The Unveiling...

So I know that long ago, in a far away galaxy I promised pictures of Ansley's room. Unfortunately, I have slept since then and just now realized that I never did post those pics so for that I apologize. We are still not completely finished however it is the minute details that remain. And although the journey was long I am thrilled with the way things turned out. As always I have learned much from the experience and have come to the conclusion that from now on I should hire someone else to paint unless I also want to change my last name along with the paint color and that sometimes the money saved is not worth the time spent when trying to refinish furniture. Regardless we love it and can't wait for Ansley to make her appearance. By the way I do realize that there are only two letters in her monogram the other will come AFTER she comes so that our suprise is not ruined.

Come on Ansley!!!

SNOW Day!!

Snow falls once a year here if we are lucky or un depending on your view of the wet white stuff. So when we awoke to a white backyard we quickly took advantage of the cold weather and bundled up to play (as much as you can when you have less than an inch).
Buck, Mayce, and Savannah traipsed through the backyard happy as could be which is funny to me seeing as Buck constantly reminds me that "There is a reason snow is a four letter word." Mayce on the other hand loved it and could have played all day (thank goodness for the lure of hot chocolate and pancakes). Much to her delight as these are all things that a 3 year old should know, Buck taught Mayce how to make a snow angel, which was actually rather interesting seeing as where is should have been white underneath it was green, how to throw a snowball at mommy, and how to cover the dog in snow.




After making short work of our backyard we thought that it would be fun to head to Cloudcroft and play in some REAL snow so we called my mom, Katie, Julia, Ryan, and Trish and put together a mini snow day! The kids all had a blast although Jasmine was the only one truly dressed for the weather. (Well besides Katie but she is from South Dakota so if anyone is dressed for it she should be right?) Chance didn't know what to think and Mayce had become one with the snow by the time it was all said and done.


Trish had the forethought to bring along a carrot so Julia helped the girls make a snowman. He sported rock eyes, a carrot nose, and a blue beanie by the time they were finished. Not exactly the way the song goes but his name wasn't Frosty so I guess is doesn't really matter. (In fact I that think Julia dubbed him Fred.)

Don't they look so excited...

We also discovered that our sand discs work just as well for snow and the girls had too much fun heading down the small hill that we found. Of course Mayce wanted to go again and again and again so she soon discovered what Katie calls the "bad" part of sledding, the walk back up the hill. Thank goodness for Aunties!!

After everyone's noses were red and cheeks were rosy we decided to call it a day and went to Big Daddy's for lunch enjoying the weather, the warmth, and each others company. It was a great day, full of family, friends, good food, and memories to last a lifetime!

Merry Christmas!!

They always say that Christmas is more fun after you have children and although I have always LOVED Christmas and everything that goes with it there is something truly magical about being able to experience all of the joy and wonder through their eyes. After returning home from Great Grandma's house on Christmas Eve Mayce got decked out in her special jammies and headed to bed "Uncharacteristically early" in hopes that Santa might come and visit.

Christmas morning dawned and as I prepared cinnamon rolls to take to Grandma's house for brunch Mayce slept on..and on...and on. I told Buck that you could tell that she was three and that we should enjoy this because next year she will pounding on the doors at 5am. At around 8:30 she decided it was time to grace us with her presence although she was not allowed out of her room at that point either. Buck and I had previously decided that before any gift giving took place that we would read Luke 2 with Mayce so there was no doubt in her mind what Christmas was about and what we are truly celebrating.

After we finished Mayce was allowed to head for the living room to see who had come to visit the night before. I suppose that that was the wrong choice of words because as soon as we told her to that someone had come to our house she freaked and headed straight back to her room!! After some coercion she finally made it to the living room to check everything out. She was so excited about it all!! It was cute to watch her go back and forth between gifts. We had decided long ago that our kids would not only receive toys but also practical items so that they would learn to appreciate it all not just the latest and greatest. What made me laugh was that she was just as thrilled with her Princess undies and mittens as she was with her Calico Critters and House. (Now if only we can capture and keep this attitude!)

After approving what Santa left we began "our" Christmas and what a lovely Christmas it was. Mayce received far more than she probably should have and some of it was put up for rainy days but she seemed to actually appreciate it all. The funny thing is that by the end she would automatically hold her gifts up in front of her and say "Thank you Apples and Pop Pop!" (regardless of who it was from).

After Christmas at our house we headed to Grandma's for brunch and more merriment (how's that for a holiday word). We all had a blast and Mayce thoroughly enjoyed her last Christmas as an "only." The best part though was not the family, the presents, or the food it was when we asked Mayce what the real reason for Christmas was and she looked up from opening a present and said "Baby Jesus being born in a stable."

Christmas BREAK!!!

Needless to say after a couple of long stressful weeks at school I was more than ready for the Christmas BREAK!! However, as most things go with our family the past week has been fun filled but definitely not relaxing.

Monday and Tuesday Mayce and I set out to do some last minute shopping, cleaning, baking and wrapping. I should point out that there were far more presents than we thought existed and we should have taken advantage of the youth's free wrapping services (wait I wrapped there too, scratch that)! Thankfully Buck got off early on Wednesday and was able to take us to Cloudcroft where we thought to play in the snow. Only it wasn't snow it was ICE!! Still it was nice to run away for a little while even if I had to admit that I was shopping on Christmas Eve which was something I vowed to never do. I guess what they say is true "Never say never."

Every Christmas Eve Bethel has a candlelight service and it was beautiful as always. Buck and I have truly strived to ensure that Mayce knows what the TRUE meaning of Christmas is and were thankful that we could include her in such a meaningful service. After the service we headed to my grandma's house for dinner and to exchange gifts. The dinner was lovely and the gifts were perfect but most important was the time we were able to spend with our family just enjoying one anothers company.

Mayce of course added her own style of entertainment and kept everyone laughing throughout the night. Before we left for the service we gathered our gifts to take and were preparing to load them in the car. Mayce happened to see them and asked if any of them were hers. One indeed was and I mentioned that if she behaved throughout church and during dinner than perhaps she could open one special gift at Grandma Ramsey's from me and her dad. This conversation completely slipped my mind until we had finished opening presents at my grandma's and it was the only gift that remained. Mayce ran over to the tree and looks at the present then looks at all of us and says "That one is mine." Shaking my head I looked at her and said "Mayce I think its not" as I couldn't see the present and had indeed forgotten that we even brought it with us. It was then with a look that only she could get away with that she stated "I think it is." And of course...she was right.