A Christmas Miracle : Top 10

This year my sweet friend Leigh, introduced me to the saying, " It's a Christmas Miracle!" She says that she uses that phrase often over the holidays. I have found that it has stuck with me and my family! Here are a few Christmas miracles for us this year:

#10 Britton proclaimed this to be our first christmas miracle:



This ornament has such special meaning to me. I danced in the 1992 Macy's day parade. My precious Momma bought me this incredible ornament that year.The floats actually march around in a circle. The ornament stopped working a couple of years ago. It made me so very sad. It is truly my absolute favorite ornament on the tree. Which says a lot, because i love ornaments! However, miraculously it works this year! As we plugged it into the tree Britton said, " Well, look Momma it's a Christmas miracle!" I just laughed. Thanks Leigh for bringing miracles into our home :)

#9 The Christmas Trees.




I'm proclaiming this one as a Christmas miracle. Keith and I take our kids to the tree farm to pick out Christmas trees. I'm quite picky when comes to the picking of the tree, and Keith's quite picky when it comes to the picking of the time we go. This year I waited a week later than normal so that Keith would be ready. It really made a difference, going when Keith was ready that is! If he's happy and the timing is right, then the picking out, taking home, getting the trees in their holders and trimmed all go more smoothly. Keith wasn't grumpy in one bit of the process! Not one $@#!&% was said this year by my hubs! That's a miracle ;)

#8 Christmas Cooking and Sculpting:

This kitchen looks just like I remember my Momma's looking! Sugar everywhere!



Chesney and I made my Mommas famous ginger tea cakes. They were my absolute favorite cookie growing up. She made them for me every year. I have not had them since she died. It was bittersweet making them. They tasted just as I remembered and Chesney LOVED them! We also attempted Mom's divinity. It was a miraculous attempt!Yes, it would have been more miraculous if it would have turned out! However, Im calling it a miracle because I was so terrified of even attempting it, and I got past that fear. Now I must conquer it! Lastly, my precious hubs put together the gingerbread christmas village kit that Holly sent us!! (Thanks Holster for this great gift!) This was no easy feat with 6 little hands trying to help out :D

#7 Homemade Presents are done!


Every year my nieces and nephews draw names and make home made gifts for one another. This gift my kids made for their cousins is truly a miracle. because I was totally blank on ideas and didn't have a clue what we were going to make. My sweet friend Bobbie helped me come up with an idea, took me shopping, and then came and taught us all how to make it! I'm so pleased with the way these gifts turned out. Great friends are miracles and blessings straight from God :)


#6 No stomach bug


We walked away from the Nutcracker not consuming the stomach virus that the little boy 3 feet away from us had :) Poor little guy! Thankful our clan didn't catch it. Now that's a Christmas miracle!

#5 Britton kept the Santa family secret!


This summer Keith read the The Real Saint Nicholas book to Britton and let him in on the family secret about Santa. Britton was thrilled that we told him what was really going on with Santa, because he was having some serious doubts and the game was no longer fun. So, our big boy got to help Santa set up shop in our home this year. He was so proud and did a great job eating the cookies!

#4 We get to put up with the Calfee's a little longer :D

This is truly a Christmas miracle! I'm still not sure how long will get to keep our best friends around,because they are too stinking talented and some lucky church will snatch them up! However, they are here for now and I am so thankful!


#3 A Romantic get away





We did it! A romantic get away. While our kids were all nestled in with wonderful grandparents, aunt's and uncles, Keith and I escaped to the mountains for some much needed R & R! It was so wonderful to just be alone, surrounded by Gods beauty in this precious little cabin! Thank you family for taking care of our kids so we could escape reality for a couple of days.

#2 A White Christmas!!!



Yes a white Christmas in Alabama! A first for Birmingham, Alabama!!! A first for me, anywhere, ever. It truly made this special day, a day we will never forget!

And the #1 miracle this Christmas is................................................
Our SAVIOR has come!!!!! There is no greater miracle! Happy Birthday Jesus!

Cade turns 3!

Wow, time flies by when you are having fun! My little baby is turning into a big boy. It brings me such joy to watch each new stage, as well, as sadness to know the time is going by so quickly. Cade was all about his birthday this year! He really got it. It was time to celebrate him, eat cake, blow out candles and recieve presents. He ate up every minute of his celebration. He grinned ear to ear as we sang happy birthday. He opened each gift and gave a big, "wow" and "thank you".
Oh sweet little man how I love you. You make us smile and laugh each day! You are the heart and soul of our family. I am so very thankful that the Lord created you and blessed us with you!!

