Christmas 09

Our family had a very blessed Christmas this year.  We were very spoiled by everyone and we are so appreciative of all the wonderful gifts!  The girls loved everything they got from Santa, grandparents, friends and Mommy and Daddy.  I think they were both overwhelmed with all of the stuff! 

It was a very nice visit home.  I was sad that we had such little time to visit with friends...it is so hard to see everyone in such a short time.  But we enjoyed the time we spent with family and some of our closest friends.  Below are a few pictures- I didn't take many, but we got a couple cute ones!

Please click to see a less distorted version.

Can I please note that it is impossible to get 4 people to all smile and look into the camera at the same time?

So cute!  She heard Santa's sleigh bells and was so excited! 

Carsyn has become quite the cry baby lately.  She wants to be held all the time.  She doesn't full out cry--but she pitches a fit until someone holds her.  And if I walk out the room for just a second- the waterworks start!  I feel terrible because her eczema has really been flaring up.  We had to give her benedryl on the way home because she was so uncomfortable.  I am hoping at her 9 month well check, they will give us something to help her as I know the winter is going to make it worse.

How cute is our family?

This is the mother and brother of my best friend, Jannon.  It was so great to spend time with them.

It was emotional for me to watch Cooper playing in Jannon's room and with all of her stuff.  It's so hard for me not to feel bitter because I always thought we would be raising our families together.  I know she would love the girls and that they would just adore her.  I'm so thankful that she got to meet Cooper and for all the Christmas memories we made together over the years. I often wonder what she would think about me ending up with Trenton.  I know she would get such a kick out of it.  Her family is so wonderful to me and I love them so much.  I miss her so much, but know she is with us!  P.S.- Gloria, you spoiled us!  Thank you so much for everything- we love you!

Big Girl's 1st Christmas!  She and Cooper had so much fun playing with new toys (and wrapping paper!)

Papee (Trenton's Dad).  Trenton's grandparents were also in town from New Orleans and we really enjoyed spending time with them. 

Cooper was so funny- when she unwrapped the bike she said, "It's EXACTLY what I wanted!!!!"  She has never asked for a bike which is why it was so funny.  The only thing she asked for from Santa was a snowglobe and Santa brought her a really cool one with a "C" inside.  I think this will be her new Christmas tradition.

GG- aka- The Geeg!  Geeg cooked an awesome Christmas dinner and also babysat one night while Trenton and I had a very romantic dinner at Atlantic Seafood Company- our fave!  GG and PawPaw outdid themselved this Christmas- thank you!

I have totally become that Mom that makes the kids dress like twins.  I think it is so cute.  Thanks Nona for these adorable outfits.

My sweet friend and sorority sister, Nicole. 

Winter Wonderland

Our plan was to leave this past Friday to go home to Georgia for Christmas break.  Trenton was going hunting with his dad and I couldn't wait to see my family and friends.  We couldn't seem to get it together before the snow got super bad and we ended up spending the weekend snowed in.


While I know Trenton was so disappointed to miss his hunting trip, we have had a blast!  With the exception on in Utah- I don't think I have ever seen so much snow.  And the girls LOVED it!  Carsyn stood on the couch and watched out the window.  Cooper loved building a snowman and throwing snowballs and sledding with Mommy.  She was a little timid at first, but she thought it was so cool.


It was positively beautiful.  Friday night at about 7 pm we lost power and it didn't return until 5:30 am.  That part was not so fun- but an adventure nonetheless.  It was freezing and we had to cuddle up with the girls in bed.


I am sure this is just the first of many snowstorms this year and hopefully next time we won't lose power!  We love living in Tennessee and this is just one of the many reasons!

Christmas Program

Cooper's Christmas Program was Monday night and we had a great time.  I was a little worried because she had missed the entire week prior and I know the kids had been practicing a lot, but she did great! 

This year they just included the 3 and 4 year olds instead of having the 2 year olds in the mix.  It was a much more mature program versus last year (both were equally cute.)

