HUGE catch-up...Sorry guys!

I know, I know. I'm a huge blog slacker. I actaully get on most days for a few minutes, check out the blogs I follow to see what's new. I just haven't posted anything because I haven't had time to get my pictures off my camera, weed through them to find what I need, & wait for them to post. Only thing is, my camera is now missing in the clutter. I know I don't need pictures on every post, but there are so many cute ones I want to share. But I digress & I wil try to do better...even without pictures.

Alot has happened in the past (almost) year. I know I have forgotten alot, but here's the highlights from our little family!

- Joey found out he will have to take his last semester of school in the fall. Thus, graduating Dec 11th. Not as early as we'd like. But thank goodness!!
- On May 13th, Livvy got sick for the first time. An ear infection in her Right ear. Then she had a reaction to the antibiotic. Then she got a bad rash. Supposedly a viral rash she will get when she is sick. More med to take care of that. Lovely....
- Mother's Day was very low-key this year, & I loved it!
- Joey got pneumonia.
- Our new nephew was born! Haven't met him since they are in CA now. But from the pictures we see, he's a cutie, just like his siblings!
- Livvy had another ear infection in the other ear. Poor baby!
- Father's day was low key as well.
- In June, we went to sign a lease with one apartment. It got sold out from under us 15mins before our appointment. SO upsetting!! Then good news came that the apt we really wanted became available.
- We got our apt & started moving on June 27th. We were officially moved in on July 4th. We're still unpacking & decorating, but the basic stuff is good to go & we have even had some friends & family over.
- In July, Livvy started walking on her own. She's still not very fond of it, but she knows she can do it!
- Joey & I took our vacation in August. We celebrated our anniversary, took livvy to the zoo for the first time, spent time with family, etc.
- My Aunt, uncle, & three adorable cousins left the U.S. & moved to Saudi Arabia. My uncle has a job that was just oo good to pass up. They came & stayed with Mamaw for a few months until they could get all the paperwork done. Now they are all together & from what I hear, loving every minute of life there! We miss them, but we will get to see them sometime in summer of 2010.
- Apparently our someone in our building was not the cleanest, thus inviting "friends" to come for an extended stay. Apparently when they moved the "friends" needed a place to go & decided to pay everyone else in the building a visit & stay awhile. These things are NOT our friends & we were very upset by this. Our apartment management took take care of them, but it just grosses me out & makes me feel dirty when I know I am clean (Yeah, I'll admit it...Joey & I are both clean freaks.)But they appear to be gone & we couldn't be happier.
- Livvy is a talking, singing, running, dancing machine! She's always on the go, talking about something, getting into something, or taking a moment to break it down whenever there is music. She still loves her "Your Baby Can Read" tapes, The Wonderpets, Spongebob, kitties, doggies, basically any animal, & baby dolls. She is becoming quite the little mommy!
- We took Livvy to the ice rink for the first time. She refused to put on the adorable little skates they have (The ones I have dreamed about my child wearing since I can remember. But I'll live.). But sat in the little carseat chair Larry made & I scooted her around the ice. I hadn't even been on skates in almost 3 years!
- Liv told me in September what she wanted to be for Halloween...Tinkerbell! And, as usual, she got her wish. She loved the dress, but freaked out a bit when the poofy stuff had to go over her head. Then later, she fell in mud while trick-or-treating. In her own words.."Ew! Yucky!" We have taught her well!
- I had a car acceident in late October. I was on a 2-lane road when I car came over the line, so I moved to the right a little. My tires caught the grass on the side of the road & pulled me into a phone pole. It pulled my side mirror off & flung it into the car breaking the window & hitting me in the head a little. It damaged the whole passenger side of the car. Thankfully I was the only one in the car & barely had any issues except a couple of tiny scrathes from the glass. Insurance covered it & everything is fine. But boy, was that scary! I was truly being watched over.
- A new family moved into our ward at church with a little girl only a few days younger than Liv. If you ask Liv who her best friend is she will tell you the little girl's name. Too adorable!
- Joey graduated on Dec 13th! FINALLY! I'm so proud of him. Now he's looking for better job.
- The holidays were very nice. We spent time with family & friends, & everyone got thouroghly spoiled!
- We spent New Year's Eve with Joey's best friend & his little family. Livvy partied until 12:30am & only fell asleep because we were in the car driving home & she was bored. She is a party animal!
- On January 30th, there was a winter storm that hit the area. The roads were iced so Joey couldn't go to work, nor could our neighbor. We were woken up my our upstairs neighbor banging on our door at about 8:45am. Joey jumped up to answer it & immeadiately smelled smoke. Our neighbor told us he thought it was the apartment across the hall & we needed to get out. He had already called the Fire Dept before realizing we were home. Joey ran back to wake Liv & I. We quickly scrambled into jeans instead of PJ's, threw Liv's coat on & Joey & Liv headed out the door. I stayed back to grab a couple of necessities, until the firelady came & screamed at me to get out now until they knew where the fire was coming from. I listened, & we all got outside safely. Moments later they opened the door to the apt next to us & found an elderly man unconscious. No one has ever told us for sure what happened, but it appeared he had been smoking on his couch & just fell asleep. The man only suffered smoke inhilation & a few burns, & no one else was injured. A nice woman in the next buliding over told Joey to bring Livvy in out of the cold. My parents came to pick her up a few minutes later. We spent the day washing 14 loads of laundry, cleaning, using Febreeze like mad, & cleaning carpets, etc.It was absolutley crazy to see them pull out the smoldering funiture & see the aftermath. Everything was ash. Our outside hall has been cleaned, but is still tinged with black soot everywhere. The experience in & of its self was scary enough. But what is even scarier are the "What If's?" What if Joey had gone to work? Livvy & I didn't hear a thing. What if our neighbor had gone to work? No one would have been there to warn us or to call the Fire Dept., etc, etc. I could go on forever. And in my head I did for days. I still do. We now have an emergency bag...just in case. I know this is nothing HUGE & there are so many who have been through worse. But for me, this was one of the scariest things for me because I think of Joey & Livvy. This really made me notice somethings I take for granted. Funny enough, my testimony was even strengthened. I have never been so grateful for ice & snow. Or for a kind neighbor who listened to the voice in his head that said, "They might be home!". The Lord knows exactly what He is doing. Sometimes, He's just kind enough to let us see a little part of it. Things fell into place, & I could not be more thankful & humbled.

