Merry Christmas!

May God Bless you all this Christmas and always.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

~Clint, Summer, Micah, Coby, Cason, and Bryson

Christmas Chaos

I try really hard to get everything done for the big holiday ahead of time, but it seems like you always forget something.... we had only one last minute thing to pick up as far as gifts go, so I thought it would be just fine. So we made quick little jaunt by the mall to pick up some fresh milk chocolate longhorns for my daddy. (They are his favorite and he always gets them from me at christmas!) Bryson was asleep and it was pouring down rain and there were NO parking spaces to be found anywhere, and Cason had to go potty (of course!), so Clint pulled up to the mall entrance closest to Lambs Candy and Cason and I hop out and run. We visited the nearest restroom where Cason refused to go into the girls bathroom because he is a boy, but that is a story all in its own. We picked up the candy for my daddy, and Cason got a free candy cane. We are on our way. The mall is packed with people, so I was trying to get Cason to walk a little faster and a little closer to me, but he was just looking into all the store windows, noticing all the pretty lights and the candy canes, the decorations, the Christmas trees, etc. His eyes would light up with each new discovery, "WOW, mommy... look at those lights.... those are beautiful" He loves that word... so sweet! So we were walking along and I had been pushed and shoved a few times, but this woman came plowing around a corner out of a store with like 15 huge bags (she had obviously waited until the last minute for everyone on her list, and she was evidently quite stressed about it!) She rounded that corner so fast and she and she just mowed Cason right over. She knocked him down and looks at me and says, "Get your KID out of my WAY!" Did she just say that?? Seriously?? I picked Cason up off the ground, pick up his candy cane that is now broken, hand this lady 7 of her 15 bags that she had just used to single handedly take down my 3-year old, and in the meantime, we were still being trampled by the people who are in such a hurry. My blood was just boiling. I was literally counting to myself thinking "be nice........ be nice........" When it comes to someone mistreating my kids, it is so hard to be nice, but I remember my mom always telling me to kill em with kindness, so I layed it on thick. I looked up at her and just smiled and said "Merry Christmas! Sorry about that!" She rolled her eyes and stormed off. Cason looked at me and "mommy, she pushed me down and she didnt say she was sorry!" Isnt it awful that we get so caught up in all the hustle and bustle of Christmas that we forget what it is all about? It made me really sad! Cason is fine and he enjoyed his broken candy cane. We made it back to our car and headed home, but it just made me look at things so differently and think about what I am teaching my kids about Christmas. I have so many vivid memories of Christmas from my childhood. It is awesome to think that those are the memories I am creating for my children... what an amazing gift it is to have them in our hands... their precious minds completely open and soaking up every little thing that we teach them. I do hope and pray that God will give us the wisdom to mold their minds and create memories that will bring him glory!

One of those moments...

It is our first official day of Christmas break... I just got Bryson down for a nap, and the other three are in the kitchen working on a nativity scene puzzle that I found at the dollar store. While they are working, Micah is singing in his sweet high boy-soprano voice,

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed

The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head

The stars in the sky look down where he lay

The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay

Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever, and love me, I pray

Bless all the dear children in thy tender care

And take us to heaven to live with Thee there

How can it get much better than this?!

Didnt make the cut...

We chose a family picture for our Christmas card this year, so I had to share this one of the boys...

Have a holly, jolly Christmas!

Breakfast with Santa

We finally got to speak to Santa in person this morning! We have written him a letter and talked to him on the phone, but the boys finally spoke to him face to face this morning. Coby was at my bedside at 7am pulling me out of bed. "Mommy, time to get ready to go eat pancakes with Santa!" They had such a great time! We made reindeer crafts & nativity scenes, had some yummy pancakes, and sat on Santa's lap for a picture and to give our requests. I remember doing the breakfast as a senior.... it was strange (but fun) to be doing it on this side! Micah was onto us... he recognized 'Santa' as Mr. Dan, his Sunday school teacher. Mr Dan made a quick recovery and told him that he was really one of Santa's many helpers that visits kiddos to be sure they are being well-behaved. He told him that he reports back to Santa and tells him how the children are behaving and what they want for Christmas. It worked... at least for now. It wont be long before he figures it out. He is just too analytical!
I must say that I was pretty impressed with their picture. Not many folks can get all 4 of my kids to look at the camera at one time.... much less to be looking with at least a pleasant look on their faces! :-) Glad Santa has a big lap!

