Christmas Get-Together #2 - Extended Family at Pawpaw's

I realize that these Christmas posts are most likely boring to all of you, but I want to have the memories recorded...so you can just skip these posts if you want! :)

Friday evening (December 23rd) all of Jacob's extended family met at Pawpaw's for supper. It was a big, loud, fun, crazy gathering!

Levi was a little overwhelmed by all the noise and attention at first.

After we ate, Jacob and Judah played some Christmas songs and some of Nanny's favorite hymns. It was a very special time. We all miss Nanny so much!

The best picture I could get of the kids together. Ha! Pawpaw read the Christmas Story and then we opened presents. I didn't get any pictures of that, but trust me, it was chaotic! :)

Lily's 2nd Year in Pictures

Happy, Happy 2nd Birthday to our Lily Grace!

Lily's 1st birthday present was a baby brother - born 2 days before her birthday.

13 months.

14 months. 

15 months.

16 months.

17 months.

18 months.

19 months.

20 months.

21 months.

Found out she's going to be a big sister again!

22 months.

23 months.

24 months.

This year has been full of growing and changing for Lily. We love you, sweet girl, and pray that God will continue to work in your little heart and make you to know and love Him one day soon.

A year in pictures

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet Levi!!

What a year this has been!

 Surprising us at birth with a midline cleft lip. 

You can read his birth story here.

1 month.

7 weeks old - hospitalized for a week with RSV and pneumonia.

2 months.

3 months.

4 months.

Ready for cleft lip surgery on 5.18.11.

Waking up from surgery.

Break my mama heart!

Recovery. So, so hard.

3 days after surgery.

1 week after surgery.

5 months / 10 days after surgery.

2 weeks after surgery.

 6 months.

 7 months.

8 months.

 9 months.

 10 months.

First day with his patch.
We found out he also has cleft eyes on 11.16.11. You can read more about that here.

11 months / First day with his glasses.

12 months.

Our sweet tiny baby boy has grown into a full-of-personality little man this year.
God has used him to help grow our faith in huge ways this year too.
To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Christmas Get-Together #1 - Decorating Memaw's Tree

Last Friday (December 23rd) we ate lunch at Memaw's with my family. After lunch my sister and two of my brothers decorated Memaw's tree. Her tree had been up for awhile with the lights on it, but no ornaments.

Of course whoever took the tree down last year, didn't roll up the tinsel on a newspaper "tube" like we always do, so it was a big knotted mess. Levi was quick to offer untangling assistance! ha.

Sweet, tired girl.

 Myra putting on the star. Yes, she would probably shoot me if she saw the pictures I'm putting in this post. LOL

 I'm including this picture so you can see my preggo belly. :-)

 The four of us working hard...more like goofing off and having lots of laughs!

Lily would stand in one spot and load a couple limbs down with ornaments. She's a mess!

We had such a good time I think we're going to make this a yearly tradition for us siblings.

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! 

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

 -Galatians 4:4-5

We have 7 family get togethers over the next few days (Ack!) so I'll be back next week with lots of pictures and memories.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Parade

This year we (...well, I...since Jacob had a rehearsal) took Lily and Levi to our town's Christmas Parade. It was the first time I had ever been, and we just enjoyed it so much - besides the fact that my phone wigged out as I was trying to get in touch with my family to decide where to meet up with them. Funny thing, back a couple months ago, my phone did the same thing when my sister and I were trying to meet up at another parade. Weird!

Another weird thing about us and parades that I have to mention- in the last three months we have attended three parades - a street festival parade, Veteran's Day Parade, and the Christmas Parade. Each parade had at least two high school marching bands participating. At each parade and with each band, they stop playing right before they get to us, and they march past us with only the drums playing. It is sooo crazy! At least the kids aren't scared of the drums, although I would like for them to hear and see the other instruments playing too!

Some of Jacob's family came too! Joseph (Jacob's brother) was a huge help with Levi! He held him so he could see the parade go by and kept him from being scared of all the noise.

Ridley and Lily enjoying the sights. I love how they are in awe of the lights, noise, people. It's amazing seeing things through the eyes of little ones!

This float made me cry. It's a soldiers uniform and gear with the sign "Not Everyone Is Home For Christmas."

Close to the end of parade, Lily got a little antsy sitting in the stroller, so I took Levi and Joseph held Lily. Like I said, Joseph was a huge help! So thankful for all my family. The kids and I would certainly not get out as much as we do if we didn't have them to help us!