Christmas

I cannot believe another Christmas has come and gone.  I'm always sad when Christmas passes and I have to start taking the decorations down.  I've decided to go ahead and keep them up until after we get back from New York.  I'm just not feeling it right now, haha.

We had a great Christmas this year, celebrating at home and with our families.  We started off the Christmas celebration at home the Friday before.  Santa did us a favor and visited us early this year.  Mady was a pro at opening gifts this year.  It didn't take long before she had the hang of it!  We had a great time at home although we didn't get too much time to relax because we had to kick it in gear and start packing and getting ready to head out the next day to Port Arthur.

Santa came!

She loves her kitchen 

We had Christmas with Nick's side of the family the weekend before Christmas.  We had a great time seeing family, eating, and opening gifts.  I just love watching Mady with her little cousins.  They have fun together and they really are going to have a blast as they grow up together.

Christmas Eve and day were spent with my side of the family.  More time with family, food, and presents. You can't ask for more than that!

You're never too old for Legos

She knows who to go to for cake

Worn out

We headed home on Thursday and unpacked, but Nick and I are starting to pack again to head to New York for new year's eve.  We attempted this trip two years ago when I was pregnant but ended up having it cancelled due to a huge blizzard in NY.  We're looking forward to it but I'm going to miss my little girl so much.  It will be harder on me than her though because I know she will be in great hands here with her Mimi.

Mady at 18-19 Months

This past month or so Mady has really been growing into a toddler and leaving her baby stage.  So many times I look at her and cannot believe how big she looks and acts!

She is learning new words everyday and communicating with each other has really grown.  She knows so many words that I've lost count and she can repeat back most words you say to her.  Her favorite thing right now is her LeapFrog Laptop, her alphabet puzzle, family pictures, and books.

She knows all the letters of the alphabet, which amazes me, and loves to show that skill off!  One of the reasons why she loves that laptop and her alphabet puzzle.  Since we don't live that close to our family, we thought showing her their pictures regularly would help her get more familiar with them and feel like they are a regular part of her life.  Well, she loves the pictures!  Every morning she says "pictures, pictures" because she wants to look at them.  She knows who everybody is now.  She is also a huge fan of books right now.  She has always liked books but her interest and attention span with them has really grown.  When it's time to go down for a nap or bedtime she gets so mad because she wants to read more books, even though we've read probably 5-10 already!  One of her favorites right now is "The Christmas Story" which seems rather appropriate for our lives right now and the holiday season.

She is so sweet and loves giving hugs and kisses but she can also be strong willed.  We use time-out now and it really works for her.  It gives her a minute to sit and calm herself.  It melts my heart when I go to get her and she says "I sorry".

She still loves to dance.  She twirls around and around until she almost falls down from being dizzy.  She dances to anything.  I have several of the snowmen from Hallmark that play music.  She loves to turn them all on at the same time and then dance and dance.  So cute!

I constantly thank God for choosing me to be her mommy.  While we definitely have our moments where I think I might pull my hair out, hahaha, and we get busy and lost in our daily lives, I do try and stop and reflect on how blessed we are.  The tragedy on Friday has certainly hit me hard.  I think once you become a parent, you never look at a tragedy like this in the same way.  It takes on a whole other meaning.  I cannot even comprehend or wrap my mind around what these parents and families must be feeling.  It breaks my heart.  They are in my prayers daily.  Despite the awful things that happen in our world, I remain thankful for what God has done in our lives these past few months.  That is what leaves me with Hope.

Gaylord "ICE"

A couple of weekends ago we met our good friends to go to the "ICE" exhibit at the Gaylord.  The exhibit was really neat to see.  Who knew you could do all that with ice?!  Mady was still a bit too little to really appreciate it and with all the waiting in line and the crowds of people, by the time we got inside, she was Ms. Cranky pants.  Overall though we had a good time and it was fun hanging out and seeing friends we don't get to see all the time!

Being such good, patient kiddos

Day of Celebration!

Today Nick and I were baptized.  As some of you know, we have been going to a new church for several months now.  We wanted a closer relationship with God and we wanted Mady to grow up in a strong Christian home.  We always believed in God but we didn't know what it truly meant to be a Christian.  In order to do that, we knew we would have to find a new church home.  The first church we attended, we knew was the right place for us.  We have met some amazing people and grown so much in our faith since then.  God guided us on this journey and brought us to the right church and put the right people on our path to Him.

I had been praying for a long time that we would find our way to Him and form a close relationship with Him.  When Nick went to the church men's retreat, it was there that he made the ultimate decision to fully invest and life his life for Him.  When I heard that, I realized that prayers are answered and I made the same decision.  This is a journey that we have been on together, and we made the decision to show that publicly through our baptism.  I was nervous when I first made that decision but as the day came closer that was replaced with peace.  I felt so comfortable with my decision.  Our parents surprised us this morning by making the trip up here to be there with us when we were baptized.  I didn't realize how much it would mean to me for them to be here, until they were actually here.  Standing there alongside Nick, and looking out and seeing all those people who have been instrumental in our lives and our journey was so special.

Celebrating the birth of Jesus, and understanding what His birth truly meant for all of us has made this Christmas season even more meaningful to us.  I am so at peace where we are now and am looking forward to where this will take us in the future.  Thanks to everyone who was part of this!

Thanksgiving

I don't know where the time has gone, but another Thanksgiving has passed.  We went down to Port Arthur this year and had a great Thanksgiving with our family.

I spent the the week of Thanksgiving, while super busy, also reflecting on what it is this year that I am truly thankful for.  I am so thankful for all of the special people that surround my life including my family and friends.  I love them all so much and know that they are always there when I need them.  I'm thankful for my wonderful husband.  There is no other man I would want to go on this journey with.  And of course, I am so thankful for my amazing daughter.  There are many times when I look at her and cannot believe that she is mine.  How grateful I am that God chose me to be her mommy.  I am also thankful for all that we have been given, and for growing up in a place where we have been given so many opportunities.

This year though, I have something else to be thankful for.  I am so thankful for our new church that we found several months ago.  We have been so blessed to find it and all of the great people that it has brought into our lives.  In these past few months we have grown so much in our faith and discovered what it is to truly be a Christian.

Now on to the celebration of Christmas!