Tennessee Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas in Tennessee. We had over 30 people on Christmas eve and over 20 folks on Christmas day. That is ALOT of people. The kids had a great time. Judson had so many people to give him attention. He wants to live in Tennessee! Sawyer had lots of people to watch. (He is a people watcher) Ansley did great. She did not seem to get stressed with all the people. Of course with that many people, someone is always eating. So she was constantly begging for food. Her favorite past time is eating!

The kids were blessed with alot of gifts. We ate like kings for a week. Best of all, we got to visit with family! We had a very Merry Christmas.

Happy New Year!!

So much happens in a year and sometimes we are so busy 'experiencing' life that we forget how we got to where we are. (Make sense?) Towards the end of 2005, my Grandmother died. She was a wonderful lady who lived to be 95 years old. She taught me alot about life and living and I still miss her very much. During that same time, we also prepared our dossier to send to Taiwan so that our case could enter into the courts and we could adopt Ansley. Now towards the end of 2006, we will be celebrating the holidays with family. My grandmother's spirit is still alive. Her memories can never be erased. Our daughter has been home for 6 months. We are making new memories everyday. So while we are ring in 2007, let's take a look back at what we learned in 2006.

1. CHALLENGE YOURSELF. You can do much more than you think you can. Do NOT take the easy road. It's boring and predictable and you'll be saying someday, "I wish I had". You may not be able to do it all at once (or maybe you will) but you can work up to your goal. So, get off your duff and do it! Sign up for that class on how to write the great American novel. Get off the couch and start walking. Before you know it, you'll be ready to run that 5K you've been wanting to do for so long. Start talking to an adoption agency. Next thing you know, that child you've been dreaming of will be calling you mommy/daddy. To quote the Nike commercials, JUST DO IT!

2. TRUST YOURSELF. There will be folks that will tell you it can't be done. Hopefully, there will be people to support you also. In the end, you know if it's something you're willing to work towards. The people who are telling you "don't do it" are usually telling you because it's something they are not willing to do. Who's asking them, right?

3. BE KIND TO YOURSELF. You may or may not succeed in making your dream a reality. It may take more than one try. You may make mistakes along the way. That's okay. You learn and you move forward. Push the negative thoughts out of your mind. Stay away from negative people. (Life's too short) Be one of the positive people-to yourself and to others.

4. ENCOURAGE OTHERS. Don't be a nay-sayer! No one (let me repeat, NO ONE) wants to be around negative people. Help others succeed and you'll be helping yourself too.

5. NO EXCUSES. Try your best and there's no need for excuses.

So that's my pep talk for now. Go out and make some resolutions and then start working towards them. You just might surprise yourself.

Early Christmas

The kids are all sick. Judson has walking pneumonia, Sawyer has an ear infection and Ansley has a bad cold. (are there any good colds?) So we decided to give them an early Christmas present. Judson has wanted this kitchen set for at least 6 months (since he first saw it in the store) and Ansley loves to cook.



Let's face it, the box is always more fun than the actual toy.





They ALL love it!

Almost Christmas!!!!!

So here's a Merry Christmas picture for those who did not get a Christmas card from us. (I'm sure we forgot someone in the 30+ cards we sent out, most likely because we did not have your address)

Also adding in some more of the Festival of Trees


and from a birthday party Judson attended.

O Tannenbaum

WOW! How many trees can they put in one convention center? I don't know but I'm sure they numbered over one hundred. (Big ones, little ones, fat ones, skinny ones) Add in a giant slide, roller coaster, merry-go-round, other carnival rides, crafts, gift shop, more exhibits, and children's choirs and you've got the makings of a great time. That is exactly what we had! The kids loved it, especially Judson. He rode his first roller coaster. Ansley got a bit scared on the tilt-a-whirl but really liked the flying car ride. Sawyer loved the carousel. Mom loved the trees. And DAD, let's just say, he didn't complain as he rode all the rides! People/groups donate decorated trees, wreaths, and gingerbread houses. Some of the themes of the trees this year were: Black-tie barbie (all black and silver decorations), legos (all lego decorations), Thomas the Tank Engine, Swarovski crystal (ooooh-la-la, beautiful), teddy bears, patriotic, South of the Border, Neckties (angels made from old neck ties) and it just goes on and on. They are sold with the proceeds going to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. They charge admission that goes to CHOA. It was a great time and I highly recommend it, even though it can get crazy with the parking and all those people.

I made a collage of some of the trees since there is no way to show all of them. I think I took some 90 photographs today. Enjoy!

The Tree is Up!

Oh boy. Getting decorations up with 3 little ones around, can be a challenge. SO far, the tree is up and the candy canes are put up outside and the Christmas village is out. That'll probably do it for this Christmas. Ansley thinks the the tree is "Pitty" (translation, PRETTY). Sawyer is a bit scared of it and doesn't like to touch it. Judson keeps rearranging ornaments and screwing the light bulbs out of their sockets. And Trinket (the cat) is very interested in the tree! So, it's a typical Christmas in this household.

That's about it around here. Hope everyone is enjoying the season. It's a great time of year, don't miss it!!! Seeing Christmas through the eyes of children is awesome. When asked what he wanted for Christmas, Judson's reply was "Whatever you want to give me". Is that cool or what?

If you look very hard in the picture next to Judson, you'll see a red pillow that used to be velvet. The pillows name is 'Fluffy' and he HAD to be in the picture too. That pillow is more loved than the Velveteen Rabbit! Merry Christmas, Fluffy!