A Valentine's Day to Remember

Once again more time has passed then I would like between blog entries, but I guess that is what happens when you work part time and take care of two little boys (and a husband :).  I also want to go back and add pictures to some of my blog posts sometime.  And I want to learn more about blogging and I want to.... I could go on and on, but I won't because as I said in a previous post I am trying to be better about just living in the moment.  When I think back over what we have done in the past couple weeks one of the things that stands out the most in my memory is Valentine's Day.  Now traditionally Terry and I don't do a lot for Valentine's Day.  We usually get each a card and some candy, but it is not a big deal for either of us.  We see it more as a commercial holiday.   However, this year a couple who are mentors in our Bible class invited couples to their home for Valentine's Day and let us know that they wanted to serve us dinner.  Cynthia and Geoff's children are grown, but they remember how hectic life can be with little ones.  Knowing how thoughtful and giving they are I knew that it would be a nice evening, but it was much more than that.    As we all arrived (5 couples) they took our coats and brought us a drink.  We immediately felt relaxed and pampered.  Although we were there with our friends whom we enjoyed spending time with they asked each couple to pick their own table.  They had 5 tables set up around their home decorated beautifully.  Terry and I chose the table in the family room by the fireplace.  They brought us shrimp cocktail and bread followed by salad and then steak and asparagus.  Then we had cake, chocolate covered strawberries, and coffee.  The food was wonderful!  It was so nice to sit back and relax, have a nice meal, and more importantly quiet time with Terry.  We actually got to have an uninterrupted conversation!  It felt a little uncomfortable to have our friends whom we look up to wait on us, but I knew that it was something they really wanted to do.  I kept thinking, this is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for us!  I told Geoff and Cynthia this and Cynthia told us that when their kids were very young and they were waiting for their house to be built they stayed with another couple for awhile.  Geoff and Cynthia were both working and taking care of their kids not to mention under the stress of having a house built.  One evening they came home to find that their friends had put the kids to bed and had prepared a nice meal for Geoff and Cynthia out on their back deck.  They expressed how much that meant to them and how they wanted to do the same for other couples.  I pray that Terry and I will do the same.  I pray that we will remember how special this night was to us and do the same for other couples someday.

Allergies, Painting, and Spiderman

I haven't written in a couple weeks so I want to get caught up on what we have been up to.   Two weeks ago an allergy doctor confirmed that Hayden is allergic to nuts and almonds.  When we were visiting Angela and her family after Christmas I let Hayden try a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  He didn't eat very much of it, just mainly played with it.  A few minutes after he got down from his booster seat Terry noticed that he was rubbing his eyes.  I first assumed that he was just tired, but then Terry said he was fussy and then noticed hives on his face and that his eyes were swollen.  We knew that we hadn't given him anything out of the ordinary other than the peanut butter so we knew that that must be what he was reacting to.  We immediately called the Cliffords' pediatrician who asked us some questions and told us to give him some benadryl.  Thankfully that did the trick and his face slowly cleared up.  So, a couple weeks ago we took him to an allergy doctor who did a skin test which confirmed his allergy to nuts and they also did a nut panel and he mildly reacted to the almond.  We knew after the incident at Angela's that he was likely allergic, but it was nice to get a definite answer and talk to an expert about what we need to do.  Fortunately, his allergy isn't so severe that he can't be in the same room as peanuts.  She said that he can sit next to Isaac while he has a PB&J.  We were given a prescription for an EpiPen, but I pray that we never have to use it.  I don't think it will be too big of a deal when we are at home because we can read labels, but I am a little worried about when he is out of our sight especially as he gets older.  Dr. Sheerin (the allergy doctor) also recommended that we get some blood work done that will give her some information that she will track every year to see if he outgrows this allergy.  I was dreading getting the blood work done because I assumed he would scream the whole time and I didn't want to watch him go through the nurse trying to find a vein, him squirming and screaming, etc.  Even though I was dreading it I just wanted to get it over with so I scheduled the appointment for last Wednesday.  To my amazement, he didn't scream.  He didn't even cry!  He obviously wasn't happy about it and squirmed just a little, but he was great and I was thankful to have a good nurse.  The blood work showed that his allergy is moderate to severe.  He is too young to be able to tell whether he will outgrow it, but we will have him tested again next year.