On a different note, I will be making my blog private in the coming weeks. If you would like to continue to follow our Oh-so-exciting lives, leave your e-mail address or e-mail me & I will send you the invitation link when I switch it over.

Well, that's about it. Right now we are working, looking for Joey a good job so we can prepare for me to be a stay-at-home mom, doing our church callings, trying to stay in touch with friends & family, watching Livvy grow, etc. We're always on the go, so there's sure to be more updates soon...I PROMISE!!

(We need to update our family picture too, huh?)

Livvy's 1st B-day: Trip to the Aquarium

On Livvy's birthday, Joey & I took off work & as soon as he got home from school we took off to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies for some family time! There were tons of people there, way more than we expected. But it was wonderful! Livvy loved every minute of it!! Since there are so many pictures, I decided to just make a slideshow for you. So enjoy!!

Livvy's 1st Birthday

March 31st was Livvy's actual first birthday. I can't believe my baby is 1yr old now! It has flown by!! We are so blessed to have Livvy in our lives. She brings out the best in us & makes us want to be the best we can. She brightens our days making us smile & laugh. Your heart melts when she hugs, snuggles, giggles, or smiles. Her laugh is SO contagious! She is so smart (I'm not biased, mind you..haha!) & loves to learn new things. She has a major personality (with attitude!) already, but it is such a sweet personality. She loves books, animals (particularly kitties, frogs, tigers, & giraffes, & turtles), fish, playing tea party, trying to talk like a big-girl, giving kisses (especially the really wet ones. Those are the best!), music, & dancing! She truly is our little miracle. The Lord's most precious gift he could have ever given us. She teaches us everyday- how to love, how to smile, how to find joy in the tiniest & most simple things, how to just be us, etc. I feel so blessed to have been entrusted with her. Happy Birthday, Sweet baby! You're growing up, but you'll always be my Little Stinker!

When we got home we found my aunt & her family at finally arrived to stay with us a a while. So, they celebrated with us! L to R: Garrett, Uncle James, Carolyn, Snow White (Livvy's present from Grandma & Grandpa (or as she says Gama & Guppa), Livvy, Me, & John.
We sang "Happy Birthday!" & Carolyn helped us blow out the candles.
We at another cupcake....

Here's a video of our "Cupcake Monster"! Sorry, it was loud. I love the look on her face when I holler at her, "Who, me?"


