MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!!
I pray that everyone has a very blessed Christmas and a joyous start to the New Year. Our family has been blessed beyond measure in 2009 and we are so thankful to our amazing Heavenly Father for all the love and grace He has poured over us. I hope that everyone takes the time to stop and count your blessings & remember the real reason for this exciting time of year, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
See ya'll in 2010!!!

Cookies With Santa

Last week we took Owen to the "Cookies with Santa" party that my inlaws' neighborhood has every year. Okay, so last year Owen looked around, looked at Santa, looked at us, and then started screaming...this year he fast forwarded directly to the screaming part. Even when bribed with a "ju ju" (aka a candy cane) directly from ol' Saint Nick himself, Owen wanted NOTHING to do with the bearded man in red! We made him sit there just long enough to snap a few pictures and then we promptly removed him from Santa's lap and let him enjoy his ju ju safe in the arms of his daddy. Here are a few pictures of the event...I'm sure Owen will look back and laugh at these one day, right?... Owen's reaction the second he sat in Santa's lap
Who ARE you?!
Daddy!!! Get me outta here!

Tony turns the BIG 3-0!!!

Last Friday Tony turned 30 years old & we threw a big party to celebrate with our family & friends! My parents were generous enough to let us host the party at their house--it was a good centrally located place to have it since we had guests coming from all directions. We had lots of yummy food, drinks, a bonfire, & an overall great time with awesome people! Here are some pictures from the party... Owen made a short appearance to wish his daddy a happy birthday before heading off to bed! Ash & JoelMarisa & RandyNeighbor ladies in the kitchen Tony blowing out his candles My birthday boy! Neighbor fellas Tony's oldest & dearest friends The ladies that belong with the "oldest & dearest" Our neighbor crew Crazy, fun people! The bonfire Rounding up the festivities for the evening

Thank you a billion to all who came to celebrate Tony's 30th birthday, it meant so much to us to have you there & we love you all! For those of you who weren't able to make it, we missed you dearly & we love you all too!!!

Halloween

Tony & I were not actually in town this year for Halloween, we were in Jacksonville for the UGA vs. UF game, but Owen spent half the weekend with Geebee & Pops & the other half with Noni & Grandpa. He was a cowboy again this year 1) because he doesn't know the difference & I didn't want to miss anything new and 2) his costume fit better this year than last & he just looked so darn cute! Here are some pictures that we took of Owen a few days before Halloween in his cowboy getup!

Matt's Visit

My brother, Matt, came home for 3 weeks during the month of October & we had so much fun while he was here! Matt's been living out in Colorado for right at a year now so it was so awesome to have him come home for a visit. Owen really bonded with Matt a lot while he was home & it was such a beautiful thing for me to witness my brother & my son playing, laughing, & enjoying each others' company. Matt wasn't home nearly long enough (nothing short of a permanent move home ever is though!), but we were so thankful he came & treasured every minute with him. Here are some sweet pictures we took during the time he was here.

Choo-Choo!!!

Goodness I'm waaaayyyy behind on my blogging :P It may take me a few days, but I'm gonna catch up this week, I promise!!! I'll start with these adorable pictures of Owen that we took near my parents' house...oh about a month ago (I know, I know! I've already admitted I'm behind!) Owen's way into trains these days so this is one of his favorite places to go play. Shoot back about 20 years and there's a sweet story to go with this train. So apparently my brother was pretty into trains when he was little too, so one year my parents "gave" Matt this train for Christmas. The only stipulation was that he had to leave it where it was so that the other kids could play on it & enjoy it too. How about that for some creative gift giving?! I love that story & from that point forward, we've always called it my brother's train :) So here are some pictures of Owen playing on Uncle Matt's train. My aunt & uncle were in town when these were taken so I've even got a few of Owen playing with Lali (my Aunt Alison) too. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch

We took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun searching for our family pumpkin together. Tony ended up finding the perfect one this year and I must say he did a great job, it's super cute! What a difference a year makes too! Last fall Owen was just crawling around the pumpkin patch & this year he was running EVERYWHERE! He especially liked the tiny little pumpkins that he could pick up himself, but we had to keep an eye on the little stinker cause he tried to throw them across the patch on more than one occasion :) We ended up getting him a little wee pumpkin of his very own so now he can play with it in our yard at home. We had a great time & got some cute pictures too!