Last weekend I painted the living room.  Last Spring we turned our dining room into a playroom since it was rarely used as a dining room and I painted it green.  I started thinking about what color I wanted to paint the living room then.  I put a couple colors on the wall to try out, but after painting the playroom I wasn't ready to tackle another room for a while.  I finally got tired of looking at my paint swatches in the living room and decide to tackle painting another room.  We have hired people to paint a few rooms in our house, but I have painted most of the rooms.  Terry doesn't like to paint and I don't mind doing it.  I like trying to decide on a color and I love seeing a nice, bright, clean, fresh paint of coat on the walls.  I got my taping done Friday which is always a pain, but a big help to get that out of the way before hand.  I started painting Saturday morning.  Terry took the boys to Walmart and hung out with them until I stopped at 3:00 to get ready for a birthday party that Isaac was invited to.  That night I finished my 2nd coat and did touchups and clean up on Sunday.  I don't like the color as much as the one I chose for the playroom, but I am happy with it and glad that it is done!

I mentioned that Isaac was invited to a birthday party Saturday night and the theme of the party was perfect for him, Superheroes!  Isaac is all about superheroes right now and one in particular, Spiderman.  The invitation said that you could come dressed as your favorite superhero so of course Isaac wanted to be Spiderman.  We didn't have a costume and I really didn't want to go and buy one just for this party so I put my superpower to work (also known as Facebook) and found him a costume.  Some friends at church gave us one that their son had outgrown.  He had a great time at the party and has put his Spiderman costume on I think at least once a day every day since then.  It is fun to see him so into something, but we have decided to limit how much he watches the Spiderman show because it is a little violent and gory and we much prefer him to watch educational shows.

I don't want to forget this feeling!

Earlier today I was thinking about how I haven't blogged in about a week and I was trying to think about what has happened in the past week (such as finding out that Hayden is allergic to peanuts and almonds) and what I wanted to write about.  Then I decided that I wanted to write about how great I have been feeling lately!  I haven't been complaining as much.  Those who know me may think that I don't complain a lot, but I do on the inside.  At times, I grumble to myself about Hayden waking up early, about not having enough time to get things done, about Terry, about the boys.  I love Terry and the boys and am thankful for them, but I am such a planner that if things don't go the way I thought they would or the way I had planned for them to go I grumble to myself.  In fact, I just realized that is another way that Isaac is like me.  Just a little while ago he was trying to play something and Hayden wasn't doing what he wanted him to and he said "This isn't going how I planned!"  Another aspect of how I have been feeling is that I am trying to spend more quality time with the boys and not sweat the small stuff like things I want to get done around the house.  I am telling myself that when I can (like when the boys are watching a show, playing with daddy, or napping) get stuff done I will, but what doesn't get done, doesn't get done.  I am also spending more time in prayer.  I try to start my morning by saying a quick prayer (I say quick because I try to do this right when I wake up and that is usually when Hayden is crying for me to come get him) thanking God for the new day and asking that I will have a good attitude and be the best mother and wife that I can be and to be a light for Him.  I have also been getting back in the habit of praying before I go to bed, reflecting on the day.  Besides praying when I first wake up and before I go to bed I have also been talking to God throughout the day, when I get frustrated, when I need patience, when I watch our boys do something that makes me want to say thank you, thank you for these precious gifts, when I need advice, etc.  I have also recently started reading a book called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.  This book was recommended by our friends Jeff and Erin who we are in a small group Bible study with.  They said it was a wonderful, life-changing book and that our small group should read it and discuss it together.  I just finished chapter 2 and it is a great book.  It talks about God's amazing, crazy love for each of us.  The book helps you to come to know God and his love better.  Once you truly know God and his love then the response of your love should be just as crazy!  If we truly love God then it should show in the way we live our lives.  This change in the way I have been feeling started a couple weeks ago when I prayed that I would talk to Him constantly and develop a closer relationship with Him.  I prayed that He would fill me up and that I would be a light for Him.    I feel like His answer has been I will give you what you ask for and More!  I feel like he is saying stick with Me and I will make changes in your life that you may or may not be ready for.