And this is what she was doing at 9:56pm, exactly one year from when she was born. Love it!

My very own Calico creation!!

I know I've told ya'll about my crafty-to-the-max friend Cally. Well, look what she made for me.

It's my "Working Mommy bag that can go on dates".

And my extra surprise...diaper attachement!


Yeah, I'm pretty lucky & excited! If you haven't already, you should really check out Cally's other creations. Thanks again, Cally! I love it!!

Valentine's Day '09

We had a very nice Valentine's Day this year. At midnight, after Livvy & everyone was asleep, Joey & I couldn't wait to exchange our gifts. We promised not to get eachother anything big since we were going out to dinner & to see the Features at World Grotto later that night. So we exchanged our cards & shared our chocolate (for Joey), & chocolate-covered strawberries (for me). We got Livvy a little stuffed cat holding a heart & Joey got her 1 dozen roses. They were yellow roses. Which just so happens to be my favorite. He said he thought she might grow up to like them too, & she already does! She loves to look at them & touch them softly. I'm so terrible, I never got a picture of them. We, all three, spent the day being lazy at home, making my parent's at least go out to lunch, running a few errands, & napping before our date night that night. We overslept a little & didn't have much time to go anywhere to eat & we both completely forgot to get reservations. So, we ended up eating a McAlister's Deli & then heading to the concert. It was awsome! Llama Train opened for the Features & they were both really good. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
Here are some pictures. I apologize, I couldn't get a picture with Joey's eyes open. Apparently this was the day that no matter what we did he had to blink right when I took the picture. I finally got one, but now Livvy's not looking. Oh well!

Livvy & her "Da-di"

Joey & I on the town!

25 Most Random Things About Me

Yeah, I know...it's been forever it seems! Don't worry, posts with pictures are coming soon. But for now, here you go...

It happened, again. I got tagged on here & on facebook. So here it is! Feel free to read it you feel so inclined & fill one out for yourself!

1. I might not seem very organized lately, but I really am an organized person. Hence the fact that I panic if I am without my planner or I can’t find something because things are disheveled.

2. I’m just a little OCD. Especially about germs & dirt. To the point that when I was really young, I would wash my hands & disinfect everything so much my hands would bleed. I know, weird.

3. I did Hebrew dance for several years & was on a swim team in grade school. I also figure skated for 11yrs.

4. I play piano & am a piano teacher (when I can find the time again!). I would absolutely love to own a harp so I could teach myself how to play.

5. I love music! It just makes me happy. You can usually catch me, more often than not, humming & head bobbing to some song in my head.

6. I got married to an amazing man just shy of my 19th birthday, & had Livvy just before I turned 20.

7. I love documenting things with writing & pictures. Family, church, etc. I love keeping a history.

8. I love the Lord with all my heart and I have a strong testimony of the gospel & His plan for me.

9. There are days I’m a total girly-girl (love mani-pedis), & others I just don’t care. I suppose I'm hard to define in that respect.

10. I dream of being a stay-at-home mom/housewife one day. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

11. I love old movies & music. I was quizzed as a child about the names & background info on the performers. Let’s just say, I can hold my own on the trivia stuff.

12. I am an only child. Although, I consider my best friend & her whole family my siblings.

13. I love & appreciate my family & friends more than they will ever know. I don’t do enough to thank them.

14. As a child my career aspirations where to be a bagger at Kroger’s, a pretzel maker at Auntie Anne’s, & a singer/dancer in a show (Dollywood, Broadway, etc.). I know, dare to dream big.

15. Eventhough I don’t to it very often, I love to read. But it has to be a book that I’m almost immediately drawn into.

16. Try as I might, I’m just not artistic. My crafts always look like a Kindergartener made them.

17. I am a huge klutz. This would explain the random statches, cuts, & bruises I always have.

18. I have never broken any bones. But I have “stoved-up” a finger so bad that it caused permanent swelling, dislocated my hip, chipped the hip-bone, eliminated the cartilage in my knees, & have arthritis is my hip, knees, & ankles. Graceful come to mind?

19. I'm a blogger. Just a little addicted to that, I'll admit.

20. I love Italian food.

21. I am addicted to texting. Sad, but true.

22. People say I was “born old”. Growing up I spent almost all my time with my mom, Mamaw, & great-aunts. I spoke & acted like I was much older & more mature than I was.

