Cousins

One of the things we have LOVED about being back in Memphis is getting to see these people a lot more!

Cousin time is the best!  I had really missed my little nephews and niece (and soon to be nieces)...oh, and of course my sister and brother-in-law too. ;)  Here's a few random pictures I've been storing up since we moved here two months ago...

 Right after we moved here, Aunt Kristina came in!  That was the best!  We all went to the airport to pick her up and they were all so excited to see her!

 I especially love how she is holding one child in each arm and still managing to hold Lily's hand.  She's the super-aunt!

So much fun!  Now if only we could get some hugs and giggles with our other cousins!  We are REALLY missing us some Lucy, Andy, and Ruthy time!!  We hope to get to see them soon too!!  I really do love both our families!!  We are so blessed!!

Tennessee Christmas

Christmas in February?  I think so.  So for Christmas this year we took a trek down to Tennessee.  We left early Christmas morning and headed to Dayton to see Jason's family (minus Molly and Mike...we missed you guys!).  Jason's brother and his family were in from Georgia (close to Savannah), so we got to visit with them as well!  We hadn't seen them in just over a year, so it was long overdue and we had such a good time!!  Here's a few pics of everyone opening presents...

 For the first time in our 8 years of marriage, we are at least an hour from a Sonic.  We may have never lived close to a Chick-fil-A, but we have ALWAYS had a Sonic within a few minutes.  So each time we go to Tennessee, Sonic (along with Chick-fil-A of course) is a must!  Peyton is trying his very best to get his first introduction to Sonic...

 So we stayed in Dayton from Christmas evening (Tuesday) until Friday morning.  And on Friday morning, we headed to Memphis to see my family.  My one sister and her family live in Memphis, and my other sister was able to come in from Charleston, SC.  It was so much fun visiting with everyone there too!  And of course we had more presents to open...

We stayed in Memphis from Friday evening until Monday morning.  Then Monday morning we headed back to Dayton, spent Monday night there, and headed back to Maryland on Tuesday.  I think in the span of that week (Tuesday to Tuesday) we drove over 2,000 miles.  It was a long trip, and we only got a couple of days with each family, but it was so worth it.  Our kids had an absolute blast with all their cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles; and Jason and I had a blast with everyone as well.  And Peyton...wow...for a 4 month old baby to travel 2,000 miles in a week, he sure didn't cry very much at all!  Of course at each destination, he had PLENTY of people who wanted to hold him, so he rarely was put down.  Each time I think about that trip it just brings warm feelings to my heart.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful families that we love spending time with!!  I can't wait til next time we are all together again!!

Happy Birthday Jordan!

One of my little nephews Jordan turned 4 years old yesterday!  We planned a sort of last minute trip to Tennessee to visit our families while Jason was at youth camp.  And on this trip, it was going to work out for us to make it to the birthday boy's party.  However due to difficulties with our car, our trip was cancelled.  So, we weren't able to make it to the party.  It was definitely a disappointment.  But I came across this picture of the birthday boy and just had to share it!  Hope you had a great birthday Jordan!  We miss you!
P.S. I do realize (b/c I am OCD like that)....that I've never given Daniel the proper blog about his birthday (which was back in December btw).  My camera card that has the pictures from his little party is currently missing.  So one of these days you will probably get a random post about a sweet little boy's birthday back in December.  It will probably be after we move into our new house this summer....because I am praying that the card will turn up when we start packing up.  Ok, that is all! :)

Missing Some Little Faces!

Just wanted to share a few pics I've gotten my hands on lately of some little people that I really miss...

My niece Ashlynn (my sister's little girl)...

 My nephew Andy (Jason's brother's little boy).  I was told he wasn't quite able to stay up for the Grandmaw/bestie party...

 My niece Lucy (Jason's brother's little girl...and my mother-in-law, Jan) being silly...

 My niece and nephew Jordan and Ashlynn (my sister's kids) also being silly...

 My little nephew Logan (my sister's baby boy)...

And my niece Ruthy (Jason's brother's baby girl)...

Aren't they precious?  It's been over six months since we've gotten to see them all and we are missing them bunches!  Jason and I love all our little nieces and nephews and our kids sure love their cousins!  They have a LOT of people to keep them busy when our families get together!  It is quite a show!  Our new little baby boy will make for the 7th grandchild on both sides of our family.  Anyway....just thought I'd share some of the cute little faces we love so much!

Christmas 2011

I thought I'd start off this post by posting a couple of the pictures I put on our Christmas card this year...

That was just 2 out of the 6 I put on the card....just thought I share a couple.

Anyway...ever since we got married, we have always rotated holidays with our families. This year was our year to spend Thanksgiving with Jason's family and Christmas with my family. However with Christmas being on a Sunday this year we decided to change it up a bit. We woke up here at our house on Christmas morning...opened presents...went to church...and then packed it all up and started our 15 hour trek to Memphis! Anyway...here are a few pics of the kids opening their presents on Christmas morning...

They had been waiting for Christmas morning for a long time. Lily's prayer request every night at prayer time would be that it would be Christmas morning the next day! So funny! (Oh, and p.s....the kids were so excited too because they got to sleep on the floor in our room on Christmas Eve...slumber party!!) :)

Here is a pic of all the grandkids at my mom's waiting to open their presents...

I think Logan is especially stoked about opening his presents.

And here are a few pics of Daniel and Lily holding baby Logan...

They loved holding baby Logan. Well, there's a little about our Christmas. It was wonderful and special. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well!!

A Month in a Post...

Well, November has been quite a month for us! We packed up everything we owned...

Daniel started school in Maryland (and he picked a great week to start b/c his class got to go swimming everyday at the local college!!).....

And we packed up and went back to Dayton for Thanksgiving....

(You can see Lily had really missed her Uncle Mike...)

We packed back up and came back home to our new church....(Lily was in a mood in this picture)..

And now we are about to decorate for Christmas!!! But before we do, here's a few pics of our new house (I have just gotten it good and clean before I start putting out the holiday decor)...

And THIS......is our playroom, which is actually a loft that you access by ladder in Lily's room....what kid doesn't like getting to their toy room by a LADDER!!! :)

So there you have it! Our November in a nutshell!! Whew! It's been busy but it's been a BLAST! I honestly feel that we have enjoyed every bit of it! Maybe now that we're unpacked I can start blogging a little more frequently.....however December is a pretty big month for us with 2 birthdays and a major holiday, so we'll see. :)