The main reason that I wanted to write about this is because I have been on top of the mountain before.  I don't know if I have ever felt quite like this because no two feelings even if they are both joyous are exactly alike, but I have prayed throughout each day before and felt close to God.  I have been on the mountain at one moment and in the valley the next.  Times that I am not close to God I wonder why, why have I lost my focus when being close to Him is so amazing!  I am determined to continue to develop a closer and closer relationship with Him, talk to Him all throughout each day, and be a servant to others for Him, but if I slip back into the valley I pray that I will read this and run back up the mountain as fast as I can!

Snow Week

This past week was quite unusual for those of us living in Georgia.  At the end of the previous week everyone started talking about how we were supposed to get snow Sunday night and/or Monday and that temperatures would be very low.  Terry and I kept checking the weather channel application on our phones to see if anything had changed.  The snow prediction for Monday went from 70% possible to 90% to 100%.  The snow was predicted to start some time between 9 and 11 pm Sunday night.  Schools were cancelled Sunday evening as there was no doubt this snow storm was coming.  I was watching tv about 10:30 Sunday night when I got a facebook message from my friend and coworker asking if we had any snow in our area yet.  I hadn't looked outside since before we put the boys to bed so I looked out our back door so I could report back to her.  I thought I would see some snow falling, but was surprised to see our backyard completely covered in snow and quite a bit of it!  It continued to fall off and on through out the night and by morning we had 3-4 inches.  The boys (Isaac especially) was excited to see the snow the next morning and immediately wanted to know when we could go play in it.  It is funny that what was such a normal occurrence throughout the winter when I was growing up is a rare treat for our kids.  Since it was barely light out I decided to hold him off for a little while.  Once we had some breakfast and Terry got up we bundled them up and Terry went in the backyard with them.  Hayden had never seen so much snow and wasn't thrilled with it because he could barely walk in it.  There was like a sheet of ice on top of the snow that made it very difficult to walk.  They played for a little while, but then came in.  I had the idea the day before that it would be fun to build a fire in our fireplace since it was going to be so cold and this was something we rarely do.  Maybe I should say we hardly ever do.  I don't think we had built a fire since before Isaac was born.  I had also mentioned to Isaac that we should have some hot chocolate after playing in the snow.  So, as much as he enjoyed the snow he was almost as excited about drinking hot chocolate and sitting by the fire.  Since I didn't go outside with the boys that morning I wanted to go out that afternoon.  Terry and I talked about the possibility of letting the boys sled down the hill in our backyard, but Terry pointed out that there was a creek at the bottom and that it might not be a good idea.  So, I thought about the small slope between our house and our neighbor's house and thought that might be fun for them.  Since it rarely snows here and when it does it is not very much we have never bought a sled.  So, Terry found the box that his flat screen tv came in and we decided to use that as our sled.  I think Isaac liked the little slide down our side slope, but I wasn't satisfied. I commented that I wished we had a better place for them to sled and Terry said that we could try our big hill and he would be at the bottom to make sure no one went in the creek.  I have a lot of fun memories of sledding from when I was a kid and so I think I was as or more excited then they were.  We first went to one side of the hill and Isaac and I sled down.  We didn't go super fast or far, but it was fun and Isaac immediately wanted to do it again and again.  Hayden went down with me as well, but wasn't super excited about the whole experience.  He couldn't walk on his own, was cold, and probably not that comfortable all bundled up in everything.  So, Hayden and I went in and Terry and Isaac continued sledding for a little while longer.  When they came in they told us how they eventually picked up speed and distance and there was one instance where Isaac went close to the creek, but Terry stopped him.  Monday night's weather prediction was for very low temperatures and freezing rain so schools were cancelled for Tuesday.  Tuesday Terry and Isaac did some more sledding, but I stayed inside with Hayden since I knew he wouldn't have much fun out there.

