Christmas Time is Here!

Garrison is finally learning the difference between "Christmas Time" and Christmas Day. Since Halloween he's been asking about Christmas time and talking about Ho Ho and occasionally requesting to sing a Christmas carol before bed. I don't think we encouraged an early arrival of the Christmas season but for some reason we've been talking about it and anticipating it since the end of October.

Anyway, after arriving home on Saturday from our Thanksgiving holiday we gave the little man his lunch and then got him down for a nap. Two days in a row without a nap had taken it's toll on him and let's just say mini meltdowns were occurring at the drop of a hat. Sooo, while he napped we got the tree inside and put on all the lights and got a few other "decorative" things done around the house.

Garrison was thrilled when he woke up. His little face lit up and he smiled really big... then he started asking questions and talking non-stop. Sometimes Terrell and I can't get in two words to each other because Garrison is constantly talking. Goodness. He was actually a big help once we started decorating the tree though. He sat down and unwrapped the ornaments from tissue paper and then gave them to me to hang on the tree. He attempted hanging a few ornaments himself but decided he'd much rather unwrap tissue paper (just like a present but without the ripping and tearing) and find a new ornament to hand over to go on the tree instead. He had fun helping "trim the tree" and especially enjoyed decorating his own little tree in his room and Austin's tree in his room. Austin just got to hang out and watch this year.

This Christmas season is already so exciting and fun because of him being older and more aware of everything. He can enjoy and appreciate all the lights and decorations a little more. He can understand the Christmas Story a little better. He can ask for something he'd like Ho Ho to bring. He knows more about Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus this year. And he can request to listen to Christmas music and sing Christmas carols before naptime and bedtime. His favorite right now is Deck the Halls. =)

My absolute favorite thing these last few really cold days is staying home with my boys and enjoying our trees and Christmas music (except for Tuesday when Garrison had school so we had to brave the weather). I recently heard, actually I read, another mom say that her family celebrated the miracle and the magic of Christmas, and I think that's a perfect description of what we do as well. Terrell and I both grew up celebrating this way and wanted the same for our children. We work hard to keep Christ the center of our Christmas season and want to make sure Garrison knows that the birth of Jesus is why we celebrate, but we also enjoy the decorations, get-togethers, Ho Ho, and presents. One of my favorite books to read to Garrison is "What is Christmas?" because it does such a good job of explaining how Christmas trees and presents and Santa Claus are all fun and cool and okay, BUT Jesus is the real reason for Christmas and it's all about Him.

Sometimes I struggle with the fine line between enjoying the "magic" and losing sight of the real reason for the season, but I know that it's up to us as parents to keep our priorities in order during the Christmas season. It's up to us to make sure our kids know it's about thanking God for sending His Son, and giving to others, and celebrating with family. It's somewhat of a challenge to do with a 2.5 year old and 3 month old, but you can never start too early (something I've heard for years and have definitely come to believe now that I'm a parent). So for now we're reading both "sacred" and "secular" Christmas stories, listening to both sacred and secular Christmas music, playing with a Fisher Price Navitiy Scene (and enjoying small Navitiy scenes in every bedroom), watching Rudolph, talking about Ho Ho, enjoying Christmas trees and decorations, and praying our little ones come to know the true meaning of Christmas and ultimately have a personal relationship with Jesus one day.

Thanksgiving 2011

In hindsight, I probably should have written 2 different posts about our Thanksgiving festivities considering the following is picture overload and our holiday is more than just Thanksgiving Day itself... but oh well. I'll try to let most of the pics speak for themselves so this isn't ridiculously long.

Garrison, Austin, Bailey, and I arrived in Barnesville on Wednesday afternoon. Typically we arrive in time to help AnAn cook, but this year was just too crazy with feedings and packing up for everybody so we arrived a little later than normal. Garrison immediately helped AnAn get started on the chicken pot pie (delish!) while I unloaded the car and got everyone's rooms ready for bedtime since we'd have a late night (for the boys at least). Then I fed Austin before we jumped in the car (with daddy who arrived just in time!) to head downtown for supper and the annual "Lighting of the Trees".

