Monday, January 12, 2009

Happy Birthday, Honey!

January 5th, was Joey’s 27th birthday. Although we didn’t get to do what we had planned because it was cold & windy, we still enjoyed spending the day together. That night we went out to dinner at Wasabi’s with my parents, Mamaw, & our friend Robyn. It was delicious & fun, as always! I know Joey had fun…Even though my Dad ratted him out to the waiter & they came out to sing to him. When we got home, we sang Happy Birthday, had Chocolate-Chocolate cake, & opened presents. I think he enjoyed himself.

I'm so blessed & thankful to have such a wonderful husband, best friend, cuddler, peronal masuse, father of my child (one day children, maybe) & eternal companion. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! I love you for eternity!

Doesn't he look thrilled?
Rob, Mamaw, Mom, & Dad enjoying dinner
Helping Daddy with the candles
Livvy really enjoyed Daddy's cake. She loves chocolate, just like him!
Joey the Fierce

The new year thus far...

So far, the new year is going well. At church, I received a new calling. My mom & I are now the Nursery leaders for our ward & we love it! The children 18mo-3yrs & are so sweet. We have a wonderful class of kids & it amazes me how much someone so little can teach us. Although I’ll miss my 6-8yr old class, I know they will be put in good hands & I look forward to learning in Nursery.

The weekend after New Year's we went up to Joey’s family’s cabin for a night, just the three of us. We had to come back the next day, but it was very nice to just spend time as just us. But in retrospect there are some things we should think about next time. 1) We packed & went up after I got off work one night. We should pack & leave earlier. 2) When it rains in the mountains, it gets really foggy. Which is bad on dark mountain roads. 3) We need to plan to either stay longer, or stop over-packing. It takes too long & too much energy to pack, unpack, relax, & repack in less than 24hrs.

So far the new year has been fun, relaxing, & very enjoyable. But things are beginning to pick up. Joey started a new part-time job with the church as the Maintenance/Custodian for our ward & school started back on the 7th with a crazy schedule. The good news is, the new job means a little more money to help out when we move & only 1 more semester of school to go after this one. :D Yeah….we’re happy. This month's schedule is promised to be busy. But stay tuned for the pics...however long it takes me to post them.
We’re very blessed & this year seems to have started off on the right foot!

The road through the park

A foggy morning in the mountains
Wearing Daddy's slippers
Chillin' with Daddy

Goodbye 08! Hello, 09!

As usual, we are pretty tame on New Year’s Eve. Joey & I went to dinner at our friends, Bob & Sally’s, while Mom watched Livvy for a bit. We came home around 10:45pm to find Livvy already asleep. So we changed into pajamas, poured a little sparkling grape juice, & the three of us snuggled on the couch while we counted down to the new year, very quietly. It was a small, quiet, calm celebration. But a celebration none the less! We are so thankful for all the blessings & experiences we have had in 2008 & look forward to the many that are to come in 2009. Best wishes for the new year, everyone!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Christmas Day 2008 cont.

We spent the rest of the day with Joey’s family, opening more presents, talking, & eating a delicious lunch with them. Everyone was so excited to see Livvy. Jalene & Janele (Joey’s nieces) were so excited to help Livvy open her presents. And Livvy loves watching them run around & play. As soon as she can walk I know she will be on their heels! Sorry, there's no video on here because it would never download.
Livvy opening presents... ...with a little help from her cousins! The loot from Nanny, Papa, Aunt Elisa, Uncle Dale, Jalene, & Janele.

We had a wonderful Christmas together & I know Livvy enjoyed her first Christmas. As you can see she racked up! Livvy enjoys all of her presents. All I can say is I am so thankful for everyone’s generosity. We are so blessed to have such sweet family (both sides!)& friends who care about our little family. Now, we are ready to prepare for Christmas next year & we can’t wait! (I promise, next year I will be way more settled & organized & you’ll actually get Christmas cards & pictures!) We hope you all had a very blessed & merry Christmas season!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Christmas Day 2008- Livvy's 1st!

On Christmas morning we woke up around 7:30am to Livvy lying in her crib talking. I put her into bed with Joey & I & we laid there for a while just snuggling, talking, & laughing. Joey said this is more than likely the only year we will get to do that. It’s true. But I look forward to seeing how excited she is in the coming years. After her morning bottle we went over to Mamaw’s to open presents. At first Livvy didn’t quite know what to do with the presents. As Joey says, 363 days of the year we tell her not to rip paper, but on Christmas & her birthday it’s magically okay. After a while she started helping a little, but was way more interested in playing with the boxes that the toys were in. We ate a wonderful breakfast with my family & then got ready to head to Crossville to visit Joey’s parents.

To be continued....

Amazed at all the pretty stuff....

Starting to get into it....

"Like this, Mommy?"

Our best present ever!

Livvy & her loot

Christmas Eve 2008

This year Christmas felt a bit scattered. On Christmas Eve, my mom’s family all comes over to Mamaw’s for dinner & presents. This was the first year that not all of us were able to make it. My aunt & her family are in Texas preparing for a move to Saudi Arabia (& we all know how I feel about that) so they couldn’t make the trip up. And one of my uncles & his family was unable to be there as well. Although we were all there & my other uncle brought his family, it was just odd to think that things are changing. I always thought that I was open to change. But the older I get the more I realize how much I count on things always staying the same, & when they don’t I feel a bit lost & begin to fell melancholy. I don’t like that feeling. But I know that with change comes new traditions & memories to cherish. It’s just really hard for me to let go. But unfortunately, things don’t always turn out the way I would like them to. Although, I keep telling everyone if they would just listen to me & do what I say to world would run a lot more smoothly. (I know. Go ahead. Laugh. Ok, not that hard.)

So, now that that’s out of my system for another year….Christmas Eve we spent at Mamaw’s house with my Mom, Dad, Mamaw, my Uncle Vince, Aunt Rox, & my cousins Katie & Sam. A much smaller crowd that usual, but still very nice. The food was wonderful as always & we enjoyed opening presents, talking, & listening to Christmas movies playing in the background. After everyone left, we put Livvy to bed & finished up wrapping presents (See, I told you I was behind this year!). I didn’t take any pictures of that, but here are the pictures that we had taken of Livvy at the Fantasy of Trees with Santa.

Christmas Pictures 2008

Yes, we’re still alive. And yes, I know I am sorely far behind on Christmas posts. One day I’ll get with the program, but today is apparently not that day. So bear with me.
Back in November we went to have our First Christmas pictures made together. It was a lot of fun to see how Livvy acted in front of the camera (Which she totally knows how cute she is!) & the pictures turned out so cute! I have added them into an album which you can check out below. For our family members that are far away, let me know if you would like copies of any of these & I’ll send you a CD. It will work better than copying them off the internet. :)

Christmas Photo Shoot 2008

2008 Nativity Pageant Cont.

As a mentioned before, my family participates in the Knoxville Nativity Pageant each year. We did again this year & it was just as amazing as always. Mom & Mamaw brought Livvy for the first performance & they said she loved it too! Joey came to every performance & took pictures with his handy-dandy camera. Here are some of my favorites. If you have never had the chance to come see this wonderful portrayal of the birth of our Savior, make a mental note to be sure not to miss it in 2009.

The entire cast

The kings with Harrod

The beggar outside the city gates

The choir

The arch angel appearing to Mary