Out of the mouths of babes....

This morning we were driving to school in the fog. It was so thick that I was going about 30 mph on I-35. The boys were asking about what fog was and how it was made, etc. I told them it was kinda like we were driving in a cloud.
Coby thought about this for a minute and asked, "We're driving in the clouds, mommy?"
"Well, kinda."
His eyes widened. "Cason, you watch that way, and I will look this way. We might see Jesus!"
......precious.....

Our first felony

Totally forgot a funny story...
In the mall today, Coby found a "Cars" figurine set that he just wanted SOOO badly. he carried it around in the Disney store for a long time. He asked me if he could get it and I told him he could ask for it from Santa. "Great idea, mommy!" So he carried it around some more. Bryson was having a hayday sticking his hands out the side of the incredibly hard to push double stroller (which was so heavy bc my 35 pound 3 year old was on the front). I was trying to maueuver in and out of the displays, and Bryson sticks his arm out at just the right time, knocks down several life-size Cinderella dolls and makes a huge crashing noise. Nice. We have made a scene. As I am picking them up, I hear an employee say, "That little boy... he is taking that out!" I look up and Coby is just headed out into the mall with the toy he wanted so bladly. "I just need to take it right down there. You see that guy in those shiny red clothes? That is Santa. I need to show him this is what I want for Christmas!" Needless to say, we had a talk.... about leaving a store without mommy and about shoplifting! :-)

Blogger Slacker!!

I know, I know... I have been a bad, bad blogger lately! It is kinda like this downward spiral. We are so, so busy that I dont have time to blog... but we are doing so much and so much is happening that I have so much to blog about... but all of those things that I should blog about are the things that are keeping me so busy that I dont have the time to blog... you know? I also finally posted the letter I wrote to Micah on his birthday. I had been waiting to post it until I scanned in a pic of him as a baby, but that never happened. I will go back and do it later just for my own records.
So it has been a few weeks and here are some highlights - and of course so pictures, too!!
~Bryson had successful ear surgery on Nov 30!!!!! Hooray!!!!! He is an all new baby. He was always so happy nad easy going, but he was constantly running fever and had begun to have a hard time sleeping, so this has made life so much easier for us! Unfortunately, he came down with walking-pnemonia the following week, but I panicked thinking it might be some kind of reaction to the tubes or the ear drum repair, so I took him straight to the dr. They caught it really early and they were able to treat him with antibiotics at home rather than admitting him into the hospital!
~Coby has learned to ride his bike with out training wheels!! Go Coby!
~Micah is soaring with this reading thing.... he loves to read! It is amazing how fast they learn! Our "code" no longer works when we are trying to spell things we dont want them to know. The other day, I spelled "s-a-n-t-a" to clint and he said, "why are you talking about Santa, mommy?" Caught, red-handed!!

~Cason is doing this funny thing where he role plays as a puppy. He speaks to me in "puppy" He walks like a puppy, and he gives "puppy-kisses." He will only respond to his puppy name, "Caster" And he has decided that Coby can play the role of his mommy. It is so funny to watch them pretend together!

~We went to the train of lights as a family... it was great fun, and the kids were really into it this year. (See pic below)

That is about it here in the best family household for now.... I am sooo ready for this holiday to be here!! I LOVE Christmas!!

And now for your viewing pleasure:

Look at this happy guy now... showing off his pearly whites.

And hangin out with PawPaw

Eskimo Bry keeping warm at the Trail of Lights!

Here is the family at the lights. I know, not a great picture bc hte lighting is bad, and Bry was trying to lean around to see the lights ahead and Cason is being grouchy about something... but hey, at least it proves that we were all there!!

Bryson and his buddy Brinton all tuckered out froma day of shopping!! I love to watch them sleep!

a successful six-year old sleepover!

Here are some fun pictures of Micah's party. We met up at the bowling alley and had cake and pizza there. Then we brought all the boys back to our house for a movie and a sleepover. The boys did great. They all just lined up like sardines in our tiny little living room floor. We had the lights out at about 11:30 and we heard their giggles again around 6:45 the next morning... not too bad for our first sleepover!! :-)

Micah loves to bowl... and his game is really not too shabby!

Happy Birthday to you!

This one is totally just for me... I made the cake, and to me the pictures never do them justice, but I had to post a good pic of the cake I spent so much time on!