After supper "downtown" we walked outside and got in position for singing Christmas carols, listening to our choir sing, listening to the Christmas story, catching up with family and friends, and of course awaiting the trees to light up. I enjoy this "event" every year. How awesome is it that our little hometown still sings Christian Christmas carols together and listens to the Christmas story from Luke 2!?!

We tried to bundle up since the temperature dropped a little lower than expected and my oldest little man had a ball with his cousin Allison eating a Christmas cookie and taking everything in! My youngest little man slept through most of the action but woke up occasionally to check things out.

If you can't tell, I wasn't able to get any good pictures once the trees were lit. Garrison actually got upset when he saw Santa Claus riding into town on the fire truck... so we headed for the car pretty soon. For some reason Garrison loves "Ho Ho" from a distance only. Maybe next year he'll finally warm up to him.

Thursday morning we were up and ready for Thanksgiving with the Selph side of the family. We made family pictures and then spent the first half of the day with Terrell's family. Terrell's mom prepared a yummy feast for all of us and the cousins had a ball playing together.

Ready for Thanksgiving dinner at Nana and Pops' house! His meal consisted of corn, potatoes, a couple of butter peas, a tad bit of chicken from the dressing, grapes, and dessert of course. =)

Unfortunately I didn't really get any other pictures from Nana and Pops house. I think it's because a lot of the time Garrison was outside playing while I was inside, and when he was inside I was either feeding or tending to Austin (who actually slept the majority of the morning), or I was trying to make sure he played fair with Allison. Those two together will keep you on your toes!

Around 2:00 we left the Selph's to drive over to my parents' house for the rest of the afternoon and evening of Thanksgiving. They had a full house and we just blended in with crowd. Ha! We ate more dessert and caught up with everyone that afternoon before visiting more extended family and coming back to my parents' for Thanksgiving leftovers for supper. Yum-O!

Thursday night, Terrell had to come home to Covington because he had to work half a day on Friday. Thankfully, Austin had a pretty good night and I even got to sleep a little late. Friday afternoon Terrell came back to Barnesville and we all went out to get our Christmas trees. This has become an annual tradition for us and this year it became even more fun because Garrison was really into it and enjoying it.

I have no idea what was up with the warm temps on Friday. We were all a little hot by the time we found our tree. I'm not saying I love cold weather, but at Christmas time it'd be nice if it was cooler than 75 degrees!

We usually always help decorate my parents' tree on Friday night, but this year the guys (and AnAn) went to the Trojan football game~ 3rd round of the playoffs! We lost in the 4th overtime and were pretty heartbroken over it. Even though we don't know the players personally, AnAn does, and we know some of the coaches, and we're LC alumni, and they had a GREAT undefeated season, etc. etc. the loss was tough. Real tough. But we're still SO proud of our Trojans and the coaches (and the trainers!) for their awesome season.

Saturday morning we woke up, packed up the trillion bags and suitcases we brought, ate a delicious breakfast prepared by Granna, and decorated the Christmas tree ( partially) before heading back home to Covington to get our own tree and house decorated.... more on that to come. I'll leave you with pictures of my biggest blessings this year during the decorating of Papa and Granna's tree.

Oops... almost forgot. Here's what we were up to the 1st and 2nd half of our Thanksgiving last year. =)

Thankful For...

As I'm rushing around packing (and spraying Lysol because my husband came home from work sick yesterday) and trying to prepare for the days ahead with family and food (and Christmas trees!) I've tried to pause and give myself a moment to take a breath and just be thankful for the small things. So here's the list that's been forming in my head~

I'm thankful my hubby appears to be on the mend! I was panicked big time at the thought of him (or any of us) missing out on any of our Thanksgiving festivities. We're still not out the woods yet but we're optimistic. =)

I'm thankful for my 2 year old's health and the blessing of watching him experience the Christmas season. There's just nothing like it! Seeing things through the eyes of my child is pure joy!!

I'm thankful for my healthy baby boy who has started sleeping until 5:00 or later every morning. He made us parents again and Garrison a big brother and I feel especially grateful to be his mama.

I'm thankful we only live an hour from "home" and our parents only live 10 minutes apart! Yay for celebrating holidays with both sides!!

