Happy New Year

as i sit here and think of all the things that happened in 2008, i think WOW!!! so many people blessed us this year and i am sooo thankful for all of our family and friends. we had a lot of ups and downs, but overall it was a great year and i am sooo looking forward to 2009.

this next year is FILLED with big moments for our family. i will turn 30.....matt and i will celebrate our 10 year anniversary.....mckenna will start kindergarten.....preston will have his first birthday...peyton will be 7!!! crazy isn't it. :) life is flying by. they say as you get older, you get wiser. i never really thought too much about that statement until now. i always thought i knew everything :) i always thought my way was best and that i just knew what to do about ALL situations. not true, in most cases. i do still think my way is best, but i am learning that older people ARE wiser and do know very good ways about doing things.....funny. i am finally starting to feel grown up. i know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. i have been married almost 10 years, i have 3 children, i own a house and cars.....but i have always felt like a teenager. 30 to me sticks out as a big year. when i turned 25, it was hard. i couldn't believe i was 25. now in august i will be 30...but it's not so bad....well at least not yet :) so, i am very excited about 2009. God has always blessed us year after year. i am looking forward to what he holds for us this coming year.

i don't normally do new year's resolutions. i feel that if i make one, and don't keep it, then i am a failure. so, i don't make any so i don't have to become a failure, because i know myself, and i don't always follow thru with what i say i am going to do. i have good intentions.

so, instead of making resolutions, i am just going to state what i would like to do and maybe it will work out. i do want to exercise more this year. i want to eat healthy and prepare healthy food for my family. i want to read more, and spend more time playing and hanging out with the kids. you know...really hanging out, not just sitting there acting like i am paying attention. i want to grow closer to God and raise my children to do the same. i want regular date nights with my husband.

hope everyone's year is filled with love, happiness, laughter, blessings and fun.

see everyone in 2009!!

Just Some REALLY Cute Pics of Preston

great teething toy

Is It Christmas Time Yet????

these first three pics are attempts at a christmas card pic

christmas sunday

me and my beautiful children

yes, i am wearing glasses b/c i have something annoying my eye and making it red

preston attacking the presents

who me???

christmas kisses

forced smiles...kind of

kenna and her reindeer hat at school

singing her songs at the christmas program

they sang silent night while doing sign language...it was the sweetest thing

i ALMOST cried :)

my little angel

that's her bff mikah behind her smiling

Is It Christmas Time YET?

how many time have i heard that over the past month????

well...lot's to blog about. i have been attempting, often, to get a christmas card pic taken...nothing came out like i wanted...but i did finally get a couple of good shots. mckenna had her christmas program and party at pre-school. that went very well. she was the best angel on the stage :) matt was gone for 3 days, working for his dad in oklahoma. let me just say...it is darn hard work staying home with three kiddos. and to make matters worse, one of those days we were stuck inside for a WHOLE day...for some crazy reason we actually got some ice and bad weather...then rockwall schools closed....which ment mckenna's school was out....which meant my well planned out day went south. but i did it. i made it through. i even spent the night by myself...well me and the kids. :) yes, i can do it, i just don't want to. hat's off to those mom's who's husbands work out of town or are gone alot. i don't know how they do it. we got all our christmas shopping done early....early for us that is. we are usually those crazy people you see at the stores on christmas eve. today was christmas sunday. so that ment getting up extra early to make sure everyone looked their best and taking pictures before we dart out the door to church...which with out fail, we are always late to. although this year we made it right on time. yeah! so, every year my mom buys the girls their fancy christmas dresses. they always look sooo adorable and the girls LOVE wearing dresses sooo fancy. for some reason this year i could not remember to get peyton a pair of shoes to go with her dress. i would remember...then forget...then remember again...and then forget AGAIN!!! so of course, i remembered yesterday afternoon. i thought...how hard will it be to find a nice brown or off white shoes. off i went. first payless..then target...then kohls, walmart, jcpenny, belk and finally rack room shoes. there i found and purchased a pair at 10:00.

what the heck!! no one had anything!! and if they did, they didn't have it in peyton's size.

as i walked into rack room shoes, the girl said, "we are closing in 3 minutes." i told her i would make it fast...praying they had something. if they didn't then peyton would be going barefoot. their they were...sitting right there in the front of the children's section. a really cute pair of DRESSY brown shoes. let this be a lesson to all of you...don't wait till the last minute...and write down what you need to do b/c you will forget.

so, the girls looked beautiful and mr. preston looked sooo handsome. i am soo thankful to be able to dress my family up nice, and go to church as a family to celebrate the "reason for the season" JESUS. for with out him i would not be anything.

i talked in my thanksgiving blog about how thankful i am for my family and for preston. i was just remembering last year...christmas sunday came and i was on bedrest. i was so sad when matt and the girls got all dressed up and went to church and i had to stay home. but it was worth it because i have a beautiful and healthy baby boy to dress up and go to church with now.

okay, this is getting a little long, so, i hope everyone has a very merry christmas.