Daddy and Micah. They are sooo father and son, huh?

Mommy loves Micah!

Micah and his cousin, Sam. She was the only girl-invitee to the party. A special honor that she took very seriously!

The sleepover gang wearing their lightning mcqueen pj pants that we made as party favors. They loved them!

Making hot coacoa for breakfast the next morning. Really, I needed an activity to keep them busy while I made blueberry pancakes in bulk!! And we had Krispy Kreme hats leftover from the donuts we brought to school for his celebration there. Oh, What FUN!!

6 years and counting

6 years old..... my precious baby is 6 years old.... that happened too fast. From almost 9 pounds to 53 pounds... my, how you have grown!
Sweet Micah Samuel- You are 6 years old today! You are so big! It seems like only yesterday we were spending the long night in the hospital with my sky-high blood pressure, praying that the doctors would tell us we could just go ahead and have this baby a few weeks early. I remember the moment that you were born. After several long hours of labor, I heard your cry for the very first time. They placed you on my chest and we snuggled. Your eyes met mine, and it was like we had met before. You were so sweet, and "fuzzy" as Mimi called it. You were a perfect baby. I thanked God for you that day, as I do today... you are still my precious first born, and you will always have that special place in my heart. Here are just a few of the things that I love about you: I love your smile... the way that you laugh at your brothers when they are being silly.... and the way you try to muster up the courage to be silly along with them. The way that your face brightens when you see a baby, especially little Bryson. He loves his big brother. You are such a fabulous big brother, and such a wonderful helper to me. I have realized that even more with you gone to kindergarten this year. I have missed ahving you here as my "big helper." I love your strong will... it gets you in trouble sometimes, but it is something to be cherished and taken care of. You know what you want and you do what you need to do to get it done! I love your compliance.... your aiming to please... the way that you like to make others happy and proud. You do make me so proud! I love your hugs and your 'schnuggles' and good nite kisses. Hope you never run out of those I love that you always want to hold my hand... and I hope you never get too old for that! I love your love for learning... you are so eager to read everything that you see and you are just constantly asking questions to learn how things work or why things are the way they are. You are so bright and so curious! Mostly, I just love that you are you. I love how sweet and precious you are. I thank God for giving you to me. I promised him that day that I would take good care of you and teach you to be one of his followers. It will continue to be my prayer for you.... my first-born son.
Happy Birthday, Micah!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

but it is still 80 degrees outside!!! That is just crazy! We still managed to get into the Christmas decorating spirit around here... even though we were putting up our lights in shorts! The boys really got into "helping" this year. We broke out the Christmas music, put on the Santa hats (which cause us to break into a sweat), mixed up the hot chocolate (again, sweating...), and decorated the tree, hung the stockings, even put up the lights outside.... what fun!! We topped it off with a trip to IHOP for pancakes for dinner.... cant beat that!? Of coarse, here is the evening in photos...... I only chose a few so that blogger would not kick me off!!

They each got to hang their stockings on our special little hanger. We have no chimney, so we have a special key that hangs on our front door to let Santa in.

Cason loved the 'pretty lights.' He has to say nite nite to the tree before bed every night!

Micah was the ornament natzi.... he made sure that no one hung the breakable ones too low within Bryson's reach... and only one per branch.... and try not to hang the matching ones side by side.... he is so my child!

Maybe too many helpers???

The Jolliest Santa I know!

This is the "silly pose" I saved the good one bc it may be my christmas card... so act surprised when you get it! :-)

Just for fun

We have been cleaning off the hard drive on our old computer so we can get rid of it, and we are loading all our old pictures onto CDS and putting them onto our new computer. The boys have enjoyed looking thry all the old pics. So here is a little "test"

Who do you think this is???? Looks like Lil' Bryson doesnt! It is really Coby at about 10 months old!


Now... here is Bryson!!
Crazy, huh?



