I'm thankful for my house and that it doesn't take me forever to go from room to room to pack for everybody! Sometimes I tend to complain about space around here, especially when it feels like toys are taking over and we're just running out of room. But when it comes to packing and cleaning and keeping an eye on one of my babies while tending to the other- it's perfect.

I'm thankful this isn't just a week off of teaching for me! Staying home has been the biggest blessing ever.


I'm thankful the Georgia Bulldogs turned things around and made my husband pleasant to be around on Saturdays. =)

I'm thankful for my parents who are hands down the most generous people I know.

I'm thankful for a close friendship with my sister and her love for my boys.

I'm thankful for a personal relationship with Jesus and His sacrifice for me.

I'm thankful for my husband's money making and managing skills. He could SO be a financial planner.

Last but not least, I'm thankful for the holiday season and the opportunity to celebrate with family.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Our Weekend (Plus Random thoughts)

*We spent our 2nd weekend in a row in the hometown. We had a hair appointment for Garrison on Saturday morning with my cousin (technically my cousin's wife) who has given Garrison every single haircut he's ever had, plus a show for me on Saturday afternoon. Then on Sunday my parents kept the kiddos so Terrell and I could go Christmas shopping. So even though things can be hectic and crazy packing up the house and spending the weekend "living out of a suitcase", we love time with family and we love Christmas shopping... just the 2 of us.


*My little man is officially growing up. He sat in Emily's chair all by himself to get his hair cut. Yay! Normally he sits in mine or Terrell's lap (and he has been known to request AnAn or Granna's lap if they happen to be with us) and he does a good job, we just get hair all over us and Emily has to work around us, which can't be easy. The past couple of haircuts we've tried to get him to sit by himself but he would always back out. Until Saturday. He finally sat by himself while daddy stood close by handing over Fruit Jammers to distract him. (He's never had a meltdown over getting his hair cut, but since his 1st ever haircut came at 10 months old, having a snack close by is a must... or at least that's what he expects now.)

All done and very handsome if I do say so myself

*While I worked, Terrell and the boys hung out with Nana and Pops and had lunch, played, and watched the Georgia game together. Let me rephrase... Terrell mainly watched the game while Nana and Pops took care of the boys. Now, that's better.



*Terrell and I thoroughly enjoyed our time shopping together on Sunday afternoon. We especially enjoyed finishing a conversation and maneuvering through stores and people stroller-free. Ahh. Makes us wonder why we attempt shopping with our bundles of joy in the first place. Until we remember that our parents can't baby-sit every single time we need to leave the house for a little shopping. Although we have been spoiled lately... Terrell's parents came over on Thursday night so we could make a Toys R Us run and have supper together alone. We talked so much in the car and while we shopped that by the time we sat down to eat we were out of things to talk about. Haha!


*This week we're looking forward to pulling down our Christmas decorations from the attic and getting ready to head back to B'ville for Thanksgiving. Now, I never want to bypass Thanksgiving to get to Christmas. Thanksgiving has always been special to me because the tradition of a huge feast and big ole' family gathering is something my parents started at their house before I was born. So every year growing up, both sides of the family gathered at my parent's house to give thanks, spend the day together, and feast on the most delicious food ever. And I think it's so important to reflect on our blessings and take time to pause and just be thankful for all we've been given. Plus I love that my children get to experience the tradition as well. Having said that, the Christmas season is "the most wonderful time of the year". I love the Christmas season... and Thanksgiving sort of kicks it off for us. SO, we pull out decorations the week of, attend the Lighting of the Trees the day before, pick out our tree the day after, and decorate our tree and home and the weekend after. Whoa. In a word (or 3) things get crazy. But it's worth it because we then get to enjoy the season for a whole month and best of all experience it with our babies. Yay. Now I can't wait for Terrell to get home so we can get started on the madness. =)


*I attempted a great feat this morning. Seriously. I took both of the boys grocery shopping by myself. I'm sure some of you think this is no big deal, but I'm Type A and like things so so and planned out, so I was pretty nervous. But much to my surprise, things went really well. Garrison was very well behaved (he's always been a great grocery store baby/kid) and did great holding some groceries in his seat and Austin slept the whole time. So other than it taking forever to get them both out of the car and into the buggy (and vice versa when we were done), and having groceries spilling over the sides and almost onto the floor since a 2 year old and car seat took up all the space for groceries, things went pretty perfect.