No more snow or rain was predicted for the rest of the week, but the temperatures were supposed to remain low until Friday.  By Tuesday afternoon Terry and I got word once again that GACS and Hall County schools would be closed for Wednesday.  We couldn't believe that we were going to have 3 snow days in a row.  While we were enjoying the time off work and just being together I was ready to get out of the house even for a short while.  I am used to going out of the house more than once a day whether it be for work or to take Isaac to school, run errands, etc.  While I often complain about being busy I like to stay busy.  So, I was thinking that it would be fun to take the boys to a movie.  We have talked about taking Isaac to his first movie for a while now and just haven't done it.  Wednesday morning I called around and couldn't get a hold of a movie theater.  Besides schools being closed, a lot of businesses were closed as well.  With the temperatures remaining so low and the lack of salt trucks that we have in the South, many roads were icy.  So, I called Chick-fil-a and the man I talked to said they would be open at 11am.  I also called Target and they confirmed that they were open.  So, I suggested that we take the boys to Chick-fil-a where we could eat and they could play and then we could look around at Target (I had a xmas gift card that was burning a hole in my pocket).  When we got to Chick-fil-a we found out that only the drive thru was open.  Maybe they didn't have a lot of workers that could come in and/or maybe they didn't want people to fall on the ice in their parking lot.  So, we decided to try Panera and were happy to see that they were open.  We then looked around Target (I didn't spend my gift card) and stopped by Walmart to get a couple things.  We were only gone for a few hours, but it felt great to get out.  There were more people out on the roads then I thought there would be and the road conditions were better than I thought they would be.  There were definitely icy areas, but a lot of areas were clear.  That afternoon after putting Hayden down for a nap Terry, Isaac, and I headed for the hill.  This time we decided to try a different part of the hill.  It seemed a little steeper and turned out to be just a better area.  We had a blast.  We decided to bring the video camera and get some of this on tape.  At one point Isaac wanted to go down by himself from the top of the hill (sometimes we would just start him from half way down).  Terry went to the top with him and I stayed at the bottom to video tape.  Terry gave him a little push and then started jogging down the hill with him to make sure he didn't hit any trees.  Terry noticed that he was picking up speed so he started running after Isaac and it was a good thing he did because Isaac just kept going and going right towards the creek.  Terry leaped for him and caught him just in time as Isaac was hanging over the cardboard about to fall in the creek.  It gave us both a good scare and we decided that we would never let that happen again.  The temperatures remained low so the ice and snow weren't going anywhere and school was quickly called off again for the next day.  Thursday we made snow ice cream which the boys enjoyed.  Isaac's first comment was "It's better then I thought it would be!"  Although temperatures were supposed to get into the low 40s on Friday it wouldn't be until the afternoon so school was called off once again.  We couldn't believe that we had a whole week off work and on top of that Monday was a holiday - Martin Luther King Day.

We had a lot of fun this past week.  In addition to sledding we played XBox Kinect video games together (bowling is our favorite right now), made snow ice cream, and just hung out.  I did get a little stir crazy at times, but the fun times and the memories that we made far overshadow the few times that I just wanted to get out of the house and go somewhere.  I am very thankful for the time we had together.  I feel like we got the best of both worlds this winter.  We got to do a lot of traveling during our Christmas break and see both sides of our family and we got a week to just be home and relax and play together.  I can't say enough what a fun, family week this was.  I am very thankful for Terry and our two boys and the fun we have together!

Past, Present, and Future

As the new year is beginning I thought I would reflect on 2010, think about what is going on right now, and what might be to come in 2011.  The first thing that comes to mind when reflecting on the past year is how much the boys have changed.    Hayden went from being 6 mths old to 18 mths old so of course a lot of changes took place.  He began walking at 11 mths old in May and in June we celebrated his first birthday.  We had a cookout with family and close friends.  Since then he has learned to jump right in there with Daddy and Isaac when they wrestle, is feeding himself more and more, and has in the past month started to say more and more words.  I feel like he is on the verge of saying a lot!  He tries a lot of words now and really seems to pay attention when others are talking to see how to say a word.  He understands a lot and is great about shaking his head yes or no when you ask him a question.  Isaac went from being 3 to 4.  Isaac became a big brother when he was 2 1/2 and has been a great big brother ever since.  He didn't show as much jealousy as I thought he would and he really seems to enjoy Hayden.  I think he has my love for little ones.  Sure there are times as Hayden has gotten older that they will fight over a toy or both want my attention at the same time, but for the most part they get along great and I love to watch them interact.  You can already see the love and the bond that they share.  Hayden adores his big brother and Isaac loves his little brother.  This past Summer Isaac became quite the swimmer!  He has always loved the water.  We were going to try and set up swim lessons with someone that Terry works with, but that never worked out so Terry just taught him different times that we were at the pool.  Terry's parents' house in Tallahassee, Florida has a pool so he got a lot of swimming in there.  By the end of the summer he didn't want to wear his swim vest and was jumping off the diving board and coming back up to the top of the water by himself (although we always made sure that one of us was close by in the water).  This past Fall we decided to continue building his swimming skills by signing him up for lessons at the Collins Hill Aquatic Center.  I probably signed him up for too basic of a class, but I didn't want him to be in over his head either.  Another milestone for Isaac was starting preschool this past Fall.  He goes Mon, Wed. and Fridays from 9:30 to 1:30.  At first he wasn't too crazy about saying goodbye each morning.  Most parents drop their kids off in front of the school, but you can also walk them in to their classroom.  He was fine if I walked him in, but he didn't like for me to just drop him off outside.  I think he didn't like seeing me drive away.  There were some tears shed, but he pretty quickly got used to saying goodbye whether I walked him in or dropped him off.  He is loving school and his teacher, Ms. Heather had a lot of positive things to say at the teacher/parent conference in the Fall.  She said that he always reminds her of things she needs to do and she said that he is one of the brightest kids in the class.  I know there have been many more wonderful moments in the boys' lives over the past year, but of course I can't cover them all now and now that I am blogging I can record more of them in the coming year!