Cooper decided she didn't want to sing, but she did play the bells and stood there waving at us like crazy.  I was shocked she didn't take the chance to sing her heart out for an audience because 90% of our days involve her singing everything from "Silent Night" to "Single Ladies."  She is such a ham.  (For those of you who have received a Christmas caroling phone message- how funny is her version of Jingle Bells?  Trenton and I laugh hysterically everytime she sings it.)

One of the kids in her class from last year went rogue during the performance and started saying all this crazy stuff and another was grabbing his "business" and screaming, "It's pee pee time!"  It was so funny!  Love this age.

We stayed after and had cookies and punch and visited with our friends.  It was a great way to get our family in the Christmas spirit.  Our house is decorated, the tree is up and Trenton has adorned the front and back of our house in Christmas lights.  My parents gave us some of their "yard art," so we now have lighted penguins and a choo choo train.   Counting down the days for Santa!  Cooper has Santa fever big time...before I even know what kind of naughty thing she has done, she says, "Santa is still going to bring me presents, right?" 

The pictures aren't the best- I am hoping I can get some from friends who might have taken better ones.

Carsyn Grace is 8 months old!

Carsyn turned 8 months old yesterday!  I can't believe how quickly each day and milestone passes.  She is still the sweetest and happiest baby. 

We are hoping there is light at the end of the tunnel for this bug she has.  She has only slept through the night once since this weekend.  The cold is making her excema flare up and although she isn't acting like it is bothering her, I feel terrible for her.  I keep her constantly greased up with creams and lotions.  It's annoying because I used a prescription cream on Cooper when she had excema...and Carsyn has it a hundred times worse and our pedi will not give us a presciption because "it doesn't seem to be affecting her."  So frustrating.

I feel like anyday now she is going to take off and be crawling all over everything.  She is getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth (and scooting.)  If I leave the room for one second, I come back and she is halfway across the room.  This totally stresses me out for the fact that she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth.  Cooper has so many toys with little pieces everywhere and Carsyn is always trying to get them. 

Carsyn is also in the stage where she has seperation anxiety with anyone other than Trenton and me. 

I am so excited to see her experience her first Christmas. She loved all the hoopla at Cooper's birthday parties, so I know she will love all the things Santa brings!

Sleepy Baby

We haven't taken many pictures lately because we have been so busy- but here is a super cute one of Daddy and Carsie!  Please note that about 30 minutes after this picture was taken- Trenton did his jerky sleep movement thing and as Cooper would say, "Scared out of her the crap!"

A Crazy Week

Since we returned from North Carolina, life has been crazy!  Before we got home, Cooper started with a really nasty sounding cough.  She never had any other symptoms so I didn't rush off to the doctor.  After a couple days, I decided to take her since Trenton and I were going out of town.  I couldn't get an appointment with her pedi, so I took her to my GP who said she had pneumonia!  He put her on some fairly strong antibiotics and told me not to worry. (Right!!!)  A couple days later I wanted to have her rechecked so I took her to her pedi, who said she did NOT have pneumonia and just a cough that sounds bad.  We are staying on the antibiotics just in case.  I made Cooper stay home from school all last week and she had cabin fever so bad.  She was so excited to go back to school today and is really looking forward to her Christmas Program tonight at the church.

On Saturday, Carsyn Grace started in with the fussiness.  She never cries, so I knew she didn't feel good.  After a couple hours of her being fairly hysterical, I took her to the Children's ER.  They said she had a cold and maybe a small intestinal blockage.  For the past two nights and yesterday, she has been a hot mess!  Coughing, fever, runny nose, pulling at her ears...so I am taking her back to the pedi today and praying it is something antibiotics can clear up FAST!  Mommy needs some sleep!  I forgot how much it sucks having a sick baby.  Cooper is old enough now that when she feels bad- she just wants to lay on the couch and watch movies.  Not so much for Carsyn and I am exhausted!  Praying she and everyone in our house will feel better and stop passing around these germs!  I have disinfected our entire house a million times and because Carsyn puts EVERYTHING in her mouth- I pretty much walk around with Clorox wipes.  Fun times!