Okay, I'm done with my updates, ramblings, weekend recap, etc. Now I'm off to wake up a certain 2 month old who can't nap for too long because it will make bedtime difficult... and taking down Fall stuff. =)

A Few Updates

This week has been a tad crazy (it's actually starting to become a regular thing, having a crazy week...) but we're all here and we're all looking forward to the weekend, especially mama and daddy. Then we'll blink and Thanksgiving will be here!

Okay, onto the updates. First I need to give an update on Garrison's "procedure" (I just can't bring myself to call it surgery) and how he's holding up, so here's a quick run down~ Bright and early Monday morning we made the 30 minute drive to the hospital to have tubes put in both of Garrison's ears. They had us in a small room with a large recliner looking chair for the patient and 2 hard back chairs for guests, plus a small tv. Garrison did great getting checked in and weighed and into his gown, etc. He was so sleepy he actually watched cartoons quietly for the majority of the time while we talked to the doctors and nurses and waited around. They gave him something similar to valium to drink beforehand to help him relax and basically make him loopy before taking him back. It worked like a charm. The nurse who came to pick him up actually carried him away just a smiling. He was so funny. I was laughing and fighting back tears at the same time. Once he was back they gave him laughing gas and performed the 5 minute procedure. Immediately afterwards the doctor came to the room to tell us that he did great and that both ears had a thick mucas like fluid (but no infection), so we definitely made the right decision. After that we just had to wait around for about 30 minutes while they monitored him and waited for him to wake up so they could bring him back to us.

Finally I heard him coming down the hall crying and saying he wanted mama. That's when I really wanted to cry. He was so out of it and confused and upset when they brought him back that he just cried and cried. He was all over the room crying, mostly on the floor. The nurses told us to give him some time and to stay calm ourselves. After checking his vital signs and forcing him back into his pajamas and staying for the required 30 minutes, we made it out to the car and listened to him cry until we got back to Covington. Then he just sort of snapped out of it. The rest of the day he lounged around on the couch and watched Mickey Mouse and played a little here and there but acted like he felt fine. Until after naptime.

After his nap, instead of eating his snack like normal, he just wanted to lay on the couch. I thought he was still tired from his day... until he threw up all. over. the. couch. To make matters worse, I was feeding Austin. Great. Poor Garrison didn't know what to think. After cleaning him up and the couch, I could tell he still didn't feel well and tried to show him how to get sick in the potty. Later when he felt sick again, he was closer to the potty but all over the bathroom floor. At that point, I had a feeling he had a stomach bug. Terrell came home and we called the doctor on call and he was almost positive it was in no way related to the laughing gas or procedure. So we kept him hydrated and a trashcan close by until we called the doctor back and he prescribed something. It was the most helpless feeling in the world watching our baby get so sick. Thankfully the medicine did the trick (or he got it all out of his system) and he finally went to bed around 10:00 and slept all night. Since then he still hasn't gotten his appetite back. So that's why I don't have any pics of him lately.

Terrell is finally on the mend and feeling much better and now I'm praying the scratch in my throat is from the crazy weather...

I'm getting back into the swing of things with "work" and figuring out how to juggle my babies and my work repsonsibilities. It hasn't been easy so far, but I'm getting the hang of it. Hopefully I'll be able to schedule shows, bring in some consistent income, and find a good routine for everything. In the meantime, we're getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas and keeping as frugal as we can.

