Christmas!

We spent Christmas in Augusta this year.  For the past couple of years, we keep saying that Christmas is eventually going to end up in our home with our little family but I still just love going "home" to Augusta and thankfully the girls are still young enough not to care.  Mom and Vern and the greatest hosts - making sure that we are all comfortable, happy and well fed!  Mom cooked and cooked and cooked and then served everything on her beautiful Willow House stuff.  I feel like I live in a magazine when we go home!  We really didn't do much while we were home.  There was a lot of relaxing and playing with the girls.  Here are some pictures to document our time...

I promise I wasn't reading the book upside down.  Mark thought it would be funny for the picture.  : )

One of the traditions that I have started for our family is new pjs on Christmas eve.  This year I was in a bit of a rush but I found Caroline and myself matching pj's and I couldn't resist!

The pj's didn't last through the night though and Caroline ended up matching Grinny in polka dots on Christmas morning!

The girls got all kinds of fun toys for Christmas!  The "tricycle's" were a favorite.  Of course, Kelsey is the sweet dare devil!

Then there is just sweet.

Caroline spent some time pushing Kelsey around on the tricycle...

and in the second favorite Christmas present...the baby doll stroller.

After hearing reports and seeing pictures of beautiful snow in Atlanta, we finally got some in Augusta too.

Vern, got lots of camera goodies for Christmas and we tried taking a girls picture.  Unfortunately, we needed a bigger back drop and to work on the shadows a bit.  The one below is still my favorite.  Everyone's got a smile!

We had a wonderful time in Augusta celebrating Christmas!  Thank you to Mom and Vern for hosting all of us!  The past couple of days at home have been great too!  I'm especially thankful for some quiet time with not much work for Mark and me both!  Here's to preparing for a new year and lots of changes in our family!

Pure Joy

In the video below you will see Caroline's favorite Christmas activity.  Multiply this video times a million and you will see what we have been up to our at our home.

Shouldn't we all be this excited to celebrate the baby in the manger?

Celebrating Jesus

We've been a bit busy around here...tis the season!  We've been working, traveling, partying, cooking, playing and much more.  The blog hasn't been updated for awhile so I thought I would share a few pictures that show how we have been celebrating Christmas this year.

Our Sunday School class had a great Christmas party!  Lindsay and Brad were gracious hosts and we had a sweet time together.  I'm so thankful for this group of friends!

They are pretty good at bringing a smile to our faces!

Sarah and Reagan invited us to a Christmas festival at a church down the road.  I love our church but I have to say it's really fun to church hop during the festival season!  :-)  There were free hot dogs/hamburgers, hot chocolate, smores, face painting, animals, Santa Claus and much more.  We had a good time wandering through all of the fun.

As you can see Caroline still gets really excited about those animals.  :-/

Recently, Caroline's favorite spot has become her daddy's lap.  She snuggles right up with him and reads and talks.  She goes in to visit him while he's working and just sits in his lap while he types emails.  She is definitely a daddy's girl!

Last night we attended the prime rib dinner at church.  After hosting the homeless for a few days, it was quite a change of scenery at the church.  The fellowship hall was packed and everyone was enjoying fellowship and good food.  While the festivities were wonderful, it was hard not to think of the folks that had been eating a warm meal there the night before who were now out in the sleeting rain. 

After dinner we visited the live nativity in the sanctuary.  I really enjoyed being able to sit and reflect for a few moments on the birth of Jesus. 

Tonight Caroline helped to make her first batch of sugar cookies!  We are planning on taking a few to her teacher at school tomorrow. 

I am thankful for the celebrating that we have done so far this season and look forward to some more sweet times together as a family as we reflect on the gift of God's son!

Helping the Homeless

For the past two days, the temperatures have been down in the mid-teens to low twenties.  That's cold.  The wind has made it even worse, blowing from 20-30 miles per hour.  That makes living outside almost impossible to consider.  Last night, I spent the night with over 150 people who were facing that very fate, until our church busses picked them up to bring them into our church gym.  I helped out, staying with them overnight.  I hope to share a bit of what I learned below.

