Deck the Halls

We started "decking our halls" on the night before Thanksgiving. It went much easier than I expected with a 7 1/2 month old under foot. Matney was in awe the entire time I worked on the tree and has been loving it ever since. She will crawl over to it and look up at the lights and then just sits there most of the time staring. Putting up the tree was apparently a lot of hard work from her as you can see from the picture below. We started our first family Christmas tradition of watching all the Christmas shows that are on t.v. in the evenings. Matney loved the Grinch and kept crawling up to the t.v. to get as close as she could. The Grinch has always been one of Brandon's favorites so while I was out shopping on Sunday, I picked up the book and a stuffed 'Max' for Matney and Daddy to play with and read.

Can't wait to see my little lady at Christmas and how much fun she is!!

Thanks Giving

In the past few weeks, we have been reflecting on all the things we have to be thankful for and this year our blessings have be bountiful. We celebrated our first Thankgiving with our beautiful daughter and all day I just kept thinking about how blessed and thankful I was for her. She has changed my life in ways I never expected and can only imagine how blessed I will feel in all the years to come.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Mam'as and Pampa's just the 5 of us and then went to my Uncle Bob's to see my side of the family. Grandma Janie wasn't able to make it to Thanksgiving this year because she has been pretty sick, but we were all thinking about her and wishing she was there, but knew it was for the best.

We are so lucky to have our health, our faith, a warm and happy home, vehicles to get us to and from, and our jobs; as well as many more blessings that I cannot begin to list. I am so thankful for the life I have been given and can't wait to see what all the future Thanksgivings hold.

Brrrrrrr

Today has felt and looked like the first day of winter in the Ozarks. As I walked in to work the morning air was damp and cool and as I left for the day it was rainy and cold (and for some crazy reason, I wasn't wearing a coat). On the way to pick up Matney I reflected on the enjoyable moments that every Fall and Winter brings such as cozy evenings at home, decorating for Christmas, and enjoying cold, snowy days.

I couldn't wait to get home this evening; put on my jammies and relax after a long, busy day at work. As I sit here drinking a glass of wine and watching my little lady asleep in her carseat, I am letting the stress release from my body and thinking of all the fun memories that will be made in the next several weeks as we celebrate our first Thanksgiving and Christmas with our beautiful little blessing. My mind quickly moves however, from all the fun to all the things I have to accomplish between now and then and I realize I need to start making my list of tasks. I look forward to the challenge of decorating with my little love underfoot and watching her every move as she celebrates her first Thanksgiving and Christmas and I look forward to the chilly, winter days and evenings to snuggle in and enjoy the Reason for the Season and my many blessings.

Happy Halloween!

We celebrated Matney's first official holiday this weekend and boy was it fun! We spent the evening at Auntie Ab's and Uncle Brian's with our favorite little boys and Nannie B and Papa G.

Our evening was filled with tons of food and candy. Our 4 little trick or treaters were such troopers and made it around a majority of the subdivision with lots of candy received for both the kids and the mommies and daddies!

Here are a few pictures of our little Wolverin Brayden, Chef Grayson, Kennon the Monkey, and Matney Moo. Our little baby calf fit her part perfectly, as we were about 4 houses in to the tricker or treating when she perked up, bent over, and spit up her milk all over a neighbors sidewalk! She was just reminding us that baby calves eat lots of milk!

Refreshing

The past few weeks at work have been very hectic, so I made a pact with myself that this weekend, I was going to relax and do something "I" wanted to do. Many people would assume this would probably mean a pedicure, massage, or shopping trip, but to me it meant a day to learn something new and a day with my wonderful mother!

(Cutting out Matney's stocking)

For years my mom has wanted Abby and I to learn to sew, and in the past it was never that important to me. I don't know if it was having a child of my own or the idea of having a hobby that would actually produce something useful and not something that would collect dust, but in the past several months I have had the "itch to stitch".

(preparing the letters for B's stocking; they had to be strategically placed around the deer)

(Almost finished!)

Growing up we always had Christmas stockings that were hand-made by Mom and had changed throughout each year that when a new stocking was placed on the mantel when a new member entered the family. I always knew I wanted something similar for my house to make each person feel special on Christmas morning when they picked up their stocking that was unique to them. Today I had the opportunity to make that desire come true. My mom patiently taught me many techniques and steps to sewing our beautiful new Christmas decorations. I don't mean to wish my life away, but I can't wait to hang them on the mantel!

(the finished product of which I am extremely proud!)



Today was very refreshing for me and made me love my Mom even more for her patience and talent. What will she teach me to make next? I can't wait.

It's a party

This past weekend we had the privilege of sharing a special memory with Uncle Brent and his new bride, Jackie, as they celebrated their marriage with a reception filled with family and friends. Jackie did a wonderful job planning the reception and the simple elegance of the evening made it very enjoyable and relaxed. Congratulations, Uncle Brent and "Aunt" Jackie!

Busy little lady

Our last few weeks have been filed with watching Matney change with each passing moment. Here are a few pictures of our recent memories while spending time at home. I am a major fan of our "family nights" at home where the 3 of us lay in the floor and play or go outside. Soaking up every moment with my little bug and wonderful husband each evening is the highlight of most of my days and I couldn't treasure them more.