christmas 2010

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Thankfully Thankful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Wow!  Another year and it's that time again- time to take a deep breath and pause and soak in everything I should be thankful and grateful for daily but often take for granted.  It's SO easy and almost next to impossible not to take all of our blessings for granted.  It's a lesson I have learned over and over this year.  2010 will certainly go down in the books as a year I discovered a lot about my marriage, myself, things and people taken for granted and just how much I really have to be so thankful for.  This Thanksgiving will be bittersweet- a day to remember what I should have been remembering all along.  A day to take time out and just be thankful when I should take more time out to do just that.  Here's just a FEW of the reasons I am giving thanks this year:

First, I have the absolute greatest daughters.  Three of them.  And I LOVE them like crazy even when they make me crazy.  Honestly, I can't even type those sentences without getting teary eyed.  I knew I always wanted to be a mom, I just had NO idea how rewarding it would be.  Not only am I blessed with daughters, they have all been healthy and safe.  I hear, and know some personally, about children fighting cancer and other life threatening illnesses.  We are so, so fortunate that our daughters have their health.  I have a close friend who has recently found out her husband's relationship with their daughters had crossed a line into inappropriate.  I.  Can.  Not.  Imagine.  There is a lot I could handle, but I'm just not sure someone intentionally harming my precious and innocent girls is on that list.  I feel certain I would come undone.  Completely.  I have cried for nights for these sweet little friends of ours whom I love.  And it makes me that much more thankful this year that my daughters are safe and secure.  And healthy.  I want you Alyssa, Anniston and Ayden Claire to always feel appreciated, respected, loved, and wanted.  Because each of you are all of those things.  I was so thankful for you from the first day I knew I was expecting each one of you. I can not even begin to count the blessings you have each brought into my life.

Second to top the list is Wes.  This has been a rough year for us for so many reasons but at the end of the day, I can not imagine life without him.  He keeps me going when I don't want to go anymore.  He loves me when I'm really not very lovable.  And he is an amazing dad.  Eleven years of marriage have not come without storms, but we've withstood and I am so thankful for that.  There have been many many days he's been taken for granted.  If I've learned one thing this year, it's to not take the people most precious to you for granted.  Don't just assume they know how important they are to you or how much you love them.  Tell them.  Show them.  Let them know.

Thirdly, I have the BEST sisters in the world!  They are all 3 so very different and special.  Jill, you make me laugh when laughing is not what I want to do.  You are the funniest person I know.  (After Bekah maybe...)  Kendra, you never tell me what I want to hear- you just say what needs to be said.  And you had our niece on Ayden Claire's birthday!  Jen, you are wise beyond your 25 or so years...  ;)  I know I can talk to you and your advice will be sincere, thoughtful and filled with love.  We all four have such different personalities but the bond that we share is rare and special.  I am so thankful for my sisters- they keep my life exciting and keep me in line and I love them so much!  Oh, and they keep my kids every now and then....
I am also thankful for the friends in my life who are like "sisters".  When we moved here 11 years ago, I knew one person- Cristy Frazier.  And I barely knew her.  Now, she is one of the first people I call with great news, sad news, and almost any question because she usually has an answer!  My girls consider her girls their "cousins" and love them so much!  But I'm also happy to say that I have made several of the best friends ever here.  Friends that I can shop with, go to the park with, pack up and take all of our children to the beach together, and even leave my children with them while we leave the COUNTRY!  Now that's a good friend! 

I'm thankful for so much more, like the fact that we have a Target in Prattville, that I woke up when I was put to sleep for the first time ever this summer, that I managed to go an entire year without the kids breaking my iPhone, that my car saw 100,000 miles come and go, for homemade macaroni and cheese, fabric softener, and volumizing shampoo.  I'm thankful that Ayden Claire can say "fork" without leaving out the "r" now days.  I'm thankful Anniston finally owns a pair of jeans.  I'm thankful Alyssa finally owns a skirt.  And although there is so much more to be grateful for, lastly for today, I'm thankful Wes has more gray hair than I do.  :)

Soup, Sex, and Kai

Nothing says Fall to me more than buying the ingredients and making Sante Fe soup!  I always look forward to it once it starts to cool down.  And by "cool down", I mean get below 75 degrees.  Because that's soup and chili weather, right?  :)  Well, David, Kendra, Kai, Josh and Jill came to our house this weekend and so even though it was warmer than 75 degrees, I decided we would have Sante Fe soup with our SEC football games.  And "Better Than Sex" cake.  It is delicious!  So, basically I gained 8 pounds this weekend.  Alabama lost after 19 wins.... :(  Maybe that's partly why I ate all weekend!

