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Monday, November 30, 2009
Simply having a WONDERFUL Christmastime!
So Thanksgiving has come and gone and now it's time for the big leagues, the heavy hitter of holidays and my alltime favorite...CHRISTMAS! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas and everything that goes with it! I don't want to be one of "those people" who just skip Thanksgiving all together...you know the ones who go straight from Halloween to Christmas but I must admit it takes all of my self control to not break out "Elvis sings Christmas" (my very very fave) in the middle of November! But the wait is OVER...Christmas time is here...HOORAY!
Today, the girls and I decorated the house and tree. I must admit I'm pretty impressed that I was able to get the tree in the stand all by myself! Once I got the tree up and the lights on it was time for my little helpers to get busy! The girls had so much fun! We popped in The Grinch and watched and decorated and sang along and just had a Great time.
We also got out our nativity set and got everyone situated to wait for Baby Jesus' arrival! The girls played and played and finally got everyone settled into the perfect place. It made me think about Advent and that we too are in a season of waiting for his arrival. I want that wait to be special and worthwhile...I want to really reflect on the things I have rather than the things I want. I want to be waiting and watching and anticipating the wonder and excitement and even the uncertainty and fear that the first visitors to the stable felt and see Christmas through a different set of eyes! While I love all of the trappings and hustle and bustle that comes with Christmas and I too can get caught up in Christmas specials and food and fun and even finding THE perfect gift, I also want to remember the real reason for the season and even more importantly teach my girls why we celebrate! So, this Christmas more than ever, I am thankful that God so loved the world (and me in particular) that he sent his ONLY son that I can have eternal life with HIM!
Today, the girls and I decorated the house and tree. I must admit I'm pretty impressed that I was able to get the tree in the stand all by myself! Once I got the tree up and the lights on it was time for my little helpers to get busy! The girls had so much fun! We popped in The Grinch and watched and decorated and sang along and just had a Great time.
We also got out our nativity set and got everyone situated to wait for Baby Jesus' arrival! The girls played and played and finally got everyone settled into the perfect place. It made me think about Advent and that we too are in a season of waiting for his arrival. I want that wait to be special and worthwhile...I want to really reflect on the things I have rather than the things I want. I want to be waiting and watching and anticipating the wonder and excitement and even the uncertainty and fear that the first visitors to the stable felt and see Christmas through a different set of eyes! While I love all of the trappings and hustle and bustle that comes with Christmas and I too can get caught up in Christmas specials and food and fun and even finding THE perfect gift, I also want to remember the real reason for the season and even more importantly teach my girls why we celebrate! So, this Christmas more than ever, I am thankful that God so loved the world (and me in particular) that he sent his ONLY son that I can have eternal life with HIM!
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| Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees |
"Mom, you always put hot sauce on food, NEVER on children!" and other holiday happenings!
One of the MANY MANY funny things heard in our car during the holiday travel! This particular jewel was said when I told Annie that if she couldn't leave her nose alone I would put hot sauce on her fingers and it would hurt the next time she decided to dig around. I know, I'm a mean mama! but I can't stand nose picking from my pretty little girls!
As is the case with most everyone I'm sure, we had a super busy holiday week! Busy but FUN! We spent a lot of time in the car-so worth it since we were able to visit with lots of family and friends.
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving we loaded up and headed to Grandmother's house. Josh and I were able to go out for the night to see a play that several of his youth were in and enjoy some quality adult time at dinner! Yay! The following morning we woke up to a big surprise..Emma and Annie (well mostly Annie) had colored all over Emma's face with a pink highlighter! What nuts!
