Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Christmas Time!!!!

I was so excited about Christmas this year because of Major. I couldn't wait for him to wake up Christmas morning and see what Santa brought him. He was ill as a hornet in the days leading up to Christmas. I wasn't totally shocked about it though. He hates being shuttled to and from anywhere and could care less about being in the car. It was fine though. We got to where we needed to be, we all had fun and only had a few meltdowns along the way :)
We celebrated Christmas with Josh's immediate family the weekend before Christmas at his Dad's farm. We all spent the night, we all meaning Josh's sis and her family, his brother and his wife, us, and then his Dad, his wife Sonya and her son Dalton. It was a full house, but anytime we all get together we have such a fun time. We just enjoyed each other and a few rounds of competitive board games!
Very excited:

With Aunt Tatie:

Pappy loves his present:

Starting our Christmas marathon is Josh's Pop's on the 23rd. We had a yummy dinner and then headed to his house for presents with the cousins. Of all his presents, Pop's piano was his favorite...

On Christmas Eve, we headed to Josh's Grandmama and Granddaddy's house. I love going there even though there is about 30 people crammed into a tiny little room. It really gets funnier and funnier every year because people get married, more kids are brought to the mix and it seems like everyone grows a bit or that room gets smaller and smaller. Either way it is super fun and I LOVE to watch Josh's Granddaddy. Every year he just boo hoo's over his gifts. He is just so grateful to have everyone there, I think. So sweet. Major got his most fav Christmas present from G-mama and G-daddy this year....A Fire Truck Cozy Coupe!!!! He has barely gotten out of the thing since that day!

I also love this pic from Grandmama's house:

After those festivities we headed to church for the candlelight. Well, let me start by saying that I was nervous about this for weeks. And as Major proved to me and about 2000 other people I had reason to be nervous! He was fine for the first 2 minutes, but then all the children went to the front, so thinking Major should be included, Josh took him down. BIG MISTAKE!!!! He about knocked over the Advent candles, almost ate a poinsettia, tripped and fell down some stairs, got his sucker stuck in a strangers hair, removed it, put it in his pocket, clapped for the pastor, started eating his sucker again, played hide and seek with his cousin Hallie and finally danced! SHHHHHHEEEEESSSSSSHHHHH!!! Josh was sweating like a crazy person by this time. Needless to say we left shortly thereafter with a very sticky and cranky little boy. And I am very sorry to say that I do not have the first picture to document this time in our sweet boy's life. :(
Last for Christmas Eve was to my grandparents house. Major was spent by the time we got there and was no fun at all. He kept telling me to "leabe me lone"! Ok then, so his Nana handled him and we opened presents. We were all happier that way. He stayed secluded away from all the fun for most of the evening, but when we got home, we finished our Happy Birthday Jesus cake and blew out the candles which he loved.



And feeding Daddy some:

I was so so so excited about Christmas morning and of course, Maj slept in and I had to wake him up, at 8:30! I guess he needed the sleep from his busy day before!
Christmas was really fun this year because my mom, brother and sister-in-law spent the night and then Major's Pappy and Nona and my Nanny and Pop came to see him that morning too. Santa was very good to him. He got lots of fun things! It's funny because he was so excited over the smaller things like his "brolella" and a $5 horsey than he was over his train table and kitchen! Ahhhh toddlers!
With his "Brolella":

Making a Christmas Breakfast:

With my mom and Grandparents:

And finally our only family picture this Christmas. It is such a bad picture too, but I guess that's what happens when you have a cranky toddler!

The very last Christmas festivity was my Dad's house and the highlight there was Major getting his very own guitar:

And this isn't the best picture, but I love how he is holding it!

Gah! Sorry for such a long post, if anyone is still with me all the way down here, well, hope you enjoyed our perfectly crazy Christmas in a nutshell! We had so much fun. Christmas has a whole new meaning now that Major is here. Even through the grumpies and the tantrums, it is awesome to see Christmas for the first time through his eyes! He is awesome and we are more than blessed to be able to have these experiences with him.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

It's a happy day!!!

So Josh just called and he passed his EMT practical! He is officially an EMT! I knew all along that he would make it, but let's not kid ourselves, it was a rough road. Rewind 4 months....In August he started school 4 nights a week, he had to be there from 6 til 11 or so each night after working a full day at his "day job". Then on several Saturdays throughout, he had 12 or 14 hour clinical shifts. So basically, it has been Josh in one life and Major and I in another. So today I can say after 4 months of being apart, I am whole heartedly looking forward to Christmas and having our family back together.