23. I love to travel. I love to see new places & things & love learning about the history.

24. I’m a talker. I won’t deny it. Even a motor-mouth. But I really am nervous the whole time I'm talking. That’s when the nervous ticks & stuttering come out. And there are times I’ll act shy if I don’t really know you. I don’t like speaking to crowds, but if it is important I’ll suck it up & go.

25. I love watching sports. Funny thing is, I enjoy it more than my hubby sometimes.

"Once there was a snowman"

It finally happened. It snowed! Not just the little stuff we get every year that melts in miliseconds. But 2in of the wet stuff! It came yesterday. They told us we could leave early from work if we thought the roads would be bad, so I left an hour & a half early. I called Joey & suggested he do the same. So, as soon as he got home I convinced him we needed to go out & build a snowman to show Livvy. So we did & this is what we made. Handsome little dude, isn't he? He would be much larger, but the sun came out causing the snow to start melting & turn to ice. Plus, neither of us were wearing gloves or anything, so are hands where freezing & starting to hurt. By the time we were done, it was getting dark. We wanted to hurry & take a picture so we didn't take time to put on Livvy's snow gear. We just bundled her up in a thick blanket & ran out to take a picture. She didn't like being bundled up, so Joey kept having to fight to keep the blanket on her. So this is the best picture we have of her with the snowman. She might not have a clue what it was all about, but hey, we had fun! And we have something lovely to show for it, nice pictures & not-so-nice colds.

Livvy & Daddy with our cold, little friend.

Daddy got a nice picture of a winter sunset-sky.

One awsome week

So, this week has been pretty great. First we had Mamaw's Birthday celebration, then Hairspray, then a Hockey game, then we attended Jammin' In Your Jammies, & to top it all off Joey & I went out to dinner. I know, it's simple. But I thouroughly enjoyed it! But the "star" of my post today in none other than my favorite band, Emerson Drive. They were in town to sing at the start of the hockey game & play a small concert. I knew I wouldn't be able to go to the concert since it was a weeknight & it wasn't starting until late. So, Joey got some free tickets from the radio station for he, my dad, & I to go see them at the hockey game. I was thrilled! My pictures didn't turn out very well, & I didn't get to go talk to them after since they were whisked away to get ready for the show. But Joey did get this video for me. It's a little echo-y, but they still sounded great! I was happy! Enjoy! :o)

Hairspray!

That's right! My birthday present finally got here! Ok, let me explain. For my birthday Joey got me tickets to go see the Broadway production of Hairspray when it was planning to come to town in January. Well, they came. We went. We sang along. We loved! Ok, maybe I loved it more than Joey, but he still enjoyed it! It was amazing! If you have yet to see a production of it or the movie, you are missing out. It is definitely one of my favorites. I am a sucker for musicals though. Especially the corny ones. And this one is definitely that!

One thing I thought was funny was that while I was watching the cast perform on state, dancing & singing it reminded me. When I was younger, my family took me to Dollywood alot. We would watch the shows, & I would tell my family that my dream was to one day be one of those people on stage. Keep in mind that this is after my dreams of growing-up to be a bagger at Krogers (What? I was three & I loved the grocery store.) & becoming a professional pretzel maker at Auntie Ann's (I still fantasize about that one. Gosh, I love pretzels!). So, here I am almost 20 years later. I'm not a dancer anymore, or a singer. Things happen, things change, some dreams fade. But that one never did. I would still love be on stage in a show like that. Just for fun. But I'm afraid my Arthritis-inflicted joints would not thank me for that. Who knows though, maybe one day I'll be that woman who, when all her kids are grown, will take up dancing. But it will have to be before Joey retires & we sit in our rockers on our front porch all day. Haha....yeah, like we'll ever not be busy & have the time to do that! But who knows. A girl can dream! So now my question is, what have been some of your dreams? Feel free to share! And go ahead, laugh at my childhood dreams that for some reason revolve around food.

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!

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!

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

The 40th Annual Knoxville Nativity Pageant

Right after Thanksgiving, we began practices for The Knoxville Nativity Pageant. This event, in it's 40th year, boast a 120-member cast, 200-voice choir, live animals, & much more. See this short synopsis on Knoxville's website.

My family has participated for years. Dad has been in the choir for about 30yrs, Mom has been for at least 7yrs, Dad’s Mom (Mom Maretta) sang in the choir for many years as well, & I have been in for 11yrs. I sang in the choir for 5yrs, then I was a villager in the cast for 2yrs, & then for the past 5yrs (with the exception of last year, as I was unable to perform due to pregnancy.) I have been a Heavenly Host Angel in the cast (no chuckles, please).

