Just feeling Thankful....

Perusing through some blogs, taking a break from reality I am suddenly overcome with gratiude. Great, great gratitude. I have had a yucky day, and this is a bright spot, so if you feel so inclined to read, beware as I may ramble!!!

I am thankful for so much that I really don't have the space, time or energy to list them all. I am first and foremost so incredibly greatful for the fact that this Christmas, I am suddenly aware of its truest meaning. I mean of course I have gone to church all of my life and I know the meaning of Christmas. However this year it means so much more to me. "O Holy Night" and "Do you hear what I hear" bring tears to my eyes almost every time. I know that it is because Mac is now old enough to understand Christmas, and I feel the full weight of responsibility to explain to him the true meaning. I love him so much and I delight when he can point out the baby Jesus among all of the other loud decorations out there. How is it that I never owned a nativity scene until this year??!! So glad I splurged the $9.88 and got one at Wal-Mart!!

I am thankful for my husband and children; my family. You can ask my grandmother and to this day she will tell you "all Buffie ever wanted was to get married and have babies!!" I desired a mommy, daddy and babies all under one roof so badly...I dreamed of it like some may dream of a specific career. There are so many days that I thank God that I am living my dream. I have all I have ever wanted.

Lastly I just want to say how greatful I am for my friends. They listen to me rant, teach me patience, love me unconditionally, challenge me and make me laugh all of the time. ALL OF THE TIME!!! Laughter is so much better than tears...I am so blessed to have such wonderful women in my life.

So, this Christmas, I am excited about the traditions we are beginning as a family, about the wonderful life through Christ I get to convey to my babies and for all the warmth I feel in my heart and soul. The warmth and happiness that only come from a life that is complete with Christ, family and friends. I only pray that I can somehow pass on my good fortune!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

THURSDAY THIRTEEN

Thirteen things heard around our house these days.....

1. "I know!!! I have to stop the train again!!!" Mac, quoting Polar Express. I swear if I hear this one more time....it has to be one of my twelve pains of Christmas this year.

2. "yuk Mommy, bubba" Lily Kate pointing to the funky bubble light contraptions on our tree, you know, those things from the seventies that amazed me when I was little?? Turns out those 2007 babies are just as amazed as the 1974 babies.

3. "I am going to start working out again this week". Yeah yeah, this can be heard by either Michael or I lately.

4. "no, I don't haf to go potty". Mac's millionth response of the day. We are on day two of potty training in our house. Yesterday I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown; stay tuned for the updates...

5. "What's the weather going to be like today?". Last week we had summertime temps, this week, we are either at or near freezing each night. Hello Tylenol Sinus!!!

6. "Hey Mommy, we hear dat song in our car!!" Mac's response to any Christmas song he hears, whether in Wal-Mart or at home. Christmas music is everywhere and I am not quite tired of it yet!!!

7. "Do you have some playbooks from da' mail today?" Mac pestering me daily, sometimes twice daily about whether or not any sale papers from the toy store came in the mail.

8. "muk muk muk muk muk". Lily Kate requesting something to drink...broken record style. One would think she is asking for milk, but really she means anything that will wet her whistle.

9. "LILY KATE, NO NO!! THAT IS FOR THE TREE!!!" Me getting on to Lily Kate for licking the water off of her hand after dipping it in the tree stand. Upside: she smells of fresh Christmas tree all the time.

10. "But Mommy I wont a double helicopter and a garbage truck!!!" Mac pleading each day with Michael or I about his Christmas wish. So far we have scored a garbage truck, but if anyone knows where we can find a double helicopter PLEASE tell me!!!!

11. "Kiki Cause". This is how Lily Kate says "Santa Clause" and it is so stinkin' cute.

12. "Don't talk to me like dat'!!!!!" Mac's response when he is told what to do by Michael or I. In other words, when he is told something that he doesn't want to hear. We are getting quite sassy these days and our response to him is, "don't talk to me like that!". I guess he thinks it's reciprocal.