When I started thinking about Terry and I, I first thought well we haven't hit milestones, we haven't changed in the past year, but then I quickly remembered that there have been significant moments in our lives as well.  I really believe that God is working on both of us.  This past Fall I decided that I wanted to plan a Ladies retreat for our Bible class.  I did this a few years ago and really enjoyed it.  I knew that I needed a weekend away and that many others needed one as well.  Although a little stressful at times I really enjoyed planning it.  We had a great time!  Also this past Fall our friends Brent and Robin who have been Upreach leaders for our Bible class for the past 6 years (with help from different people at different times) asked Terry and I if we would take over this role.  They had been fulfilling this responsibility for a long time and needed a break.  I love organizing events, I love our class, and I wanted them to have a break so I was anxious to say yes, but didn't want to do so unless Terry was on board.  I knew that he was having his busiest, most stressful school year that he has ever had so I wasn't sure if we would want to take on another responsibility.  He knew how much I wanted to do it and agreed to take on this role with me.  Well, right after we were asked to do this an announcement was made at church that our long time preacher had been having an affair with the previous children's ministry leader.  This was a big shock to all of us, but I was proud of the way our elders and everyone handled the situation.  For many of us instead of turning us away from Campus this renewed our commitment to this church family whom we love.  We didn't want this to tear us apart, but instead make us closer and stronger.  Robin and Brent decided that it wasn't the right time to step down as Upreach leaders and committed to leading with Terry and I.  Our friend Taylor who had been teaching our Bible class was asked to preach in the auditorium so Terry stepped forward and said that he would teach.  He said that being asked to be an Upreach leader and then with what happened with our minister he felt called to take a leadership role.  He spent many years when he was younger working in youth ministry and now works in a leadership role as a teacher and head of his department at GACS so for the past several years he was happy to let others lead at church.  He said that he thought many times, the men in our class should step forward and teach.  He realized that it was time he stepped forward and took more of a part in our class.  He has done such a great job as a leader and a teacher.  He has walked our class through the Experiencing God book.  He has a great way of getting his point across with music and stories and takes in everyone's comments as well.  About a month ago Terry was asked to become a Deacon at our church.  I am very proud and blessed to be his wife!

Well, I took quite a bit of time talking about the past year so I will try to make my present and future thoughts a little shorter.  When I think about what is going on right now it is what has happened in the past year continuing.  The boys are continuing to change and I love watching them grow (although I wish they would slow down a little bit!)  Terry is going to continue to teach our class and we are looking forward to continuing to lead in our class.  The women's ministry leader asked me to be a small group leader for our upcoming Spring retreat for our church.  This is something that I have never done before.  I am a little nervous, but mostly looking forward it.  As I mentioned earlier, Terry is have a very busy year and it has been pretty stressful for him so we will both be glad when it is over.

The future, hmmm...I really don't want to make predictions because that has gotten me in to trouble in the past.  See I like to plan and know what is going to happen and how it is going to happen and when it is going to happen, but I have learned that it is best not to make plans, but instead watch and listen for God's perfect plan for our lives.  I have found that when I make plans I get caught up in how I think things should go and get a false sense of being in control.  However, when I completely put things in God's hands I see things work out perfectly.  As many times as I have seen my plans fail and God's succeed I still have many moments where I try to make plans and be in control.  You would think I would have learned by now!  Why are we so thick headed and slow to learn!  Well, fortunately God is forgiving and willing to give us as many chances as we need to get it right so I will keep on trying to give up complete control.