Alyssa finally got to meet her new cousin, Kai.  To say she was excited would be a vast understatement.  She LOVES babies.  She is going to be a great mommy one day!

Kai was just precious!  Kendra had her sporting a little mohawk- so cute!  She's just tiny.  It's so hard to remember my girls ever being this little!  Well, Alyssa is the only one who ever was really this little.  Anniston and Ayden Claire were huge babies.  It was so fun to hold and love on a tiny, precious, new baby.  But I'm glad she's my niece and I can hand her over to her mommy!  ;)

Audrey Kai Hill

Flyin' High

Wes has his "dream job" of being a flight medic.  He loves it and he's great at it and we are so proud of him.  I don't do blood and broken bones and mangled bodies.  Not.  At.  All.  I'm the person who fainted when Anniston's earring got caught in her pillow one night while she was sleeping.  I really don't do earrings.  But, Wes does and he took this picture on top of UAB because he's just cool like that and I think he's really sexy standing on top of a hospital.  He came very close to leaving this job this summer.  In the end, he stayed and I'm glad that he did.  We miss him like crazy when he's gone for 24 hours, but he is doing something he loves and it allows me to do what I love- be a stay at home mommy until Ayden Claire goes to school. 

Can you believe he flew right over Jill's house?  I want an aerial shot of our house!  Jill and Josh's is the house in the cul de sac with the huge fenced in back yard.  The fence Wes, Josh, David, Jay and my dad built.  It looks great from that high in the sky, huh?

Ayden Claire is 3!

Our "baby" is 3!  I think no matter how old she is, she will forever be the "baby" to all of us!  She's just the best little person with the best little personality and I love, love, love this little girl.  She talked about her "birfday potty" (because she speaks like a proper little British girl should) for oh, about 8 months straight.  It had to be Dora and she had to invite Peeps, Ella and Sophie.  Her besties.  But her birthday also had to fall right after Alyssa's 10th and our anniversary so there is always tons of extra money and time.  Right.  Oh, and this year Kendra had her baby on Ayden Claire's birthday!  So I was in Birmingham welcoming Miss Audrey Kai most of the day of Ayden Claire's actual birthday.  But, between all the craziness that was the month of September, we decided to celebrate her birthday with our friends from our old neighborhood.  Lisa was throwing Jason a surprise 40th and since everyone and their kids were going to be there, she said we could include AC.  (Super big thank you, Lisa.  And Jason, for sharing your party!)  Ayden Claire, in all of her 3 years of infinite wisdom, totally thought every person there was there entirely for her "potty" and never suspected a thing.  Like that I didn't actually do a very good job of planning her a great 3rd birthday bash like her sisters had....  Poor 3rd child, huh?  You know what?  She's our happiest and most well adjusted!  I almost wish someone would have told me to take it easy with the parties when they were young and I could get away with cake and cheese puffs and several friends.  It was perfect and she still talks about her Dora "potty".  And, maybe if I start now, I can make the 4th birthday a real blowout!

Doesn't she look SO excited to be turning 3?!??!  She is really THE happiest kid!

 And I am THE happiest aunt- even though I'd been up ALL night waiting on Miss Kai.  She was worth it!

Our big 3 year old with her "peace sign shoes" she HAD to have!  

I am...

Just because I saw this and really liked it.....

I am strong because I have been weak.

I am a lover because I am a fighter.

I am fearless because I have been afraid.

I am wise because I have been foolish.

I can laugh because I have also known sadness.

