Oh the Difference that a Year Makes!

Christmas 2007: Last year, this was us. We sat around the tree as a family of two and tried to imagine all that Christmas 2008 would hold. We dreamed about holding our little boy and wondered what he would look like. We thought about him being ten months old the next time our tree went up, and wondered if he would love tearing into his gifts. Mommy even brainstormed thinking of all the things she could buy this little guy... We dreamed of his little hands opening gifts and our arms holding him tight...
and all the dreams did not even come close to reality.

My Baby Boy,
You made Christmas extra special just by being here, and I look forward to all of our Christmases to come.
I love you,
Mommy

We Brush Our Teeth...

cha, cha, cha, cha... cha, cha, cha, cha cha...

We brush our teeth...

Day after Christmas

Yea, that's right: more family! On the day after Christmas, we went to my dad's house... This is Jaxon with his great-grear grandmother, Edith Henderson. He is a fifth generation baby...
Two balls in his hands again...

Cousins...

Sweet smile...

My new favorite pic! The two loves of my life...

Love these kids!

Our favorite present...

Jax and his Papaw...

Christmas Night...

Christmas night we got together with the Thorpe side of the family... Tiny Baby Gavin was Santa Clause...
I sure do love him...

and him... our best family photo of Christmas. I love my family!

Christmas at Nana and Pappy's!

On Christmas day we had Christmas with Justin's family... Jax and his cousins
The Mason family...

MIL and her gift from us...

What Jax did while we opened presents... but he would have loved opening this Backyardigans guitar...

Another attempt at a family photo...

Mason kids/spouses and grandkids...

Jax always has a ball in his hands: sometimes two...

Nana, Paps and the kiddos...

He loves is new 4-wheeler from Nana and Paps... he thinks he's so big!

Baby Jaxon's 1st Christmas...

Our first Christmas with Jaxon could not have been more fun... We are so thankful for this little boy. We couldn't have asked for a sweeter Christmas gift than just being able to spend time with him... Crazy Tigger...
Opening presents...

Daddy teaching Jax how to dunk the basketball...

Now he can do it all by himself!

Sweet baby boy! My favorite pic of the morning...

Family photo: Courtesy of the self-timer on my camera...

And we'll end the night with this. Tiny boy, standing all by himself.

On this, his very first Christmas, he took three steps. We will have a walker very soon, folks. Merry Christmas. More pictures of Christmas day will follow soon!

But for now, I must get some shut eye!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

... and all through the house...

Mommy and Daddy thanked God for this sweet little gift.

He's our best present... Ever.

Christmas Eve at Bonnies...

Christmas Eve night we went to the New Hope church to celebrate Christmas with Justin's extended family. It's a yearly tradition and one of the few times each year that we see many of these relatives. We are thankful for our family! Lookat this cute little man in his new adidas warm up suit...
Cousin love. Jax and Mya playing with some tissue paper...

Jax with his cousins Kelly and Mallory, playing some tunes on the piano. He's pretty talented!

Christmas Eve at Gravel's

On Christmas Eve we had Christmas with my Mom, Gravel and all of my Mom's sisters and my cousins. With four children under 3, a stessful, I mean FUN, was had... Here is Gravel with all of her grandkids... We had a surprise visit from my cousin Eric and his wife and kids, Allison, Taylor and Cole...
Daddy and Jax, getting ready to open presents...

Look at all of those presents!

Family photo: Mommy, Daddy, Jaxon and his best friend, the b-o-t-t-l-e...

My sister (Kacie), mi madre, and me...

Christmas Eve Eve!

Last night (Christmas Eve Eve) we went over to my Mom's house and had Christmas with her, Dale, Gravel, Kacie and Addi. Kacie and Addison. Kacie had to tell her to smile big or she wouldn't be able to open a present... bribery works!
Daddy and Jax... ready to open presents....

Gran with the plaque that Jaxon painted her...

My Gravel, with the plate that I painted her. In the middle it says "All because two people fell in love... Holmes, 1946." Around the rim there is a dot representing her and Papaw, their four daughters, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren...

Jaxon on his new firetruck that Gran and Day got him. He loved it!

We bought Addison a sleeping bag, pillow and flashlight. I never dreamed she would like it so much! She said she was going to sleep in it last night... (however, I doubt that she did!)

Day put his sock hat on Jaxon, and Jax started hamming it up! He was pretty cute though!

The closest thing we got to a family photo all night. Little man did not want to smile. He wanted down to play with his fire truck some more!

Gravel in her new pj's. She looked so pretty in pink!

My necklace from my mom. I love it! If you can't read it, it says "Mommy's Baby Jaxon."

I forgot to blog about this when I was playing catch up the other night, but two big things have happened in my life. Sunday night, my car got backed in to in the church parking lot and I have a hole in my front bumper. We took it to Larry Meadows Monday morning, and the whole front bumper has to be replaced. Also Monday, I had to go to Michelson's and have my wedding band and my engagement ring cut off of my finger... Too bad I dont have a picture!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Youth Christmas Party

Saturday night we had our annual youth Christmas party.... I love this man...

Us with some of the kids. Justin makes them wear ties to the Christmas party, so they aren't big fans...

Afterwards we went ice skating. Not much fun... dangerous.

I made 4 laps, he made 1. We didn't break any bones. A miracle certainly occured...