Sunday, December 25, 2011

~Merry Christmas from our family to yours~

We hope your Christmas day is filled with the love and hope of Jesus Christ.


Malayna is already stealing Isaac's food. Let the fun begin!



Isaac helping his lil' sis with her presents.



Happy Christmas morning baby.


A duck!


"I'm getting sleeeeeepy!"



Malayna's second baby doll this Christmas. We need to work on being gentle with the baby!

What could this be?


Isaac and Daddy made me cinnamon rolls and brought them to me for breakfast in bed on Christmas Eve morning.



Poor Malayna was so sleepy at Grandma and Grandpa's. She was trooper, though, and even stayed awake for our Christmas Eve service.


Merry Christmas!!!!!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

These are a few of my favorite (Christmas!) things!

Of course these two handsome guys are my on my favorite things list!


* Watching Isaac trace letters and looking up at me saying, "How is that 'E', Mom?"
* Malayna crawling all over the place with her favorite Dollar Tree ball. She carries things around with her when she crawls, and who knew that a three pack of dollar store balls would be such a hit?
* Getting braces!! I had them in high school, but the orthodontist dropped the ball on me. He took them off too early, and my teeth shifted quickly. For so long we debated whether or not for me to get braces. The Lord has graciously blessed us through a friend who works for an orthodontist. She is giving me her "professional courtesy" discount, which means the price is greatly reduced!! I'll have lingual braces that go on the back of my teeth. I might talk funny for a few weeks, so no poking fun!!
* Christmas music playing, beautiful Christmas tree sparkling, and yummy coffee in hand.
* A wonderful visit with my dad, Uncle J.P., Aunt Donna, and Pappy Jack. This was the first time my dad has seen Malayna. He was so good with her... just wanted to sit and hold her. My pappy will be 91 this month and loves the Lord. He is gentle, humble and truly a blessing in my life. I love him dearly and am so thankful we got to visit this past weekend. (We also inherited a plethora of grapefruit, fresh from my dad's Florida grapefruit tree!)
* My accountability gals. The Lord has grown us so deeply in the past few years. I'm a pretty open person, but some things are hard to share regardless of one's personality. These women allow me to share my good times and bad and continue to love me through it all and hold me accountable for my attitude and actions.
* Shane and Shane and Phil Wickham concert date with Matt... Malayna tagged along, too! The three of those guys sound so great together. Malayna and I got to meet them before the show... so friendly and down to earth. We hope they come back for another Christmas tour next year. You really should get tickets if they do!
* Phil Wickham's Christmas c.d. It has a vintage 70s feel to it. It's wonderful.
* Sucanat - I tried this for the first time a few weeks ago. It's unrefined cane sugar. It has a bit of a caramel flavor due to the molasses content. Sugar in its natural state - I'm hooked!
* Isaac doing an incredible job at his preschool Christmas program. Oh my, pure cuteness. I got some great video that I'll upload soon.
* Seeing Isaac and Malayna love on each other.
* Good Christmas deals. I even stocked up on some things to give our nephews for next year. Can't resist a good sale!
* These yummy gingerbread cookies. A friend brought them to Isaac's co-op Christmas party. They are gluten-free, but you would never know. I made them at home and used honey instead of molasses. I didn't have any on hand, but I like them a lot better with molasses. I also used an egg because we're not vegan. I think you need to use two eggs to help hold the batter together better. She topped them with this delicious spiced buttercream icing. Mmm... such a great holiday treat.
* Two new open cardigans. Can't resist buying them either.
* Stumbling into a new blog.
* A cozy, snowflake Christmas mug.

Do you have any faves this Christmas season?

Monday, December 19, 2011