I know my past, yet I can see my future will be great!

11 Years and The Olive Room

Friday, September 10th, was our anniversary!  11 years!  Wes had flowers delivered- something he hasn't done since....well, I don't remember the last time!  When his grandmother was still alive and she and his aunt Ginger owned Kelley's florist in Tuscaloosa, I used to get flowers.  But that was before we were married and had moved out of town!  I'm perfectly fine with not getting flowers because I am pretty practical when it comes to spending money, but it was a very nice surprise!  He also made us reservations (RESERVATIONS!) at the Olive Room.  I've only heard about the Olive Room and we've certainly never eaten there.  He had arranged for us to have the one private booth in the restaraunt.  It is actually a small old elevator that has a table set up in it with candles.  It was super romantic!  We felt like we were the only people in the world for a little while!  And our food was DELICIOUS!  We had a bottle of the best wine ever and hummus for an appetizer.  Wes had tuna that was out of this world and I had a shrimp pasta.  Yummy!  We will have to start saving up for dinner there next year!

After dinner we went by Haynes.  Because were else do you go on your anniversary while you have a babysitter but work? :) Then we headed back to Millbrook with a stop by Dairy Queen for a Heath blizzard and the bank for said babysitter's money!  It was a great anniversary.  Hopefully we'll celebrate many, many more!

ROLL TIDE and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Alyssa's 10th birthday fell on Alabama's season opener against San Jose State and Labor Day weekend!  We celebrated all weekend.  I'm a BIG birthday person- I think birthdays are a big deal and love making birthday girls (or boys) feel special.  She had a couple friends over Friday night and we had our friends and their kids over Saturday to watch the game.  Wes's mom and grandmother came down and spent the day with us so Alyssa got to see them on her birthday.  Jill and Josh also came so that ALWAYS makes for lots of fun!  Alyssa didn't ask for anything big for her birthday- just surprises.  She got a cute new hair dryer and straightener (although Anniston may have been more excited!), a Ramona and Beezus book, a picture for her room she'd wanted, a new binder and a few other small things.  The 3 girls who moved in to our old house spent the night with us Saturday night- how neat!  We took her shopping on Labor Day to spend her gift cards and birthday money.  And then that night we had 2 other friends over for a sleepover!  Lots of spend the night company but I love listening to the girls play and make up dances to blaring music.  I know God knew what he was doing when he gave me daughters! 
Oh, and Alabama won (not surprising, but still exciting!).
ROLL TIDE!!!!