I am on the other hand very nervous about what's to come. I am very type A; plan, plan, plan is my motto! Let me tell you that as a wife or a family member of a FF/EMT, nothing is planned. Shifts change, tones ring in the middle of dinner, family time and in the middle of the night. There is never a sense of here is the calendar and here is what's next. So basically over the past year and a half, but mostly over the past 4 months, I have been forced to adjust, bend and just live right now in this moment. I appreciate the time Josh is home so much more than before because I realize how precious it is. I've always heard that God laughs when we make plans in our life because it is just a way to keep us busy. Honestly, I can relate now! I have learned to take it all in stride, plan what needs to be done today and deal with tomorrow tomorrow! We are still adjusting and as Josh's job changes in the new year, more adjustments will come, but I have to remember that we are a team. We are in this together and God is so faithful. He has led us through many rocky roads and will continue to lead our way through this new adventure! We are grateful, blessed and so excited about Josh's success!!!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving this year was very fun and special as usual. We started the day off with breakfast with Josh's family! It was delicious and Major had a blast playing with all his cousins. From there we went to my parent's and got to visit with them for a while before heading to Josh's grandparents. Major got to visit with his Grandmama and Granddaddy and play with their dog Fannie, which he loved! After that we went to the cemetery to visit Mimi. Major was so sweet there and even gave her picture a "turkey kiss"! Then last on our holiday train was my grandparent's house where my Nanny made a feast that would have fed a small nation. It was so yummy! We brought leftovers home for the next few days! Love when that happens!

I was a little nervous about how Major would act today given he is super scheduled and I knew he wouldn't get his nap. SURPRISE, SURPRISE he was fantastic! All day he played great. He was sweet to his cousins and went from place to place without a fight or fuss. He had fun at every place and was very social as usual! He was very tired tonight and went to bed on time, as expected.

I smiled all day today at my funny boy because everywhere we went he looked for a guitar. For some reason he has been so fascinated with them lately, so lucky for him 2 of the 4 places we visited today had guitars. He was so sweet just strumming away!

All in all, we had a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for.




Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Tickles and Chapstick

I love when I have those moments with Major where I just laugh. Seems like our lives are so busy lately with Josh being gone so much, it also gets lonely and a little frustrating at times, so on nights like tonight where Major and I just laughed hysterically makes me sit back and realize that he is all that matters. All the schedules, deadlines, tests, countdowns, to-do lists, none of that really matters next to him. I LOVE the moments that remind of me that.

Tonight when we got home from school, we were a little later than normal, but instead of rushing in and making dinner and unpacking bags, I carried him into my room and tossed him onto the bed and he started laughing so hard. I took off his shoes and socks and said "ohhhhh stinky feet" and he thought that was hilarious. He laughed for 5 minutes over that. I bopped him with the pillow and he bopped me back, both of us laughing at each other. Then he spotted the chapstick on my nightstand and had to have it, so he made himself comfy on my side on the bed and I just watched him and laughed as he tried to figure out that chapstick. He had it on his cheeks and in his hair. I told him that it goes on his mouth and he opened wide and said YUUUUUMMMMMM!!!!!! :) Then he looked at me and said "ya want some?" I love that kid! He makes me laugh and smile everyday and really makes me a better person because he reminds me to slow down and enjoy the small things in life that can make you smile, like tickle fights and chapstick! :)

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Major's birthday weekend

I have been meaning and wanting to start this blog for 2 years in an attempt to capture some of Major's biggest milestones and small moments as a family that we will forget as time passes on. So here I am 2 years later, just getting started. Better late than never I suppose....

November 1, 2009
Major's second birthday party was so much fun. We had a firetruck theme, which both Major and Josh loved! Major had such a great time with his family and friends! I was once again reminded how special and precious this little boy is to us. I just sat back and watched as he played and as people talked to each other, visited, laughed and talked about how fast time goes by. There was a time when Josh and I didn't know if we'd be able to have a birthday party for our own child, and here we are 2 years later, celebrating the most important and precious miracle in our lives. It was such a happy day filled with fun, family and many many memories!

November 4, 2009
Major's official 2nd birthday! It is so hard to believe that this day was already here. I remember the day we got the call to go to the hospital, that 3 days after his due date, he was finally going to be here. Where in the world did 2 years go? As any parent would say, the day their child came into the world was the best and most defining day of their life. November 4, 2007 was that day for Josh and I. I remember being in that delivery room, what I was wearing, how I felt, I remember the nurses, the sounds, the machines, his heartbeat and finally daybreak. After a long night and 2 long hours of pushing my baby boy came into the world "sunny side up" and straight into his daddy's arms. It was a miraculous moment, one that undoubtedly changed us forever. He was perfect and more than we could have ever hoped or prayed for. In one second, we were a family, instantly in love with this most precious miracle that God had chosen for us. We are so grateful that our prayers were answered and that we have the honor of being Major's Mama and Daddy. There really are no words to describe that day...
But here we are 2 years later with a very fun, lively, rambunctious, energetic and AWESOME little boy! His birthday seemed so bittersweet to me. Maybe because I was just remembering his birth day and all that led up to it, or the fact that I no longer had a "baby". Whatever the case, I am so excited and happy to see him grow, learn, and discover each day. I am forever grateful to be called his Mama.