I'm not new to serving the homeless.  We did this for years in Dallas when we would make 100+ peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and hand them out to people in under three minutes.  Yep.  So last night, when I drove to our church, I thought I knew what to expect.  Lots of folks with worn out coats and shoes.  Lots of stories and lots of need.  I got that, but I saw a whole lot more.

We started helping the folks as they came from getting dinner, into the gym where they'd be spending the night.  We handed them a garbage bag that had been packed with some toiletries, underwear, some pants and a shirt, and some other things that didn't fit correctly.  It was almost an insult to hand a homeless man or woman a trash bag full of what we've donated.  Almost felt like I was saying, here's our trash for you.  I'd like a duffle bag better.  They would too.

So we introduced ourselves to the person we were helping.  We carried the bags into the gym and showed them where they'd be sleeping, and then pointed them downstairs to where the showers were if they wanted one.  Many did.  Many showered and put back on the same clothes they'd worn in.  The clothes they'd been given just didn't fit. 

A hundred and sixty two people with such basic needs is really humbling.  I learned lots from these visitors.

I learned that not everyone was out to score a buck.  I must have talked to at least half of those who came to spend the night, and no one asked me for money.  Not once.  I was shocked.

I learned that homeless people snore.  There were quite a few VERY unique snorers that intrigued several of us.  One was nicknamed Lamb-bo because his snore sounded like a very mad (or sick/injured) lamb.  He dominated the snoring game until a brave soul asked him to turn over.   After he quit, the other snores could once again be heard from all directions.  Let it be known that Lamb-bo dominated so much, that he woke up everyone in the gym to the point that they weren't snoring.  Interesting snore-dynamics.

I learned that we shouldn't have served chili as the dinner.  May not have been the best choice.  Then again, men will be men.  Maybe I was jealous.

I learned that I have no room to complain.  As I was sitting in my chair, I was getting a little cold.  After a few hours, I put on my winter coat and was still cold.  I really think I was cold knowing that those around me would be back out on the streets the next night as I lay under my three favorite blankets.  God was saying, "You think YOU'RE cold?".  I understand, God.

I learned that our Sunday School class is full of great people.  I counted six that served along side me at one point or the other last night.  They were willing to leave their homes, to help our guests feel at home in our church.  I'm really thankful for the role that my friends play in my life.  It was an honor to serve along side them.

I learned that I belong to a great church who heard what Jesus said in Matthew about serving the least and the lost.  Our pastor said Sunday that he was told that if Jesus came back today, he'd come back as a homeless person, the least and lost of our society.  I sat last night struggling to see how I could serve these men and women.  I fetched them socks or a pair of pants, but did I really do anything to help them tonight?  I didn't share the Gospel with anyone, although I was surrounded by folks who were bold enough to do just that. 

This morning, as I watched them get back on their buses, I couldn't help but feel sad.  These folks weren't going to be with us tonight.  Our three-night effort was now over.  And tonight, they may have a cardboard box in which to stay "warm".  Whatever.  I was freezing inside my pretty-nice Eddie Bauer jacket.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to meet so many teachers last night! 

(Shutter)Fly me to the moon!

Shutterfly is giving bloggers a chance to get 50 free Christmas cards!  Free!?  Count me in!  I love receiving Christmas cards in the mail so I figure that I need to be sending them too!  Mark and I have sent photo cards in the past and this year we are going to be using Shutterfly.  I'm really looking forward to the process!  There are so many choices!  I really like the cards that allow you to post more than one picture, like the one below. 


The only problem is getting multiple good shots of a 16 month old!  One thing for sure, we will have a family picture as part of the card.  I have a friend that used to only hang up family Christmas cards and throw away the ones with just the kids on it.  His reasoning was that he was friends with the adults, not the kids!  I will always remember that logic. So lookout, you will be seeing Mark and my pretty face this year!



I also really like that Shutterfly has so many options available and so many actually say, "Merry Christmas!" and that you can add in a message of your own.

One of the other great things about shutterfly is that they do more than just photo cards.  They do pictures in all sorts of different formats.  I always think of my grandparents when I see the photo mugs and calendars.  I can see the photo mug and calendar being covered with pictures of Caroline that a grandparent would cherish forever. 

