through the eyes of my child

Even though this is Addison's second Christmas, it feels like her first since she is so aware of her surroundings this year. She is obsessed with our Christmas tree. She wakes up in the morning asking for the "tratra tree," and she giggles, runs in place, and claps every time I turn the lights on. She loves to point out all of the "bawls," and then she names the specific things in her eyesight. We brought out some of my oldies and goodies this year, and we bought a couple just for her too. This is a glimpse of what she sees--the ornaments that we strategically placed in her view.
Dora, and Elmo, of course. Her current obsessions...
Auburn and Alabama. Her lifelong tension--all in good fun, of course.
Aubie, Mickey, Cinderella, and Smurfette. Some of Mommy's more "vintage" decor.

I am already loving Christmas this year!

Even though this is Addison's second Christmas, it feels like her first since she is so aware of her surroundings this year. She is obsessed with our Christmas tree. She wakes up in the morning asking for the "tratra tree," and she giggles, runs in place, and claps every time I turn the lights on. She loves to point out all of the "bawls," and then she names the specific things in her eyesight. We brought out some of my oldies and goodies this year, and we bought a couple just for her too. This is a glimpse of what she sees--the ornaments that we strategically placed in her view.
Dora, and Elmo, of course. Her current obsessions...
Auburn and Alabama. Her lifelong tension--all in good fun, of course.
Aubie, Mickey, Cinderella, and Smurfette. Some of Mommy's more "vintage" decor.

I am already loving Christmas this year!

Hot Spiced Tea: Yum-me!

Tonight I am sipping on this delicious, low calorie hot spiced tea. Here is the recipe if you are interested:

*1 Tub Crystal Light Natural Lemon flavor iced tea mix
*1 Tub CL Lemonade Flavor Drink Mix
*1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
*1/4 tsp Ground Cloves

Mix all ingredients. Store in tightly covered jar at room temp. For 1 Quart: Stir boiling water into 1 Tbsp tea mix in heatproof pitcher or bowl. For single serving: Stir 1/2 tsp into a mug full of hot water. Garnish with lemon or orange slices and cinnamon sticks if desired! (You can substitute the lemonade for Orange Tang or Peach Tea.) Enjoy!

I wish I were drinking this while engrossed in the fabulous Beth Moore Esther Bible Study that I've delved into (I plan to write more about this study later), but alas, I am sipping while writing college recommendation letters for 5 of my kiddos.

Addy-belle is recovering from her ear infection like a champ, and she's officially a vampire chick now that her other fang is in. Don't know where those front 2 teeth are hanging out, but I better get her a "Team Edward" t-shirt before they bust on through. :) We enjoyed our Thanksgiving Holiday and our weekend trip to Louisville, and we have fully embraced the Christmas season! Enjoy this festive time! More soon.

Tonight I am sipping on this delicious, low calorie hot spiced tea. Here is the recipe if you are interested:

*1 Tub Crystal Light Natural Lemon flavor iced tea mix
*1 Tub CL Lemonade Flavor Drink Mix
*1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
*1/4 tsp Ground Cloves

Mix all ingredients. Store in tightly covered jar at room temp. For 1 Quart: Stir boiling water into 1 Tbsp tea mix in heatproof pitcher or bowl. For single serving: Stir 1/2 tsp into a mug full of hot water. Garnish with lemon or orange slices and cinnamon sticks if desired! (You can substitute the lemonade for Orange Tang or Peach Tea.) Enjoy!

I wish I were drinking this while engrossed in the fabulous Beth Moore Esther Bible Study that I've delved into (I plan to write more about this study later), but alas, I am sipping while writing college recommendation letters for 5 of my kiddos.

Addy-belle is recovering from her ear infection like a champ, and she's officially a vampire chick now that her other fang is in. Don't know where those front 2 teeth are hanging out, but I better get her a "Team Edward" t-shirt before they bust on through. :) We enjoyed our Thanksgiving Holiday and our weekend trip to Louisville, and we have fully embraced the Christmas season! Enjoy this festive time! More soon.

