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A NOT so merry visit with Santa...

Rush and I took Olivia yesterday to see Santa. We have been talking about him a lot lately around our house to prepare her for the big visit with Santa. Well, I don't know what I was thinking because I'm sure there is nothing you can do to prepare a 20 month old to be handed to a strange man with a big white beard. She was absolutely precious the entire 1.5 hour wait. She stood by our side and stayed entertained by all of the "people watching" there was to take part in. HOWEVER, the moment she noticed that we were getting closer and closer to Santa she began to grip a little tighter to my shirt. When it was finally her turn I ended up having to sit next to him so as to not lose the clothing on my upper body from her death grip! From the sounds of her screams you would have thought she was being attacked by a lion!!! All that to say, our trip to see Santa wasn't as I had hoped, but definitely as I had figured it might be! She is deathly afraid of unfamiliar men(which I can't complain about...I hope it stays this way!) and I knew this would create a problem when trying to get her to sit in Santa's lap. All I can say is that we have one great picture to document the event!!!

MDO Christmas Party

Olivia had her first Mother's Day Out Christmas party this past week. Rush and I decided we would join her for the big event. It was absolutely hysterical to see her interact with her little friends in her room. It amazes me that at such a young age they know exactly what to dovwhen it's time to eat lunch. They were like a herd of cattle waiting to be fed. They all migrated to the table and stood in front of it waiting to be put in their seats. Olivia had more fun sitting at the table socializing with her friends then she did eating the yummy lunch that all the moms prepared. Once again, anytime there is a party she is going to have a blast! She waited until we got in the car to eat her chicken nuggets as if not to waste any time with her friends eating instead of playing! OH, she cracks me up!!

AL/FL game...

We joined our sweet friends Amy,Chris,and Grayson at their new house for the SEC Championship game. Chris was the only Florida fan there and ended up being the only happy camper at the end of the night.=) Nah, really everyone had a blast enjoying each others company and they were all good sports. I must admit that I probably enjoyed watching Olivia and Grayson play more than the game. They chased each other all over the house! They are really good buddies! Olivia also made a new friend, Mrs.Charlotte. Mrs. Charlotte keeps Grayson a few days a week and was over for the game too. Olivia took right to her and was sad to see her go at the end of the night. Mrs.Charlotte is a natural grandmother! I can only imagine when she has her own!=) What a fun night and a good game!

Sunday School Christmas Party...

This year our Sunday School class had so much fun involving our children in our Christmas party! The kids got to decorate cookies and enjoy eating them! What a fun mess we made!! Of course, Olivia loved every minute of partying with her friends and eating her sugary concoction!! We came home with icing in every nook and cranny! I definitely had to do some scrubbing on her clothes too! But, it was all worth the fun that was had!!

Olivia's Sweet Tooth...

We caught this image of Olivia (a few weeks ago now actually) after Rush and I stepped out of the living room for a few minutes. Apparently she found our Christmas candy and decided to indulge!! She evidently enjoyed a mouthful of red and green m&m's with only a stained face for evidence. There was no denying what she had gotten into! What was even more funny was how tickled she was that she got away with it while we weren't looking. She was quite proud of herself! I must say she gets her sweet tooth honest! Both Rush and I have a weakness for anything with a little sugar!! Thankfully, she loves brushing her teeth just as much as she does indulging in sweet candy!

"Build a Moose"

A little overwhelmed!


Picking out the heart!Filling the moose with love!
Stitching her up!

Loving her new moose friend!

In an attempt to start a family tradition last year we took Olivia to Build a Bear to build a reindeer only to find out that they were all sold out! So, this year Rush went early to buy the moose and on Sunday we took Olivia back to stuff it. She wasn't quite sure what to think of the whole procedure but definitely has enjoyed the final product!=) Hopefully, this will be a one of the many family traditions we enjoy during this season for many years to come!

A visit with sweet friends....

Today, my sweet friend and college roommate, Ashley, stopped by to see Olivia and I! She now lives in Austin, TX so it is a treat to get to see her when she comes to town! Her sister, her new nephew, and mom were along for the visit too! Olivia absolutely loved the company and once again displayed her precious love for babies. She wanted so badly to help April feed Patton his bottle and she even brought us one of her diapers to change him with.=) I was so proud to see how gentle and loving she was with him. She wanted to hug on him and show us where his belly button was....to cute! I think she might be a good big sister ONE DAY! Olivia enjoyed her time with them so much that she cried and cried when it was time to say "bye-bye." Maybe for now, Santa can bring her a new babydoll to play with.=)

Rammer Jammer....

