Thanksgiving 2013

We had a really, really great Thanksgiving. It was different than years past but was still FULL of the people and food we love most. =) For the first time in our married life we made Thanksgiving Day a day trip. We decided against packing, spending the night, forcing our kids to stay up and out late, etc. And I'm thankful we made the right decision.

We arrived in our hometown early Thanksgiving morning and spent the first half of the day with Terrell's family and the second half of the day with my family. It was a super full day but totally worth it to spend the holiday with both of our families. A blessing I won't ever take for granted.

Annual Thanksgiving Day family photo

The boys loved having lots of play time with cousins and lots of time at both grandparents' houses. They were also huge fans of all the desserts they enjoyed on Thursday. =)

(We also used Thanksgiving Day as an opportunity to get pictures of everyone. One of Austin's absolute favorite things to do is to look at pictures. So one of his Christmas gifts is a photo album full of all his favorite people... so of course almost all of the pics we got have made it to the blog.)

Nana and Pops 

Granny in Cartersville (or now as Garrison likes to remind us, Granny in Barnesville)

 

Kara, Allison, Shannon, and Denny

We had a great morning and delicious lunch with Terrell's fam. Thanks to Nana and Pops for hosting and feeding us!!

Once we got to my parents' house on Thursday afternoon, there was lots of football to be played. My big boy was right in the middle of it. He secretly can't wait to be even bigger than he already is. I, on the other hand am not rushing things.

 

The newlyweds!! AnAn and Frankie. (Who had an amzing honeymoon in Jamaica by the way.)

 

Granna and Papa

 

Nanny

 

Granny and PawPaw

 

After spending some time at my parents' house and the boys enjoying more play time with cousins, everyone left to go get a Christmas tree. While we almost froze, we had a great experience and found "the one" pretty fast. Maybe record fast. Garrison was a big helper. He helped Papa and daddy cut down the trees.

After getting our tree we went back to Granna and Papa's for Thanksgiving supper. We had another feast that was SO good and just enjoyed hanging out with lots of family. Thanks to Granna and Papa for feeding us and hosting Thanksgiving again this year... I think this makes 30 plus years in a row! We were all exhausted once we made it home late Thursday night (especially Austin... who didn't sleep well) but we recovered by sleeping in (a little) and having a pretty low-key day on Friday.

I am so thankful for 2 amazing, close-knit families to share holidays with. I'm thankful for wonderful, supportive, generous parents. I'm thankful we shared this Thanksgiving with all of our grandparents. And this year I was especially thankful to feel my third baby boy moving around and enjoying himself too. We are blessed and God is good. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100: 4-5

28 Weeks!

My doctor's appointment went well this morning and I'm hoping I pass my glucose test without any issues. The only thing discussed, yet again, was the delivery method we should go with. Things have changed just since having Austin and they can no longer induce (before 39 weeks) due to the size of the baby. Sooo, if he's healthy and I'm healthy and he goes full term I need to mentally prepare for a c-section. Because for some reason (ahem Terrell Selph), I have big babies. We're just going to keep praying about it. If my amniotic fluid is low again (like with Austin) and they can induce a couple of weeks early and his weight is under 7 and a half pounds I'm leaning towards another vaginal delivery. Although labor with pitocin was NOT fun and I definitely had moments of wanting to give up and just be wheeled to surgery. Decisions, decisions! Anyway, enough rambling... time for an update!

 

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 28 weeks... the 3rd trimester is here!

Size of Baby: About 15-16 inches long and 2-3 pounds... the size of small cabbage.

Total Weight Gained/Lost: 23 pounds. Gulp. Did not expect the number I saw but I'm hoping a pound or 3 were from my clothes and boots. It's freezing today!

Maternity Clothes: Almost everything is maternity with the exception of comfy clothes and the tops I found in a bigger, regular size. 

Gender: Boy #3... Layton Thomas Selph

Movement: He's still pretty active off and on throughout the day but he moves around a lot every single night without fail once I'm finally relaxing on the couch and ready to watch a show or 2. And now I can watch my belly move if I look closely.

Food Cravings: Sweets! I'm trying not to eat everything sweet and sugary in sight but it's oh so tempting.

What I Miss: Being able to get up and off the floor easily. Whether it's cleaning up a spill, helping pick up toys, playing with the boys, or trying to put away pots and pans, getting up once I'm down is no easy task. It's a big ole chore and isn't always pretty. Baby boy is heavy. Or maybe he's just making mama heavy.