Day of Thanksgiving

I just posted some new pictures to Facebook, but I couldn't resist posting a few on here too. We celebrated this Thanksgiving holiday enjoying a restful day of good food, good conversation, and good entertainment from our two youngest family members. We shared at dinner all that we are thankful for. 2009 has been a year I will not soon forget, although I'll not be sad to leave it behind, but God has blessed me and my family. He is good.Just minutes after we took our family picture, we found out that Addison was/is running a high fever. Little girl didn't even let us know. The momma in me is trying not to worry, but if you would, please pray for her to get better quickly!

I just posted some new pictures to Facebook, but I couldn't resist posting a few on here too. We celebrated this Thanksgiving holiday enjoying a restful day of good food, good conversation, and good entertainment from our two youngest family members. We shared at dinner all that we are thankful for. 2009 has been a year I will not soon forget, although I'll not be sad to leave it behind, but God has blessed me and my family. He is good.Just minutes after we took our family picture, we found out that Addison was/is running a high fever. Little girl didn't even let us know. The momma in me is trying not to worry, but if you would, please pray for her to get better quickly!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

I'm so thankful for you and all of our times together. Can't believe this is the 9th Birthday we've celebrated together. Addison and I are very blessed by your love.

I'm so thankful for you and all of our times together. Can't believe this is the 9th Birthday we've celebrated together. Addison and I are very blessed by your love.

Life is beautiful. Life is short.

My life has seemed paradoxical these last couple of weeks. Celebrating the birthdays of children alongside the last days of dear loved ones. My sweet Uncle Tom passed this morning after a long, valorous fight with cancer. His pain is now gone, his body at rest, his soul at peace.

I will remember many things about him--his joking sense of humor, his devotion to his family, his passion for sports. He always engaged me with questions about me--he cared to ask. He embraced Patrick into our family wholeheartedly, paying both of us compliments we will always treasure. "You did good, Kristy. He's solid."

It's always difficult to contemplate the brevity of life. The limited opportunities. The wasting away. Sometimes I find myself aligned with Macbeth's eloquently spoken philosophy:

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

But then, I am thankful that my life DOES signify something. As a child of the Father, I am not living for the glories and manifestations that this earthly world can provide, for the mere "hour" of my one-act play. I am thankful for a Savior that has provided eternal life, eternal peace, eternal satisfaction in him. I am thankful to serve a patient, gracious God, and I praise/pray these words of truth to my Father:

8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3: 8-9.

I know that he was patient with my Uncle Tom, and I pray for his continued patience with me.

I like to imagine the afterlife as something like this:

"I think of Heaven as a garden where I shall find again those who have made my world." ~Minnie Aumonier

My life has seemed paradoxical these last couple of weeks. Celebrating the birthdays of children alongside the last days of dear loved ones. My sweet Uncle Tom passed this morning after a long, valorous fight with cancer. His pain is now gone, his body at rest, his soul at peace.

I will remember many things about him--his joking sense of humor, his devotion to his family, his passion for sports. He always engaged me with questions about me--he cared to ask. He embraced Patrick into our family wholeheartedly, paying both of us compliments we will always treasure. "You did good, Kristy. He's solid."

It's always difficult to contemplate the brevity of life. The limited opportunities. The wasting away. Sometimes I find myself aligned with Macbeth's eloquently spoken philosophy:

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

But then, I am thankful that my life DOES signify something. As a child of the Father, I am not living for the glories and manifestations that this earthly world can provide, for the mere "hour" of my one-act play. I am thankful for a Savior that has provided eternal life, eternal peace, eternal satisfaction in him. I am thankful to serve a patient, gracious God, and I praise/pray these words of truth to my Father:

8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3: 8-9.

I know that he was patient with my Uncle Tom, and I pray for his continued patience with me.

I like to imagine the afterlife as something like this:

"I think of Heaven as a garden where I shall find again those who have made my world." ~Minnie Aumonier

Happy Holiday Season to Me!

I love this MAN! And, Addison and I are BLESSED to have him home with us for the next 10 weeks. No hotels. No suitcases. No sad Sundays. We get to enjoy Birthday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all together! We are praying to enjoy each day to the fullest--since we don't know what our tomorrows will bring.

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" ~2 Cor. 9:15

I love this MAN! And, Addison and I are BLESSED to have him home with us for the next 10 weeks. No hotels. No suitcases. No sad Sundays. We get to enjoy Birthday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all together! We are praying to enjoy each day to the fullest--since we don't know what our tomorrows will bring.