13. "Oh look Mommy, it's da' baby Jesus!!! Mac's response every time he sees a nativity set. I love it. Praise the Lord!!!

Funny from Mac

So tonight we were at a very small Christmas Party here in our neighborhood. There were only three children there, including ours. The little girl was really cute and Mac was following her around, of course wanting to play. She was (from what I could tell) of hispanic descent, so she had deep olive skin and the cutest, curliest dark hair. Michael and I were trying to redirect him to the playroom and he wanted her to come too, so he called out to her, "Hey girl! Hey, chocolate girl, let's go play!!". Luckily, Michael and I were the only ones to hear....we didn't stay much longer.

Tour de South Georgia

This past weekend we did the South Georgia tour...that is we went to visit and celebrate Christmas with Papa and Ganny in Valdosta. The kids had a grand time, but the visit was too short, as always. We visited Santa Clause and got the same outcome as we did in Summerville, i.e. Lily Kate pitched a hissy and Mac was eager to make sure Santa knew his wishes. We ate good food and watched a ton of football and of course exchanged gifts. Papa and Ganny have a whole playroom full of toys and Mac pretty much camped out there. Papa and Ganny gave Mac a truck that is totally pimped out, all it is missing is a remote control. When certain buttons are pressed, it sings loudly "WHO LET THE DAWGS OUT? WHO WHO WHO WHO WHO LET THE DAWGS OUT?" and on cue Lily Kate begins to dance...it's quite a sight!!! Thanks Papa and Ganny!!!! Lily Kate received a huge box of blocks and her very own Disney Princess trycicle!!! I can't wait to put it together and watch her on it...she is constantly wanting to crawl on Mac's so it is great to have her own! The kids also got some great clothes and Mac also got a guitar!!! I am so excited about this as I want to encourage any love of music with both of them. We are having to be selective about when he can have it out though...he's every bit of three years old with it if you know what I mean!!! I didn't do so well with the camera this weekend...I mostly got shots of the kids eating a chocolate cake that Ganny made. They thoroughly enjoyed it!! We also made stops to Aunt Deans house and Paul and Nancy's house. Again, too short and no pics. So now, we are just recovering from our travel hangover. Tis' the season!!!

Annie's Parade Party!!!!

Sunday was the Summerville Christmas Parade and Annabelle's annual parade party afterwards; such fun!!! The parade was great, Mac was totally in to it and Lily Kate just wanted to run around (surprise!!!). It is unseasonably hot, I mean like 80 degrees hot. Kinda hard to get into the Christmas spirit, but I wore a long sleeved shirt at an attempt to do so. Not a good idea as I am the only one who paid that price. Anywho, afterwards we walked to Dena's to celebrate and had a really great time. I mean that Annabelle knows how to throw a party!!! Great fried chicken and fixins', crafts for the kids and a huge pile of leaves in the back yard for the entertainment of the little ones. Mac had a really great time just being a boy and Lily Kate did her usual routine at parties; picking food off of the floor and everyone else's plates and drinks. Good thing she didn't know she was grabbing a beer at one point. She wasn't quite sure how to operate a canned drink, so she just kind of let it spill out onto her dress instead of actually putting it to her lips. Oh well, what can I say? She's mine and I'm proud!!!

An attempt to visit Santa.....

So we went to visit Santa today and Mac was excited, but nervous. After all, he had been pumped up by us for awhile now! We felt sure Lily Kate wouldn't go for it, and we were right! Mac and Daddy rehearsed on the way about what he would ask Santa for and then explained that he would have to wait his turn. Once that turn came he went right to Santa and Lily Kate's grip on Daddy tightened. It was one of those grips that if Daddy let her go she would still be hanging on. Mac hopped up in his lap, but refused to look Santa in the eye, it was so funny!! He managed to mumble his requests out while Lily Kate screamed for us and that was it!! It happened so fast, but we did get a picture. We started to leave, but then Mac got really upset. "But, I want a big truck!!!" he said. Apparently, Mac thought that all he had to do was tell Santa what he wanted and Santa would deliver right on the spot. Not so we explained. We'll see if he understands in the days to come!! It was a fun trip and I feel certain it won't be the only encounter with Santa that we have this season!