Of course, if I don't get on the ball with my Christmas cards then I'm going to be sending New Years cards!  New Years cards would be a fun way to get the year started off though!

Family photo op this weekend?  Yes please!  I hope you will be seeing one my 50 free Christmas cards in the mail soon!

Airport Welcome

Saturday night the whole gang went to the Atlanta airport to welcome home Mom and Vern and the group from Quest church.  They were arriving home from a week-long mission trip to Belize. We knew that we would only get to see them for a few minutes but we had a good time making signs and preparing goody bags for them. 

Brad, the artist, made this good looking sign. 

I, not the artist, made this one while using Mark's sense of humor. 

The picture below is so funny to me because everyone looks grumpy!  We waited for over an hour while the group went through customs.  Chasing Caroline and Kelsey around the airport was quite a challenge.  I'm not even sure where Kelsey is in the picture below!    

We survived the wait and were glad to get to hug Mom and Vern's necks before they got on the bus to head to Augusta.  I was encouraged to see so many young parents on the trip.  Mark and I would like to go on a mission trip in the next few years.  Maybe sometime soon...

Nativity

Last year Grandma and Grandpa Taylor sent us home after Christmas with a Little People Nativity set.  We thought we might decorate for Christmas this past weekend but pulling this out was as far as we got! 

Caroline has really enjoyed playing with it so far.

I just hope she doesn't get any crazy ideas and want her hair to look like this donkey.  Mark and I like to call him "punk rock donkey."  What were the Little People thinking?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving felt a little bit like this...

crazy, chaos at our home.  Lindsay, Brad and Kelsey joined us along with three other couples and a couple little ones from our Sunday School class.  We were really thankful to have a houseful of loving friends and family with whom we could celebrate the day.  Although, I think it still surprises me what a difference there is in my "normal" yearly traditions now that we have little ones toddling around.  We are now busy feeding babies

and keeping them entertained. 

I was reminded of the importance of traditions and teaching them to Caroline. Of course, they need to be age appropriate but I hope that they will instill in her the meaning of the holidays.  Although I may have felt a little crazy keeping up the activities of the little ones, the meaning of Thanksgiving did not go unnoticed.  I am thankful for our table full of family, friends and food and for the warm home in which we could gather. 

I was especially grateful to have my sister with me.  My Mom has always made "family" a big deal and even more so around the holidays.  While Mom and Vern were in Belize, Mark's parents in Springfield and my Dad and Janet in Ohio, it was a blessing to share Thanksgiving with Lindsay.  I am thankful for my family and for the friends that are increasing our sense of family.  I look forward to more folks at our home next year and maybe a tradition or two so that we can acknowledge the meaning.

Gobble Jog

I think we have a new tradition!  I've always wanted to be the person that got up and ran before the big Thanksgiving meal.  This year Mark, Sarah, and I all participated in the Gobble Jog!  We had been training for the 10k but Mark injured his achilles and took a month off so we ended up doing the 5k. 

The morning started off a little cool and gloomy but it turned out to be a beautiful morning. 

The only problem that I had with the Gobble Jog was that is was really a walk.  The picture below shows the crowd right after the race began and the crowd never thinned out!  Over 8,000 people participated in the race.  Mark weaved in and out of the crowd and was able to run but with the jog stroller it was just too hard!  

We were still really thankful for a fun, active morning.  I definitely want to do it again next year but I hope to be trained for the 10k so we won't have to deal with the masses of people walking the 5k. 

After our little exercise, we thought there would be nothing better than a few Krispy Kremes to round out the morning.  For those of you who know us well, you may think it was Mark's idea but we can actually blame Sarah for all of the calories that we ate back.  :-) 

Caroline and Reagan approved of our decision!

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to Mark!  He turned a whopping 38 in case you were wondering.  We (at least I) had a great day celebrating. 