Sleep: Sleep this week has been sort of weird. Every other night I've slept good... which means every other night isn't so good. The nights that haven't been good have mainly been due to waking up frequently, tossing and turning, not being able to get comfortable, etc.

Symptons: Feeling heavy, going to the bathroom lots, and still a hint of morning sickness every now and then. I threw up Sunday morning before church. So weird and random.

Best Moment This Week: Having the week off and being able to rest and relax a little more in the evenings. I have not missed making lunches or ironing every night one bit! Sleeping a few minutes later and extra time with the boys has also been great.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Thanksgiving Day with both sides of our families and counting our blessings together.

 

Austin's update at 28 weeks 

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!!

Day Full of Christmas Fun

Since today was rainy, messy, and freezing cold I decided to plan a fun stay-at-home day for the boys. (And with 2 busy boys you'd better be prepared if you're going to attempt staying home all day long.) I'm happy to report that all in all our day was a success!

Last night, Terrell and I decorated the rest of the house that I hadn't yet gotten to so the boys woke up to a surprise of Christmas lights and their all time favorite Christmas decoration... a Christmas carousel that my grandparents gave me when I was a child. It spins around slowly with the horses moving up and down and everything, plus plays several Christmas carols. It is a HUGE hit every year.

After a special breakfast of chocolate chip muffins we got started with our day full of Christmas fun. To kick things off we put up and decorated the boys' tree! They loved every second.

This year we decided to do one tree since the nursery is currently bare and unoccupied and they share a room now anyway. It's a mix of Garrison's sports ornaments and Austin's transportation ornaments. A boy tree through and through.

 

It wasn't even 9:30 when we finished decorating their tree which meant the day was still young and mama had a ways to go, so I gave instructions for them to play together while I vacuumed and dusted the big boy room. Once they got tired of entertaining each other, I pulled out all of our Christmas books. All 95. Just kidding. But we do have a ton. Lots are the boys and lots are from my 2nd grade teaching days. This occupied them for a long stretch of morning. They are definitely my children. They absolutely love books.

 

Then, after a few spats broke out over books I decided it was time for my next scheduled activity... a Christmas movie and popcorn! We watched Frosty the Snowman... their choice, and Austin actually watched a lot of it. The popcorn definitely helped. Ha! Then Garrison requested to watch The Grinch. Since Austin was done by then we just played and read more Christmas books with a few breaks to check out the movie. 

 

After our movie time we finally changed out of pj's and actually left the house to grab lunch from Chick-Fil-A's drive-thru. Yum! It is a rare treat for us to eat lunch prepared by someone else during the week. But I thought it necessary since it's Thanksgiving break and we're all tired of eating similar lunches everyday. It was the right decision. =)

 

After lunch, naptime/quiet time, and snack time we moved on to our next "activity"... a Christmas craft! Sometimes I regret attempting these halfway through, but this one actually went really well. They made Christmas trees out of rectangles, largest to smallest. Garrison was able to order and complete his tree without any help. Plus he loves crafts so he was very cooperative and did great.

 

With Austin I just held up 2 rectangles/strips and let him tell me which one was taller and then I did all the gluing... with a little help.

 

Once they completed their trees they decorated with ribbon scraps for ornaments. The finished products turned out cute I thought.

We had a little more play time, a little more time piled up on the couch reading Christmas books, and a little more time coloring at the table before daddy got home. And once daddy got home, I knew I'd made it. Haha! It's tough staying home all day (even though we cheated and left to pick up lunch), but we had fun together, made memories, and got a great start to our Christmas season. Success indeed.

PS... I'm 28 weeks today! Tomorrow I have my doctor's appointment so hopefully I'll have an update ready to go before Thanksgiving.

The Great Purge

This weekend Terrell and I accomplished something huge. Something exhausting, yet rewarding. Something necessary and overdue. We accomplished The Great Purge. Yay for us!!

Terrell's parents kindly agreed to keep the kiddos for us all day on Saturday so we could get lots and lots accomplished. Two busy boys right up under us and in our way would have made for a much less productive day. Thanks Nana and Pops!

Based on our to-do list and order of priority, we started in Austin's room... which is now officially the nursery awaiting baby Layton's arrival. A huge weight off my shoulders and to-do list! Even though Austin has been sleeping in Garrison's big boy bed every night for weeks now, all of his clothes and things remained in his room/nursery. So the first thing we accomplished was to officially move him into his new room... now called the big boy room. We're trying really hard not to call it "Garrison's room" all the time because it belongs to them both now. It was a ton of work to go through every drawer and a closet full of clothes in the nursery but totally worth it in the end. We found a place for everything in the big boy room and have both sets of clothes organized and in their own little spaces... including a system for their clothes that hang in the closet.

