These Little Moments...

The theme for me during Christmas 2012 has been blessed . I feel overwhelmed and so very grateful for the many blessings in my life. Even though we've been fighting sickness in our household for the past 9 days, I simply cannot complain. It is a privilege to be able to wake with my children during the night, comfort them during the day, and pray that their tiny bodies will get well soon… What I face is the “normal” stuff. In the past, I've turned away from some of the harsher realities that surround us. I've recently made awareness a priority. In becoming aware of the struggles others must carry, I've discovered an even deeper sense of thankfulness and a fresh perspective on life. I find myself wanting to give more of myself and be more for others. These thoughts are the beginning of a New Year’s Resolution post to come… I’m digging deeper this year, stepping outside of my comfortable “bubble”, and looking forward to the opportunity to grow...

Baking Christmas Cookies... a tradition I hold close to my heart. I remember so well December afternoons spent with my mother and sister rolling dough, choosing cookie cutters to create Christmas shapes, and watching that first batch through the oven door, anxious for the timer to grant us permission to take them out. I always told myself it would be a tradition I'd carry on with my own children. Yesterday, Gracie and I made our own Christmas cookies, just as we've done every year since she was old enough to help me. But yesterday, the whole experience took on even more meaning as I stirred, rolled dough, placed cookie cutters, baked and decorated cookies with my daughter. I couldn't help but think of the mothers and fathers who will not be able to carry on their own traditions with their children this year. Perhaps they, like me, were planning for the perfect afternoon for baking, or maybe they had evening plans to visit their local lights show. As we continue to ...

How is it possible that my baby is now a year and a half old! He's such an amazing little boy and an adorable blessing in our lives. I've especially enjoyed listening to his precious voice as his vocabulary increases. While "Mama" is still the sweetest word in the world, I also LOVE hearing him say other words, including "Gaff" (giraffe) and "Ish" (fish). He seems to say something new every day. I also love how he tries to mimic things Gracie says. She's been a great teacher over the past 18 months! In addition to a developing vocabulary, my little man is also exhibiting a developing temper. He is extremely easy going and pleasant when he's happy and things are going his way. When things aren't going his way, he morphs into a tiny ball of anger and does not hold back! I typically let him have his moment, then the whole tantrum seems to end as quickly as it began. He's pretty hilarious, even when he has those fists balled up in ...

Last weekend, my family attended a special Saturday with Santa event. There were lots of fun, festive activities for the kids, including cookie decorating, making reindeer food, and Christmas crafts. The event was held to raise money for a local children's charity. I was asked to stand in as photographer to capture some adorable pictures of the children with Santa. It was truly an honor to be a part of this day. I was so happy to hear that over $500 was raised! Saturday with Santa was put together by one of my great friends and her family. I personally had a blast, and I'm pretty sure the little ones did, too! First, the children were put in groups and given their own personal elves to lead them throughout the party. They began by coloring bags to hold all their goodies. Austin and Ethan Chandler and Gracie Next, the kids decorated Christmas cookies using everything from sprinkles to gumdrops.  There was also a Christmas tree craft station and game...

Our family enjoyed a very low-key, relaxed holiday weekend. We spent Thanksgiving morning in pajamas, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then joined my sister's family at my mom's house for an amazing meal. That evening, we started bringing out the Christmas decorations, which was exciting to both Ethan and Gracie! Our tree looks kind of pitiful this year. The ornaments from around the bottom keep disappearing... Thanksgiving Morning.  (Of course my two were the ones not cooperating, but I still love this picture!) Since Sean was also off on Friday, we took the kids over to Sean's brother's house for a post-Thanksgiving breakfast. As much as we've enjoyed traveling to visit family in the past, it was nice to stay close to home this year. We're lucky to have family members who live within 10 minutes of us, so we still get that "togetherness" without the stressful car-rides or out-of-town trips. Although my actual birthday wa...

I'm always amazed when I look back at last year's pictures, then compare them to this year's. Children grow so, so quickly! Halloween 2011 Ethan wasn't even crawling a year ago, and now, he is everywhere ! Dressing the kids up was a lot of fun this year. Instead of walking through our neighborhood, or my mom's, as we've done in the past, we joined our niece and nephew, Madison and Drew, in downtown Kernersville for some Trick or Treating fun. It was chilly, but Ethan stayed pretty warm in his raccoon costume. Our pumpkin was knocked over, rolled around, kicked, and beaten. We didn't even bother carving it; this "gu-kin" (as Ethan calls it) was entertaining enough as is. Gracie chose to be Rapunzel, one of her favorite princesses. She loved having such long hair! She wears her dress-up Rapunzel dress almost every day, so getting this new one was pretty exciting for her. Anderson and I tried so hard to get a p...

Thursday evening, at the end of dance class, the parents were invited to watch our girls perform two dance routines, one tap and one ballet. They danced to Witches' Brew and the Monster Mash. The girls were allowed to wear their Halloween costumes for their performance. I wasn't sure Gracie's costume would work well on the dance floor, so I did exactly what I did last year and turned her into a pretty kitty. The girls were adorable, and we especially enjoyed watching Gracie dance. We were very proud of our girl! Meow!

Sean and I arrived home Friday afternoon after a week-long cruise. It was absolutely wonderful. I am honestly having a hard time accepting that our trip has come and gone! We started counting down to this vacation over 130 days ago. It seemed so far away back then! We left Greensboro last Monday morning at 6 am, on a flight to Atlanta, Georgia. I was actually really nervous about flying, but everything went well and I was able to relax a little on our 2nd flight from Atlanta to Miami!! I am a Miami, Florida baby. It was neat to be back in the city where my life began. Nerves aside, the view was spectacular. From there, Sean and I joined a group of our fellow cruisers on a coach that took us straight to our ship, the Carnival Imagination. Sean was 100 percent prepared with all of the necessary documents, boarding passes, and our "Faster to the Fun" cruise information, which made both of our flights and boarding the ship an absolute breeze. I greatly appreciated that ...