We spent a few funfilled days in Gadsden and were able to see lots of family-we had lunch with Aunt Jane, Frank, Virgina, Sarah and Anna and the girls got to bake a cake with Aunt Jane in the "little oven". They have the best time doing this and it's a good thing because it takes FOREVER for the cake to bake! On a less happy note, it was at this very lunch party that I dropped my cell phone in the toliet...YUCK! Amazingly, it is still working at least for the time being :)
After spending a few days in Gadsden we all (Grandmother included) crawled into the car and headed to Chattanooga to spend Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad and the boys! We got there a little before Matthew came in from school and got to spend several days with mom and dad. On Wednesday, Matthew, the girls and I delivered food to Dad's office for their Thanksgiving lunch then spent the afternoon just hanging out. Finally the big day arrived! Now, unlike most people I am not a big fan of "Thanksgivning food." I don't love turkey or all of the casseroles and sides that go along with it but we had a really good Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends at the Wilson's house. We really do have LOTS to be thankful for!
On Friday (the day we were REALLY waiting for) Josh and I got up bright and early and headed to Auburn for the Iron Bowl! What a fun day! We saw lots of old and new friends, spent some time wandering around campus, ate at some of our favorite "Auburn" places and cheered for our Tigers! The game was so much fun....and so exciting! AND Auburn did GREAT! For a team that was picked to lose by 21 points they showed up and showed exactly what it means to be an AUBURN TIGER! They really were awesome! I hate it that we didn't pull it off but they sure did make this Auburn girl proud! :) After the game, we headed back to Chattanooga and crawled in the bed....we were so exhausted!
On Saturday we had the best time just bumming around Chatanooga with the family! It's so funny how you can have the MOST fun just hanging out and playing around. We decided to head downtown (if you haven't been lately, Chattanooga has a GREAT family friendly downtown) and look at the boats and just wander around in the park. The girsl ran and played, climbed on the animal statues and rode the carosel. AND just when we thought the day couldn't get any better we wandered over to this big grassy hill where people slide down on cardboard boxes. So much fun! The girls absolutely LOVED it! Uncle Daniel even came to play with us! It really was a great day!
That evening we headed back to mom and dad's and made pictures for mom's Christmas card (Emma colored on her face again...this time in orange!) AND got the cards themselves finished that night! Are we on the ball or what?!?!
Like I said a wonderful but BUSY Thanksgivng holiday! Now to get out the Christmas decorations and start shopping!
As is the case with most everyone I'm sure, we had a super busy holiday week! Busy but FUN! We spent a lot of time in the car-so worth it since we were able to visit with lots of family and friends.
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving we loaded up and headed to Grandmother's house. Josh and I were able to go out for the night to see a play that several of his youth were in and enjoy some quality adult time at dinner! Yay! The following morning we woke up to a big surprise..Emma and Annie (well mostly Annie) had colored all over Emma's face with a pink highlighter! What nuts!
We spent a few funfilled days in Gadsden and were able to see lots of family-we had lunch with Aunt Jane, Frank, Virgina, Sarah and Anna and the girls got to bake a cake with Aunt Jane in the "little oven". They have the best time doing this and it's a good thing because it takes FOREVER for the cake to bake! On a less happy note, it was at this very lunch party that I dropped my cell phone in the toliet...YUCK! Amazingly, it is still working at least for the time being :)
After spending a few days in Gadsden we all (Grandmother included) crawled into the car and headed to Chattanooga to spend Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad and the boys! We got there a little before Matthew came in from school and got to spend several days with mom and dad. On Wednesday, Matthew, the girls and I delivered food to Dad's office for their Thanksgiving lunch then spent the afternoon just hanging out. Finally the big day arrived! Now, unlike most people I am not a big fan of "Thanksgivning food." I don't love turkey or all of the casseroles and sides that go along with it but we had a really good Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends at the Wilson's house. We really do have LOTS to be thankful for!
On Friday (the day we were REALLY waiting for) Josh and I got up bright and early and headed to Auburn for the Iron Bowl! What a fun day! We saw lots of old and new friends, spent some time wandering around campus, ate at some of our favorite "Auburn" places and cheered for our Tigers! The game was so much fun....and so exciting! AND Auburn did GREAT! For a team that was picked to lose by 21 points they showed up and showed exactly what it means to be an AUBURN TIGER! They really were awesome! I hate it that we didn't pull it off but they sure did make this Auburn girl proud! :) After the game, we headed back to Chattanooga and crawled in the bed....we were so exhausted!
