I'm back and Happy New Year!

We are finally home. We actually got home yesterday, but yesterday was spent unpacking, washing and drying clothes and grocery shopping! The boys and I left last Monday and spent a few days at my parents house since Josh was working and my mom was off and truthfully we were bored! Thursday, Josh met us and we were off to his family's for Christmas. We spent Thursday and Friday night there and then got up early Saturday (Christmas morning) and drove to the mountains to spend the week with my family. We had a great time, but our glad to be home. We truly had a wonderful Christmas, but our excited about the New Year. It is already showing signs of being a busy year, but I think this year will be much better than 2010. This past year has been a challenging year for us in some different ways and we look forward to starting a new year. I start student teaching January 10th and I'm so excited. I will graduate this year (in July) and hopefully will get a job for August! Josh is starting school for environmental horticulture on January 10th as well and I'm really excited for him and I think it will help his business! I will split our Christmas 2010 into a couple of posts. I will start tonight or tomorrow. Josh went with his family to the Chick-fil-a Bowl and I'm not expecting them until late. So, it will probably be just me ringing in the New Year! Hopefully, the boy will be asleep and who knows...I may be too! Hah :)

What I'm loving Wednesday!

Today, I'm linking up with What I'm Loving Wednesday! It's my first time!

1.)  I'm loving that I have not had any classes this week! It's been so nice to read the books I have been wanting to read and just hang out with my boys without worrying about schoolwork!

2.) I'm loving that there are only 10 days until Christmas!! It is going to be so much fun this year with Hayden and Cayson! I'm really excited to just see them opening presents.

3.) I'm loving that my husband got Dear John for us to watch tonight. We've seen it but I really wanted to watch it again-so he rented it for us!

4.) I'm loving that my friend and I are going to see the movie, Morning Glory tomorrow!

5.) I'm loving that the weather has been cold enough that we have been able to use our fire place. I love sitting in front of the fire and so do the boys!

6.) I'm loving my sweet family!

Santa pictures!

 We took the boys to see Santa yesterday! We have a really nice outdoor shopping center and they have events all throughout the year! So we took the boys to sit with Santa and to take a carriage ride. I didn't get a picture of the carriage ride. We ended up sitting with another family and they were really trying to get people on and off, but it was fun! This was much better than going to see the mall Santa and standing in line for hours! We didn't have to wait in line at all to see Santa here and we could take our own picture!

                                                         Hayden sitting with Santa!                                  

              Cayson would not sit with him, but he wanted one of the candy canes Santa was giving out!

School is over...Christmas fun can begin!!

Last night was my last night of class for the semester! Next semester I begin student teaching and I am so excited and thrilled that this journey is almost over! I have a couple of things that I have to do over Christmas break-study for the GACE (the test we have to take in Georgia in order to get our certification) and I have to study for a Biology clep exam-so hopefully I will not have to take this biology class over the summer. However-this is nothing compared to having to go to class every night and the many assignments I have had due! I'm excited to spend December home with my boys and Christmas with my family in the mountains. I should have some pictures up soon because we have lots going on the next few days. Tonight, we are taking the boys to see Santa. Tomorrow, we are getting our tree and decorating and Saturday some friends are coming over for a Christmas dinner-we are just doing finger foods! I'm very excited!!

Thanksgiving 2010

I know this is a little late, but better late than never right...? Anyways, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of family time and lots of food! We went to South Carolina. That is where both of our parents live. We left Wednesday and hung out with my parents. Then Thursday, we headed over to Josh's parents for lunch.

                                       Playing in the leaves! The boys don't let Papaw sit down when they're there!

 

 Josh and his brother's

 

Like father like son! Hah! 

 

                                                                       Cayson golfing!

                                         Titan who is always around to try and steal the golf balls!

                                                The boys got Aunt Hannah in the leaf action too!

                                                                 Josh and me!

Then Thursday after lunch we headed back to my parent's for dinner! We ate really well that day! I don't have many pictures there but we had a good time visiting with my family.

Then Friday, we got up early to go to Columbia to see one of Josh's cousins play football. His cousin is really good at football and we've been wanting to see him play. They were playing in a championship game so we all went! I think we cursed it though, because they lost and there were some really bad ref calls! When we got back to Josh's parents we ate leftovers from Thursday!- I think I must have gained 10 lbs over the holiday week!

Saturday was the Clemson/Carolina game. My family and I are Clemson fans and Josh and his family are Carolina fans! We are a family divided! Clemson has been playing horribly this season so my mom and I went to Georgia to Christmas shop! Josh got tickets to the game so he went to the game. Of course Clemson lost and Josh's family had a good time messing with us about it! Oh well...there's always next year! I didn't watch one second of that game though Josh didn't text me scores throughout. My mom and I had more fun shopping and eating at Olive Garden! YUM!