Potty training: Take 3

We've been potty training again this week with Cade. I just have to document his training here, because he is just so stinking cute! We started out going commando with just a long shirt. This didn't work. He just peed wherever he was and really didn't think anything of it. Then, we began putting him in underwear and making him sit on the potty every 30 min or so. The second he would sit on the potty, he would scream, "I can't do it!". He would continue to say that over and over again, the entire time he was sitting on the potty. We tried this for what seems like endless days! Even on Thanksgiving day while at Keith's parents house, we faithfully took him to the potty every hour, with no results. He had awoken with a full diaper, then went in his pants once. That was it. He was holding it all day! So, on the last attempt of the day, we sat him on the potty while we were packing our belongings to head home. He had been sitting there screaming his usual, "I can't do it", the entire time. Then all of the sudden we hear in a weak little voice, " I did it!" Keith and I had been in the room next door, when he said it. Keith said, "Cade, did you say,'I did it.'?" Cade says it again more proudly this time," uh huh , I did it!" We of course all ran in to see the pee, did some happy dances, and lavished him with candy. Then he did it again, and again today. It has not been an easy couple of weeks training him, but we have finally gotten somewhere on this attempt! I know he'll kill me one day for posting this pic, but I just have to....
Oh, how I love this sweet boy to pieces!!!

Football in the Best house :D

My boy played real ball this year!It was not the fun, rolling on the ground free to tackle game that he thought it was going to be. It was a lot of hard work and practice. He greatly improved throughout the season and had a pretty good year. Our little huskies went 5-3 and made it to the second round of the playoffs. Britton's best game was against Morris. He scored a touchdown and got a good first down for the team! Here's some pics to recap our first football season!


Britton's Best Fan's


This is what Cade did during game time!


Our future cheerleader

Britton at homecoming :D




Action shots:




TOUCHDOWN BRITTON!!

Just a swingin'

We finally have a swing set!!!! This has truly been a family build! All 3 kids have put some sweat into the building of our new play set! Our GIRL put in the most hours. She loves tools and building, much more than the boys. I guess she gets that from her Gram and Nana!! Anyhow, here are some pics from this family project. This was a play-set in a box that we put together. We are not "handymen", so we needed a step by step instructional to help us pull it all together :D I want even get into how long it took, the important part of this project is that IT"S FINISHED!

THE KIDS TOOL BOX:








So, that's it. The Best family build! We still want to clean up the back yard and tidy up the play-set area with some pea gravel. Hopefully that will happen sooner, rather than later :D

Victory!

Today we had a victorious moment. The kind that makes a Momma weep tears of joy. Chesney was struggling today, actually the past couple of days. We had a long talk last night about how to give her struggles to Jesus immediately when she senses them coming. We talked about how Mommy would remind her to pray and cry out to Jesus when I saw the the struggles presenting. So today we had that moment. We were all in the school room doing school. She started melting before my eyes and was on the verge of complete breakdown. I reminded her to close her eyes and pray, "help me Jesus". She did just that, then she opened her eyes and began her reading lesson again. She read better than ever and was completely calm. I began praising her and as I did, her big brother, sitting across the room spoke up. Britton says, "Mommy, Mommy, I began praying for her too. When you asked her to pray, God reminded me that two are better than one. That if two pray together they are stronger!" So, Mommy that's what I did. I prayed in that exact moment for Jesus to help her, and it worked!" It was such an amazing moment. You always wonder if your children are really learning what you teach them, and today God showed me, that they are! In addition to that I saw an sweet tenderness occur between these two siblings. She was so touched that he was praying for her, and he was so in awe of God answering his prayers. They were inseparable, serving one another and playing together the rest of the day. We prayed for God to be glorified in our home today, during bible time this morning. He was glorified indeed! What a beautiful day!

My Little Man turns 9!

Britton has grown up to be such a fine young boy. We celebrated his 9th birthday last week.On his birthday he awoke saying, "Mommy, this year I really feel older! I can tell I'm 9 now. I really feel different today!"
We kicked off the celebration with some delicious homemade strawberry cake! Mrs. Bobbie came over and taught me a thing of two about cake making and helped us produce this yummy cake:


This year for Britton's birthday we went to Treetop Family Adventure. We took 4 little boys and played tons of arcade games, some laser tag, and a game of putt-putt. Then our family met us for cake and presents. It ended with Britton proclaiming that it was his best birthday yet!
Sweet friends and family gave Britton some awesome presents. He received a new big boy bike, a nintendo dsi, a new gaming case, some football cards, gift cards, and sumari swords. All in all it was a great birthday.
Mommy loves you little man!! You bless my life and fill it with joy daily! Your wild hair, freckles and mouth that never stops makes life worth living! I am so very proud of you!!