Otherwise, we have been having a great time.  My parents came up and watched the kids last week while Trenton and I went to Nashville.  We went to dinner with some people from his work and Trenton was recognized for his leadership skills.  It was a big deal for him and everyone went around the table praising his contribution to the company and I was so proud.  He deserves the recognition.  We were able to go shopping and sleep in a little bit.  It was nice for us to have a night alone and I appreciate my parents coming to help with the girls!  I love Nashville and want to go back and do some exploring and more shopping.  The mall there was the bomb!

Saturday was Trenton's work party.  After the ER, our babysitter came over and stayed with the girls while Trenton and I went to a super nice dinner.  This is the first time I have ever used a babysitter at night and it went really well.  My friend Carrie introduced me to her babysitter and we have been using her since.  She is fabulous and experienced and not easily frazzled.  Carsyn pretty much refuses a bottle and was fussy when we left, but when we got home both girls were asleep in their beds.  (Both woke up and were up most of the night about ten minutes after she left- go figure!)  But we were able to get out and had a great time.

Finally, Carsyn has had some milestones lately.  She has been saying dada like crazy and this makes Trenton excited to no end.  She also is changing positions (i.e.- from sitting to her belly) without totally faceplanting into the ground.  And she now weighs over 20 pounds!  We ordered her big girl carseat and she is going to start using it ASAP.  I am sad because she falls asleep in her carseat and this allows us to go out to eat and run errands without having to wake her up.  We need to get on a stricter napping schedule.  I ordered her the same carseat as Cooper (different pattern), but the Britax Marathon- it is expensive, but it is the best safety wise and also super comfortable.  I can't believe she is almost 8 months old!  She just gets cuter everyday.  She has really started losing that baby look and I'm starting to get a glimpse of what she will look like as a toddler.  Very exciting!

I will post in the next day or two with pictures from Cooper's Christmas program.  Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season.  We are so excited to come home next week and see all of our friends and family!

*Update* Poor Carsyn has a blister on her eardrum and that is what has been causing her so much pain. They also tested her for strep because her throat was red, but that came back negative. So we will wait it out and hope she feels better soon!!

Baby Dedication

Last weekend, Trenton and I went to North Carolina to have a baby dedication ceremony at the church in which I am a member and was also baptised. 

A couple days before we left, my grandmother passed away--so we left a day early to attend her funeral before the dedication.  I was so sad that my grandma missed meeting Carsyn by a few days- she loved babies so much!  But at 94 years old, it was her time and I am so thankful for the past thirty years with her.  Never once in thirty years have I ever heard my grandmother raise her voice or say a bad thing about another person.  She taught me to pray at a young age and I will cherish the memories of us laying in bed at night with our prayer books under our pillows and her encouraging me to give my life to the Lord.  (In a side note, my grandmother's best friend also passed away last week.  How crazy that they lived to be 94 and 92 and died the same week!)  I know that my grandma is now with my dad in Heaven and I am sure he is so happy to have her since he has always been a MaMa's boy- I miss both of them terribly and know that I will see them again one day.

We went ahead with the dedication as it was a sunny spot in a sad weekend and I know that my grandmother would have been so proud for our family.

Both girls did great!  The pastor prepared a wonderful ceremony.  It gives me peace of mind to know that my children are blessed and that we have given their lives to God.  It's interesting because on the way to the church, Trenton and I were talking about how it would be cool for us to also renew our faith and lives, but I didn't want to bug the preacher since he had already prepared the ceremony.  So we renewed them in the truck to ourselves.  During the dedication, he asked us if we would also like to recommit to the Lord and of course, we did.  So it was a very special day for our entire family.

