cookies

i knew he was being too quiet...

a surprise for his lady :)

Last night Andy walked in the kitchen, handed me a box and said it was an early Christmas present. It was awesome because, 1) I love surprises and 2) Andy is totally against giving Christmas presents early. Which drives me crazy because I can barely control myself. I almost always give him at least one present early every year. If I could, I'd give him a present right now.

So I open the box and see this!!!!!

lfasjdflkasdf;lkajf;akjsd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He wanted me to have it early so we could take pictures this Christmas. Isn't that an amazing surprise?? Now I can stop making excuses as to why there are only 5 pictures of Molly and she's 8 months old.

I don't really know how to use all the features, but I have figured out how to take a picture. Last night everyone went to sleep and I stayed up for hours taking picture of stupid things. I took a picture of my Christmas decorations...my feet...Copper...my wedding ring...more Christmas decorations. I tried to take pictures of myself but that camera isn't made to be flipped around real quick for a self portrait. Especially when you're wearing it around your neck in the first place. Tends to choke you up. Gag.

What is also pretty thrilling is that we had the extra cash just laying around to buy this mother. That makes me happy. It's a really great gift to ourselves...sort of like a treat for being a good boy and girl. It feels good that we waited and did it the right way. All around happy feelings :)

I know you all know this...because I constantly blab about him...but Andy is the best.

I hit the jackpot.

independance day

In the words of my cousin Alex,  The biggest salute goes to you!

in pix

1. Let's smooch: Colt's Valentine Balloon. Now every time he sees a cow in a book, he gives it a smooch.2. 30 weeks.3. Maternity compression pantyhose. Is it possible for your toes to feel claustrophobic?...Because I'm close to cutting the feet out. I got in these suckers but it was ugly and I'm pretty sure Colt is going to need some counseling after witnessing his pregnant mother struggle and flop around on her bed in her underwear trying to put on some dang pantyhose. 4. Coppers new headrest is Molly. She be a pretty dawwwwg.

christmas card

We didn't take family pictures for our Christmas cards.
I wasn't that organized.
SO, here is a picture from Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas. haha.

christmas morn 09

We had a great Christmas this year. Santa came on Christmas Eve morning since Daddy worked Christmas Day. Did you know how flexible Santa is? You can make him come whatever day you want! It's fantastic. No, to be honest we tried to make Christmas fun but not so much about tons of presents and tons of Santa. We've decided in our family that we'll do three gifts for the kiddies [just like Jesus got on the night he was born, via the three wise men] and then we said we'd do one gift from Santa and this year Santa filled his stocking with a harmonica. Oh ya!

Here is our Christmas Tree. I was so busy with my 3 part-part-time jobs the last few weeks before Christmas that when you put them all together it really felt like a part-time job so my Christmas decorating never really got finished how I liked...nevertheless it was still pretty.

My garland. Excuse the messy house. It was Christmas [eve] morning...houses are supposed to be messy.
The mantle. I decided this year I was going to make my own artwork with words/scriptures from the nativity scene but I never finished. If you look in front of that giant present on the mantle you can see one of the three I was in the process of making. I only finished one and just yesterday packed all the unfinished artwork up for next years inspiration...that's if my children [yes, plural] allow me time for it :)In order to get Colt to come sit next to us and watch US open HIS presents [yes, he wanted nothing to do with unwrapping] we had to break out the ole' handy dandy sweeper [or 'vacuum' for you southerners].Colt got a baseball mitt and ball from Daddy. Gotta start them young you know? I'm pretty sure we've got a Pedoria or an Ellsbury in the making...just gotta teach him the ball isn't an apple first.Hug it out on 3, Dad!
1...2...3...
I love you, man!Then Colt hugged Copper.Then Dad put together the Monster Tent.Then I sat on the couch and watched. Excuse this grossness.Ya! He loves his dog.We all fit! This monster tent has been my favorite gift Colt has ever gotten, because you know how you play in a tent???? You just lay there under a bunch of blankets...most relaxing game I've ever played.On Christmas Day Colt and I went to my parents early in the morning. In the car before we pulled out of the drive way I reached back for Colt's hand to pray with him before we started out our day. I thanked God for the life we live because of the birth and death of Jesus Christ. It was a beautiful prayer but all the while he was hitting my arm with his new stuffed Giraffe 'General Georgie' because he didn't want to hold my hand, so the beauty in the moment was slightly tainted yet still there. I often remind myself that Jesus was once a crazy 1-year-old too so I'm sure he smiles on those moments.