Now for some Best Family Happenings... Clint and I were visiting while the boys were playing in the back yard, we heard a loud bang and looked out into the back yard to see Cason holding a baseball. I poked my head out and told him, "Cason, y'all need to be careful with the baseball. It just hit the window and that's not ok! Baseballs can break windows!" "Yes ma'am!" was his reply. As I turned back around to go back inside and close the door, Cason looked at Coby and said, "We better not throw the ball into the fan anymore... mommy said it might break the window!" They were evidently throwing the ball up into the ceiling fan and watching it fly! Where do they come up with this stuff? Boys, boys, boys!!

twas the night after halloween....

and in the middle of the night (about 4:45am to be exact), Coby was at my bedside... right in my face. (He was using one of those 'holler-whispers' where he knows he is supposed to whisper because it is pitch dark in my room, but he was kinda frustrated that he had been saying my name a few times and I was out cold, so he got closer and louder.) I startled awake and sat up wondering who was going to throw up because that is usually why they wake me up in the middle of the night. Just before I snatched him up to run to the bathroom, he said, "No mom, I dont need to throw up. I just need one more sucker... just one more sucker.... that would make my tummy feel just right... just one more."
"No, Coby, it is dark outside and that means it is nite-nite time." As I carried him back to his bed, I noticed the stickiness of his cheeks and the black cherry small on his breath, so we made a detour to the dining room, where we keep their candy buckets. Lo, and behold, on the living room floor was about 8 candy wrappers.
"Coby, what are you doing up eating candy? It is nite-nite time!"
"Mommy, my tummy needed some more candy, and it was so yummy in the dark. I will share some with you because you are my favorite mommy. Here is some chocolate for you. Or do you wanna pick a piece?" He knows just what to say, doesnt he??


the sweetest spiderman ever
Micah loved passing out the candy!
To Infinity... and BEYOND!!
SUPERBABY!!

More Candy!!

We survived trick-or-treating... AGAIN! We made our trip around the block trick-or-treating... Coby picked up on what others were saying and he started telling everyone that we passed on the sidewalk, "Hello! Happy Halloween!" I was kinda fearful that the boys might be a little shy or afraid (especially at the houses with 'spooky' decorations), but the only thing that freaked them out was a huge dog that looked them in the eye thru a glass front door. They all 3 took off running before the lady even got the door open. I apologized and headed after them! One house we visited handed out handfuls of quarters!! I was impressed! I remember getting pennies as a kid, but quarters would really add up in a hurry!! That is some serious inflation!

Anyways, then we headed back to the house where we passed out candy (which Micah loved!), and then headed to Souper Salads in our costumes (our halloween tradition). Several strangers had to come over and meet the Best superheros. The boys thought it was so cool to go to "a place" in costume. Cason tried to eat with his mask on, but he eventually gave it up and took it off. He did, however, put it back on to visit the bathroom. I am sure you can only imagine being 3 years old and trying to 'aim' with no peripheral vision! Clint brought him back to the table trying so hard not to laugh out loud.... because "spiderman" is a bit sensitive, and he is totally aware when we are laughing at him, and he calls us on it! They did not make it to bed until about 10:00, but it was a fun and eventful evening!!

I can rest easy with these guys around!

I thought this one was sweet the way Coby was trying to 'include' Bryson in the picture by patting his head!

I love Pumpkins!!

Maybe it is because with them, they bring the Fall, the crisp air, the awesome days when it is not too hot to play outside, but not too cold to leave the windows open. Maybe it is because they remind me of family... pumpkin carving parties with my brother and his family.... Of working all day long with my momma to prepare thanksgiving dinner, for it to all be eaten in only 30 minutes... sitting around a table having thanksgiving dinner... and my dad making us all cry over our plates of warm yummy food as he says, "well folks, I said it last year, and I will say it again... I just dont think life gets much better than this!" Pumpkins remind me of getting together for Halloween festivities with friends and family... the excitement of dressing up as your favorite superhero, and the sugar high from all of the trick-or-treating. They remind me of my kids because when they were babies, I always sang them a song that said, "Bryson is my pumpkin pie, my pumpkin pie, my, oh, my...." (I inserted all of the others names there, too). The boys still call Bryson "mommy's punkin"

I do love the fall and the excitement that it brings that the weather is getting cooler and the holidays are upon us! Thank you, Lord, for all I have to be so thankful for... and thank you for the simple things... the little pumpkins along the way to remind us to count our blessings.
The pumpkin patch was the high light of our day... they each picked out a pumpkin to take home. And they picked out one for mommy, one for daddy, and a tiny one for Bry. It was so fun to watch them run from one to the next trying to make the decision between hundreds... which one is the perfect one? It was great how they were so sure when they found 'the one' Like it was really any different than the one next to it.... but they were so proud!