The girls received beautiful bibles that were personalized with their names, as well as a beautiful certificate that we will have framed and hang in each of their rooms.  I am so thankful I had so many members of my family there to witness such a joyous occasion!

It is my prayer and desire that this will be the beginning  for my daughters of a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ.  And that Trenton and I can continue to raise them in a Christian home with Christian values.

(I will have better pictures to post once I receive the CD of pictures my uncle took, but here are a couple from our camera.)

Psalm 107: 1  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Thanksgiving 2009

It has been so crazy the past few weeks and we have had so much going on that I haven't had time to post much here.  Thanksgiving was awesome!  My sister and her family came up to stay with us and we had a blast!

They arrived on Thanksgiving Day and Trenton and I copped out on the cooking, so we ordered everything from Cracker Barrel and Heavenly Ham.  It was still yummy and that way we had less mess and more time to visit and play. 

Cooper and Cailey had the best time together.  They did arts and crafts, made gingerbread men and played with every toy in our house.  We celebrated Christmas and exchanged gifts since we won't see each other at Christmas this year.

My sister convinced me to go to Black Friday shopping and while we did save some money- all the crazy people out shopping made me crazy!  It gave me some time with my sister which I enjoyed and appreciated, but that will be the last Black Friday that I attend.

The guys had fun too riding the four wheeler and truck where the lake was drying out.  We also went to see a lights show that was cool and fun for the girls.

It was nice to have family here and celebrate together on Cooper's actual birthday.  She is so spoiled.  We got her some roller skates (not a hit) and a TAG reader (which she loves), along with some other things she is into.  My parents got her an awesome easel and I think this was her favorite gift.

We had a wonderful time and I am so thankful for my family and getting to share the holiday with them!  The week went by so fast and I am so sad we don't live closer!  Trenton was the best and helped out so much with the girls and cooking so that I could spend time with my sister.  Very blessed to have such a wonderful husband too!

The best husband in the world!

Gingerbread men

Carsyn Gracie loved all wrapping paper and bows

Kim: Leave Uncle Trenton alone!

Cailey: Why? I LIKE him!

(so funny)

Happy Birthday, Cooper!

Not quite ready for the big girls!

Cousins...

and best friends!

Happy Birthday, Cooper!

Three years ago today Cooper entered the world and life has never been the same.  I went in for an amnio and Cooper was born less than an hour after the test due to complications.  She was the most amazing thing I had ever seen and there hasn't been a moment since she was born that I have not looked and at her and thought, "GOD IS GOOD!"

It has not always been an easy road.  Being a mother of a child born so prematurely isn't for the weak and I learned quickly.  However, being the mother of this amazing child has taught me so many lessons about strength, perseverence, patience and unconditional love.  I am a million times a better person for being a mom and there is nothing I love more.

You would never know now that Cooper had such a rough time the first year of her life.  She is easily the funniest kid I have ever met.  She is smarter than any other kid I know her age and is a quick study of everything.  She is a fantastic and loving big sister.  She has always been a Mommy's girl and I pray she always will be.  The bond we share is beyond what any words I could write here could portray.

I pulled out one of the memory boxes I have made for Cooper to get one of her baby onesies to take a picture with...and realize that I have kept so much stuff!  It is so hard not to want to cherish everything she does! 

I thank God today and everyday for my beautiful Cooper Elise!  I can't believe three years has come and gone so quickly!  I love her more than the universe plus infinity and am so thankful that she is so loved by so many wonderful people in her life!  I am so excited to continue to watch her grow and it is my earnest prayer that God continues to bless her and our family the way he has for the past three years!  Mommy, Daddy and Carsyn love you, Cooper!

One week old

11 months old- she still makes this face and it cracks me up everytime

1 1/2 years old

2 1/2 years old

Three years old- holding one of the baby onesies that she wore!

Word Cloud

I love these things...a word generator takes the most frequently used words in your blog and makes a "word cloud."  I think they summed up our life about right!