THURSDAY THIRTEEN!!!! FINALLY!!!!

Thirteen things I have been doing the last two weeks!!!!!
Sooooo busy and as more time went by the more anxious I got about trying to catch up in bloggieland. So, thanks for the tip Dena!!! This is the perfect way to catch up and get back on board!!!

1. Did a 2 HOUR spin class with Les to build up endurance...what was I thinking??? I was so nervous beforehand, but we both made and it felt great afterward!!!









2. Traveled to the Joneses for Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law and her whole crew were there and we did anything but lay around. We enjoyed the scenery (and the turkey!!!) and had a great time!!!!


















3. Made it through a week without Daddy!! He went back to the mountains to hunt for a whole week after we got back. We missed him a lot; it made us wonder how in the world we ever made it 4 months without him!!!

4. Participated in the Reindeer Run with Leslie, Sugar, English & Melissa. This was a blast!!!! I am so proud of all of us for doing it! This was my first run I have ever participated in and I had so much fun!










5. Getting into the Christmas spirit!! Daddy brought home a tree for us from the mountains. He and his Dad used to grow them, so they have a few or so left that we get to take advantage of each year. Most people don't know it, but this is the best part of being married to Michael; I get a free tree every year!!! Of course I am just kidding!!! Mac and I also made a gingerbread house at his urging, it really was a lot of fun to do this with him!



















6. Went to the Summerville tree lighting with all of our bestest!! It was a great time, even if we did miss the actual lighting!!









7. Havin fun fun fun with Daddy!! We have really had a chance to settle into Daddy being home and we are enjoying every minute of it.




8. Shopping!!! Yah!! Mommy loves to shop, but she is feeling a little overwhelmed with all that she has to get done before Christmas gets here!!! However, I have discovered something that just might save me this year; Steve and Barry's. If you haven't been, I strongly suggest you check it out!!!!

9. Fighting the power. Oh yes, it has happened. The in-laws have joined Michael in his fight to ward my children of all their Georgia Bulldog wear and talk. Mac has learned the famed "Rocky Top" song, along with several other Tennessee chants such as "Go Big Orange!!!". I hear them all of the time. In addition, both of my children received Tennesse fleece blankets for Christmas that now adorn their beds (thanks to the insistence of my husband). What is this world coming to?

10. Catching up with others via bloggieland. I have to send out a huge "hurray" to Shelley and Shannon. They are two friends who have joined bloggieland!!! I am so excited and want to let you both know how much I am enjoying reading your blogs!!

11. Saying my prayers each day that the writers strike ends in Hollywood and I don't have to keep watching re-runs of my favorite shows.

12. Listening to Christmas music constantly and enjoying hearing Mac learn the songs.

13. Cooking. No, not this early for the holidays, but since Michael is back home and we are easing back into our routine, that means I am cooking every night. I am enjoying it so much. My body, wallet and kids (as you can see!!) enjoy it too!!!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I am Thankful for this year

1. Michael. He's home, he's healthy and he's happy..we all are!!!
2. Mac & Lily Kate. They're healthy and thriving!
3. My health
4. My extended family's health, especially my Dad this year.
5. My friends. I am one lucky girl!!!!
6. Our safety. We had a safe trip to the mountains and as it stormed here last night I thought of all those on the road and prayed for travelers mercies.
7. Bible study. I am learning so much and it is making a huge impact on my spirituality and relationship with God. I am sooooo grateful!!!!
8. Relations. In the past, relationships with others may have been in a rocky place. I am grateful that this year all is well with everyone...such a good feeling!
9. A roof over my head, food in my belly and a log in the fireplace. I am so very grateful for the provisions God has given our family. We have all we need.
10. Laughter, simple but true, we have so much to laugh about and it is the best medicine!
11. Our freedom. Something we all take for granted, myself included. Michael reminds me often of how lucky we truly are to be living in this great country of ours.
12. Hobbies. Sounds silly, but without them we would drive those around us crazy!!! I am so grateful to have learned how to sew!!!
13. Those things that went awry...odd as it sounds, without things going awry, we wouldn't be where we are today. I have no regrets about anything, as ALL things have made me who I am today. Thank goodness for the peaks as they give us the valleys!!!