From swim trunks to snow boots

   What a different, but great Christmas we had this year!  Terry's parents, sister, and ourselves decided to make use of their vacation club membership and rent condos in Pompano Beach, Florida the week of Christmas.  I knew this would be quite different for this Northern raised girl, but I was looking forward to getting away and to the warmer weather!  We stayed at a place called Wyndam Palm Aire Resort and it was very nice.  We each had a 2 bedroom condo that were a good size.  The resort had 4 heated pools, a small put-put golf course, playgrounds, a spa, and an activity center for kids.  I have to make a little side note here to explain what we did at the beginning of the week.  I love Christmas and everything that goes with it, decorating, baking, looking through toy catalogs, shopping for others, and the anticipation in our kid's eyes as well as getting and decorating a live tree.  So, before we left I got out our Christmas decorations and I so wanted to get a tree, but I told myself that it didn't make sense to spend money on and put up a tree when we were going to be gone before, during, and after Christmas.  I told Terry how much I wanted a tree and he assured me that we could get one in Florida.  So, that is what I wanted to do the day after we arrived in Florida.  I wanted to get it as soon as possible to get more into the Christmas spirit and to be able to enjoy it all week and so we did.  I don't think Terry was thrilled about going through the hassle of putting the tree on the car, lugging it into the condo, etc. when we would only be there for a week, but he didn't complain. He followed me around as I picked out a tree, a stand, a tree topper, and lights (I brought ornaments from home) because he knew it would make me happy!  I love him so much!  When we got the tree set up Mimi, Papaw, and Aunt Lauren came over to help us decorate it.  It was great!  A favorite memory.
   It wasn't quite as warm as we hoped it would be, but of course we didn't complain because we knew it was a lot colder back home.  One of the reasons I was hoping for warmer weather was so that Isaac could do what he loves to do, spend a lot of time in the pool.  The mornings started off in the 50s or low 60s and eventually warmed up to the high 60s or low 70s.  Those temperatures aren't too bad, but it was also windy most days so it seemed even cooler.  We did still go to the pool some since they were heated, but we usually didn't stay much longer than 30 minutes if that.  Besides playing with Isaac and Hayden in the pool I also wanted to get some sun so one morning while Mimi, Terry, and the boys went to Walmart I laid out. It was pretty warm that morning and it was great to just relax by myself.  We didn't spend a lot of time at the pool, but we found plenty of other things to do.  One afternoon the resort was serving ice cream sundaes by the activity center so Isaac and I got one and then he made a craft in the activity center.  He painted a soccer ball bank. We then watched the 2nd half of a movie that they were showing.  That was one of my favorite afternoons because Isaac and I got to spend so much time together just hanging out.  At home there is just always so much to do that I rarely get to spend that much time with him one on one.  One day Isaac, Hayden, and I made our first annual Christmas train.  Last year we attempted a gingerbread house which turned out to be a disaster.  It was so hard to get the sides to stick together, Isaac took a bite out of one side before we got it put together, and it was just hard to manage so this year I wanted to try something different.  I had found a cake pan that made different train cars. We made a train track with black licorice and then put the train cars on it and decorated them.  We used gummy life savers for wheels and gumdrops, licorice, and sprinkles to decorate the cars.  I was happy with how smooth it went and how well it turned out.  That is also another favorite memory of the week.  Another favorite memory was watching Hayden light up on different occasions, try new words, and sing la, la, la, and ho, ho, ho to different Christmas songs.  His ho, ho, ho was my favorite!
   One morning we all went on a sight seeing boat called the Jungle Queen.  It took us by million dollar homes and to a small island where they had alligators, exotic birds, and monkeys.  It was a little chilly on the boat, but we had a good time.  That afternoon the resort had an animal show.  Terry, the boys, and I went to that.  They had a lot of different animals and the boys really enjoyed seeing them all up close.  During the show we ran into a family that Terry knew that used to live in Atlanta and were vacationing there as well, small world.  Wednesday night Terry and I had a date night thanks to Mimi, Papaw, and Aunt Lauren.  We debated about what to do, but in the end decided that what we always enjoy is just a nice dinner out.  I asked the concierge desk for recommendations and got several.  I looked at all their websites and chose a restaurant called Sea Watch.  We had a good dinner and a nice evening together.   Thursday afternoon Terry, the boys, and I went to the beach.  It was probably in the low 70s this day and the wind wasn't too bad.  This was really Hayden's first experience at the beach.  The only other time he had been to a beach was when he was 4 months old (Daytona Beach close to Thanksgiving), he wasn't feeling well, and he stayed in my arms the whole time.  I took his shoes off and let him walk and he seemed to like the sand, but when we got to the water and saw some small waves he wasn't too sure about that.  