Remember When

Most of my blogs are about our girls.  Because they are way cuter and much more exciting than myself and Wes!  But...Wes and I do have a life as well, surprisingly!  Of course, our kids are a HUGE part of our lives and I don't know what we would do without them but there will come a day when it's just me and Wes again.  Isn't that the goal- to raise independent, self sufficient children who will one day spread their wings and fly (not too far away from home, please!)?  And that will leave us with, well each other.  I must tell you, I'm not rushing this season in life for one second, but when we get to that next season, I plan to enjoy it just as much as where we are now!  Wes and I love the country song that says, "When the children grow up and move away, we won't be sad, we'll be glad, for all the life we've had....And we'll remember when."  I am just SO glad for all the life we've had up to this point- and we've done a lot of living!  But I know there will come a day when I have even more life behind me and so will our girls. 
This December will be 15 years since Wes and I had our first date!  We were both 16 year old juniors with several of the same classes and we lived about 5 houses away from one another.  And he somehow still managed to be late picking me up to go see "Seven".  It is still one of our favorite movies.  I was the quiet girl on yearbook staff and he was the cute baseball player who was always goofing off.  Match made in Heaven, right?  But one date led to another and another and then to prom and long talks and becoming best friends and falling in love.  I'm pretty sure no matter what had happened after those first couple of years, we would have always had a special place in one anothers heart.  There is just something about first real loves....we shared so many firsts with one another and we were young and crazy in love and  did stupid crazy teenage things and grew into adults together.  So much so that we got married at the ripe old age of 20.  I will say this, I hope my daughters get married when they are mature enough to understand and take on the commitment of marriage.  I knew at 20, standing in a gazebo beside the ocean in Jamaica, that I meant and fully intended to keep the vows I was taking.  And I can tell you, at 30, when Wes totally surprised me with a surprise vow renewal for our 10 year anniversary, I meant and fully intended to keep those vows as well.  I am a HUGE believer in doing what you say and keeping your word.  So if I say I'm going to do something, you can pretty well take it to the bank.  That doesn't mean that those 10 years were always easy and perfect in between, but I wouldn't trade any of them for a day with another person.
This past year of marriage has by far been the most difficult year for us!  We've had 3 very involved and active girls and major stress factors to deal with.  (You try keeping a house 5 people live in clean enough to be shown to potential buyers at a moments notice- STRESSFUL!)  :)  But, we have pressed on and as our 11th anniversary approaches, I love my husband more today than I did yesterday and more today than I did 11 years ago.  And I was REALLY in love with him back then!  ;)  I love the man that he is and I love him even more for the man that he wants to become.  I love him not only because he gave me our girls, but because of the Daddy he is to them.  I love him not only because he provides for us, but because he does it out of love and not duty.  I love him not only because he loves me, but because he loves me at my best AND my worst.  And at the end of the day, I love him at his best and worst- and I've seen him at both ends of the spectrum.  When I am unlovable, he loves me anyway.  And when he is unlovable, I've kept on loving him.  "One day we're gonna look back and say 'Look at us now' ".......  I've repeated this line from dear ol' Reba so many times.  Being married isn't really about being storybook happy every day.  It is great on the days that we are living a fairy tale.  But being married is about seeing the other person for who they are and who you know they can be.  It's about forgiving when forgiving is the last thing you want to do.  It's about looking forward with your spouse rather than looking back without them.  It's about seeing beyond their flaws and remembering their perfections.  It's about being your spouses biggest cheerleader even if you are the only one on the squad.  It's about knowing their worth even when they don't.  It's about choices- making the best ones and working through it when you don't.  It's about honesty and trust and keeping what is precious to you near and dear.  It's a conscious and daily effort you can never take for granted.  It's easier said than done.  It's a huge commitment.  But, it's worth it.
I love you, babe.

Happy 11th Anniversary!

"Remember When"
Remember when I was young and so were you
And time stood still and love was all we knew

You were the first, so was I

We made love and then you cried
 Remember when

Remember when we vowed the vows

And walked the walk

Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard

We lived and learned, life threw curves

There was joy, there was hurtRemember when



Remember when old ones died and new were born

And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged

We came together, fell apart

And broke each other's hearts

Remember when



Remember when the sound of little feet

Was the music

We danced to week to week

Brought back the love, we found trust

Vowed we'd never give it up

Remember when



Remember when thirty seemed so old

Now lookn' back it's just a steppin' stone

To where we are,

Where we've been

Said we'd do it all again

Remember when

 Remember when we said when we turned gray

When the children grow up and move away

We won't be sad, we'll be glad

For all the life we've had

And we'll remember when.

Alyssa

Alyssa.  Our first child.  Strong, independent and wise.  And brave.  She may very well be one of the bravest people I know.  Except when it comes to the dark or being alone on one side of the house.  But you throw life at this girl, and she faces it head on.  She's so courageous and I am so proud of the young lady she is becoming.

We went to Calloway Gardens with the Fraziers before Christmas.  We drove through the "Fantasy in Lights" and visited the Butterfly Garden.  So beautiful!

This picture pretty much sums up Alyssa's relationship with her baby sister- she loves her and Ayden Claire adores Alyssa!  I know it's not always easy to be the oldest but Alyssa is truly the BEST big sister.  She's so helpful!

We took the girls fishing at Lanark one day this spring and Alyssa caught the biggest fish I've ever seen!  She was so excited.  It was catch and release so he went back to the lake to live happily every after with all of his fishy friends.

<3 this little girl!  She stole our hearts almost 10 years ago.  Wow, how time flies!

