Christmas Traditions Part 1 - Tree and Bethlehem

I love this time of year... I love Christmas!  We love to decorate for Christmas... I think Nathan enjoys it as much (if not more than I do) Nathan started decorating the outside of the house the week before Thanksgiving.  Mainly because of his work schedule and we would be out of town for Thanksgiving so we wanted to get a jump start on it.

We also have a few traditions each year that we like to do.  I'm hoping going to the Live Bethlehem will become a yearly tradition... it was pretty crowded so I don't know if I can talk Nathan into it again LOL!

So anywho... gotta have a tree to decorate! 

 and here is my mantel all decorated... I love having so many stocking hanging from there :)

At Ponte Vedre Beach a church puts on a wonderful very life like Live Nativity.  It is a whole city to recreate what Bethlehem was like when Jesus was born.  It is very life like, real animals, markets and at the end is Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.

Petting a donkey

Taylor was taken back with how "real" everything was....

 Showing us how they dyed clothes back then...

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving weekend in Fort Mill, SC with Boo and Carl (Nana and Papa)  We had a great time and alot of fun and relaxing!  The weather was great!  It was really cold last year and it was perfect this year.  Light jacket weather.  We spent an afternoon at a playground and the kiddos loved it! 

Addy and Daddy.... She cracks me up!

 
This is my attempt at a family photo... hoping for a Christmas card... not sure if any will get used yet.

The one below is my fav... just wish you could see Taylor and Payton's face...

All the kiddos climbing on Daddy which is just classic and quite normal for us.  :)

The one below would be good if you could see Jackson and Payton's face....

Which one???

We helped Papa and Nana decorate for Christmas.  Addy hung up all of Nana's stockings for her on the bar - it was very cute and she was proud of herself!  Cause quite an argument too b/c Payton thought it was hilarous to knock them all off... sigh...

Nathan outside decorating

Thankful

I am so thankful for many things in our life.  God's grace, Jesus, 4 soon to be 5 healthy children, an amazing husband who supports us and loves us. 

About a month ago at my normal OB appt I was measuring 3 weeks behind but the baby's heartbeat was perfect.  I had to have an ultrasound to see what was going on. This could mean several things.... that the baby is genetically small, or something more like low fluid and couple other scary things. Having gone through what we did with Jackson this really freaked me out.  (at 38 weeks with Jackson I was measuring a cm small, all his vitals were fine so the midwife assured me that everything was fine 2 days later I had an ultrasound to find that there was NO amniotic fluid and had to be induced right away, I was full term so things should be ok but the DR couldn't be sure until Jackson was here... everything was perfect and I count that as a miracle)  So I kept my cool about this baby... really I did. I was told to take it easy as much as I could and to eat more calories.... and I did.  I was waiting for the ultrasound appt (they had to call me) and got the appt a few days later, it was scheduled for 10 days later!  I had a COW!  Seriously I lost it....  After alot of phone calls and crying there was nothing that I could do but wait.... and I am NOT good at that.  I still think it's ridiculous!  And the OB office has heard that from me more than once!  Anywho...  The ultrasound showed that our sweet baby girl (is still a girl :) and PERFECT!  She is measuring at 58 percentile and there is no sign or reason why I am measuring behind... besides me :)  I am so thankful for this and happy! :)  I had really prepared myself to hear bad news... not sure what I was expecting... but it took me a few hours to digest that everything is ok.  I had my OB appt the next day and am measuring 2 weeks behind now.  So the countless prayers and me taking it easy worked!  I'm still trying to take it easy... and it's actually really easy to do cause for some reason my back hurts so bad this pregnancy!  I'm 34 weeks  and trying to get ready for her debut... We still have a few things to do but I can't wait to hold my baby! :)  There is nothing like it in the world!

Things kids say....

Kids sometimes say the funniest, craziest and sweetest things... I want to be able to remember this forever so I'm writing it down!

Payton has showed more of an interest in school recently.  So we've been sitting down together more.  One day in the van Payton says "Mommy I know what Cinderella starts with!  PAH-PAH P!!!"  She went through several words all NOT starting with P but to her right now everything starts with P. :)

Addison is obsessed with the number 100!  Everything is 100!  She says is with a ton of enthusiasm too.  Addy has also been talking alot about Mommy and Daddy being married....  She says "Mommy I want you and Daddy to get married again! So that you can be together forever!  For like 100!!!!"

Taylor one day while we were driving in the van was talking to her sisters...  She says "I close my eyes real tight, girls, and I use my imagination and that is how I can color the most beautiful rainbow!  I see pink with my imagination when I close my eyes!" 

Jackson is talking more... at 18 months old, he says... all done, thank you, I stink (for a poopy diaper), Mama and Dada although he calls Nathan Mama, more, uh-oh.  And he will do baby sign language for eat, more, please, thank you.  That's all that I've taught him b/c those are the most important to me... I need to know when he's hungry! LOL

October Festivities... Fall Festivals

We went to 3 fall festivals this year.  They were alot of fun!  The first was at Evangel (which is the church that we got married in)  Nathan had to work this day so it was me and the kiddos.  It was alot of fun and worth taking them by myself. 

The girls played games... and there were a ton of jumpy things. I have to say it was very organized and well put together and they had a TON of people there.

So I kept seeing a whole bunch of kids throwing hay around and I had no idea what they were doing... At first I was thinking maybe they were making scarecrows??? I said something about it and Taylor said "they are looking for candy mommy!" LOL Ohhh... and all these kids loved this!  How simple!  Digging for candy in hay!

The girls, mainly Taylor kept begging me to go on this HUGE slide.  I kept distracting them with other activities because they line was really long the whole time.  I was afraid that they wouldn't go up it by themselves and I couldn't go with them.  There was no way being pregnant that I could carry Jackson up that thing and I definately couldn't leave him alone.  So at the end the line was short enough and they had asked me a 100 times.  But to my surprise their scaled that thing with no problem and LOVED it!  That is our girls climbing up the slide and I had to show how big this thing is.... it's one of the biggest blow up slides I've seen.

The next fall festival was at our church on Sunday and that was alot of fun!  We are still getting to know people and this was a great way to do that.  Our church meets on Sunday evening because they are using another churches building.  They bought some property and the fall festival was at the new church property.  It is a really pretty piece of land.  They had a ton of games and activities for the kids. 

Girls getting their hand or face painted... this was the first time Taylor would do this. :)

Decorating cookies... all the kids loved this! 

On Halloween we went to a local church festival.  I do have to say that they weren't as organized as Evangel but it was nice and they had a HUGE turn out.  The girls wore their princess dresses and I did their hair and makeup.  They loved it, we called it their princess make over!