Last but not least, my sweet baby Austin is doing great. He is still spitting up a lot and he still has an occasional rough night, but overall he is just a happy, easy going baby. We have been super blessed to have 2 laid back babies in a row! And he sure does love to melt his mama's heart with his smiles~

Austin's Dedication

This weekend we headed home for a couple of important football games (that we won!), some family time, a little work time, and Austin's dedication at church. The whole weekend was a little wild with all we had going on combined with my favorite 2 year old "pushing his boundaries", but I thought Austin's dedication/our committment to the Christian rearing of Austin went perfect. He didn't cry or spit up or even grunt super loud. Whew. When we first went up Garrison decided he would just watch from AnAn's lap... but only for a minute before he felt sort of left out and the need to join his family. I was really proud of him for being so brave and getting out of AnAn's lap to walk up to us all by himself. Brother Garth stopped and waited for him to join us and everyone clapped. It was sweet. =) Then during the middle of the prayer he decided he wanted to go back and sit with AnAn. Ha!

During one of the songs AnAn left with him to take him to his Sunday School class so he wouldn't get in trouble during church. When they got right outside the sanctuary, he wanted to wait until he heard the song stop (I think he may have been having second thoughts about leaving the service). So AnAn was talking to him about going to his class afterwards and how he would have toys to play with and a snack to eat. Then she said, "They don't give you a snack in there" (referring to the sanctuary) and Garrison responded with a serious, concerned "Whyyy?" Needless to say after learning that piece of information he decided going to Sunday School was his best option.

I am so, so thankful that we were able to have the dedication services for both of our boys at FBC Barnesville, our home church. There is something truly special about dedicating our children (and ourselves) at the church we grew up in, were baptized in, and that both our parents and grandparents attend. It's such a blessing being apart of the same church as family. When I really think about it, they are the reason we were dedicating our baby in the first place. It's because of our parents' and grandparents' commitment to the Lord and the "Christian rearing" of us that there was a dedication taking place. God has been SO good to us.

After lunch with the whole fam and taking some pictures at "the fountain", Garrison fulfilled a dream and got on the red choo choo that we pass every single time we go over the railroad tracks in B'ville. He was thrilled... and jumping up and down from excitement. Thank goodness he calmed down once we got back to Covington. He was a wild man all weekend!

Thanks so much to Granna, Papa, Nana, Pops, AnAn, Kara, Allison, Granny, PawPaw, Nanny, Granny from Cartersville (as Garrison calls her), Amanda, and Dusty for sharing the weekend with us and serving as our biggest supporters, helpers, prayer warriors, and examples as we seek to raise our children in His likeness. We love you and are so blessed to call you family.

Rough Stretch

Our family of 4 has had a rough time of it lately. Things have been crazy around here and it seems that every single day brings a new challenge or another "trial" to face. I know I've said it before, but I want this blog to reflect and document our journey as a family... which includes the happy moments, major milestones, fun vacations, holidays with family, etc. AND the stressful, not-so-pleasant, down right tough moments... or days... or weeks. And it seems like the past two weeks have been more of the latter.

In a week's time all 4 of us have had to make a trip to the doctor. It almost started to feel like part of our daily routine.... and like we were all falling apart. On Monday we found out Garrison has to have tubes in his ears (not for an infection, but to get rid of fluid). That's been stressful in itself. I'm really nervous about it but thankful that this will give him 100% hearing again and will get rid of the almost constant runny nose and congestion we've been dealing with for weeks. I also had my postpartum doctor's visit and am now taking antibiotics to get rid of bacteria that "grew" as a result from giving birth. Yuck. On top of that, my poor husband has been sick all week. Gracious. When daddy is sick, mama is tired. Wait a minute, I'm pretty much tired all the time these days. But can I just say not having daddy 100% makes me appreciate all he does when he is. (Although he's done tons around here even though he doesn't feel good.) Thankfully Austin's appointment went well except for shots. That made us both sad.

Garrison has decided that the terrible twos should come out now. Even though we're almost done with the "twos" since he'll be the 3 in February. I love him more than I could ever imagine and he makes me smile and brings joy and laughter to our home daily (just like when he told Bailey to close her eyes this morning before we said the blessing at breakfast)... but this age is tough! Talk about a patience tester. It's really hard when your baby isn't obeying or being sweet and respectful like you're used to him being. Oh how it wears on a tired mama.