On Saturday we had the best time just bumming around Chatanooga with the family! It's so funny how you can have the MOST fun just hanging out and playing around. We decided to head downtown (if you haven't been lately, Chattanooga has a GREAT family friendly downtown) and look at the boats and just wander around in the park. The girsl ran and played, climbed on the animal statues and rode the carosel. AND just when we thought the day couldn't get any better we wandered over to this big grassy hill where people slide down on cardboard boxes. So much fun! The girls absolutely LOVED it! Uncle Daniel even came to play with us! It really was a great day!
That evening we headed back to mom and dad's and made pictures for mom's Christmas card (Emma colored on her face again...this time in orange!) AND got the cards themselves finished that night! Are we on the ball or what?!?!
Like I said a wonderful but BUSY Thanksgivng holiday! Now to get out the Christmas decorations and start shopping!
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| Happy Thanksgiving! |
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Gymnastics!
Just a few photos of Annie and her friends enjoying gymnastics! These girls sure do have a blast! :)
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| Gymnastics! |
Annie T's Thanksgiving Program
Today was Annie's Thanksgivng program at school. It was adorable. Annie was a pilgram woman...they really were the cutest things ever! She and the other 4k kids did an awesome job! They are learning so much! They recited the pledge to the American flag, the Christian flag and the Bible along with singing a handful of cute Thanksgiving songs, a special Thanksgiving blessing and Psalm 100 (Yep, the WHOLE psalm)! I am just so impressed with all that Annie is learning and so thankful that she has the opportunity to go to a school that focuses not only on academic development but on spiritual development too. Everyday she comes home talking about her Bible verse or Bible story or song she learned to go along with her story or verse. I am so glad she is able to hide these things in her heart at such a young age!
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his prescence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to the Lord and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his prescence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to the Lord and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100
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| Thanksgiving Program |
One Year Old!
It's so hard to believe it but my sweet Gracie is ONE!!! One year old! Time really really flies! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing home our tiny (HA! 8lbs 9ozs) little one and now she is a big girl! It's so funny, after her birthday on Saturday she just seemed bigger...more and more like a little girl and less like a baby!
We had a great weekend even though Josh couldn't be here with us to celebrate (he had Disciple Now that weekend). Mom and Dad and Daniel and Grandmother came to celebrate Gracie's special day! We had cupcakes and icecream and Gracie's favorite dinner (more like Annie and Emma's favorite)! Overall, just a really pleasant day!
Here are a few things I am loving right now about my sweet Gracie:
*Gracie is all smiles ALL of the time! She is just the most content, most pleasant kiddo I know. As long as you are in the room with her she is just happy to be hanging out!
*She loves her sisters. All it takes is for Annie or Emma to walk into the room and Gracie's whole face lights up! She lights up for Mom and Dad too! It just melts your heart and makes your whole day when she looks at you like that.
*Gracie's favorite expression/activity is to say "yay!" and clap. She does it several times a day...again she is just so content with life!
*This girl is a great eater and is so excited to sit at the table and eat a meal or a snack....it cracks me up!
Everyday, I am so thankful that this little bundle of joy is mine! That I get to love her and snuggle with her and teach her right from wrong. What an awesome responsibility and privilege!
Here's a picture of the birthday girl (a little early) with Daddy and Emma! :)
We had a great weekend even though Josh couldn't be here with us to celebrate (he had Disciple Now that weekend). Mom and Dad and Daniel and Grandmother came to celebrate Gracie's special day! We had cupcakes and icecream and Gracie's favorite dinner (more like Annie and Emma's favorite)! Overall, just a really pleasant day!
Here are a few things I am loving right now about my sweet Gracie:
*Gracie is all smiles ALL of the time! She is just the most content, most pleasant kiddo I know. As long as you are in the room with her she is just happy to be hanging out!
*She loves her sisters. All it takes is for Annie or Emma to walk into the room and Gracie's whole face lights up! She lights up for Mom and Dad too! It just melts your heart and makes your whole day when she looks at you like that.
*Gracie's favorite expression/activity is to say "yay!" and clap. She does it several times a day...again she is just so content with life!
