Another Merry Christmas

This Christmas was one of my favorites to remember. It was very relaxed and fun.  We did do a few advent activities when we were up for it as opposed to trying to do 24 and just kept life a simple and steady through the season. I think our favorite activity was the Christmas light scavenger hunt. We found almost everything thanks to your optimism, persistence, and a full tank of gas. We just had a wonderful time making memories with our family as we celebrated our Saviors birth. And the bonus- no one was sick.

 I told Daddy that I didn't want any"thing" for Christmas and I wanted more of our gift giving to become focused on doing fun and new things together. So daddy took me to the new Bible Museum and we saw a broadway musical,  "Amazing Grace".  I'll start the tradition of the experience next year, because dad really needed a new pair of sweatpants this year:)

 We got everyone dolled up for once.

 yummmm

 Gingerbread house making with our special guest, Auntie Mace

 The cutest wise man!

This robe paired with a back scratcher from Tayta might have been Noah's favorite gift 

And my 18 month old loving her new dress. 

Noah is 8

Noah,

I (and Dad) am so amazed at how much you've grown in the past year. And yes, I am actually talking about your height. I'm not ready for your face to be at my eye level, but you are quickly getting there. It makes me sad you are getting so big, but I love that you still love to curl up next to me and have me scratch your back. Teta got you a backscratcher for your birthday and you love it! Now I need one for everyone else in the family. You are still a Star Wars fanatic, and you still enjoy playing and building endless things with your legos. I love to see all your creativity in that. You are excited to be playing basketball again, and you are doing really well playing the piano.  You are doing really well in school and have become more confident in the work that you do. Once you pick things up you run with it. And speaking of confidence, you are working hard on your dance moves. It drives us crazy, but dad and I will often go and check on you after 15 minutes of you being" in the shower" only to find a steaming bathroom and a half naked boy dancing in front of the mirror. Your sense of humor is on the rise too. I'm not sure if you know how funny you are. Your teacher just told me you had a very"sophisticated sense of humor". Hmm I'm not sure where you get that from!

You are really a joy to be with, and your friends love you because you are a sweet and considerate friend. This year you earned an award at school for being the child who most exemplified serving others in your class. We are really grateful for how you excel at this at home too. You love mowing the yard, and you respond immediately when I ask you to do things. You are very kind to Eli and Chloe. Eli loves doing big boy things with you. Everything he wants or likes is "like Noahs" and the thrill on his face when he inherits all your hand me downs! As for Gracie, it is very evident that she adores you the most right now. You are so sweet and gentle with her and it is noticed by many. I love how you help me care for her and love her. Have I mentioned how sweet you are?!

Noah, we love that you are our oldest son. We love the blessing you've been to all of us. Our prayer is that you would live a life of serving the One who perfectly designed you and ordained all your days, and the one who loves you more than we ever will. May Jesus soften your heart and be glorified in the life you live. We love you a lot!

Love, Mom & Dad

A poem we wrote to share with your class on your birthday...

I'm glad to have another chocolate lover in the fam!

Charleston, SC & Sugarloaf

I recently had a fun and relaxing weekend with just the man I love. Charleston is now one of my favorite towns that we’ve visited, and I’m ready to go back. This was our first getaway alone since Grace was born. It was so peaceful. We enjoyed being outside strolling through market street, our tour of Middleton place, our carriage ride and honestly every bite we ate. We made sure to continue our workouts, so we didn't come home that much heavier. We both caught up on reading and renewing our minds with Gods word, and although these times are much needed and wonderful, we are always happy to come home to our kiddos.


I am enjoying history more as I get older, maybe because I'm slowly becoming history. Middleton Place was such a beautiful plantation and we learned so much. I feel like I'm slowly recharging whats left of my brain. This is the view from whats left of Middleton place and behind us are the wings of the Butterfly Pond.

Our adventurous carriage ride. I actually thought we were going to flip over because the horse got scared at one point and decided to make a quick U-turn on a one lane street. 

Fried green tomatoes! YUM!

We went to Sugarloaf Mountain looking for a short hike, but we blew through our snacks within our first 5 minutes and ended up with a short walk playing with sticks instead.