Friday, December 31, 2010

Let's Back Up A Bit!

I already did my Christmas post, but I wanted to make sure I go in our pre-Christmas festivities also!  On the 23rd we decided to have a few couples over that also were not having a lot of family come in for the holidays.  Everyone brought something and we hosted in our home.  We had a fantastic night and everything was so good!

Since I had to clean and get the house ready for that night I let the boys kind of play with whatever.  Matthew discovered the guest bathroom shower.  He had never really even been in there before and so he was so excited to discover a new place to play!

 Who knew an empty shower stall could hold so much fun?!



 Peek-a-boo!



 John Michael was ready for Christmas too!  I love his Santa shirt!



Since I only had under 24 hours to really get the house together, I did a few home-made decorations with things that I had around the house.  We provided the drinks, so I made cranberry ice cubes the night before and I made a cute little display of lights and greenery under my drink dispenser. 



 I also used things that I had around the house to make a centerpiece for our table.  We already had oranges and cloves and cranberries so I made them into a cute display with some greenery.  Matthew painted the red star!



 It was so easy and it was fun to just use things I had around the house!



 It was so nice to have our Christmas-decorated home filled with the sounds of little ones playing and grown-ups talking!



 



The next day, Christmas Eve, we decided to make a new Christmas tradition...Krispy Kreme!  We packed up late in the morning because the boys had slept so long from playing so hard with their friends the night before.  Both boys got a "hot now" donut right when we walked in the door.  It was love at first bite! 



 John Michael got a snowman donut and Matthew got a regular one!



They loved it, and we did too!



Of course we had to go see how they made those donuts!



It was interesting and both boys enjoyed watching all the donuts being made!



I think it was a fun, new Christmas Eve tradition to start for our family!



Later in the morning Jordan decided that it would be a fun idea to take John Michael to see his first animated movie.  I thought he was joking; he wasn't.  We ended up taking both boys to see "Tangled" (or Tingled as John Michael says) and he did really well and is still talking about it!  Matthew did pretty well but I ended up having to take him out towards the end.  It was a cute movie and we all loved it!  It was a fun, but busy Christmas Eve!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Christmas 2010, Post 1 of 54

Christmas 2010 was a bit different from Christmas 2009.  We didn't have tons of snow outside, although it did snow a bit, and Matthew was a little over a year old, not just 4 weeks old and sleeping through all of Christmas!  Since we didn't get to have any family with us, I'm going to be making a few posts about Christmas so that they can feel like they were here with us!  I want them to see it all! 

For Christmas breakfast we had little pigs in a blanket, grits casserole, and sasuage mixed with eggs (the way my Papaw makes them!)  I made myself some warm cappuccino and enjoyed the morning.  This is all very traditional for me, except we didn't have any breakfast casserole the way Mom always had!



 



The boys were basically not all that excited to open presents.  We have no idea what is wrong with them.



We had to coax them into opening their presents and then they refused to move onto the next toy.  We were surprised that some of the more random "smaller" items were the biggest hits for them.  For example, this little shape sorter turtle was and still is a big hit with both boys!



 Jordan and I were excited to open our main presents from each other!



 



 


One of the main things we were excited to get John Michael was a guitar!  He loves guitars so much and he has loved this one!  He calls it his "gee-tars"  So cute!  He was really excited to get it!



 



 After opening our gifts for forever, we broke into the boxes that our parents and my grandparents sent.  They had some pretty sweet gifts in there as well!



 Christmas 2009



Christmas 2010. 


I can hardly believe my eyes when I see this picture!  How did they get so big in just one year?!  I was thinking I was probably more exhausted last year getting up with a newborn so much, but by the looks of it, I would say this year I look WAY more tired.  Doing Christmas in your 1st trimester with 2 little kiddos was super hard on me.  I will admit it.  I am tired.



The rest of the afternoon the boys played with their toys and then we nibbled on a light lunch, and then it was naptime!



 We got a great deal on this Lightning McQueen car and John Michael has really enjoyed it...



 but Matthew has also enjoyd it.  A lot.  He is constantly standing up on it with NO hands.  I have a feeling he is going to be my daredevil child!



We had to let them watch their new "Cars" DVD while sitting on the Lightning McQueen car! 



One funny story from the morning was this crazy Thomas electric toothbrush... 



 I got it for JM's stocking and I had NO idea that both boys would be totally wild about it!  It was the first thing they opened and they were so obsessed with it that they wouldn't open anything else.  Both of them carried it around and stuck it in their mouths all morning long.  Who knew?!



 And they were also completely obsessed with this cute little set of colored kids handbells.  They're loud but they love them!  They also wouldn't open anything else for awhile because they loved them so much!



We enjoyed our Christmas of just being together and spending the whole day in PJs!  It was a fun one!

Friday, December 24, 2010

THIS is Christmas!

