Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas in Richmond this year. We still had snow on the ground, there was a fire in the fireplace, lots of family gathered, and yummy food to enjoy. The day passed by way too quickly but we did enjoy each moment knowing that next year it will be a little more hectic (we'll have to go to man-to-man defense!!). We started the morning out with the McPherson's in charge of making breakfast (we decided to give mom a break from breakfast duty since she had Christmas dinner to think about!). I tried some new recipes out and they seemed to be good...we didn't have any leftovers:) Then we relaxed and went through stockings and our gifts slowly. Alley was a little more into opening things this year...she helped EVERYONE open their stockings and gifts. She oooed and ahhhed over everyone's gifts as well. About mid-morning, the Texas Alley's came over to finish Christmas with us and it was hilarious watching the three cousins open presents...everything was "mine", even if it wasn't:) So funny! They played with each others gifts the moment the other would leave them alone and couldn't figure out why the other was trying to take the toys away...classic two year olds! After lunch all the kids went down for naps, and the adults tried to rest...tried is the key word...we weren't too successful. Later that evening another family came over to celebrate Christmas dinner with us. All the kids were in bed, so us parents got to enjoy some "adult" conversation and time...much needed! The night ended well, with delicious food, good conversation and a fire in the fireplace (can you tell I love fires in our fireplace?!!). What a great day full of memories! Here are some of those memories captured...

A few attempts at a family photo...we seem to struggle with getting one where all three are looking at the camera and smiling:)

The grab the hand technique...still struggled!

Mimi and Alley doing what they love most...reading!

Christmas morning, helping daddy go through his stocking...her favorite part of each stocking? The ORANGE!!!!

Playing with her sticker book...another love, stickers...

Cousin Carlee Scott graciously sharing her doll house with Alley, a bull in a china shop!

Cousin Owen and Alley eating "paw-corn"...they were SUPER excited about it

Sharing hugs, or as Alley calls them... "uggs" (Owen seems to think you hug with your head...silly boy!)

Alley playing with the new animal addition papa made for her Noah's Ark...she loves it!

Christmas Week

I'm a little late in posting the happenings from this week! We have been having a blast here in Richmond with Mimi and Papa. On Monday, my brother and his kids came into town, so we've been able to spend some great time with Carlee Scott and Owen...which Alley loves! Whenever someone comes to the door, she gets so excited and says "Owen?!" - she can't get enough of them:) Here are some pictures from the past few days:

The kids playing the piano - they thought it was the coolest thing!

Alley sporting Papa's santa hat (she wont go near a santa, but she'll wear the hat!)
Alley and Owen laughing at the cat who is hanging out in the baby doll's cradle (there is cap-nip in the cradle that Cagnie is rolling in!)

We went to my parent's church (St. Matthew's) greening of the church on Monday evening and Alley and Owen were inseparable!

A little arts and craft with mommy:) She did surprisingly well putting the beads on the string!

Later that night the kids enjoying a little story time with Mimi

Then some Christmas Claymation - they seem enthralled

The next day we decided to try Alley in the snow again, without the sled. We got her some snow/cold weather clothes, so she was excited (she is inlove with her boots and every time we say we're going outside she starts yelling boots boots!) Here she is with daddy...

Charging through the snow

Painting cookies with the kids

Alley really loved painting the cookies, but she was not happy she couldn't eat them immediately! A slight meltdown, but she got over it fast:)

Coloring with Grandma Alley - another Alley favorite past-time

Reading on her own - "momma self"...

Christmas eve pictures to come...:) I hope everyone has a very merry and God-filled Christmas Eve!!!

A Snowy Day...

I am so glad we decided to come to Richmond early! We knew that everyone would get snow, but we had no idea how much snow we'd get. We packed up the car and headed to my parents house on Thursday afternoon since there was nothing else to do that week, except my normal routine of sitting, sitting and more sitting (too much fun!!). Andy and I then enjoyed a nice dinner out at PF Changs to celebrate my (cough, cough) 29th birthday...which was very nice :) Friday evening the snow began...and it didn't stop until a few minutes ago! Here are some pictures from this morning when I woke up.