We also stripped the bed and walls of the nursery to make it ready for a brand new baby and brand new nursery decor. We even raised the matress. I can't wait to see my sweet baby inside his bed!

 

After much work was accomplished in the nursery and the big boy room we purged some toys that the boys have out-grown or have just lost interest in. With Christmas coming soon it was perfect timing.

 

After moving on from the toys we tackled the boys' cabinet in the kitchen. I wish I would've taken a before picture of the sad state of this cabinet. It seriously hadn't been cleaned out or organized since it became the "bottle cabinet" for Garrison almost 5 years ago. Opening this cabinet up before Saturday afternoon may or may not have resulted in a sippy cup falling out in your face. Gracious. I threw away lots of sippy cups, bottles, pacis, etc. And now it looks like this... nice, neat, and organized.

Once we'd finished the cabinet we took a break to eat lunch and then got right back to work. In the office. A daunting task. We cleaned out our office closet plus desk drawers. It took forever. But we stayed focused on the mission and saw it through. And here's a big ole pile to prove it. (Not all of this came from the office... it came from a variety of rooms actually.) We are having a HUGE yard sale come Spring... because this pile was added to already large piles stored away for a future yard sale. Well, now it's coming soon and it's gonna be big. Mark your calendars. =)

We wrapped up around late afternoon and got ready to go meet our babies for supper. They were both happy to see us and worn out from a day full of fun with their grandparents. We were pretty worn out ourselves. Everybody in the Selph household went to bed early Saturday night.

Saturday was a lot of hard work (and my husband was even under the weather all weekend) but it was worth it. The only things left to do pre-yard sale would be our own closets and a few more kitchen cabinets. However, we are ready for baby Layton.

Sort of.

We've still got a lot to do to prepare his room for his arrival BUT he won't have to come home from the hospital to a room still semi-occupied by his big brother. The great purge was a success!

Now the boys and I are looking forward to a low-key Thanksgiving week. So far, so good if this morning is any indication of our week. =) Happy Monday!

Pilgrims and Indians

After our fun-filled weekend of all things wedding, we jumped right back into school and our routine with the cutest Thanksgiving program ever. It lasted 15-20 minutes and I smiled every single second of it watching my little performer. Or should I say "Indian"? He's the 4th one from the left. He sang his heart out (that southern drawl of his could be heard loud and clear) and smiled at us lots and did such a great job. He was super proud and so were we! 

My Indian making his entrance.

My baby's favorite songs included:

Thanksgiving time is here!

Let's give a great big cheer!

For food and friends and family,

Thanksgiving time is here!

 

And...

Oh I'm glad I'm not a turkey, a turkey, a turkey

Oh I'm glad I'm not a turkey on Thanksgiving Day

They'll roast you and baste you and then they'll all taste you

Oh I'm glad I'm not a turkey on Thanksgiving Day

 

Our family favorite (and now blessing before every meal), sung to the tune of Jesus Loves Me:

 

Lord we thank you for this food, Bless it to our bodies God

Help us live your name to praise, Serving You through all our days

Yes Lord we thank You

Yes Lord we thank You

Yes Lord we thank You

In Jesus Name, Amen

 

Honestly, he loved all of the songs and has been singing them for weeks. Austin even sang a couple with the performers... which was absolutely adorable. He stood in the chair beside me and watched his big brother with pride. It was so sweet.

After they finished all of the songs a microphone was passed around so each little Pilgrim and Indian could tell the audience their name and one thing they were thankful for. Garrison said he was thankful for his brother. Melt my heart.

I'm so proud of my biggest little man and how much he's learned about that first Thanksgiving and the ways God has blessed us because of the courage of the Pilgrims who made the long journey here many years ago. And his memorization of our Bible verse at school this month...

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His loves endures forever. Psalm 136:1

 

I'm looking forward to lots more school performances by all my boys. =)

Weekend to Remember

This past weekend was one to remember... so it must be documented. =)

The Selph family started the weekend by sleeping in! Terrell and I both were off on Friday and the boys let us sleep late. It was a wonderful, unexpected, welcomed surprise! Since the time change and them officially sharing a room, they hadn't been sleeping past 6:45... until Friday. Yay! Now we're thinking, hoping, and praying we're back on track to our babies sleeping past 7:00. While I had my nails and toes done Friday morning, Terrell and the boys hung out and loaded up for our weekend in Barnesville.

