Picture addict

Ok...I have a problem. I am a picture addict apparently. I have SOOOO much blogging to do and tried to catch up last night when google sent me a message that I had used up my allowable space for pictures and I had to either delete some, buy more or start a new blog. I didn't want to delete because this is my children's history/baby book/journal and I don't want to delete any of it. I certainly don't want to start a new blog because I am going on 4 years of this one and don't want to start over. SO...I purchased 20 GB of space for only $5. But it takes 24 hours to reflect on the blog so I haven't been able to catch up today. I should be back up and running by tonight so expect lots of blogging catch-up in the next few days. Yep...I am an official pic addict!

Someday my family will thank me!

Turkey Day Eve

For Thanksgiving this year, we headed to Jay's parents Tuesday after we both got off work to start the holiday early. Alot of his family that is normally not in town came in this year so we were so excited to see them! Brayden and Karis were most excited about seeing their cousin Scout that they haven't see in years. But Lucy was especially excited to see her grandmother Lucy. See???

The boys spent alot of time playing both of their favorite game...baseball! This is Scout our cousin who is 6 and lives in North Carolina.

Karis watching the boys play baseball...

And they spent lots of time in Grandmother's backyard climbing the trees...

...and laying in the grass...cause that's what Mississippi girls do, right?

Besides preparing for the MOST AMAZING Thanksgiving feast ever...she loved holding, feeding, talking, rocking her great-granddaughter Lucy. After all, they have a special bond because of their name (my Lucy was named after her)...

More baseball....

That evening, the kids loved watching Jay prepare the turkey that he was going to smoke all night. He put an injectable in it and the kids got a kick out of the fact that the turkey was getting a shot. Don't you remember this post when they all got shots last week? And Brayden was fascinated the "turkey didn't even cry!" Imagine that!

Nonnie and Lucy snuggled while the other kiddos oohed and aahed over the turkey...

The turkey getting lots of shots...

Aunt Jessie and Lulu

B and K

Grandmother Sheehy (Jay's stepdad's mother) from North Carolina...so glad she got to join us this year!

The three amigos....

Lucy is sitting up!

Lucy is officially sitting up now! As of Friday when she went to the doctor, she was concerned that Lucy wasn't sitting up yet and honestly she wasn't really trying or attempting much. But yesterday she started doing it quite a bit and by tonight she was sitting up for 30 minutes at a time! Yah Lucy!!!

Proud of you baby girl!

Family sleepover

Since Jay and Brian were out of town at a conference Friday night, we decided to have a sleepover with Paige, Nathan and Mari-Morgan. The kids were so excited they couldn't stand it and the excitement (running around and screaming) lasted for about an hour after they got here and then things finally started calming down. They stayed up until about 11:30 and were up by 7:00 the next morning. I woke up to them doing this......Thank goodness Lucy was already awake!

They played games, watched movies, played dress up and played outside for a long time. Paige and I had a great time too and had lots of time to talk and catch up. Good times!

Oh and Karis was so tired she went to bed for a "nap" on Saturday afternoon and I tried to wake her up for dinner but she wouldn't wake up! So she slept until about 5:30 this morning when she was at my bedside saying, "Mom, I am hungry!" I bet she was...she slept 14 hours straight and skipped dinner!

Operation Christmas Child Missions Service

This morning was our missions service at Riverbend where we all contributed our Operation Christmas Child boxes and our family was really looking forward to it. We have been preparing them for weeks what we were doing and trying to make them understand that not every child around the world has a room full of toys like they do. I know it is hard for them to understand but they have seen numerous videos of children from around the world and we have been praying for them during our family prayer time. During our service they showed video clips of 3 missionary couples that our church supports: Levi and Lindsey, Michael and Rebecca, and Jason and Beth. It was cool to see where they are serving and how their families have adapted to a new country, culture and language. I must admit that the Lord has been working in our hearts a desire to reach the nations and this morning was no exception. There was a moment when my heart was so tender I had to fight the tears as to not make a total fool of myself.

We sang one of my favorite songs and it was so appropriate for our service this morning.

"I'll be the carrier of hope and salvation,

I'll be the carrier of light to the world,

(can't think of this line...oops)

I will go...shine your light to the world."

Before we presented our boxes

Liz and Christina counting our boxes..I think we had a few short of 100.

Afterwards we had a church wide Thanksgiving lunch and it was great fellowship and food! Our building is just about too small...can you tell?

My babies before church...

Not too sure what he was doing here but oh well...

"GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, even to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:19-20

Lucy's 6 month/Brayden's 3 year doctor visit

It's that time again...growing kids....more doctor's visits. Luckily today no one was sick...just checkups! I doubled up on 2 doctor's visits and today Lucy had her 6 month checkup and Brayden had his 3 year checkup. I was concerned Brayden wouldn't do so well due to his traumatic experience in the ER just 2 weeks ago but I think because of that visit, he wasn't scared. He did great and did everything they told him to do. I was kinda shocked!