We started with opening a few presents in the bed.  I didn't have any tissue paper so I used the next best thing...socks to cover up the presents in the bag.  It was a split second decision.  :-) 

Mark was really excited about this present before he even knew what it was.  Thankfully, it did not disappoint.  A new GPS was inside.  I had a little buyers remorse after I got it because he is flying now more than driving.  I'm glad that I did not return it though.  Mark said excitedly, "I didn't think that you would ever buy me present like this!"  I think that transaltes to, "Nicole, step away from the clothing racks and into the world of technology."  What can I say?  I'm trying!

After Mark opened the GPS he calmly told Caroline that it wasn't a toy with which she could play.  She responded with some serious tears!

After present opening we headed to breakfast at our favorite spot, Canvas.   Hello, french toast!  Afterwards, we dropped Caroline off at Lindsay and Brad's and we did some shopping for Mark.  We exchanged some gloves for him at REI and he got fitted for some running shoes at the Big Peach.  I think I have my running partner back!!! 

We picked Caroline up from Brad and Lindsay's and prepared for a quiet afternoon nap but that was not quite how it worked.  Poor Caroline, she has had a runny nose and cough for two weeks, while getting in 4, yes 4 teeth!  She has been happy as can be this whole time...except for the past two days.  She's been a bit more clingy and not sleeping as well and then you add in a little constipation.  YIKES!  She woke up after about 45 minutes crying her eyes out.  We brought her to lay down with us and she was just rolling around the bed in pain.  Sadness!  I began searching for prunes and Mark started some warm bath water.  Poor girl was so hysterical she ended up taking her little blanket in the bath tub with her! 

Mark has become such a great Dad. Sickness, poopy diapers, rights/wrongs that used to hinder him before are no longer a challenge. If a blanket in the tub makes Caroline a bit happier then it's an easy choice. Thankfully, you can see that she perked right up and we've had a little relief tonight. :-)

After Mark's favorite dinner of macaroni and cheese and cornbread (I added some peas so that there would be something nutritious on the plate) we had some cupcakes!  Mark wanted strawberry icing, thus the pink frosting!

For awhile now, we've been telling Caroline that her food is hot and showing her how to blow on it.  Now anytime we say "hot" she starts blowing.  A couple of weeks ago, we were outside together and I commented on how hot it was and she started blowing.  It was so funny!  We encouraged her to blow out the birthday candle tonight and she did pretty good until the end.  

 

The pesky cough got the flame out in the end.

Fun day!

Caroline and I had a great day together.  We visited the GA Aquarium with William and Noelle.  The aquarium was celebrating it's 5th birthday so when we walked in we were given glow in the dark bracelets and cookies!  Although the aquarium employees and volunteers were celebrating, there were not many folks visiting.  We enjoyed a peaceful time walking through the aquarium and checking out all of the fish. 

When we got home, we unloaded the car and it looked like Santa had come a bit early!

Noelle and William graciously shared all of Williams old toys.  We are so thankful for them and their generosity.

Meet Dr. Caroline.

I'm glad that she is getting started on her doctor skills at such a young age.  :-)

Uh-oh

I'm not sure why but I was kind of proud of us Caroline because up to this point she has not used the words, "no" and "uh-oh."  I wasn't keen on her using those words because once they start with those that's all that you hear.  Well, all of that changed a few days ago.  I had heard her say it a few times in the past week but two nights ago when Mark got home and heard it, he loved it and now she is saying it constantly whether the "uh-oh" is purposeful or not.  We're both a little sleepy in this video but she's still cute!

Peace

I think Sophie and Caroline are finally making peace with one another!

Beautiful Day!

Here are a few new pictures of Caroline just because it's a beautiful day and we were playing outside.

She is really into puzzles lately.  Well, mostly the one below. She has figured out where the circle goes and that is always her first piece.  :-)  I've been trying to teach her some of the others.  I think she may be a perfectionist because she always has to get it right before she will pick up another piece.

She loves airplanes like her daddy!

I have decided to dress her the way I wish I could dress...leggings and a little sweater dress. I may not fit into the latest fashion trends but at least I can try with my baby!

In other news, I have to watch her more closely when she squats down, like ine picture below!  Last night after her bath she was running around naked while I got her pj's out.  All of a sudden I look over and she is squatted down and plop out comes a little brown present.  It happened so quickly all I could do was giggle and then go over to clean it up.  I was surprised though because I thought she would try to touch it or check it out.  Thankfully, that was not the case.  She is a still a little one...there is no mystery to the bathroom experiences yet...she just poops whenever/wherever she pleases and moves on to her next task!