We had over 6 inches this morning when Andy and Dad went out to shovel the walkways and cars, and it was still snowing!!

Poor Cookie...she was muscling her way through the snow - it was funny because it looked like she was chest bumping the snow!

So...we thought Alley would enjoy the snow since she had been obsessed with it all day...but, we being unprepared, had nothing for the poor child to wear. We threw on multiple layers (turtleneck, sweater, leggings, jeans, socks, jacket, shoes and someone's hat) and headed out...forgot gloves...BIG, HUGE mistake! Her first slip in the snow and she was done! Here she is after the tumble riding with daddy on the sled...she was so over it!

So, what do you do to calm a screaming, cold child down??!! Get out the piano and start singing!

Here's a video of her singing...



And another funny one...

31 weeks...and counting

Since we have no clue when this little one will be making her entrance into the world, we've decided to take a picture of my growing size each week. She truly is acting like a girl...what a tease! Acting like she is going to come and then at the last minute deciding not to. I'm not sure how much more I can take of that! Anyway, we are all doing well and just taking it one day at a time.

Here is a picture of me, taken at 31 weeks.

Dinner...

I think someone really likes spaghetti!! A friend brought over dinner the other day and it just so happened to be a LARGE pan of spaghetti. We have been eating it for a few days (on and off), but Alley is desperate to eat it each night. She keeps asking for "spetti" and just goes crazy when we get it out for her. Here she is THOROUGHLY enjoying her "spetti".

G'ma comes to town

Andy's mom and her husband came into town this weekend for a quick visit. It was really good to see them and get to spend some time just catching up. Alley really enjoyed playing with her G'ma and having visitors for the weekend. We crammed a lot of fun times into the short time they were here. Of course, I spent most of it on the sofa, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting to visit with them!

Alley and G'ma coloring

Playing with Stickers

Reading together

Alley sporting my running shoes...can we say shoe obsession?!

She is NOT happy about us interupting her color time..no cameras please!

More reading...Because we are preparing for an early delivery, we got out the infant car seat...Alley apparently thinks it's for her dolls...

Watching tv with baby taking a nap...I was told "shhhh, baby sleeping"...maybe there is hope;)

I'm hoping she will be just as happy and helpful to have Baby Kendall around...

Stay tuned...Tuesday I go to the doctor for a decision to be made...this could be it...

This and that...

4 days down...I'm not going to sit here and lie to you telling you that I'm doing great with bed rest, or that I am a great patient. I'm learning to adjust, isn't that what mother-hood (parent-hood) is all about? Taking the good with the bad, learning to put others and their needs first, looking for the positive in everything, even when you have to search and search to find some sort of minor positive. I am getting there...The first day was rough, but each day is better. Whenever I start getting down or feel as though I just can't lay here anymore, I try to remind myself that this is not about me and what I want, it's about my child and her needs...and she needs to stay in the womb a few more weeks! I'm starting to find projects to do (with the help of my mom!), I'm catching up on letters I need to write, I'm helping out with some on-line shopping for family, I'm working on a Christmas present (through the computer) for the grandmother's, a sweet friend has loan me some books and I'm catching up on the latest in holiday decorating and cooking (ha! thanks to HGTV and the Food Network!). So I am slowly coping with this life change. It doesn't take the anxiety and stress about finances or the "what-ifs" go away, but it does get me through the moment by moment. This I do know...I will survive this and be rewarded with a beautiful little bundle of joy and screams;)

Here is a picture of Alley playing with the Vick girls (our b-ball coach's two girls) after the first basketball game. This is the first time Alley has actually played with them! She has always shyed away and not wanted to be near them...my girl is growing up!

Alley and her little friend Sally Vick - they were so cute together! Alley did EVERYTHING Sally told her to do...she even sat in the middle of the basketball court for several minutes waiting for Sally to bring a ball back...I couldn't have even gotten that result!