When the water hit his feet, he started to cry a little bit, and backed up.  He was content to play in the sand for a while, but after I coaxed him to try it again he got used to it and seemed to like it although he still needed us close by for reassurance.  Isaac saw a young man playing a banjo and wanted to go by him several times so that he could see him playing.  We stayed for about an hour and then needed to get back so that Hayden could take a nap.  On Friday Terry went fishing out on a boat with his dad and uncle.  Terry is not a big fan of fishing, but his dad loves to fish and so he went to spend time with him.  They left early and were gone all day.  Terry is a good son!  Apparently Terry caught his first fish when he was sleeping!  Then he caught a couple more.  While they were fishing Marjorie and Lauren wanted to take me and the boys to a mall that they had discovered the day before.  It was called Sawgrass Mills Mall.  It was a huge mall and it had this play place for kids that was like nothing that we had ever seen before.  It was called Wannabe City.  It was basically this huge indoor city for kids where they can try out different jobs.  They could be doctors, photographers, firemen.  I can't even explain it well enough to do it justice.  I have been to hands on play areas for kids before, but this one was better by a long shot.  It also had a city fair where there was rides.  Marjorie and Lauren took the boys to it, while I finished up some Christmas shopping.
   Christmas Eve I made Italian Sausage and Tortellini soup, we made sugar cookies for Santa, sang a few Christmas carols, Marjorie gave us each an ornament that we put on the tree, and the boys watched a Care Bears Christmas movie.  Saturday morning Hayden woke up early like he had been doing pretty much all week, but I was able to get him to go back to sleep in bed with us.  We ended up sleeping until 7:40 which is late for us.  I had Terry stay in the bedroom with Isaac and Hayden while I made sure everything was ready (Marjorie was going to add some things to everyone's stocking).  Terry said that while I was doing that Isaac said "I don't understand why we have to stay in here.   Most kids just get to run out.  I guess it is because we are in a condo."  We had a fun morning opening presents.  Santa Claus was good to everyone.  Another nice part of this trip was that I got to meet and spend time with quite a few people in Jim's family that I had heard about, but never met.  Jim's mother lives with her daughter and son-in-law and we went over there for dinner one night.  That evening one of Jim's brothers joined us for dinner.  Another evening Marjorie and Jim had Jim's mother, sister, and brother-in-law over for dinner and another brother and his wife came as well.  Christmas day we went back to Aunt Sharon's house and there I met her daughter, son, and some of her grandkids.  Isaac especially hit it off with his new cousin Taylor who is 6.  Isaac also liked their dog Max, but Hayden wasn't too sure about him.  After we got back to the condo we had a small birthday celebration for Isaac.  We put candles in the train cake and sang to him and he got a few presents.
   We took off early the next morning to head home.  On the way to Florida we broke up our trip into two days, but on the way home we decided to do it in one day.  Most of the time I don't get motion sick, but a couple times in the past couple years I have when I have been on a long trip, looking down, and moving around to give things to the boys.  I had taken a Dramamine the first day of our trip to Florida, but not the second and I was fine so I didn't take one before our trip home and I thought I would be fine. I also had packed everything up and didn't know where it was.  Well, that was a mistake!  It was very windy on the way home and after just an hour or so I started getting a headache and feeling nauseous.  After just about 2-3 hours I started throwing up and did so a total of about 5 times over the next few hours.  I couldn't believe I was so sick and we still had such a long ways to go.  Terry asked if I wanted to stop somewhere for the night, but even though I didn't feel well I just wanted to get home.  I had eaten breakfast before I got sick, but I didn't eat anything the rest of the day.  We had heard that there was snow in Atlanta Christmas day so we weren't sure what the roads were going to be like.  As we got closer to Atlanta we could see a little bit of snow and Terry said he could see some ice, but the roads weren't bad.  Isaac was excited to see the snow and touched it as soon as we got out of the car.  We got home about 8:15 and got the boys right to bed.  We had a great time in Florida, but were glad to be home.  It is true that there is no place like home!  When Isaac went to get in bed he said "My bed is lower."  He has a low car bed and he had been sleeping on a regular bed at the condo.  I have to mention something else cute that Isaac said, on the way home he said "Am I 4 now?" and when I told him that he was he just got a big smile on his face.  The next morning he asked the same question and when I said yes he said "But I am the same height"  I assured him that he has grown a lot in the past year.  That morning the boys were eager to go out in the snow even though there wasn't much on the ground.  We couldn't find Hayden's gloves so his poor little hands froze when he touched the snow.  I eventually put socks on his hands so his hands would at least be a little warmer.  We had a great vacation and Christmas and now we are unpacking, doing laundry, and packing for our trip to Nashville!