We're also dealing with some big financial decisions/challenges. And that can be major stressful and tough... especially when all we want is what's best for our babies (and our family as a whole) and sometimes it's just not crystal clear what that is. Plus having the holidays around the corner and the fact that I've been on "maternity leave" from Premier for almost 3 months means keeping a close eye on the budget and being super frugal. Needless to say I'm now officially off maternity leave and scheduling shows again, only this time it's while attempting to take care of 2 boys.... and trying to figure out how I can keep nursing when I'm out and about working. We need my Premier income big time going forward and thinking about that can make me feel overwhelmed and stressed all by itself.

Sometimes all I want to do is have a pity party and good cry about all of our "trials" and issues that keep coming up (and sometimes I most certainly do), but I'm trying my best to keep my eyes and my faith focused on Him. God has always been faithful and I know in my heart He will continue to be. A verse (and song) keep coming back to me as I've dealt with the roller coaster that's been the past couple of weeks.

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

...Morning by morning new mercies I see... Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Even though things have been tough around here as of late, I'm also trying to keep everything in perspective. Especially when I feel a pity party coming on. We are BLESSED beyond measure. We have 2 healthy children, each other, a home, all the food and clothing we need, too many material things to count, and the love and support of our sweet families. There are so many people facing things way worse and way bigger than the issues I let get me in a tizzy. Keeping things in perspective really keeps me positive and focusing on all the blessings around me. Speaking of blessings... tomorrow we are heading home for a football play-off game, Premier show, time with family, and the dedication of our baby boy. I think this weekend is just what we need.

2 Months Old

My youngest baby boy is 2 months old.... well, last Thursday was his actual birthday but we had his 2 month check-up today so now I'm officially ready to write about the happenings and stats of my sweet little man.

This month went by way slower for me and I'm thankful things weren't as crazy as the first month. I finally settled in as a mama of 2 boys and found a routine and groove being home with them both everyday. That's not to say I don't have rough days. Today is turning out to be pretty rough in fact. (That's another post for another day...) And I'm always behind on laundry and have days where I struggle with patience and feeling overwhelmed. BUT, we've finally found our new "normal" (I think) and have predictability back in our lives.... most of the time anyway.

Here's my baby at 2 months~

Garrison Cade at 2 months. It's easy to see that Austin is bigger than Garrison was at this age.

2 Months Stats & Happenings:

*You weigh 12 pounds, 11 ounces and are 23 inches long. You are in the 75th percentile for weight and the 50% percentile for length

*You are already outgrowing lots of your 0-3 months clothing so we're moving on to the 3 months and 3-6 months clothes. We're also getting ready to use size 2 diapers. You are a healthy, growing boy and we're so thankful!

*You eat every 3 hours during the day and lately you only wake up once during the night. We've even had a couple of nights that you've made it til 5:30. Woohoo!

*You still have reflux and spit up after almost every feeding, plus a couple of other random times during the day. I change your clothes usually 1-2 times a day and we go through burp cloths and bibs like nobody's business. Laundry is my new hobby!

*You moved to your room this month! (Right around the 6 week mark to be exact) We elevated your crib and it's made a huge difference in helping you keep down what you eat during the night. No more pack-n-play for you! We also put you in a sleep sack for bed instead of swaddling you. Your bedtime routine has become way easier since you moved to your room!

*You love to smile at us! It melts my heart every single time. I never get tired of seeing that sweet smiling face. You also try talking to us and it's so precious that I can't get enough of it!

*You still enjoy sitting in your bouncy seat while we eat supper every night and still like your paci. Occasionally you refuse to take it, but for the most part you really like it. It definitely helps you get sleepy and ready for naps or bedtime

*Garrison LOVES you and you're starting to notice him and look for him when he's talking to you or about to get in your face. Sometimes he gets in trouble because he's in your face too much trying to love on you and give you kisses. He tells you he loves you all the time. I'm so excited for ya'll to play together and be best friends one day!

Happy Birthday Austin Selph, we love you!!!

Here's the proud big brother who insisted on a picture with "Ausin's tiger"... he gets lions and tigers mixed up. Poor baby doesn't realize yet that there are NO tigers allowed in our house. =)

Happy Birthday Austin

This sweet little man is 2 months old today! Happy Birthday Austin!!

I'll be writing his 2 month post and update next week after his doctor's appointment, but I couldn't resist a quick Happy Birthday smile and picture today.

