctor a few days ago for some antibiotics and is starting to sound like himself again. Phew!

Anyhoo....I hope that you all have a beautiful Christmas with your loved ones close! I am very much looking forward to this Christmas morning and seeing Luke's face as he opens his gifts! He has really taken to the idea of Christmas this year. It has taken on a magic that makes my heart swell! :) And the most delightful part for me is that he understands that Christmas is first and foremost about Jesus and secondly about Santa. We talk about both. Santa is essentially Jesus' helper....helping to spread Jesus' joy, love and grace. So....from our home to yours, may you all hold the true meaning of Christmas close this holiday season and may your year to come be full of His blessings!

Sending love to each of you....

Ever heard of Wordless Wednesdays? Well, an online friend of mine occasionally does them for a break from the routine. She posts mostly pictures rather than a written blog for the day. And having decided to end my brief hiatus, I think a good way to ease back into blog land is to do a Thursday version of Wordless Wednesdays. So without further ado here are some of the things we've been keeping busy with.....

Gingerbread house makin'











The finished product...





And the children were nestled all snug in their beds....



A visit with Santa....and a very scared little Luke! (sorry the quality is so bad....I had to scan it in)



And to end my "Wordless Thursday", here is a sweet picture of my Ellie Belly, who turned four months old on the 16th **snif, snif**

The last few blogs have been deleted....it was getting out of hand. It makes me sad to see that the first and only time I attempted to venture out of my comfort zone and actually share my opinion about something that was important to me, it was met with so much drama. That was completely not my intention. I guess I'll be more careful in the future...