This is Christmas.



 star-near-bethlehem-israel2

"She shall bring forth a son


and thou shall call his name Jesus;


for He shall save his people from their sins."


Matthew 1:21


***************************************************************


We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!  Yes, the gifts and food and family-time are nice, but that's not why we celebrate Christmas here.  We celebrate the gift that God sent down as a little baby that was born to a virgin. He entered the world not with fanfare, trumpets, and dignity; He was born into a dirty, smelly stable with animals quietly looking on as the greatest gift that God has ever given us entered the world as a small babe.


This year Jordan and I hope you know that peace that only comes from truly knowing the Lord and knowing that the Lord of Heaven that sent a little baby to Earth and made everything else loves you beyond what you can imagine.  We live in awe that He has forgiven all of our sins, wiped our slates clean, and desires more than anything to know and just love on US!  Amazing!


*And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:9-12

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A Fun Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday and my wonderful husband went all out with some great surprises!  I woke up to a Happy Birthday message on our bathroom mirror and a birthday present on the floor.  I was sent on a mini scavenger hunt around the house until I got to my "real" present!  I was so shocked to see a certificate for an hour massage that very afternoon.  My sweet husband left work early and came home so that I could go leave for my massage at the spa!  What a wonderful way to spend a birthday!

After a blissful time at the spa, I met up with all my boys at P.F. Chang's.  As usual, we ate super-fast so that no one would melt down or cause too much trouble.  The little ones acted pretty good, but it was definitely time to go!

As you can tell, we let John Michael eat one of their tiny desserts.  He kind of loved it!


Afterwards, Jordan and John Michael left to go one more birthday-related errand and Matthew and I hung out and walked around our outdoor mall.  We visited the big trees.........



and the big ornaments and presents.



We also looked at the pretty water fountains!



 



We also rode the train with the boys and John Michael was sooo excited!



The conductor gave both boys a sucker so they were very happy!



After we got home Jordan surprised me with a cake from yummy Rick's Bakery!  It is so pretty and it tasted so good, too!



 



And on a fun note, I bought a cute little 4th of July baby hat for our little 4th of July baby due this summer!  This is the first purchase for baby #3!!


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Happy Birthday, Mary!

Happy Birthday


 

To My Beautiful Bride!!!


 


This is Jordan, Mary's husband.  I am hijacking Mary's blog to wish my beautiful bride a happy Birthday today!  We have been married for about 4 1/2 years now, and actually went on our first date over 11 years ago in High School.  It's been such a wonderful journey over the years, constantly learning all of the little things about each other, and always growing our love for each other to a new level as each year goes by.


Mary has been such a wonderful wife to me, always there in the good times and the bad... and it doesn't hurt that she always has a hot meal waiting for me at the end of a long day of work, either!  :-)  Just when I thought I couldn't love and respect her any more than I already did, we became parents.  And I tell you, she has been such an amazing mother to our children.  I have all the respect in the world for the things that she does with them on a daily basis, and for having the desire to stay home to raise our boys every day!  I know as we continue to expand our family with our next little one due in July, that her motherly skills will continue to amaze me even more.


Thank you, baby, for being such a great wife, mother, and my best friend.  I love you so much, and hope you have a great birthday today!



Love you,
Jordan

 

Monday, December 20, 2010

Soup's On!

I posted this tonight on facebook and I had a TON of people wanting the recipe, so I thought the easiest thing to do would be to just post it on here!  I found this recipe in Taste of Home last year and it is just so wonderful!  It's pretty rich and filling, so it only needs to be made once, maybe twice, a year!

To me, it feels like a really hearty winter soup.  It's not a fall kind of soup, but a cold-day, heart-warming kind of soup!  I hope you enjoy making it!

Tomato Tortellini Soup








Ingredients




  • 1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini

  • 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup, undiluted

  • 2 cups vegetable broth

  • 2 cups 2% milk

  • 2 cups half-and-half cream

  • 1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon dried basil

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

  • Additional shredded Parmesan cheese, optional



Directions



  • Cook tortellini according to package directions.

  • Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).


YUMMY!  Personally, I think this would be great with a warm, toasted piece of french bread.  I made crescent rolls and a salad with cranberries and walnuts.  It was so nice to sit and eat a real meal instead of feeling nauseated and not wanting to eat.  Hurry up blissful second trimester!





Saturday, December 18, 2010

Oh, NOW I remember!

Now I remember why I usually wait until Jordan comes home from work to unload the dishwasher...


He keeps Matthew entertained in the den while I unload!  During this time Matthew got into the dishwasher, Christmas bows, found markers, and tried to eat a lava rock from the gas fireplace!  Whew!



And sweet John Michael watched his favorite Christmas episode of Mickey Mouse!



I was exhausted after unloading the dishwasher and chasing Matthew!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!


 



 


We hope you have a happy, blessed, and safe Christmas!