If you have never seen this beautiful depiction of the Christmas story, please consider taking the time to with your family. If you have, please join us again!

Where: The Knoxville Civic Coliseum
Admission: Free
Parking: Approx $5 in garages beside & across the street.
When: Sunday, Dec 14, 2008 @ 3pm (Today. Sorry!)
Monday, Dec 15, 2008 @ 7:30pm
Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 @7:30pm
It is best to arrive early for a good seat & parking. Also, the performance takes place in the dark so it is good to already have your seat before it begins.

Fantasy of Trees '08 cont

Here's more pictures I just have to share. I have some better ones of all three of us & some with Mom & Mamaw that were taken there that I'll have to scan in later.
Just us!
Waiting in line with Daddy to meet Santa!
Making time for some snuggles...
Daddy's favorite tree...Pirate stuff plus ducks!
Mommy's favorite tree...all blankets!

Thanksgiving 2008- Livvy's 1st!

My little turkey!

Mom slicing the turkey. It's not just a man's job!

Mamaw preparing the table, while Dad hovers waiting to chow down. Haha!

Am I the last person to blog about Thanksgiving? Sorry, I told you this is our busiest time of year! Anyways, we had a very nice Thanksgiving. It was Livvy’s 1st! Livvy & I slept in on Thanksgiving while Joey went to our church’s “Turkey Bowl” to play & take pictures. When Livvy & I woke up we had fun watching The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. She loved the music & floats!

That afternoon, we had dinner with my family. It was odd. It was only Mom, Dad, Mamaw, Joey, Livvy, & I. Normally most of mom’s side of the family comes over, but not this year. It was still very enjoyable & the food was amazing as always.
Livvy even had her own turkey dinner baby food which, as you can see, she did not like. She would much rather just have whatever is off of our plates. After dinner, we lyed around for a while & played with Livvy. I had a video, but it wouldn't upload...gr...

We had originally planned to go see Joey’s family after dinner, but they were all sick. So, we opted to stay home to keep Livvy from catching it. I felt so sorry for them & we missed seeing them! We’ll definitely have to visit soon & we’ll be there for Christmas Day.

Just like every year, I have so much to be thankful for. Our Savior, my faith, my sweet husband, my beautiful baby, my loving family, my caring family-in-law, friends, health, food to eat, a roof over our heads, medical care when needed, jobs, the country we live in, the children in my Sunday school class & all they teach me, the opportunities I have to share what I have with others who might not be as richly blessed. Every day, not just during this season, I hope I can recognize & appreciate all my blessings (even the hidden ones).

The 24th Annual....

It's that time of year again! This week kicks off what is usually my busiest & most favorite time of year (Thanksgiving-Christmas). Not only is it Autumn which brings Thanksgiving, but this week every year Knoxville hosts The East Tennessee Children's Hospital's Fantasy of Trees. The Fantasy of Trees is the hospital's largest fundraiser. This year, all proceeds go to purchase equipment and other needs for the hospital's inpatient units, Surgery, and Radiology departments. I love service, no matter what kind! But this fundraiser is particularly close to my heart. My family & many friends work the event as volunteers. I've been almost every year since I was born, & this will be my 11th year working the event. I have seen how many lives have been touched by this incredible venture. Including my own niece (by marriage), Jalene, who battled cancer at the young age 2yr old & won with the help of ETCH.
The event begins the day before Thanksgiving & ends the Sunday after (Nov. 26-30th). There are crafts for children(free & $), lively shows, beautiful displays, & even Santa Claus! Most definitely something for everyone...even the "Scrouges". Check out the links for more info, times, & prices. There will also be a link on my sidebar for information year round! I invite you to come kick off the holiday season with something you will never forget & is sure to become a family tradition.

I must admit, I do feel really odd this year. Normally, I start working as an recruiter for this event in August or September. But this year, things are so topsy-truvy that I haven't done any recruiting at all. Also, last year, pregnant & sick, & worked all but 4 shifts & loved every minute of it. This year, I'm working only 1. I keep being told I shouldn't feel bad, but I can't help it! It's odd, not like me, & definitely not my typical routine this time of year. I can only hope that next year will be more settled & I'll be back to my normal. At any rate, we will definitely be attending & working so expect pictures!