Another Successful Birthday Party!

Yesterday we celebrated Isaac's birthday a couple weeks early with a great music themed party with family and friends!  Since Isaac's birthday is Christmas day we usually have his party a 2-3 weeks before Christmas to separate it from Christmas and to have it at a time when people aren't quite so busy with the holidays and can join us to celebrate Isaac.  This year as Isaac and I were talking about what the theme of his birthday party should be we talked about either cars or music.  I think at one point he asked if we could do both, but I told him we needed to pick one and he chose music which I was excited about because Isaac has always been all about music!  He loves to sing and he loves all instruments, but especially the guitar and drums.  I thought it would be fun for the kids to have a parade with instruments.  So, I had a banner that said Happy Birthday Isaac that the kids could decorate for the parade.  They had fun doing that and it looked really cute.  Then they got their coats on, each picked an instrument, and headed outside.  I tried to get them to line up on the side of the house, but it was a little chaotic with 9 kids as I expected it would be. None of the kids (except my niece, Kate) wanted to hold the banner because they were all holding instruments.  I needed to hold Hayden so he could keep up with the bigger kids so one of the moms helped Kate hold the banner.  They walked down the sidewalk playing their instruments, went across the street, and back towards our house.  It was a short parade (pretty cold out), but hopefully the kids thought it was fun.  Then we had lunch which consisted of pizza, chips, and fruit salad followed by cake.  I debated about whether to have Isaac's cake made or make it myself.   I thought that I wouldn't mind making it, but that I wanted it to go along with the theme and I didn't think I would be able to find any cake toppers that were instruments.  I looked around and as I thought I didn't find any so I decided to order a cake from Publix and let them draw a guitar and drum set on the cake.  Then when I was looking for decorations a man that worked at Party City suggested that I go to music store that sold instruments to see if they had anything that I could use for decorations.  I went to a music store in Buford and didn't find decorations, but they had instrument ornaments!  I saw a drum set and guitar that I knew would work perfect for cake toppers and cancelled my cake order at Publix.  It was so cute to see Isaac's big smile as all his friends gathered around he and the cake and sang Happy Birthday to him.  Isaac then opened his gifts which included two saxophones.  He also got a microphone from grandma and grandpa which was perfect for our boy who loves to sing!  A while back he had told Mimi (Terry's mom) that he wanted drums so she told him that she might get him a drum set for Christmas.  This was a big deal and something that came up often in conversation from that point on.  He was so excited and just couldn't wait to get his drums at Christmas!  Well, Mimi and Papaw decided to surprise him and give him his drum set for his birthday.  He was very excited and sat right down and played.  All the other kids then took turns.  It was funny to see some of the kids holding their ears, it was quite loud!  All in all I would say it was another great birthday celebration.  I have to say though that during the planning for it as well as at times during the party I was a little frazzled.  This year more than any other I have felt a little stressed trying to plan his birthday party and get ready for Christmas (as well as getting ready to go out of town in less than a week)  We have thought about the idea of having his party on his half birthday in the summer or waiting until January to have his birthday party.  We will see which he would prefer, but I need to remind myself not to do it in December again.