Remembering...Praising...Updating

Lily...12/23/08...4lb. 11oz...3months old

Lily...12-23-09...16lb. 3oz...15months old

I can hardly believe the transformation in our beautiful miracle baby girl. I have been extrememly emotional really since Thanksgiving remembering this time last year having Lily in the hospital and Thomas at home. I will never forget how completely miserable I felt having to leave Lily behind on Christmas Eve. I wanted so badly to be with Thomas and help him enjoy his Christmas but leaving Lily literally made me sick to my stomach. I pray for all the moms who are having to experience that this year.

But, praise God, my beautiful children are home together this year for the first time! Nothing has brought me greater joy this season than watching the two of them play together. Lily blew Thomas a kiss the other day, and I thought I was going to crumble. Simply precious!

Lily went for her 15month checkup on Tuesday. We had a great report. Her weight is finally starting to increase at a more rapid rate. At the beginning of December she was 15lb.8oz and now she is 16lb.3oz! She is 27 1/8in. long. Her doctor was very pleased with all that she is doing. She also had her blood work repeated and everything was back to normal! Yeah!

Quick update on what all miss thing is doing now. She can wave, blow kisses, point at things, stand up by herself, move along the furniture, has taken one step, and recently found the steps to climb. She has quite the personality. Very bull headed, funny, determined, and totally sassy! She LOVES her big brother and wants to do everything he is doing. She loves Samford, our dog, and just giggles when she gets to pet her. She actually says dog when she sees her and has started to try and make the ruff ruff sound. According to her therapist and doctors she really is doing everything she needs to be doing right now and is simply a miracle.

As we celebrate our first Christmas as a family rejoicing in all that our gracious God has done for us and how He alone has granted us our hearts desires, we know that many of you may be celebrating this Christmas for the first time without a loved one, or without a child, a parent or have a family or friend in the military. To all of you, I pray that somehow this Christmas season God's amazing grace and unconditional love will be revealed to you. May He bless you all and may you never know a day without the love, joy, and peace of Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Santa Train

We are using this old mail train car to send the kids to the grandparents house!!

Thomas and Daddy on one of the old trains at the Roundhouse...

Watching the Santa Train...

Riding the Santa Train...

Thomas and Lily with Santa on the train...

Loving the train ride...

Silly Lily...riding her first train!

Our house Saturday morning after the snow...



Sunday afternoon we took the kids to the North Carolina Train museum. It is about an hour from our house. We got to go on a ride on an old train and Santa and his helpers came and visited the kids while we rode. It was Lily's first time on the train and to see Santa. She loved them both. There is no question that Thomas LOVED seeing all of the old trains! It was a great family afternoon together getting ready for our first Christmas together!

Our first snow...

Our house in our first snow in North Carolina...about 2 hours ago and its still pouring snow!

Love it...

Greg and Thomas sledding for the first time...I don't know who had more fun!

Our first sled...Don't worry Lily didn't take a ride!

All bundled up!!!

Lily pointing at the snow...so cute!

Today we got our first snow in N.C. This is Thomas' first time to see snow and so far he has had a blast! We bought our first sled and Greg and Thomas had so much fun sledding down our hills in the backyard. It started at 12 today and hasn't stopped yet! So far we have about 3 inches. We all can't wait to see it in the morning!

Thomas sledding...it's a little blurry because the snow was blowing right into the camera...

Thanksgiving pictures and more...

Thomas at his school Thanksgiving program...super cute!!!

Can't believe he is getting so big and old...

Lily at the Christmas Tree Farm...

Thomas, Lily, and Holley riding the cow train...once was enough for me!

Thomas and Lily...

Posing in front of the trees...so hard to get them both to look and smile!

Sweet picture...My niece Cally and Lily

My sister Lauren's 4 kids and my 2...this one took awhile!!!

Jim and Andrea Bunn with us at the Iron bowl tailgate...great college friends that were in town from Denver!

Big and Lil' Dickinson's at the Auburn tailgate

All the girls at tailgate...great college friends! We had our yearly chili cooking at the tailgate, yummy!

The Guys...

My sister Shelby with Thomas and Lily one morning before she went to school...they had a great time playing with Aunt Shelby!

The kids with my Mom, Carl, and Shelby...too cute!

While we were in B'ham, we got to visit with some of my best high school friends and their kids...wow, what a bunch of kids!!!

Thomas driving the gator with DidiPop at the Farm in Alabama...he LOVES it!

The best Thanksgiving picture we could get...My best friend L.A. made their matching outfits! Super cute! Thanks, L.A.!

I just thought this one was cute!

Lily on Thanksgiving Day...

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, the kids and I drove 10 hours to visit our family. It should not have taken near that long, but after a detour due to falling rocks, lily puking twice, Thomas having to potty numerous times, etc...we finally made it to my mom's house. We had a great time visiting my family in Hartselle and had an early Thanksgiving lunch with all of the extended family. Great to see everyone!

We then headed to B'ham to my Dad's house. We got to visit all of my sisters there and many of my good high school friends. And I got to finally meet my brand new nephew, Cade! So precious! Thomas had a great time playing with all of his cousins! Greg flew into B'ham on Wednesday night.

We then went to be with Greg's extended family for Thanksgiving. Thomas had fun on the farm with DidiPop and enjoyed meeting so many new people. This was a very special Thanksgiving for us since this was the first time we were all together as a family. Having both of my kids together was an amazing reminder of how good and faithful our God is!

We went to the Auburn game on Friday and had a great time tailgating with some of our great friends. The weather was perfect even though the game didn't end as well as we had hoped for. The kids stayed with babysitters at the lake. This was Lily's first time to stay with a sitter for a long time while she was awake, etc...In the past I had always gotten her to sleep before leaving her. They both did well.

We ended the trip in Lanett, AL to visit my step mom's extended family. We had a great time introducing Lily to so many family members, and Thomas had fun playing with all of his cousins!

It was a great, Long, trip. I was so thankful Greg drove us home!! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and our enjoying the Christmas season!