Freeze Please

No, I am not talking about the weather as we are enjoying 60s and 70s in December.  I am talking about time.  I have been reminded over and over again this season that having a six year old and a three year old in the house is very special.  They are relishing each tradition:  hanging the stockings, decorating the tree, spotting "Happy Birthday Jesus" lights, hearing familiar Christmas songs, and catching their breaths when they see presents.  Maeve asks on a daily basis, "Is it Christmas?"  She was convinced the morning after I had wrapped a few presents and put them under the tree that it surely was Christmas when she woke up and found presents under the tree.  Cam enjoys hunting for Elfis each day.  Overhearing him quietly talking to the little elf that visits Santa each night reminds me just how sweet it is to be six.

The first gifts of the season

Puppet show with B

Elfis brought cans of snow!

Cam's snowman

It was a little messy for Maeve, but she dug around in it too.  

As I put up Christmas pictures from years past, I realized that I wanted to take so many pictures of them this year.  To bottle up my toothless boy and my messy haired girl so that I can always remember them just like they are now.  They make my life hectic and nonstop from sunup to sundown.  Sometimes I feel like I have no brain because of all the extra thinking and details I have to attend to.  But I know I would be lost without them.  I am glad that I don't have time to do all the things on my wishlist - I have little socks to match and endless toys to carry back up stairs.  I have bookbags to unpack and lunches to repack.  I have books to read and covers to tuck.

Thank you, Lord, for this precious time.  These surely are the days!

Parade Watching

Mama missed it this year, but Daddy made sure they got to be there!  

Two Front Teeth

After the first one was gone 

Cam lost his two front teeth in perfect time this year - just before the Christmas season.  He let the first one wiggle and hang and hang and wiggle until he woke up one morning with it gone.  I was in his bed.  It literally just fell out.  The one that was left looked rather pitiful as it shifted over and looked like it was smack dab in the middle of his mouth.  Tony joked and said that he had his application ready at the Waffle House.

The next was quite the opposite from just letting loose.  On Thanksgiving afternoon as he and Carson were playing on the trampoline and me and sister were just settling into a food coma and perusing the sale papers, we heard a siren coming across the yard.  I recognized it immediately as not being Maeve, but one of mine indeed.  He bursts into the house screaming for me and that his tooth has been knocked out and that he was bleeding!  I lead the bloody mess to the sink and calmed him down.  I finally understood what all the panic was over:  he swallowed his tooth and was afraid the tooth fairy wouldn't come.    A very dramatic scene for a six year old boy - perhaps his two worst fears all in one - swallowing something he wasn't supposed to and needing painful procedures or medicine to fix that mistake and missing out on an opportunity to get some money for his wallet.  No wonder he was freaking out!

He finally gained his composure and was ok from the shock of it all.  His smile was much better as the no-teeth-at-all look was much better than the snaggle one in the middle.  And, the Tooth Fairy actually gives out more money for a knockout!

Toothless grin after he realized he was gonna be alright

He can have that classic wish:  "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!"

Thank You for Everything

Thank you for the world so sweet.

Thank you for the food we eat.

Thank you for the birds that sing.

Thank you, God, for everything.

 

Weekend Wonder

How can a weekend be better spent? We took off Friday and added an extra day to our relaxation. We watched our nephew live his dream and win a state fishing tournament.  The weekend was planned around this tournament's time and location.  I had never been to a weigh-in and can now say the first one I ever experienced was a winner!  Now he moves on to nationals.  So proud of him!

Our FisherBoy weighing in
(Cam confirmed that Clayton was a man this weekend)

The littlest fans of the tournament

Clayton, Carson, Cam, and Maeve
(I made them endure our beach pose at the lake)

In between our fish fan responsibilities, we enjoyed the beautiful lake tucked into the fall scenery.  We cooked a whole lot and ate enough for the rest of the week - Thanksgiving food at its finest and breakfasts like we never get to eat. We enjoyed each other's company, laughing until our sides hurt! We remembered the ones that weren't there to share the time with us and reminisced in the moments we spent laughing and learning from them.

A paddleboat adventure

Just a swinging

Chocolate pies (Thanks, Granny, for making them turn out nearly perfect)

After 10 years, she finally got the opportunity to ditch him.
(We are certain he never helped her with the Thanksgiving meal anyway!)

Our View

We only had a couple of mishaps - the sweet potatoes and the pilgrim.  But, not even this could spoil the wonder of our weekend.

Dawgs McCullers Style

Pretending to be shy (However, she is her daddy's child!)

Cam and Matthew making up their own fun.
They used jersey napkins and created a football player with them.
After making the players, they thought the run was the perfect place to have a game.  

Terry, Resa, Rachel, and Mike
Four of the Six Siblings - All Dawg Fans

Cheering even after the game

Tailgate times at Nonna and Pop's means a big crowd, dressing in our red and black, eating yummy food, playing with other kids, and cheering on our favorite team!  If you ask Cam and Maeve, they will be quick to tell you they love tailgating!

Thankful for Our Girl

We celebrated an early Thanksgiving with Maeve at her school. We got to have a potluck supper and hear some precious songs. We were proud of her performance. She is growing so fast!

Singing Albequerque, He's My Turkey

Anna Belle and Maeve gave each other courage to get up and perform.
They were side by side the whole time.  

Thank you, God!

Dani Kate and Maeve
(Beach buddies, lake buddies, and now class buddies!)

Silly girls eating cookies

Bean

We have enjoyed CoCo in our family since before our family began. He has adjusted in more ways than any one weenie should have to and has done it with grace and ease.

I love it now that my human children refer to CoCo as my first baby!  They know how much I love him and have grown to love him themselves. Cam will say, "Mama, you have three babies!"  Indeed I do!  

He is our CoCo Bean!