Wes and I just love this picture of Alyssa!  It is SO her!  A little bit of attitude and sass with a beautiful smile and those innocent little dimples.  And the leftover 4th of July tattoos.

Alyssa Grace will be 10 in four days and it just doesn't seem real!  Have we really been blessed with her for a decade now?  Have I really been a mommy for 10 years?!?  Unbelievable.  What I do know with certainty it that I could not be more thankful for this little girl. 

Anniston

Anniston....our sweet, sweet Anniston.  She is holding steady her place as "middle child"- once was the baby and remembers that she was once the baby but now that spot is taken by her baby sister BUT she gets to be a big sister, too!  She had lots of exciting things happen this year.....

.....It snowed!  Twice!  I mean really, how often do you get TWO snow days a school year in Alabama???!??

.....She got glasses!  Pink glasses, of course. 

.......and she lost her first tooth on her 6th birthday!

.....She got a hamster!  She'd only been asking for one for months leading up to her birthday.  So, here's "Pluto"- the Chinese Dwarf hamster.  And shockingly he's still alive, 6 months later. 

....She was asked to be on the preteam at gymnastics!  She takes at the Armory in downtown Montgomery and they have been around forever and have some excellent gymnasts.  Anyone who knew Anniston when she was 8 months old and started walking (I promise, we have video!) knows that Anniston was destined to be a gymnast!  :)  She LOVES to tumble and stand on her head.  I've really never seen anything like it- she watches entire episodes of Hannah Montana in a headstand.  Crazy- but we love her.  And I sort of have hopes that one day Wes and I will be driving to the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa to watch our baby at her Alabama gymnastics meet!  ;)  Roll Tide!

....She made All-Stars at the end of softball season!  Did I mention she's athletic?  ;)

....And she ran away from home, sadly.  Fortunately, she came back!  We would have really missed our precious little blondie!  (Please note she had totally dressed herself!  She looks a little homeless in whatever this is she was wearing!!!)

....and of course, what's a year without some slumber parties with besties??? 

And now our lovely, eccentric middle daughter is in 1st grade and loving it.  I never thought I'd see a day that Anniston went anywhere for any amount of time without me.  :(  But, it's a good thing, I know.  She loves me in such a special way- she just LOVES!  She is such a fun little girl and there are days that I just don't know where in the world she came from and I just have to shake my head....

Ayden Claire

What a year for our "baby"!  Ayden Claire has really come into her own this year and her personality is just contagious!  She is the happiest person on earth, I'm positive.  She literally bounces when she walks!  I say quite often, "I just don't know if this house is big enough for Ayden Claire's personality!"  I could really eat her up- she amazes me and I adore her.

Ayden Claire tried out ice skating for the first time this year.  She quickly decided she likes the carousel better!

Heading to one of many birthday parties we celebrated this past year.  She LOVES her friends!

Checking out Daddy's helicopter!  Well, it's not really his, but it might as well be to the girls.  They totally think he's the coolest!

Playing at the Archive Museum in downtown Montgomery.  Don't her eyes just sparkle???  :)

And now her 3rd birthday is right around the corner!  SO hard to believe.  I can hardly remember a time without our little AC.  She just completes our family so perfectly!