I woke up Christmas morning by myself but spent it with my Lord. I think for the first time this year the true magnitude of the birth of Christ really hit me. I was over taken with gratitude for the cost of my salvation and that it came through a little baby. A baby was born to die for me.

That's a lot of love.

holidays are exhausing

and it's not even Christmas yet!

christmas nugget

Christmas Eve 2008.
My lil nugget was only a few months old here!
I'm going to soak up every minute of our last Christmas together as a family of three.

Looking good, Missy. haha!

you better watch out...

Because I saw Santa at my mom's house the other day and he's pretty scary lookin. Colt didn't cry though...
At this one or the one at the mall.

ho ho ho

hey rudolph

time for the spandex pants

This Thanksgiving was a good one. Before someone says the grace we all hold hands and say what we're thankful for. We always laugh and cry at each others answers.

-My cousin Renae was thankful for the color orange [deep stuff, I know].

-My cousin Jack said he was thankful for Indians. Which doesn't come close to topping the year when he said he was thankful for the time that him and his friend Grayson ran around naked together. ha!

-I was thankful for Colt, and my baby in my belly, and for my baby daddies. Yes, I accidentally said baby daddies instead of baby DADDY! Singular. Just one. We laughed.

-Then I moved Colt's bottom lip and made him say he was thankful for Apple Juice. Not two seconds later he let out the largest man belch the world had ever heard. Laughed.

-My Grandpa was thankful that the Lord had kept his entire family healthy and alive all these years. We cried.

-My Grandma was thankful for my Grandpa. After 50+ years of marriage she wouldn't be the woman she was with out him in her life and all the people standing in this circle holding hands wouldn't be here with out him either. He's a great man. We cried some more.

Here is the center piece on the kids table. Fresh flowers, cinnamon sticks & little pilgrims which they made as a craft after dinner.The feast hall...before we slopped green bean casserole and gravy all over the white linens.My mom came up with this great idea for a center piece. She bought fresh bananas, oranges, pears, apples, papaya and lemons to be the center piece. We sprinkled around some fall leaves, shelled nuts and candles. So beautiful! Martha Stewart would be proud.Renae and Abby cleared off all the plates from the kid table and the grown up table [mean while the grown ups shared a bottle of merlot and played the game you used to play in third grade...Telephone. More laughing. AND it's offical, my Grandpa can't hear anything...even when your speaking right into his ear. ha!]

Then Caleb volunteered to clean off all the dishes and load the dish washer! I was so proud of the young lad. I took this picture so I could prove to his parents that he really did do the dishes. It was a great Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for!

I'm also thankful that all my maternity pants have the spandex built into them.

seating arrangement madness

Mom works retail so when she gets a weekend off I pretty much live at her house. This last weekend our mission was...Thanksgiving seating arrangements [she's hosting].

Mission #1: Fit-All-17-Haabs-At-One-Table-For-Thanksgiving
Mission #2: Fit-All-6-Kids-At-One-Table-For-Thanksgiving.

We laughed...We cried...She hopped on the table and acted like a center piece.

All in all.
We made it happen.
Eat that Tabor Hill.

I love my mom.

he's thrilled

Happy Halloween or Happy Trunk or Treat...or whatever you do.

Here's hoping he scores a lot of candy so I can eat it all!

How cute is this pumpkin???

Edible. That's how cute.

christmas in september

After crawling across my mattress and realizing that my knee was hitting the box spring...AND after Andy was laying still one night and felt a spring go hay wire underneath him...AND after we worked our booties off in August and had some money left over in the budget...We decided to buy ourselves a new mattress. AND since we can't totally justify dropping hundreds of bucks just because we want something new we decided we would make it our Christmas present to each other, but we'd wouldn't have to wait until Christmas to get it :)

There was a Sealy sale and since I used to work at a furniture store I and since I know the right people we got a great price on a brand new Randolph Terrace Queen Cushion Firm Pillow Top mattress.

Let's just say we slept like babies.
This morning was the first day in months Andy said his back wasn't killing him when he woke up!
Merry Christmas Baby!
Now...how many naps can I squeeze in today?
All I want to do is to go back to sleep :)