Andy and I decorated the house for Christmas over TG weekend...I love Christmas:)

The tree...Alley is so enthralled by the ornaments...we'll see how many we are missing once it's time to take the tree down!

Snuggles with daddy on the floor

Watching dinner cook

baby drama...

As I write this, I am sprawled out on the sofa with my feet propted up and the tv on...you are probably wondering if I've gotten my days mixed up. Yes, I know it's Thursday morning and I was suppose to be at work at 7:30am - instead, I'm still in my pj's and the house is quiet....it's called bed rest...not my idea of fun or what I had planned out for this pregnancy. Now I've come to terms with the fact that this is a different pregnancy (like we always hear - "every pregnancy is different"), but this is so completely different. The doctor has been wonderful and we are all working on a "one day at a time" mentality. We've had our crazy scares over the past two weeks (her head is pushing down the birth canal constantly - so impatient, who does she get that from??!! - , I've started dialating fast and am almost completely thinned out, I'm having minor contractions that even the shots can't stop - I had two of those last night & now have to take the pill form every 4 hours in hopes it stops them - , bed rest and weekly monitoring are just to name a few!). All in all, we feel truly blessed to have this pregnancy and to know that Kendall is VERY healthy (whew!). I will be kept on bed rest on a weekly basis. We will re-evaluate each time I go in...there is no guarantee bed rest will stop this determined little one, but each day helps:) Thank you all for you phone calls, support, prayers and words of encouragement and wisdom. I value each of you! It has been an emotional and stressful ride, but the Lord has provided in many ways and has reminded me of his love and sovereignty.

Happy Thanksgiving...late:)

Thanksgiving has come and gone already so I'm a little late in my Happy Thanksgiving greetings! We had a great TG this year. Our family celebrated the day at our house this year yikes! I have always wanted to host family celebrations and had hoped we could do it while most of our family lived close by. I got the opportunity this year to have 12 for TG dinner...and I quickly found out that I definitely don't have the serving pieces to accommodate a large crowd. We had a great time anyway and everyone chipped in with the food and the serving/eating plates:) My aunt and uncle from Georgia and their two kids (one's in NY the other lives in DC) plus Granny came over. My parents and little brother graciously came from Richmond for the day to help and prepare (I couldn't have done ANY of it without the help of my mom and dad!! I am definitely thankful for them). Then, we have a girl who rents out our basement apartment and since she had to work at the hospital TG evening, she couldn't go home, so we invited her and her fiance to join us. She was one of the nurses who looked after Granny when she was in the hospital, so we will consider her family;) The day was full of fun and laughter and everyone was exhausted by the end of the evening...or was that just me;) Here are some pictures we captured from the evening:

Our attempt at a family picture...Alley acting all of her two years of age...she had had enough:)

A family group shot
Granny, my cousin Mary Tanner and our renter, Leslie getting ready to eat

Alley all ready to enjoy her TG feast...if I recall, she didn't eat any of it! Very rare for a girl who eats anything and everything! She was way too busy:)

Bruce and Dad partaking in the buffet

The guys were banished to the living room to eat and watch football while the girls sat at the dining room table...as you can see they were completely heart-broken...ha!

alley having fun with daddy

We usually top off TG day with the putting up of our Christmas tree, but Andy had basketball practice TG night (partly the reason for us hosting TG). So the tree had to wait until the next day to make an appearance. It must be a holiday, because Alley woke up the next morning sick...blah. We spent the morning doing laundry and changing our clothes constantly...I did finally get smart after the third change and I wrapped Alley in a towel. She promptly fell asleep after that and when she woke up she was a new person. When Andy came home from basketball we just relaxed and put up all our decorations. Alley has become very weary of new things (this is a drastic change from the girl who was so out going) and was very cautious of the Christmas tree (plus any yard blow-up character, and older men - especially if they have facial hair, so no Santa this year!). To finish up the evening, my aunt, uncle, cousins and me and Andy went to see a movie...The Blindside - it was great! It was a great Thanksgiving and a great day after. We look forward to relaxing the rest of the weekend and preparing for Christmas! I hope everyone had a wonderful celebration!