Winter Wonderland!

What a wonderful 1st Christmas! Britten has been showered with love from friends and family and loved every bit of it! The holiday weekend started with the 2nd annual Santa party! It was a little different this year with our normal Jolly Ole Man being under the weather but Jay stepped up to the plate and he really did a great job as santa! With 12 little ones in attendance, santa handed out gifts and was very comical doing so! It was a great night with really great friends and I am so glad that we started this fantastic tradition!

Christmas Eve we spent the whole day at the farm! Noah, Rachael, Alaina, Mom, Nanny and us celebrated all the beautiful blessings our family received this year! Christmas morning, Britten snuggled with us in bed which was such an awesome Christmas present! We woke up and did stockings and had an amazing breakfast. I tell you what, I married well! I have a man who knows his way around the kitchen! Britten had such a awesome day with Jay's parents!

This Christmas was truly amazing! For some reason lately I found my way back to church, and going has really inspired me to be a better person. I found myself really in the spirit of giving and family and cherishing all of these blessings that God has been so generous to give us. I am loving life!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Anyone still there?

At this rate I am going to be a once a quarter poster... I have actually really missed writing. But, between the job, the kid, the dog and the husband blogging just takes a back seat.

Britten will be 11 months next week. Its so hard to believe that this time last year I was waddling around, miserable with PUPPS, and permanently stuck in the incline position because of heartburn. The funny thing is that all of the misery that I can sorta remember, I don't feel now... the pain that I thought was earth shattering is barely even a distant memory now. Now I feel each tooth that Britten is cutting, I hurt each time he has a ear infection, I cry with him everytime he just isn't feeling right. And though the long days are long, when he first started laughing my heart melted, his first army crawl I swelled with pride and when he pulled himself up all on his own I teared just a little because I didn't see a baby anymore, I saw a boy who is learning to be independent and strong. I have to admit that there is no better love than a love a mother has for her child.

Can I have 1 more hour???

I really think if I could add one more hour of awake time during my day, I might actually get everything I need to get done accomplished... well, maybe. Or if I did have one more hour, would I try to cram more things in. hum...
In the past month since I last blogged, Britten has had his 6 month check-up, started eating solids, and totally sits up on his own. He loves to sit on the floor and play with his toys. He is almost ready to crawl, but I am pretty sure he knows that he can get everywhere he needs to go by rolling over and over and over, and boy is he fast!
I went to Charlotte for 3 days for work, it was a exciting trip but my first time leaving Britten, but daddy did great, and i think it was a wonderful bonding experience for them both. Kim had her bridal shower, Heather had her bridal shower, Bekah had Baby Katelyn Kellys baby shower, Kelly had Baby Barrett Knudsens baby shower. Ed & Annie came to visit, (so much fun! We love them and hope they come to visit again really really soon, p.s. so glad you finished the bar, and I know you did awesome!) We also took a family vaca to Murrell's Inlet with everyone, we had a blast, what a cool place. Britten & Alaina love each other, they are going to be such close cousins!
Phew, I just made myself tired writing all that. What a crazy, packed, awesome month!
Looking forward to August and all of the other pre-wedding parties!!!!

Fireworks!

It was 3 years today that I had my own personal fireworks! Jay came down to va beach for the weekend, the weekend started off like all the others, he came down we went out on the bikes to the beach, we went out to dinner, we hung out with friends. Then July 4th came and I invited my mom and nanny over to enjoy the neighborhood fireworks and have a cookout. Jay didn't seem thrilled about this invite and I couldn't figure out why. He wanted to go watch the fireworks on the beach, he kind of created a big stink about it. But, it true Jay fashion he got over it, cooked the burgers and had a great time. There was a big wind storm that year so the fireworks ended up being cancelled anyway, so really no harm no foul. After my family left he asked if I wanted to go get ice-cream, I was tired and not totally feeling it, but he was a trooper all day so I said okay, sure. Well it was a good thing I decided to go, we got down to the dairy queen, went out on the sand and he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife! In the background there was a concert and the song playing, was "All I need is Love", and how true! That night was the start of such a new life for us! So Happy Birthday America, and Happy Engagement Anniversary baby!

Fun in the Sun!

The old saying "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold" holds a lot of truth. This past weekend one of the first people I met freshman year came to visit. Patty and I met the fall of 1998, both so young and full of curiosity and hope. We had an instant connection and have remained close friends ever since. The thing about old friends, they know your past and accept it, they live in your present and enjoy it, and are look forward to your future! Our lives over the years have changed, no longer are we just here for the party. This weekend we laughed, we talked, we reiminised just like the good ole days but embraced our new "lives" with the same enthusiasm of days past! Often during the weekend I found myself filled with emotion, all of the good things and all of the bad things that we both went through made us the people that we are now and I fill up with pride for the women that we both have become!

Mr. Snake

Allie the Elm!

Jay & his dad have a Oak tree that they planted together many years ago, every year they get their photo taken in front of it, I always thought that was a great idea! Trees/plants to me are a symbol of life and what could be better than having a brand new tree, brand new Daddy, and brand new baby and capture the growth of all 3!

I looked up what tree symbolized Britten's birthday and its the Elm tree, so we went and bought a beautiful Elm whom we named Allie! Britten helped his daddy plant his tree and we look forward to watching them both grow big and strong!

ELM TREE (the Noble-mindedness) - pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.