Unfortunately, my batteries died in my camera before the end of the game so I was unable to get a pic of the scoreboard. For those of you who may have forgotten it was....36-0.=)

So, thanks to 2 fabulous sets of grandparents willing to spend some time with Olivia on Saturday, Rush and I were able to sneak away to see the Iron Bowl at Bryant Denny Stadium. What a day! I am really a fan by default...I graduated from Samford (definitely not comparable to any SEC team)and married Rush who graduated from UofA. So, needless to say, because of Rush I tend to cheer on the Crimson Tide too. Rush, ON THE OTHER HAND, is a devout fan...not an obnoxious one(some might beg to differ)...but is definitely thrilled to see them win!=) So, Saturday's win was definitely a highlight for him this season! It ended up being such a fun day despite the yucky weather!
By the way, regardless of if you are a fan of either team, attending an Iron Bowl should most definitely be on your "bucket list." Truly an experience!=)

Heavy hearts...

With heavy hearts we celebrated Christmas with Michael this past Friday knowing he was headed to Afghanistan on Sunday. Although we are so proud of his commitment to serve our country in such a selfless way it still is so hard to see him go. We made the most of our last day with him as he opened all of his Christmas presents! We enjoyed a yummy lunch and spent the afternoon visiting with him before he had to get on the road to Ft. Campbell. Even sweet Kinsey made the drive over from ATL to enjoy our last few hours with him before his 1 year deployment.
Michael flew out last night and should be in Afghanistan soon if he is not already there yet. Not a day will go by that we aren't covering him in our prayers. I know that as his sister my heart breaks to see him go and can only imagine now that I have a child of my own how my mom and dad must feel to see him go. But, these are the times when your faith grows leaps and bounds. I can't imagine what I would do if I didn't have God's promises to provide me with a peace beyond all understanding. As Michael stated after his first deployment, "Although God never promises us tomorrow, we can have peace knowing that He promises never to leave our side." I pray that Michael would feel His constant presence throughout this year! I ask that you join our family in praying for wisdom as he leads his men in a war zone, safety and God's protection on every mission he is involved with, protection over his men, opportunities to share Christ's unconditional love with those he comes in contact with throughout this year, a year that flies by for both him and us, and to return home to us safely!

Know that a day will not go by that we will not think of you and pray for you Uncle Michael...we already miss you!!!

"The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall, Though an army beseige me, my heart will not fear; through war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

Psalms 27:1-3

So Much To Be Thankful For....

As I sit and think about our lives and all the precious blessings God has poured out on me and my family I realize I have so much to celebrate this Thanksgiving! First and foremost, I am thankful for a precious, healthy baby that has brought so much joy to our lives! I'm also thankful for an amazing husband, families that we love so much, freedom, good health, and last but not least, the promise of eternal life with my Lord, Jesus Christ! Everything that I have to be thankful for has come from Him and it is truly humbling to know that despite all my failures and weaknesses He is still pouring out His blessings on me.

I pray that you are yours had a great Thanksgiving day and found the time in the midst of the day to praise God for all your many blessings!!

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes.....

Olivia LOVES shoes as it seems most children do at this age! She loves to get new shoes as well as wear mine and Rush's shoes too. She will usually race back to our bedroom and come out wearing a different pair every time. Recently, she has decided my tennis shoes are her fav! She is constantly putting them on and holding up the shoe strings as she walks. The other morning I got finished blow drying my hair and turned around only to find her as the picture displays above! She was so proud that she had managed to get both of her shoes off and both of mine on. It was a struggle to convince her she couldn't wear those out of the house! =)

Like Father Like Daughter...

Most often when Rush is at home Olivia only wants to be doing whatever it is that her daddy is doing. She absolutely cannot get enough of her daddy and is devestated every time he has to leave without her! She is most definitely a "daddy's girl." It warms my heart to see them interact with each other. It amazes me to see the admiration that is already developing towards her dad. And boy does she have every reason to admire him!=) Of course, I think he is pretty special too! What a special relationship a little girl has with her dad and nothing can ever replace or take that away! I know it is still hard for me to admit that my dad can do any wrong! In fact, that was probably one of the hardest things about growing up....realizing my dad is human too and can make mistakes....only sometimes=).

I am so thankful that Olivia will learn so much from such a special man, her daddy! I can only hope and pray that they will share just as special of a relationship as my dad and I do! What a gift from God that relationship is!