Eclectically dining

So it has been a week since Daddy has come home and we are all finally getting used to each other. We have been busy trying to make up for lost time by taking "adventures" at least every other day (adventure: an outing of any sort; can be as simple as out to dinner or a walk around the block!). So yesterday our adventure for the day was playgroup, i.e. to the park to play with our best buddies. Afterwards we headed out to dinner at the Eclectic Chef (or, as we like to call it, the Electric Chef), a fave of ours. Tuesday nights kids eat free there and we are all about a deal in the Jones household. So after we bust in the joint we see the Lee's are also dining. They are staples to this establishment. I mean when they make their grocery list, Eclectic Chef is on it. I wasn't surprised as they are there without fail every Tuesday evening, but I didn't want to crash their family time either. So, they were cool to have our company and we had an extended playdate!! It was great b/c Jonathan was late, so Virginia got to be graced with our adult conversation while she ate!! We hated to go, but did find out before we left that it would be the very last kids eat free event at the Eclectic...WHAT?? Shame shame. They sure are gonna miss us!!! Hehe!!

Wordless Wednesday

She was crying so hard and when I grabbed the camera to document the meltdown she tried to say "cheese!" and smile through her tears!!!!

Thursday Thirteen

Okay, so it isn't Thursday and I am late, but oh well!!!

Thirteen things we have been doing since Daddy came home....

1. Wrestling on the floor!! What fun!! Daddy wrestles the best!!!
2. Sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. Daddy had jet lag, but besides that he is really good about going to bed at a decent time and waking up at a decent time. So, he has been a good influence on Mommy, who's sleep was really out of whack while Daddy was gone.
3. Talking. Michael and I were incredibly fortunate to get to talk just about every day while he was away, but not about everything. Since it wasn't a secured line, he couldn't talk about all that was going on over there. So, he and Mommy have been catching up and talking about different things with the kids and family. Daddy has also been getting lots of calls from family and friends who just want to hear his voice and know that he is home safely!!!
4. LAUGHING!!! Michael is getting to hear Mac use complete sentences and say really silly things that 3 year olds do. He cracks us up!! Lily Kate is really starting to talk, so he gets to hear all that he has been missing for the past four months!!
5. Eating. Daddy had some really yucky food over there and has missed so many particular foods. Today we had Chick-fil-a for lunch, at Daddy's request. He said that he saw a commercial for them only one time while he was over there and has been dreaming of a #1 combo ever since!! I also made him a german chocolate cake for his birthday and a couple of his favorite dinners. We are really just getting started!!
6. Laundry. Michael's clothes stunk..not like body odor stink, but just a musty kind of smell. Poor thing. They definitely didn't use Tide or Gain over there. So, I have been washing all of his things to get a good smell back into them. Some things are hopeless and they are going in the garage...
7. Being outdoors. Daddy is so glad to see trees!!! He is also so glad to not be breathing in so much dust and sand. He has commented several times that "that sort of air quality just can't be good for you". I know he is enjoying the intake of some fresh air by taking walks with the kids and playing with Jack (our dog). Plus, the weather there was horribly hot and it is really nice and crisp here. It just so happens to be his favorite time of year!!!
8. TV. Michael asked me the other day, "has the new season started". Um, yeah. He has a LOT of catching up to do. PLUS, he gets to watch football tomorrow!!! He is pretty psyched!!
9. Drinking lots of water. In Iraq, their only water source was the Euphrates river. They would get water from here and treat it so that it was "potable". This meant that it was safe to drink. However, Michael said it was still nasty. May explain the odor in the laundry. Anyway, he has been drinking lots of water since he got home, simply because it tastes good!! He also commented that it was nice to actually take a shower and have the water not stop in between rinsings. Apparently the water there was in such a shortage you could only turn it on to rinse.
10. Reading. We have been reading lots of books to the kids...its quality time with them and Mommy isn't splitting her time between the two of them. They each get our undivided attention.
11. Potty training. Now that Daddy is home, we are really trying to buckle down on Mac's potty training. Who knows, Lily Kate might not be that far behind. She constantly goes up to her brother when he is on the throne and says, "potty!"
12. Scratching. Okay, I know this sounds weird, but Michael's back is CONSTANTLY itching and always in need of scratching. Especially when he wakes up in the morning. He gets it from his Dad. I always see his Dad rubbing up against a door frame like a bear against a tree. Anyway, it back to normal for us as I am constantly scratching his back!!!
13. Thanking God every day that Daddy is finally home safe with us. PTL!!!

