Eating "chockit"

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

New Years Day 2008

Here we are having outdoor fun on New Year's Day 2008

Christmas Day 2007

Woohoo! We got to sleep until 7:30. That is a Christmas first. We awoke to Corbyn coming to say that the boys were ready to get up (I suspect with some prodding from her).

Unfortunately this was the year that Corbyn asked me the question about Santa in a way that I could no longer stretch the truth. She sprung it on me on Christmas Eve. After our discussion, she was so funny and grinning like a Cheshire Cat as if she was in on the biggest scandal of all times. Throughout the day she would just spontaneously giggle and grin at me.

Anyway... back to Christmas Day - The boys were so thrilled to see all of the Wiggles toys that Santa had left. They received guitars, books, a "pinano", microphones, and other Wiggles stuff. Their stocking were full of candy and new Wiggles sippy cups.

Corbyn was super excited to see all of her loot. She got an MP3 player, the High School Musical dolls, Tinkerbell stuff, bath stuff, and lots of new books. She into a new series called the Bailey School Kids. She reads them one right after the other. Corbyn has been doing really well at school especially in reading and currently reads above grade level (sorry - needed a moment to brag). She got into helping her brothers more than she was into herself which was really nice to see.

I was thrilled that Randy treated me to a much needed massage and some new clothes. I couldn't wait to go to my massage appt. It was divine.

Unfortunately, we used the video camera more than our digital camera this year so our pictures are limited. We had a great family Christmas!

Christmas with the Cousins (part II)

A long awaited visit from Adam and Rebecca finally came to fruition in late December. They have been missionaries in southeast Asia for the last 2 1/2 years and while we are so proud of them and their commitment & courage, we have missed them dearly.

While they were gone, they added a precious little boy to the family named Keenan. He is beautiful and so full of life.

Everyone was doing well and we picked up as if they had never been gone. We all took as much of Keenan in as possible. He loved playing with all the kids. He also had this adorable wink he did each time I took his picture.

We played cards and a new game that Adam brought along called "Settlers". It was difficult to pick up at first but the fellowship was so fun! To add to the merriment, Aunt Becky gave Corbyn a nail polish set. She and Corbyn carefully selected a pattern to apply to her feet and then the pedicures began.

One of the highlights of the evening was when Elijah chose to have his toenails done as well. He was so cute. He went in the living room and asked Tracy if he could have some money to get his nails done. He then had Becky paint his toes blue with lightning bolts. I couldn't help myself - I took as many pictures as possible. I even took one on my cell phone and immediately sent it to David at work. Mom's house phone rang within 10 seconds of the message being sent - it was hilarious! Tracy watched it all go down with reluctance. Adam summed it all up by saying that this could only happen to a Florida fan!

Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa came to our house for an early Christmas visit. The kids were so excited to see them. Since they have moved to North Carolina they are able to visit more so the boys recognize them right away. The boys love to climb and roll all over Grandpa. Grandma is the best at pacifying a sticky situation and she did a fabulous job as always of keeping everyone content.

We enjoyed a yummy steak dinner to celebrate Christmas and pigged out on tons of homemade goodies from Grandma. She loaded us up with sugary Christmas cheer! She has snacks hidden everywhere.

Grandpa played Santa's elf and handed out gifts to everyone. The boys loved their new books and Corbyn got a new Webkin. She also got tons of gift cards which she absolutely loves. She sees them as her very own credit cards.

Grandma and Grandpa also brought gifts from Uncle Bob, Aunt Diane, Ally & Courtney. The boys got cool fishing poles which became amazing weapons. Corbyn got treated to Barnes & Noble and a lovely coat from Courtney (thanks).

Grandma and Grandpa's big gift for the boys was a new train table and train set. They arrived at our house early enough to have it put together by the time the boys came home from school. Their faces just lit up! They couldn't touch each little piece fast enough. It had an engine that actually pulled the rest of the train. It had tons of other transportation vehicles too! I think Corbyn loved it as much as the boys did.

Thanks for the cool gifts Grandma & Grandpa! We love you!

Christmas with the Cousins (part I)

Corbyn & Kathryn

(the only girls)

We had our first family get-together with the Taylors on Saturday, December 16th at Nana's house. Uncle Ernie and Aunt Dinah came from Charlotte along with Greg, Brad's family (Brad, Anna, and Roane), and Russ's family (Russ, Jessica, Caleb, and Kathryn). We were curious to see how all of the younger generation cousins would get along with each other. Stephanie, Tristan, Marci, and George were there along with Grandpa and Joyce. This is Christmas with the Cousins, Part I because the Winters will be coming later in the month.

Caleb & Roane

The children got along really well. We had a few sharing issues, but what do you expect when you mix three 2 year olds and a 1 year old. We reminisced about Christmas's (?) past when we each got to draw a name and exchange gifts with one another. We always had to wait our turn to open and we either went oldest to youngest or vice versa. Well this new generation of children didn't seem to care about what one another received so it became a free-for-all. I'm embarrassed to say that I'm still not sure who got what but the children loved all their gifts.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to get together with family and enjoy and love one another. It is so much fun seeing each other and cherishing the memories being made by the next generation. God has richly blessed our family and we look forward to the new arrivals coming in 2008. Tracy is expecting in April and Stephanie is expecting in June.

Stephanie & Tracy

We all had a good time & it seems that it goes by so fast. The children are growing at lightning speed. Thanks Nana for hosting us again!

A Kid Stuf Christmas

Each year the Children's Ministry team at our church sponsors a kid-friendly Christmas program. The program is modeled to reflect what a typical Sunday morning is like for "children's church". The adults perform skits and the children's choir sings. Corbyn was a member of the choir this year. (hint: she has a red bow in her hair).

Fantasy of Trees

Nana and I took the kids on our annual Fantasy of Trees trip. We always go the day before Thanksgiving. This is a fundraiser hosted by Children's Hospital where local businesses, schools, and individuals decorate and donate trees, wreaths, and other Christmas decorations to be auctioned off to raise money for the hospital. The Children's Hospital is dear to us since we spent a considerable amount of time there last year around the holidays.

They offer a wide variety of activities for the children. Corbyn's favorite is always the nail-painting booth. She also enjoys making crafty things like ornaments and other holiday decorations.

The boys enjoyed playing in the play area with giant legos, climbing on the train, and riding in the cars.

The children also enjoy watching the various shows on the big stage. There are always children's choirs and dance companies. The boys watched a local children's choir and enjoyed a snack while Corbyn and Nana went in search for their own goodies.

My favorite part of this trip is the photo with Santa. Last year we stood in line for years only to watch the boys melt down when placed upon Santa's lap. In all honesty I secretly hoped they would do it again because the photo was priceless. Their daycare provider is actually in charge of this booth each year and always "hooks us up" with tickets to the event. She also is in charge of putting the boys on Santa's lap because they won't tell her no like they would me. Corbyn decided she was much too big (and mature) to sit with Santa so here is this year's pic...


And finally, Carson and Micah rode a merry-go-round with trucks and cars. They were so excited to ride in the fire truck. We were shocked they actually rode it. We usually stand in line and duck out at the last minute. We prepared for screaming and thrashing once they began to move but the boys enjoyed the ride. I think the secret is safety in numbers.

Here is the cool Santa hat that Corbyn made.