*This girl is a great eater and is so excited to sit at the table and eat a meal or a snack....it cracks me up!
Everyday, I am so thankful that this little bundle of joy is mine! That I get to love her and snuggle with her and teach her right from wrong. What an awesome responsibility and privilege!
Here's a picture of the birthday girl (a little early) with Daddy and Emma! :)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Annie vs. Wild!
Tonight I was in the kitchen when I found a little visitor! An univited one at that! I found a little green lizard making his way across the kitchen floor. Now, I know in my head that this little guy was not scary but I just couldn't make myself reach out and grab him. I called Annie and asked her to bring me the bug catcher thinking maybe I could just scoop him up and toss him outside. Annie brought it and when she saw the lizard she was beside herself....she was so excited! "Can I catch it, Mom? Can we keep it?" Why yes, Annie you can catch it! My fearless little one reached out and grabbed that lizard by the tail in no time flat! :) Here are a few pics of Annie and her buddy before we turned him loose in the wilds of the back yard! 
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Homecoming on the Plains!
This year for we decided to take the girls to Homecoming on the Plains. They were so excited! Since Josh and I have season tickets the girls have spent lots of time in Auburn but this would be the first time they had actually gone to the game. You see, Josh and I are kinda strange in that we actually like to WATCH the game and we realize that three kids (girls none the less) are not quite conducive to actually watching football. So, this weekend was the girls' football debut....well, college football at least. They have been to lots of Uncle Daniel's games so we figured they were totally up for the challenge! Oh, how little did we know!
Our started out bright and early. We left home around 7:30 and headed for Auburn. Emma and I had the cutest conversation in the car on the way. It went something like this
Me: Emma, what do you want to see in Auburn?
Emma: Aubie and the cheerleaders
Me: Ok, what about the band?
Emma: Yep.
Me: What about the football players?
Emma: Yep...I wanna see Uncle Daniel!
SO cute! The only football games the girls have been to have been Daniel's so I guess he is the only football player Emma knows! I explained that this wasn't Uncle Daniel's team but it might be in a few years! :)
When we got to Auburn, we ran by and picked up Chris and Megan and headed for the Ag roundup. Megan works for the college of Ag so we decided to check it out. It actually was really fun....the girls had their fill of yummy Alabama snacks!:) On the way to the Ag roundup we checked into getting tickets for the girls. We talked to a few people selling tickets but there were no deals to be found so we continued on our way. After talking to one particularly lovely (or not) gentleman (again or not!) an older gentleman came up to me and asked me how many tickets I needed. I told him I needed three for my little girls. Then, get this, he pulled out three tickets and handed them to me and told us to enjoy the game with our girls! What a nice thing to do! AND we were so excited not to pay for tickets for our sweet yet totally inattentive girls!
After Ag roundup we headed into the staduim. We got situated (in the blazing hot November sun) just in time to see the Eagle fly...something not to be missed! and to sing God Bless America and the National Anthem. You should have heard my sweet Annie sing her heart out! So cute! Then it was game time! Please don't aske me anything about it...I don't think I saw a single play! We had to get snacks, then go to the bathroom, then go down to the field and talk to Aubie, then get more snacks! What an exhausting game! We ended up only staying until halftime....the first time I have ever and I do mean ever left before the game was over! But even I was ready to get out of there!
We left the staudium and wandered around campus for awhile and then headed over to Toomer's Corner for some lemodnade and to see the "toliet paper tree"! Such fun and sweet memories for our girls! After Toomer's Corner we headed back to ACF for Perry's famous BBQ and Brunswick stew and a visit before heading back to Megan and Chris' for the night. What an fun day for the Thompson family! :)
Our started out bright and early. We left home around 7:30 and headed for Auburn. Emma and I had the cutest conversation in the car on the way. It went something like this
Me: Emma, what do you want to see in Auburn?
Emma: Aubie and the cheerleaders
Me: Ok, what about the band?
Emma: Yep.
Me: What about the football players?
Emma: Yep...I wanna see Uncle Daniel!
