Project 52: Week 51

This is NOT how we wanted to start our week!

Christmas with Friends

Since I was a little girl, every year we always get together with family friends at my parents house for Christmas. We are so blessed to have such amazing friends and family to spend the holiday's with. We are definitely not hurting for places to go during the holiday's! My mom always cooks a wonderful turkey and everyone else always brings the best side dishes. We also play a good game of dirty Santa with As Seen on TV gifts. It is so much fun!

Dad carving the turkey

My pretty Mama!

 

Katie Nicole

 

Lisa and Nancy laying around!

There's nothing like a good game of Bop-it!

Me and my little man!

 Aunt Kat and Avery

A good game of dirty Santa! Larry got Shimmer Tattoos but Avery stole them!  She is now covered in them along with her brother...

Aunt Kat with her binoculars

Katie and the Brittain Girls

My oldest two!

 Love!

So thankful we are blessed with so many musician friends.  We never have a get together with out a little pickin'! 

And I promise Lakelyn was here, but she spent most of her evening rocking on the couch and wouldn't let me take her picture!

Christmas with the Link's and Johnson's

One of my most favorite Christmas gatherings is the one with our good friends the Link's and the Johnson's! It's so fun to watch our kids grow up together and I am so thankful to have these two families in our lives.

The girls!  Next year we need to get a picture of the boys!  :)

Our crew!  It's amazing to look back at our group picture every year and see how much the kid have grown!

Making ornaments, Lakelyn and Jovie were thrilled...can't you tell?!  LOL!

I think Brody was telling me how much Dr. Pepper he had already drank!  He probably never went to bed that night!  Haha!

Lisa and her oldest, Easton.

These two Curly Sue's are a mess!

We sent Oakley home with the Link's and Allie stayed at our house.  This was the girls giving each other makeovers.  They even included Lakelyn in on the fun!

BFF's

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Christmas at Papa & Granny's

Last weekend we had Christmas on Gosser Ridge at my Grandparents. It was the first time in years that all the grandkids and great-grandkids were able to make it at the same time! It was so great to see everyone!

All the grandkids and great-grandkids with spouses.

Lakelyn bringing her new "Melmo" PJ's to show Jason and I.

Reading with Brittni

Daddy and Avery

Papa and Uncle Lonnie watching Oaks at target practice.  ;)

Hanging around the kitchen table

This picture cracks me up!  Everyone is ignoring me and then there is Katie being her usual self...always ready for the camera!  Love you Katie!!

Project 52: Week 50

Candy Canes

Baby It's Cold Outside

Although I hate getting out of bed on cold mornings, when there is a thick frost on the ground it makes the world almost magical. I love the twinkling that the sun brings to everything, as if God has tossed his glitter over the earth. The beauty and the stillness of an icy morning is a reminder to me that God can make anything beautiful even in the dead of winter. So when sin seeps into my life and others, when I feel sadden by the things of this earth, when there is so much sorrow it's hard to bare, I will remember that God can make it beautiful again. His truth, faithfulness, promise, and love is all I need...it is what this world needs. 

This post is dedicated to those that lost their lives in CT this past week. My heart breaks for their family and friends. I pray for peace for those who lost loved ones, for those that survived, and for the first responders on the scene.

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" ~Psalms 30:5 

Project 52: Week 49

Lights

Project 52: Week 48

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Thanksgiving

A time to be thankful. Where do I even start? First and foremost I am thankful for my God!  Without Him I would have nothing!  I am so thankful for His love, comfort, His gift of Jesus, his forgiveness and keeping me on the right track.  ;)

Next, I am beyond thankful for my wonderful husband Jason!  He is my rock, my partner in crime, my lover, my best friend, my confidant.  He makes me smile when no one else can and he loves me unconditionally (which can be a hard thing to do!)  He made me a Mommy, which was a dream come true.  He is truly my soul-mate and I love him with all my heart.

Then there is our three babies, Avery, Oakley and Lakelyn.  Our life would not be complete without them.  They bring more joy to our lives than we could of ever imagined.  They fill our house with laughter, love, toys, and sometimes huge messes!  They give the best hugs and kisses any Mommy and Daddy could ever ask for.  They always know when to say I love you and melt your heart right there on the spot.  They fight, but they also love each other deeply and for that I am thankful.  We were also blessed with three healthy children and I thank God everyday for that blessing.

I have a quote on my wall that says "Family is Everything" and to me that is so true.  I am so thankful for mine and Jason's family that now makes OUR family.  They are such a support to us and a huge influence to us and our children.  Our families gave us roots and wings and to me those are equally as important.  What we would do without our parents close by I would never know.  So to our Grandparents, Parents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins I am forever thankful you are in our lives. 

There's family, then there is the family that you choose...your closest friends.  And let me tell you, Jason and I hit the mother load when it comes to great friends.  I am so thankful for each and every one.  The ones that are there when you need them the most, the ones that just show up, the ones that listen, laugh, and cry with you.  The ones that help to mold you into the person you are and the ones that help stretch your limits so that maybe you can see a different view, these are our friends.  Life would not be as easy or as fun with out you.  You know who you are and I am eternally grateful for you.

And last but not least I am so thankful to God for our little house and our little farm.  It may be ours only for a little while, but I am so grateful that it is our home while we are on this earth.  It is our little piece of paradise, a place that I can relax, a place of comfort and a place of peace.

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
~Ephesians 5:20

 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

We spent Thanksgiving with Jason's family.  We went to Grandpa's and Grandma's on Thanksgiving day where we celebrated Christmas as well.  The kids loved getting to open presents early and even more than that they loved getting to play with their cousins!  

Oaks is so worried about having curls in his hair that Grandma told him she would curl it for him!

The Cowherd Family. The best shot I could get with all of us...I so wish Lakelyn had been looking.

Lakelyn ready to go to Nana and Papaw's for Thanksgiving at their house.  She just had to wear her new house shoes that she got for Christmas at Grandmas!

Papaw and Lakelyn reading Poppy and Sam...one of the best children's book ever.  I am pretty sure I almost have every story memorized.  All three of my kiddo's love the Apple Tree Farm stories.

Kyle and Oaks goofing off.  Kyle is Oakley's hero!

Chandler ready to watch the game!

Playing domino's!

Chan and Avery in a serious game of checkers.

And look who showed up at our house Thanksgiving weekend.  The kids named him Jack and he has sure been in all kinds of mischief while keeping an eye on the kids for Santa.

On Saturday I had to go to Bowling Green so I took Lakelyn with me and we rode with my parents. Bitty had to go with us and Lakelyn insisted she sit with Gran all the way there...oh the things your parents do for their grandkids!  :)