Sunday-we ate lunch with my parents and then came home, but not before our annual Christmas picture! (I say Christmas, because we always take a picture for my mom to put on Christmas cards)

      The picture my mom is using. My eyes look kind of funny because I'm having an allergic reaction to something that keeps making my eyes look swollen.

            Harrison asked Hayden if he wanted to play 52 card pick up! Hah! Hayden thought it was funny!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are now excited about getting ready for Christmas festivities! Josh will let us listen to Christmas music now that Thanksgiving is over :)  We will be in the full swing of things just as soon as I finish classes next week! I can't wait. Then I'm in the home stretch and will graduate in May!!

Potty training

If anyone else reads this, I apologize because it's kind of gross. I really wanted to blog it though for my own records. Although other mommies out there will probably understand. Anyways...this morning Cayson went #2 in the potty all by himself. Him and Hayden are playing upstairs in their room, and Hayden came running downstairs to tell me and sure enough Cayson had climbed up on their potty and went! I'm so proud. He's been going pee some in the potty for the past couple of weeks, but mostly if we ask him at the right time. But never has he gone #2, especially without us asking him if he needed to go potty! I'm excited! I am hoping that buying diapers is coming to an end soon.

Happy 2 years!

Cayson-

I can't not believe you are 2 years old! It seems just a short time ago that you were born. You are so funny at this age. You keep us laughing. I can't imagine our lives without you.

Things I want to remember:

• A lot of times when you smile, you scrunch up your nose! I captured the perfect picture of this just a couple of days ago.

• You definitely know you are the baby in this family. I call you my love bug, because you really like to cuddle and be held. I eat this up, because your brother never wanted to be held or cuddled.
• You are a good eater and like just about anything. Some of the things that you eat that really surprise me are salads, fruit, black olives, and mushrooms.
• You talk really well. You speak in full sentences and I can understand almost everything you say. You also are trying to repeat almost everything we say.
• You still have the sweet baby waddle when you run. I'm going to be so sad when you do not do this anymore.
• I think you are going to be much harder to potty train than your brother. You are so stubborn and refuse to sit on your little potty! Hmm..I wonder where you get your stubbornness from? :)
• You are an observer. You love to sit and watch people.
• You have learned to hold your own with your brother. You refuse to let him take advantage of you and do not hesitate to defend yourself. Even if that means rearing back and smacking him. We are working on that! :) You really look up to him and try to do everything that he does. 

Halloween 2010

We had a fun Halloween! On Wednesday night, I was supposed to have class. I drove an hour there to find out class had been canceled and our professor didn't feel it was necessary to e-mail us before hand..so anyways, I drove back and we went to the Fall Festival at our church. Josh was going to take the boys anyways, but I was glad I got to go as well! I don't have any pictures of that though because Josh forgot to take my camera. On Friday, Hayden had a Fall party at school and was able to wear his costume so this is him before school on Friday in his Thomas costume! 

 On Saturday we too the boys to Publix to trick or treat. They had employees dressed up and stationed in different areas of the store. We walked around and the boys got to play games and got candy.

          Josh helping Cayson with his costume.

 The boys and me in the parking lot. This was the best one we got.  Josh was rushing because he was embarrassed I was making him take pictures in the grocery store parking lot! Hah!

 On Sunday- we went to a subdivision some friends from church live in. They have two little boys close in age to our boys so they had fun trick-or-treating together and then playing afterwards.

 This one is kind of blurry, but I like it!

 Haha-I LOVE this face of Cayson! I told them to smile and this is what I got from him!

 Eating candy before we even got started!

 I was trying to get a picture of Cayson with his hoodie on, but he was not having it!

The boys and me. I don't know why I was cheesing like that! :)

Anyways...we had a fun Halloween. This was our first year of the boys really trick-or-treating. Last year they went to a couple of house in my parents subdivision, but it was raining and we couldn't really walk around-so they had lots of fun! When we were finished, Hayden asked when we get to do that again!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 23

Day 23: Favorite Vacation

I have many favorites! Including...

 Hawaii for my graduation gift.

The beach trip we take every year with my family.

The trip to the mountains we take every year with my family.

We went on a cruise to Jamaica, Cozumel, St. Thomas that was lots of fun!

I have special memories of my grandparents taking me to Disney World when I was younger!

Here's some pictures from our last trip to the mountains. (December 2009)

 My grandmother making cookies with Hayden. We used to make cookies together like this when I was little too!

 Christmas morning. Santa knows to come to the mountains for Christmas now :)

 Cayson kept his daddy up all Christmas eve night...so this was him sleeping Christmas day away!

And some pictures from our last trip to the beach (July 2010). 

Worn out!

 The deer in our back yard.

 My grandmother and Cayson. She's so good with them! You'll see her in several of these pictures playing in the sand with the boys.

 Papa feeding Cayson!