Wordless Wednesday

OH HAPPY DAY!!!!

We can hardly believe it ourselves, but the day has finally arrived!!! Eight teeth, a diaper and clothes size up, a new season, many, many photos and blog entries, endless long distance calls later, Daddy is home!!!! We had Mr. Frank meet us at the airport to videotape Daddy's arrival with us and we got there early!! As soon as we saw Daddy coming up the corridor Mac began to run to him and had to stop just short of the TSA agent who stopped him. Really? I mean he IS only three years old!!!! Daddy ran up and Mac couldn't get enough. Lily Kate took off to Daddy too, but got distracted when she realized she was the center of attention and no one was actually chasing her!!! We are so happy to have him home with us and are diving into that readjustment period just swimmingly!!! Everyone has been so sweet to keep us in their thoughts and prayers over the last four months and we all thank you so much!! We also received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Leslie, Dena, Sugar and Claire...I guess they heard me yap about missing Michael so much on the cruise that they were looking forward to his coming home just as much as I was!!!! Thank you!!!!Our family is once again complete!!!

Weekend!!!

What a weekend!!! And it isn't even over!!! We have been busy here at the Jones house. Between the fair, birthday parties and preparing for Daddy coming home, we're a hoppin' household!!!
To start our weekend off, we headed to the fair. With the crazy week we have all had, Mommy really wasn't itching to go, but am soooooo glad that we did! Mac had a blast!!! We went with Emma and Anna and Claire. It helps Mommy to go with another Mommy because sometimes juggling Mac and Lily Kate are hard to do in such overstimulating situations. I made the mistake of buying a handstamp for Lily Kate when I bought Mac's, but oh well. She was just too little to ride any of the rides except for the carousel and I couldn't very well do that with her all night long. She was quite the trooper though, she loved watching brother ride the rides and giggled every time he came swinging around. Mac had fun on EVERYTHING!! I think Anna loved the roller coaster the most. They all begged to ride the ferris wheel, but the one for the kids was broken. The kids even learned how to milk a cow!!! We all had fair food...Mac had his first taste of cotton candy!! It was perfect fair weather too, cool and a little windy. Mommy was so glad that we all went!!!







Saturday came and it was time to head over to the Kemble house for Baylee's 2nd birthday. Just a few friends and family came and we were honored to be invited!! The weather was perfect for an outside party, but a little windy. At one point a gust came and blew the umbrella off of the table!!! Watch out!! Thank goodness no one was hurt!! Mac and Lily Kate were too busy playing to eat any lasagna, but of course rethought eating when the cupcakes came out. Before I knew it Mac came to me boasting, "look Mommy!! I on number free!!!". He had eaten only the tops off of three different cupcakes. I was so busy making sure Lily Kate didn't eat the paper with her cupcake that I hadn't even noticed. When it was time to open presents, Mac really put up a fight when I told him he couldn't open Baylee's presents. Couple the left over exhaustion from the fair the night before, ingestion of only three cupcake tops and you've got a perfect recipe for a meltdown. That was exactly what everyone got to see and Mommy got to feel if you get my drift. I high tailed it out of there with my tail between my legs. It was just one of those days!! Needless to say we are laying low for the rest of the weekend, counting down the minutes until Daddy is home!!!