Christmas Confusion

I love Christmas! This year has been particularly fun, since Chesson is understanding life around him a bit more. He learned all about baby Jesus, and the shepards and angels. He knows who Mary and Joseph are, and he's happy to tell you there was a donkey in the barn along with some sheeps. :o) We have had a blast singing Christmas carols, and learning Christmas poems and finger plays (it's so great have a kindergarten teacher as a grandma!). Chesson knew Santa was coming and bringing some presents. ~ On Christmas morning, after waiting at the top of the steps, we knew he would make a mad dash for the gifts. I positioned myself in the living room with the camera, ready to capture the delighted face of an innocent 2 year old. :o) This is his first look......

Complete confusion. He looks around and says, "Where'd Santa go?"

Evidently, during all this talk of Santa coming, we gave him the impression Santa would be in our living room. Oops!

looking out the window, "Where'd Santa go?"

Not to worry though. In just a few short moments he was the excited boy we expected him to be!! Nothing helps a boy forget his worries like Thomas the Train!!!

And let's not forget, it was this sweet girls 1st Christmas. She was happy as usual.

Frosty!

We woke up yesterday morning to a winter wonderland! Gorgeous. In all, we had about 5 inches of snow. Before Corbin and Chesson headed out to play in it, Corbin said to me, "How do you build a snowman?" It turns out, Corbin and Chesson were able to build their 1st snowman together.

It looks like they knew what they were doing after all. They also made snow angels, threw snow balls, and ate snowflakes. Chesson was one happy boy (so was Corbin). Hooray for real snow!!

The view from our kitchen window.

Merry Christmas!

Lights, Camera, Chaos...

Chesson had his Christmas program at preschool on Tues. It was everything I hoped it would be....sweet and kind of funny (You know, not funny on purpose, but funny because they are 2 years old).

Chesson knew all the words to all the songs, but he mostly just sat and stared at us. I couldn't love him any more!! He did get really involved when his teacher handed out instruments. Fun, fun, fun.

Then, we went back to his classroom for a party. Check out his gingerbread house.

Such concentration.

Just a little taste.

Thanksgiving

We spent a week in FL with Corbin's family for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful!!! Here's a look at our week in pictures.

Sweet snuggles with Aunt Say-Say!

Belly laughs with Uncle Lawt.

Magnificently spoiled by Gigi and G'daddy! (Note AC's fabulous dress made by Gigi!! love it)

A very exciting trip to the zoo. Chesson loved it!

A fun boat ride. Ahh - perfect weather!

Best friends reunited.

Corbin's mom hosted ALL this family for multiple days!! She's amazing. What fun!

We are definitely thankful!

Game Day

Growing up in Florida, Corbin was a huge Florida State fan. When he came to UNC for college, he became a Tar Heel fan.

This makes the UNC/FSU game a confusing time in our house!

Half a Year - Already?

Anna Corbin is 6 months old!! She still seems so little and dainty to me. It's hard to believe she's really halfway to her 1st birthday. These pictures are a great representation of how happy she is. All you have to do is look at her, and her entire face lights up. She is laid back and sweet.

We pulled the big girl high chair out of the attic. (and found a bow to tame that hair)

Sweet smiles for Daddy.

Admiring her favorite person in the world, and showing off her newest skill....the tripod.

As I was writing this, I couldn't help but think about Chesson when he was 6 months old. He was such a chunky monkey. Check out what he was doing on his 6 month b'day.

He was 20lbs!! Anna Corbin is a wonderful 14lbs, and is not doing quite as much damage to my back as her brother did.

Love 'em both!!

Elephants, Pandas, and Cows...Oh My!

We went to Chick-fil-a Sat morning for a birthday party, followed by a Halloween parade, and some fun kid games. "Mr. Cow", as Chesson calls him, came to the party. Chesson pretty much stalked Mr. Cow:o) They were hysterical. Chesson would hold his tail and follow him around. Then, the cow would grab his trunk and pull him.

Of course, the fabulous costumes are once again made by the amazing Betty Ann Graves. Thanks Gigi!!!

Pumpkin Patch

I LOVE this time of year. Fall, pumpkins, the weather, the changing colors of the leaves, the clothes, the smells....I just love it. There is a place about 30 minutes from our house, that is perfect to celebrate all things Fall! I was convinced by many of my girlfriends to check it out. It was completely worth the drive!! Chesson (and Corbin) had a ball. There was SO much to do. The fellas enjoyed jumping in the hay barn, running through the tunnel, taking a hayride -- pulled by a tractor to the pumpkin patch. My favorite part was that it was orderly and clean. :o)

Is it just me or does Chesson look like he just 'grew up.'

Where did my little boy go?

Finding the perfect pumpkin is a tough job!

Our trip wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if Chesson hadn't brought his date, Lillie. We were so glad she and Brad could join us.

Chesson and Lillie headed out on the 'cool' bus.

Wonder where he's taking her?

The Many Faces of Chesson

Serious

Happy

Surprised

Sad

Scared

(imagine those hands shaking back and forth)

And, we couldn't leave Anna Corbin out.

This is her, "oh, you're taking my picture again" face

Our sweet, sweet Dana

DanaLee was so much more than Chesson's vision therapist. She was our friend. I will never forget the day, two years ago, when we first talked. It was a Saturday, she was Christmas shopping, she had never met me. Dana spent 30 minutes bringing a sense of stability to my world that was in a tailspin. Chesson had just been diagnosed with Nystagmus. I couldn't even spell it yet. He could only see four feet. Now, he functions like any typical two year old. This is because of Dana. No one has impacted his life as much as she has. She came to our house every week for two years. She taught me how to teach him to do things that come easily to other children....pick up a cheerio with 2 fingers, look at the entire page of a book, scan a room to find an object. Just last week she was helping him learn to run straight. Our sweet boy tilts his head a little to see clearly, so he is running on a diagonal and falling constantly. Dana brought me pages of activities to do with him. She was his biggest cheer leader (she was my cheer leader too). Corbin and I always joked that Chesson would do anything for Dana. When we couldn't get him to pick up small objects, she'd come over and he would try and try until he got it. When we couldn't get him to scan the room, she'd have him doing it as soon as she got here. Chesson adored her. I would even say he had a crush on her. He talked about her when she wasn't here. He waited at the door each week for her to come. He jumped up and down & shouted, "DANE! DANE!" Last week, my sweet friend had some minimally invasive surgery. She was supposed to recover in a few days. Instead, she fell into a coma and died yesterday. She is my age. I cannot understand this. How can this be true? She brought joy, laughter and hope to our family when we were lost. She was just here, in my home, last week. She just texted me on Tues. I just emailed her on Thursday. How can this be? She did more amazing good in her short life than 99% of us can ever hope to do in a long one. I am truly heartbroken. I am sure hers is a void that can never be filled. And I feel as if the world is less of a place without her here.

Half a Decade

This was us five years ago today!

I never would have guessed that in 5 short years we would become a family of 4! I feel blessed beyond measure!!

A Lifetime of Friendship

Ok, so they're only two. We started getting together once a week when our kids were just a few months (some just a few weeks) old. Now they are full blown toddlers, and we just embrace the chaos! There are 7 moms, 7 toddlers, and 5 new babies. Our time together is always an adventure full of laughter, sometimes a few tears, and healthy does of learning to share:o) It's such fun to be together!!

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Chesson made this ice cream cone and is sharing it with Moses.

The next generation of playgroup.

Kinsley is looking for her favorite flower, and Chesson is going to pick it for her.