Christmas at Bass Pro

peyton, savanna, mckenna, callie

mckenna wrote santa and told him that she wanted a real horse for christmas.

pretty sure she will get a fake one instead :)

peyton wrote santa and told him she wanted another american girl doll, a baby, and a doll house.

these are a little bit more in santa's price range.

preston just hanging out...taking in the scenery

the girls in the "winter wonderland"

today we went to bass pro shop and got the girls picture made with santa. we meet up with our friends and neighbors the Cagle's. i got lots of good pics, but i didn't get any with them on santa's lap. figures. the great thing was that they were giving free pics with santa, so we got one to take home. we ended up with two because my husband rolled the first one up. he was talking and not paying attention to what he was doing. so he went and got another printed out for us. the girls had lots of fun looking at all the stuff. they even got to write santa a letter and put it in his mailbox. they thought that was pretty cool, and the best part is...it was all FREE!! gotta love that :)

Christmas Time is Here

well, this weekend was the start of the christmas season for us. we have a couple of family traditions going on now at our house. on thursday we went to the rockwall city christmas tree lighting...where santa showed up on a fire truck...and then on saturday morning we went to the rockwall city christmas parade, which ended with santa on a fire truck. it was a little chilly, but not too bad. we have done these two events for the past 3 years now. the girls have a great time. then this afternoon we worked on gingerbread houses. mimi cheryl got the girls a gingerbread house kit...complete with aprons and lots of gingerbread goodies. (thanks aunt cheryl!!!) the girls were sooo excited. they both did an awesome job on their houses. i just love the christmas season. to end our christmas events weekend, sunday we are planning on going to bass pro shop to get their picture made with santa and play the games and do a craft. wow!! what a GREAT weekend! :)

5 Months Old

already has the football in the tuck position....ready to score a touchdown

yep, another month has flown by. my baby is 5 months old. i took him to his four month check up about 2 weeks ago....he weighed 18 pounds 16 ounces! he just keeps growing and growing. he is just soo cute. a little rollie pollie. he can sit up unassisted, he can hold his own bottle (on the rare occassion i give him one), and he is eating cereal and loving it. although, when i first started giving it to him he did NOT like it. i had to really water it down before he would take it. now, he scarfs it down no matter what the consistancy. he loves tummy time and he LOVES his feet. it is soo cute when he sticks his legs straight in the air and grabs his little toes. he is still a talker. always has something to say. his laughs are getting louder and much more frequent. he grabs at everything that is in his reach...toys, cell phone, the girls long hair :) he LOVES his sisters....always entertainment when they are around. he loves his daddy and playing rough with him, but he especially LOVES his mommy. i'm not just saying that...it is the truth. if i walk into the room and pass by him, he cries till i get him. if matt has him and he is fussy, i can get him and he stops. he watches every move i make. what can i say....he is a momma's boy. and yes, that is alright for now. :)

Turkey Time

preston's first thanksgiving

lunch time

silly faces

sooo stinkin cute

santa, reindeer and the hunter

an asbill sandwhich

cousins

dylan, peyton, jonah

all the kids

preston, me, jon, josh, peyton, tracie, mckenna, jonah, matt

another turkey day has come and gone. now it is full speed ahead to CHRISTMAS!!!! is this year flying by or what! we got home earlier today from spending a crazy fun time with the asbill's. as soon as we got thru the door the girls were already running around shouting, "let's get the christmas tree!!!" so before we could even unpack matt was up in the attic pulling all the stuff down. we have aquired alot of christmas decor over the years. it's a little overwhelming. so now as i sit here and type, the tree is up, the ornaments and lights are on, and everything is put in its place....well almost everything.

this year we did a mini thanksgiving at our house. it didn't work out for us to be at my side of the family's thanksgiving feast...so on thanksgiving day my mom, dad, and niece jaycee along with our good friends the elam's, came over and we had a good ol'fashion mexican dinner. it was soooo yummy. on friday we took off to oklahoma and had a traditional dinner at matt's parents. good food, good family and friends. the whole turkey weekend was really great. here are some pics of our turkey weekend. hope everyone had a blessed and thakful thanksgiving :)