Panties and Pacifiers! My big girl!

My baby girl has turned into a toddler over the last week.

We decided Tuesday it was time to cut out the pacifier. We had been trying to keep it to just nap and bedtime anyway, so we thought it was time to give bedtime a shot. She didn't have a good night on Tuesday, but the rest of the week has been perfect! She has barely even asked for it. It is taking her a bit longer to soothe herself to sleep, but she has made it through the night no problem Wed-Sun. On Wednesday night I had a sad moment about her growing up so fast. I cried a little. She didn't even cry for her paci, but I almost went back in to her room to give it to her because I wasn't ready for her not to be a baby.

Maggie has shown interest in potty training so, on Saturday Jason decided to begin. He put on her panties and gave it a shot. She did perfectly Saturday and Sunday morning at church (twice). Sunday was another story. She had four accidents (at least). After Saturday and Sunday's morning successes, this afternoon was a little discouraging. I don't know what to do about tomorrow. If I were going to be home for Spring Break, I would wait and try then. But.... I'll be in Spain!

Oh my! In this cheesy shot, I see my baby pictures in Maggie's face. Unfortunately, that includes the large forehead I have! Sorry Mag.

She is cracking me up with the doodle pro! It is her new favorite!

Handsome fellows after church today.

Happy 4th Birthday Ellie!

Yesterday we celebrated Elllie's 5th birthday at Oogles and Googles! All the kids had such a great time, and it was fun to go somewhere we've never been. The kids heard stories, got tattoos, dressed up in prince/princess costumes, got their faces painted, went on a treasure hunt, ate cupcakes, and more!

Here are a few pictures of the celebration.

Matthew (of course) requested his usual spiderman face, El got a butterfly, and Austin a sword on his cheek.

Our two princes and a princess.

Prince Matthew the Spiderman

Light pink eye shadow for Maggie!

Under Construction!

A Well Deserved Remodel

Jason's dad and Uncle Jesse came down today to begin construction in Matthew's bedroom. When we built our house, we changed a small bedroom to an office with a double door opening to our bedroom. Doing this took out the closet. It was wonderful as an office, but not so great for a four year old's bedroom! Today they took off the doors, hung dry wall, and began framing the closet. Soon we'll be able to paint, buy a new bedroom suit for him, and pick out bedding! Matthew is so excited. He wanted to sleep in the closet tonight! Also, he has his heart set on painting the room blue.... it's his favorite color right now.

Squid Dogs!

These were fun to make and turned out really well, so I thought I'd share them! We spent last weekend in London with Jason's family. Amy brought her Family Fun magazine, and we saw an idea we wanted to try. Squid dogs! They are so easy. You cut a hot dog (we cut in fourths) and poke raw spaghetti noodles through the hot dogs. Then, boil the dogs and noodles at the same time. We added cheese to make the eyes and mouth. The kids ate them up!

Our 1st Year with Matthew

**To watch the video, you may need to let it buffer once through, and then go back and watch it to see it without stopping.

Today we are remembering our 1st year with Matthew. One year ago today, we picked him up for the first time. January through March we only had him on Wednesday nights and the weekends. April 3, he moved in to our home. It has been a wild year; full of ups, downs, and if possible, inside outs! We felt God's calling long before the situation arose, so when times were tough, we had faith in His plan for our family. This hasn't been easy, but it's been good. We have learned to live as a family of five with two four year old boys and little sister. We have all given, taken, and grown as a family. We have laughed, cried, screamed, and (all) thrown tantrums. Our family (especially parents), friends, love for one another, and our reliance on Jesus Christ has gotten us through this awesome year. Thank you to all who have supported Matthew and us. We couldn't have done it without you.

We feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to welcome Matthew into our family. One year later, he is part of this family. This is his home; he knows it, believes, it, and thrives in its stability. We love him for his sweet smile, his bravery, his laugh, his adventure, his love of books, his hugs, and his kisses. Matthew, thank you for trusting us, relying on us, believing in us, and loving us. We love you.

SNOW DAY!!!

I have to admit..... I get just as excited about snow days now as I did when I was a student. Even though (like tomorrow) sometimes I'd rather go to school in January than in June, there is something wonderful about seeing your county's name scroll on the bottom of the screen. I took off my clothes and jumped back in bed. Of course, Maggie was up shortly after 6:00. Knowing we're already off tomorrow, maybe everyone will sleep in until 7:30... just a wish!

We started the day with pancakes. Hoping it would soon start snowing (snow day without snow), I showed the boys how to make snow flakes. They always enjoy using their scissors. We taped our unique flakes to the front window. Daddy said he noticed them immediately when he pulled in the drive way.

This morning I made a delicious potato soup (recipe from Jessica) and put a roast in the crock pot for French dip subs (recipe from Cara) for dinner. Both were excellent. As soon as I get a chance, I'll post the recipes.

This afternoon, we bundled up and ran down to Sara's house. Here are some photos of our Arctic adventure!

I have never seen myself in Austin, however, as I was about to end this post, I caught a glimpse of his bundled up face. Is it just me or does his face look just like mine in this picture?

Enjoying the Opryland Hotel

Jason and I have had a wonderful time rejuvenating in Nashville! The Opryland Hotel is breathtakingly beautiful. We have walked around enjoying all the views as well as sat on a bench, table, and gazebo while eating or sipping coffee.

After checking in, we walked around until we found a nice place to eat. Opryland has many restaurants and shops. We spent the afternoon shopping, walking, and having ice cream. We ate dinner at a great restaurant, and then headed to the outdoor hot tub! There is something incredible about relaxing in a hot tub while it's 26 degrees! Steam rolled off the water as it hit the freezing air, but we stayed nice and toasty! We ended the night sitting at a table with Godiva and coffee.

This morning was perfect.... coffee, muffin, gazebo, and garden waterfall views. We shopped at OpryMills and had a fantastic BBQ lunch at Neely's!!! You know.... Down Home with the Neely's on Food Network. It was sooo good. We had delicious pulled pork sandwiches, Memphis style with coleslaw on top. Tonight we got in the outdoor hot tub twice as well as sat by the Delta river enjoying Godiva and coffee...again! Today the pedometer registered 22, 125 steps, which is over 6 miles! Perhaps that evens out the ice cream and Godiva!

Tomorrow....... coffee, muffin, and another great view.

One view from the Gazebo this morning

Water garden

One Opryland entrance

Outdoor Nativity

Inside the Delta Atrium- view from one of our coffee spots

Lights in one of the atriums

Happy New Year!

Welcoming the New Year with friends!