We arrived in town and got everything situated at Terrell's parents' house before heading to the church for the rehearsal. It was a fun, special, laid back evening. The boys were well behaved and we were thankful to have lots of help from family keeping up with them.

The Rehearsal Dinner went GREAT. The food was delicious. We shared conversation and laughs and fellowship with those closest to Anna and Frankie, and my children did really good! Towards the end of the dinner when it was well past their bedtime they started tiring out and letting us know... but thankfully Terrell's parents were able to leave a few minutes early with them so they could get to bed. I was so thankful for such a smooth night for all of us!

Saturday morning my mom, sister, and I all got our hair done together while my husband and sweet in-laws got my boys bathed and ready for the big day. We all went back to my parents' house for lunch so we could eat with the bride and then it was time to head back to Terrell's parents house for naptime for the boys and so Terrell and I could head to the church to get dressed and ready for pictures. Thanks to Nana and Pops for keeping the boys all afternoon and getting them ready for pictures!

Getting dressed for the wedding and doing all the pictures Saturday afternoon was such a fun part of the day. All the girls (including the bride!) were very relaxed. Once my boys arrived they just made things more light and fun... and interesting. Keeping up with them as they went back and forth between me, Terrell, and Nana and Pops was a little crazy but they absolutely melted my heart walking in all dressed up and so handsome... and happy to see me!

Once it was "go time" we all got a little nervous. The church was packed. Several couples came in late while we waited to enter the sanctuary. The spotlight was on. Whoa. Thankfully we made it through the ceremony without passing out. All of the bridesmaids felt faint or shaky at about the same time during the ceremony. So crazy! But we survived without incident. Praise the Lord!

Everything about the wedding ceremony went perfect and was so sweet. I know they will treasure their video. I can't wait to see it!

After the ceremony we made a few pictures before heading over to the reception. I don't have my hands on any pictures from the reception... yet. But I'm going to try to snatch them up at least by Thanksgiving. I loved the atmosphere and decor at the reception. It was elegant, romantic, and Fall. Just what Anna wanted. And their cakes were amazing! Plus my little men escorted me in. Precious.

The boys did great and made it through the entire night to see Anna and Frankie leave. I was so proud of how well they did and so thankful for all the help from my in-laws! We couldn't have performed our duties without them!!

Saturday night once we were back at my parents' house (where we decided to stay the night of the wedding) was CRAZY. I felt the day's events catching up with me and my boys were so wound up they were totally out of control at bedtime. They were silly and wild and just delirious. They finally gave up and went to bed around 11:00. A record for sure. Then Terrell and I stayed up talking to my parents well past midnight about all the wedding details and fun of the day. We just kept sharing stories... people we saw, our favorite parts of the day, people we talked to and what they said, what we were thinking during certain parts of the ceremony, and just memories from the day. I can't believe I stayed up so late after such a busy day. And then I couldn't go to sleep. Which made me understand how my boys felt at bedtime. Haha.

Sunday we slept in and packed up. (Unfortunately we didn't make it to church after our extremely late night.) We had reception food leftovers for lunch before coming home, unpacking, and resting.

God blessed us all with an amazing weekend to remember. Now I'm excited to talk to my sister about it all once she returns from her honeymoon!

Wedding!

My sister's wedding was beautiful and sweet and we had a GREAT wedding weekend full of celebration, laughter, and tears of joy... especially by my sister and one of her bridesmaids Sandra. They were both emotional all weekend, but in a good way. =)

I am so thankful for God's hand in bringing Anna and Frankie together and for the way He has blessed their relationship already. The rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony, and reception were just reminders of His goodness and faithfulness. Everything went so well and I'm thankful our little family was there for it all. Even my boys were able to enjoy all the wedding festivities... without any drama or issues! God is so good.

Here are just a few pictures from their very talented photographer's sneak preview...

 

One of my favorites.

The wedding party!

Another fav. Love this one.

 

This one is so special because it captures Frankie's face when he saw Anna for the first time. (Like Terrell and I, they chose to see each other before the wedding for the sake of getting most of the pictures done before the ceremony) Just like us they did it the "traditional" way with him standing at the alter and her walking down the aisle. His face is priceless.

I'm pretty sure everyone is laughing at my husband in this one. He definitely kept things light and fun. One of the many things I love about him. =)

Leaving under the sparklers. A fun way to make their exit.

We are so happy for Mr. and Mrs. O'Mary and are praying they enjoy every second of their honeymoon! 

*I'm hoping to do a full weekend recap one day soon. =)