Fences

Last weekend we went to Jill's house to build a fence.  Yes, a fence.  My dad and brother were coming up to build the fence Jill had been wanting since buying their house so Wes and David were enlisted to help.  Wes was actually excited!  Nothing like male bonding over a privacy fence in Alabama in July.  And build it they did!  They worked two days straight in 95+ degree summer heat and went through about 75 gatorades between the 5 of them.  As the final boards were being nailed in to complete the fence, I started singing the line from the song "Signs"- "You put up a fence to keep me out, or to keep mother nature in...."  I always liked that song!  "Signs, signs, everywhere are signs, blocking up the scenery, breaking my mind, do this don't do that, can't you read the signs...."  But back to the fence.  And then I started thinking about where we build fences in our personal lives- do we put fences up to keep certain people in or out, where do we place fences or boundaries with our children?  Everyone builds fences in different places....some closer to the house and some further away.   Especially with our children!  Still following me?  Some parents put fences around their children VERY close to home in hopes of protecting them.  In my opinion, and its just an opinion, that is okay but it really limits their view of what is beyond that fence.  I don't want my girls to wake up one day and step outside of their fenced in life and be shocked by what is beyond their backyard.  But, on the flip side of that, I don't want them to have too big of a fence too soon.  So I think we put up our fence somewhere in the middle....probably a little closed in when it comes to some things and we expand the limitations with other things.  I think at times my oldest daughter is a little sheltered and naive in ways.  I try not to keep her totally in the dark but on the other hand I don't want her to worry about things that 9 year olds shouldn't worry about!  It's a balancing act and there is a fine line as a parent I try to walk.  Preparing your daughter for life and protecting her from life all at the same time.  It seems impossible at times yet day after day that's what I try to do as a mom.  My dad jokingly told Anniston once the fence was completely finished that "We're going to take it all down now!"  One day (and not as far off as I'd like!) all the fences Wes and I have put up for our girls will be taken down.  It will be up to them, as adults, to place and decide their own boundaries and what they will accept and let in and keep out of their lives.  My prayer is that we've prepared them for that and when they test new things and find some unacceptable, they build their fences accordingly.  And I also pray they never build fences around their hearts- guard them, yes, but don't fence in all that you have to give. 

This picture really has nothing to do with fences, it was just taken in Jill's kitchen while the guys worked outside!  Isn't Kendra the cutest little mommy to be?  Can't wait to meet baby Kai!

Did I mention that I helped as well....?  :)

Summer 2010

Besides the biggie this summer, MOVING, we've also done a lot of other fun things!  Once we got settled in and unpacked for the most part, I was ready to enjoy summer with my girls!  I LOVE summer time, I love the heat, the pool, the beach, sunny days, swimsuits, barefeet, sprinklers, frozen drinks, popsicles, cookouts, late nights outside with neighbors, sleeping in, sleep overs, lazy days....did I mention I LOVE summer?  It's my favorite season.  A lot of people in the south dread and hate summer.  Not me.  Bring it on!  So after spending a few weeks getting moved I felt like summer was slipping by and I wanted to make the most of what we had left.  I knew we wouldn't be going on a big summer family vacation but we tried to plan several small getaways.  We saw several movies- Toy Story 3, The Karate Kid, Twilight: Eclipse, Ramona and Beezus and Grown Ups for Wes and me, which was hilarious by the way.  We took an overnight trip to Huntsville with my dear friend from high school, Kristi and her boys Brylan and Kyler.  We went to the space center and then spent the night at a hotel and the next day went to Botanical Gardens which was beautiful!

On Father's Day I took the girls to see Wes since he was working at LifeFlight.  We surprised him with Burger King for lunch and he gave the girls the grand tour of the base house and the helicopter.  Needless to say, they think their Daddy has a pretty cool job!

We also went to Panama City with one of my best friends Rethelle and her children Jordan, Tyler, and Jerrica.  Now, I haven't been to Panama City too many times.  Once was senior trip and another time was spring break.  I'm pretty sure there was way too much alcohol involved each time so the memories are slightly blurred.  But we managed to find our hotel, which was less than we'd hoped for, and we managed to find our way to the beach and Applebees and several tacky souvenir shops.  We had a blast and the weather was great.  It was a perfect weekend getaway!

When the 4th of July rolled around, we headed back over to the old 'hood- neighborhood that is.  We just LOVE our Taylor Crossing neighbors.  We made 7 years of wonderful memories on that street in that house and with people who will forever be like family to us.  So we went back and cooked out and shot fireworks with everyone.  It was great!

Notice the tatoos on their cheeks?  They may still be there NEXT July 4th!  :)

The rest of the summer was spent with days at the pool and playdates with friends.  It was one of the busiest summers we've had yet.  Now we are down to the last week before school starts and Alyssa will be gone to camp the entire week. I guess we'll finish up school supply shopping and getting ready for 1st and 4th grade and start looking forward to the cruise with Chet and Cristy in November!!!