The good news is that I still love her to pieces!

Me... Lately

I've been feeling the need to write lately.  I'll find myself taking a deep breath and trying to collect my thoughts or simply hearing a WWII-era radio show in the soundtrack to my brain.  Things around me are changing and growing (Caroline, other good things) and others are dieing (mostly the leaves).  The weather has made it the perfect setting to wrap up in a blanket and get personal, or contemplative, or both.  Caroline has been both challenging and a wonderful spirit of joy and love and excitement. 

I went to the doctor today to check on my heel "injury".  I ran through what I thought was a blister on the back of my right ankle.  I figured I'd finish the last mile and would look at it when I got home.  When I did, nothing looked wrong.  I haven't run in the last two weeks hoping that the pain would go away, but it hasn't.  I can wear slip-on shoes, which is quite fortunate, because that's what I wear for work, but I can't stand the pain when I lace up my tennis shoes or running shoes.  The X-ray today told the doc that there wasn't a small bone spur on my heel.  He suggested that I had strained my Achilles tendon somehow and that it would take some time (and Ibuprofen) for the tendon to quit hurting.  He said to refrain from running for two more weeks.  I don't like this as I'd become rather proud of how I'd been progressing.  I've learned since about the 10% rule that says that in any given week, don't increase your total mileage more than 10%.  I should have also listened to Nicole when she said that I should run every other day.  I'd been doing 4 miles back to back.  That was dumb.

I hope that I get to spend more time with Nicole before I have to leave again (Saturday to Phoenix till Wednesday).  She's taking me to a suprise place on Friday, and I'm excited. 

I guess that when I try to wrap my mind around all that God has laid out before me, I get dizzy.  I need to be more like Caroline, who simply eats what's in front of her without worrying about what she'll have next.  I need to continue to be a willing participant in God's plan for my life instead of trying to be the director.  I have been blessed beyond what I deserve!

Good Habits

These past two weeks Caroline has learned so many new things!  It really is amazing.  She has learned to fold her hands and pray with us before dinner.  She has also learned the sign language for please, thank you, eat, drink, more and help.  I am one happy mama considering the fact that we have been doing these signs with her since she was 6 months old!  She can also point to her hair, head, ears, eyes, nose, mouth and tongue.  She brings us her shoes because she always wants them on.  She takes treats to Sophie before we leave to go out.  She likes to climb in her little rocking chair and rock and rock.  The list could go on and on.  It's exciting to see her learning all of these new things!

Vacation!

We arrived home a couple of weeks ago from a family vacation to Orlando!  Grinny and Grand-dude bought a timeshare down there for themselves the kiddies to enjoy!  People keep asking what we did on vacation in Orlando...

There was a lot of relaxing and snuggling with the girls!

A whole lot of swimming.  Both girls are fish! 

It took Caroline a bit of time to feel comfortable but she ended up loving it!

A little bit of playing.

 

Poor girl! I need to teach her how to be a lady and keep her leg closed - too bad she doesn't have a better role model! :-) 

On a more serious note, I am "surprised" at how much I do need to model for her.  She is a very cautious girl with everything.  This was her first time touching sand and she was not too happy about it!  I kept having to tell her that she was just fine.

The timeshare had multiple pools, playgrounds, shuffleboards and more.  We all had a grea time playing!

Of course when people asked what we did in Orlando, they really wanted to know if we went to Disney.  Nope!  We didn't do any amusement parks which was really just fine with us.  The cost is outrageous and I would rather go when Caroline will enjoy it and remember the next day that she just met her favorite princess.

The closest we got to Disney was going to "Downtown Disney" and walking around.  We even got a family picture with a pumpkin Mickey.  :-)

We all had a great time together and look forward to many more vacations in Orlando with the family.

It's just hard to believe that the girls are growing up so fast.  The picture below is from our last family vacation a year ago!

Thank you Grinny and Grand-dude for a great vacation!  We can't wait until next year!