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" ~2 Cor. 9:15

October Flashbacks

I can't believe my favorite month passed by so quickly and that I only have one post to show for it. This will be my attempt to recap our family's October fun!(New Picture: From the box at the Titans game--the one that we WON! :))

The first weekend of the month, P and I kept our sweetheart of a niece, Savannah. I alluded to her "Swiper-ness" in my lone post for the month, but we had so much fun in our 36 hours of extended baby-sitting. We took the girls to the Spring Hill Ham festival, grocery shopping in the Publix cars, to pick out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, to the neighborhood park, and we ended the day with a pillow palate to expend their remaining energy. Sunday morning, we actually got all four of us ready for church, and we even made it halfway through the service. At the weekend's culmination, we were exhausted, but we rejuvenated by joining Addison for her afternoon nap.We enjoyed celebrating our 4th Wedding Anniversary with a hot date and my first time leaving Addison for the night. We weren't even away from her but for 14 hours--10 of which she slept-- but it was refreshing to just be Patrick and me for a little bit. My mom brought her to meet us at Henpeck where we were breakfasting, and I've never been so excited to see my little Pilly.

From breakfast, we headed out --> to Gentry's Farm for a hayride, a small little zoo, a corn maze, and a pumpkin picking experience. It was chilly, but Addison cock-a-doodle-dooed while chasing the rooster, "boo-ed" (instead of moo-ed) at the cows, and held as many pumpkins as she could.

We had a fun fall family party at the Wheelers and enjoyed good football and good food with good friends. Jen set up a picture setting, and we all took family portraits and kiddo shots.
Halloween was an extended event at our house. We had several dress rehearsals so that our little lady bug was ready for the main event. We enjoyed trick-or-treating with Savannah in the red wagon and our traditional Halloween chili supper with Halloween pumpkin and ghost cookies.
We finished off our holiday weekend by cheering on the Titans to their first victory. The box is right next to the big jumbo tron, and Addison kept waving and saying "hi" to it when people were doing interviews. Each fan got a T-RAC stuffed animals, and Addison and Savannah thought it was as good as Christmas.

What a fun month!

I can't believe my favorite month passed by so quickly and that I only have one post to show for it. This will be my attempt to recap our family's October fun!(New Picture: From the box at the Titans game--the one that we WON! :))

The first weekend of the month, P and I kept our sweetheart of a niece, Savannah. I alluded to her "Swiper-ness" in my lone post for the month, but we had so much fun in our 36 hours of extended baby-sitting. We took the girls to the Spring Hill Ham festival, grocery shopping in the Publix cars, to pick out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, to the neighborhood park, and we ended the day with a pillow palate to expend their remaining energy. Sunday morning, we actually got all four of us ready for church, and we even made it halfway through the service. At the weekend's culmination, we were exhausted, but we rejuvenated by joining Addison for her afternoon nap.We enjoyed celebrating our 4th Wedding Anniversary with a hot date and my first time leaving Addison for the night. We weren't even away from her but for 14 hours--10 of which she slept-- but it was refreshing to just be Patrick and me for a little bit. My mom brought her to meet us at Henpeck where we were breakfasting, and I've never been so excited to see my little Pilly.

From breakfast, we headed out --> to Gentry's Farm for a hayride, a small little zoo, a corn maze, and a pumpkin picking experience. It was chilly, but Addison cock-a-doodle-dooed while chasing the rooster, "boo-ed" (instead of moo-ed) at the cows, and held as many pumpkins as she could.

We had a fun fall family party at the Wheelers and enjoyed good football and good food with good friends. Jen set up a picture setting, and we all took family portraits and kiddo shots.
Halloween was an extended event at our house. We had several dress rehearsals so that our little lady bug was ready for the main event. We enjoyed trick-or-treating with Savannah in the red wagon and our traditional Halloween chili supper with Halloween pumpkin and ghost cookies.
We finished off our holiday weekend by cheering on the Titans to their first victory. The box is right next to the big jumbo tron, and Addison kept waving and saying "hi" to it when people were doing interviews. Each fan got a T-RAC stuffed animals, and Addison and Savannah thought it was as good as Christmas.

What a fun month!