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And just because~

Last night after supper while I was trying to get Garrison's lunch made for school and his book bag ready, Terrell kept the boys entertained, and this is what I found when I checked on him....

Austin had been sort of fussy in his crib and Garrison wanted daddy to read to him, so this was the compromise. Even though Austin wasn't interested in the book (clearly something else had his attention), daddy holding him and reading did the trick... for both boys. =)

Halloween Happenings

We had another fun Halloween this year~ with 2 boys. =) Since we're stuck in the house a little more than we're used to, I decided to come up with some Halloween activities for Garrison last week. He played with his Halloween/Fall sensory box, decorated pumpkins with stickers, and played a matching game with Halloween stickers.

He even wore his North Pole Express shirt while we decorated pumpkins with stickers... and he continues to call Halloween "Christmastime" on a regular basis.

Then we made our 3rd Annual Batch of Oreo Spiders and he was way more involved this year, which made things really fun (and interesting) for me. We started by sorting the M&M's by color. He loved doing this part and it worked out great because when he decided what color eyes he wanted to use for the "spiders" all the colors were sorted and ready.


This little man was asleep in his car seat when we got started, so he just hung out and watched once he woke up.

Enjoying the finished product.

Over the weekend, we celebrated my dad's birthday and somehow I was too busy or too tired to get any pictures. The one below was the only one, and AnAn requested it. Otherwise I wouldn't have even thought about. Sad I know. I was SO sleep deprived going into the weekend I couldn't think straight. Then between keeping up with both of my boys and trying to enjoy some family time, pictures were just the last thing on my mind. I do have to mention that Garrison Cade very much enjoyed Papa's birthday. I think he told him Happy Birthday no less than 10 times on Sunday, plus he blew out all of his candles, ate lots of cake and ice cream, and opened up Papa's cards and presents. He loves celebrating birthdays. I hope he enjoys his own coming up in February as much as he's been enjoying everyone else's lately.

Such a sleepyhead... It's seriously a chore to keep him awake sometimes!

The boys and I spent the night with my parents on Sunday night so we could "do" Halloween with family and friends on Monday in the hometown. It's just way more fun with grandparents and people who know and love my babies than people we don't know that well. (We actually are good friends with a couple of our neighbors, but just smile and wave to everyone else. Haha!)

Anyway, Terrell got off work early and helped me get the boys ready for Trunk or Treat at our church. We were rushing around like crazy it seemed, but we did manage to get a few pictures before we left and a few pictures once we were there.

Garrison giving his best pirate face. (My cuddly lion from last year has outgrown the cutesy costumes, according to daddy at least)

I have to admit I did love him as a pirate.

And my youngest baby was a pumpkin. A chubby cheeked pumpkin. Even though the stores have hardly any choices for baby boys' costumes at Halloween, I thought my pumpkin was quite adorable.

While Garrison was really excited about Halloween, or as he sometimes called it- Christmastime, he was a tad overwhlemed once we got to the church and started making the rounds. At first we had to really work to get him to approach whoever was giving out candy. Then once he got sort of used to that, he wanted to pick his own candy out instead of letting them put it in his bucket for him. Oh my. Then he decided he didn't want to speak or be polite to everyone who was speaking to him. Finally he managed to start saying "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You". It was discouraging for me and Terrell, but everything turned out okay. I think a lot of his "mood" was the fact that he was overwhelmed with the HUGE crowd and he didn't really know how to Trick or Treat. Next year we will definitely be working on having better manners and some Trick or Treat etiquette.

This little man tried to sleep through his first Halloween

Nana and Austin


AnAn and Garrison

Even though I'm sad I didn't get any pictures of the 4 of us, (or of the the boys with their grandparents, since that who we spent the weekend and Halloween with), and even though Garrison wasn't as impressed and excited as we hoped he'd be, all in all we had a great Halloween and great weekend celebrating Papa's birthday! Thanks to my parents for all their help with the boys and for letting me get some extra sleep and thanks to Pops and Nana for baby-sitting Garrison during Austin's pictures and for helping us out with Trick-or-Treating!