HOWEVER, with that being said, it was the WORST doctor's visit I have ever been to. Partially because Jay was out of town and I took all three by myself. Mom did meet me for a while but had to leave before the drama began! I knew Karis and Brayden would be getting flu shots but didn't want to tell them ahead of time because I knew they would pitch a big fit. The less they know the better. So once we were in the room and the doctor had been in the kids kept asking why we weren't leaving. One of them asked "Are we getting shots?" I tried to play it off but that didn't work and they both started screaming....so loud I couldn't do anything but laugh. Karis was acting like I had cut her arms off and was shaking all over! Well they came in first for Brayden and of course we had to hold him down while Karis stood in the background screaming at the top of her lungs anticipating her shots. Then the nurse left and Brayden got ok. Then they came in to do Lucy's 5 shots (yes five) and when Lucy started screaming Brayden started screaming again, "DON'T HURT MY SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Oh did I mention Karis was STILL screaming and hadn't let up?! Then the nurse finally had some pity on me and came and got Lucy and Brayden and took them in the hall so I could hold down Karis for her shots. She was swinging, still screaming, grabbing her pants so we couldn't pull them down and I think I saw all the way down her throat on multiple occassions! It was AWFUL! Nothing like all 3 of your kids thinking you are horrible all at the same time! Oh and forgot to mention that in the midst of all them screaming, they came in for me to sign about 3 pages of paperwork. I was alone with 3 screaming kids and you want my signature???? I am not a drinker but I am telling you I was wanting something after I left there haha!

Lucy weighed in at 15 lbs. even (23%) and was 26 1/2 inches long (69%) ...she is a growing girl!

Lolli met us there for support and to see her grandkids. She was missing them!

Dr. H said Lucy was very healthy and doing great. She was a little concerned about some muscle development so we will get that checked out soon.

Poor thing...got FIVE shots! Lots of boo-boos.

My big boy cooperating every step of the way (except the shots of course)

38 inches tall

Weighing 30 lbs.

This was pre-shots of course

Pre-prick

Post-prick (I think he didn't mind the prick but hated seeing the blood on his finger!)

WHEW! Glad that one is over!!! Next time I will make sure I have reinforcements, earplugs, muzzles and bribery!

You jealous?

...that your hair doesn't look this good?

UP!

Tonight we had family movie night and watched UP which none of us had ever seen. It was a great movie by the way! But I wanted to document just a moment proving my boy has a tender heart. If you know Brayden, you know that he is our "tough, wild, livin' on the edge" son who will always give us a run for our money as parents. BUT despite his rough and tough persona, he has a very tender heart. He randomly breaks out in tears over things you might not even find that much of a tear-jerker. If you have seen UP, you might remember the part where he loses his house and sees it fly away. Brayden got so upset that the guy lost his house and started crying...I am talking tears flowing down his cheeks and came and sat in my lap and buried his head in my neck. It was so sweet and I couldn't help but just hold him and love on him. Even though he gives me gray hairs (ok not yet but soon I am sure), I love that boy with all my heart!

Yummy recipes...a favorite by all

We had a yummy dinner tonight and I wanted to share with you 2 new recipes I tried from Faith's recipe blog....both were delicious. On the menu was Biggest Loser Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin, Potato Bundles (although I didn't do them in bundles), green beans cooked in chicken broth and a chicken bouillion cube (so good) and since Brayden is allergic to potatoes, he always gets mac n cheese when we have potatoes...one of his favorites. :)

Biggest Loser Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin

1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground chili pepper
1 pork tenderloin~ trimmed of visible fat
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. hot sauce (I left this out b/c my kids wouldn't eat it)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly spray roasting pan with olive oil spray. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, allspice, garlic powder,and chili pepper. Rub the pork tenderloin evenly with the olive oil. Then rub evenly with the spice mixture until coated. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the honey, garlic, and hot sauce.
Whisk to mix. Set aside.
5. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, lightly mist with olive oil spray. Place the pork in the pan. Cook for 1 minute per side, or until browned on all sides. Transfer to the prepared roasting pan. With a basting brush, evenly coat the pork tenderloin with the reserved honey mixture.
6. Cover the tenderloin with aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center reaches 160°F and the juices run clear.
7. Remove from the oven. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve immediately.

**This recipe was really good! I usually don't venture out and try things like this, but I was so glad I did! I did alter a few ingredients and cooking times from the original recipe. I got this recipe from Cookbook Jungle.

Potato Bundles (I halfed this recipe)

6 whole Russet potatoes (cut into small bite size pieces)
1/2 whole Yellow Onion, diced
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
Salt to taste
Paprika to taste
Black Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Directions:

(I didn't do bundles for this recipe. I just put everything in a square bowl and tossed everything and cooked covered for about an hour.)
1. Pile potatoes and onions on a square of foil.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to each foil. Splash on cream to each pile.
3. Then sprinkle on salt, paprika, and black pepper to taste.
4. Sprinkle minced parsley over the top.
5. Wrap bundles tightly and bake 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until extremely tender.
6. Serve bundles right on the dinner plate.

Lucy rolled over!

As of today, Lucy has officially rolled from her back to stomach (2 times now) and I have missed it both times! How is it that I am with her all day and didn't see her do it and then Jay walks in from being gone all day and sees her! And then she did it again and both of us missed it. He put her on her back on the floor and walked out of the room and came back and she was on her belly. I have been trying to "make" her do it but of course she doesn't want to perform.

Oh and she is eating like a man these days!!! She must be going through a growth spurt because she is eating 2 plastics jars of food (mixed with cereal) at breakfast, lunch and dinner and nurses on top of that! She is eating sometimes 6 jars of food in a day.... oh and that stuff gets expensive!!! And I usually can't get it in her mouth fast enough..she just shakes in excitement! I love seeing her grow although I am NOT rushing any of it. She can stay little forever and I will be just fine with that!