SO cute! The only football games the girls have been to have been Daniel's so I guess he is the only football player Emma knows! I explained that this wasn't Uncle Daniel's team but it might be in a few years! :)
When we got to Auburn, we ran by and picked up Chris and Megan and headed for the Ag roundup. Megan works for the college of Ag so we decided to check it out. It actually was really fun....the girls had their fill of yummy Alabama snacks!:) On the way to the Ag roundup we checked into getting tickets for the girls. We talked to a few people selling tickets but there were no deals to be found so we continued on our way. After talking to one particularly lovely (or not) gentleman (again or not!) an older gentleman came up to me and asked me how many tickets I needed. I told him I needed three for my little girls. Then, get this, he pulled out three tickets and handed them to me and told us to enjoy the game with our girls! What a nice thing to do! AND we were so excited not to pay for tickets for our sweet yet totally inattentive girls!
After Ag roundup we headed into the staduim. We got situated (in the blazing hot November sun) just in time to see the Eagle fly...something not to be missed! and to sing God Bless America and the National Anthem. You should have heard my sweet Annie sing her heart out! So cute! Then it was game time! Please don't aske me anything about it...I don't think I saw a single play! We had to get snacks, then go to the bathroom, then go down to the field and talk to Aubie, then get more snacks! What an exhausting game! We ended up only staying until halftime....the first time I have ever and I do mean ever left before the game was over! But even I was ready to get out of there!
We left the staudium and wandered around campus for awhile and then headed over to Toomer's Corner for some lemodnade and to see the "toliet paper tree"! Such fun and sweet memories for our girls! After Toomer's Corner we headed back to ACF for Perry's famous BBQ and Brunswick stew and a visit before heading back to Megan and Chris' for the night. What an fun day for the Thompson family! :)
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| Homecoming on the Plains! |
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Childlike Faith
Tonight as the girls and I were getting ready for bed I noticed some writing on the wall....literally. Annie had written all over the wall, her bed, her window sill, and her bookcase. This is not the first time this has happened!:( This has been a REALLY long week already and I was pretty much at my wit's end so this almost pushed me over the edge!
So, Annie and I started talking about how we only write on PAPER! And I asked her why she wrote on the wall. She said "I don't know...I don't want to do bad things." Don't we all feel that way! So we kept talking and I told her that even though she had done something wrong and even though I was disappointed because of what she did I still loved her-I always love her. Then she said something pretty profound (out of the mouths of babes, right?). She said just like Jesus always love us. I said yep and went onto say our bedtime prayers. After finishing our prayers Annie and I had a really interesting (and surprisingly deep) conversation. It went something like this:
Annie: Mom, I love that Jesus died on the cross.
Me: You do?
Annie: Yep, don't you?
Me: Well....why do you love that Jesus died on the cross?
Annie: Because he makes our hearts clean! AND helps us not do bad things anymore.
It's really amazing to me how much (and at the same time how little) she understands about being a Christian already. I know she has a long way to go before her faith is her own and not just something she's been taught but I'm so thankful I get to be a part of watching her faith grow and mature into something that can sustain her through ALL times!
So, Annie and I started talking about how we only write on PAPER! And I asked her why she wrote on the wall. She said "I don't know...I don't want to do bad things." Don't we all feel that way! So we kept talking and I told her that even though she had done something wrong and even though I was disappointed because of what she did I still loved her-I always love her. Then she said something pretty profound (out of the mouths of babes, right?). She said just like Jesus always love us. I said yep and went onto say our bedtime prayers. After finishing our prayers Annie and I had a really interesting (and surprisingly deep) conversation. It went something like this:
Annie: Mom, I love that Jesus died on the cross.
Me: You do?
Annie: Yep, don't you?
Me: Well....why do you love that Jesus died on the cross?
Annie: Because he makes our hearts clean! AND helps us not do bad things anymore.
It's really amazing to me how much (and at the same time how little) she understands about being a Christian already. I know she has a long way to go before her faith is her own and not just something she's been taught but I'm so thankful I get to be a part of watching her faith grow and mature into something that can sustain her through ALL times!
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