Actual Snow in Tennessee

Well, the weatherman finally got one right. We got quite a bit of snow and ice here in Nashville and the pictures to prove it. Last night and today the boys went out to sled and found the street a complete sheet of ice. With no cars able to travel the road it made for perfect sledding. They started at the top of the street and would make it down about 6 houses, it was awesome. I think Christopher might have enjoyed it more than Ristow. They had such a fun time and the ice made the sled go pretty fast. Ristow had a look of excitemnt and fear as he went speeding by me. I think that feeling is what bloys of all ages crave. It was great to watch.

Today Jessica is 8 weeks old and we bundled her up to partake in the snow day too. Since we don't get snow very often, it is a pretty big deal. She was so stinking cute in her little fuzzy outfit, our little snow bear.

Baby Smiles

Finally at 7 1/2 weeks old, Jessica is gracing us with her super cute smiles. I tell you, those smiles are a great reward for lack of sleep and all the hard work that babies are.

Chicken Butt Vs. The Bible

Today I took Ristow to the store with me and he was super cranky, so on the way home I tried to think of something to change the mood. I thought for a moment and snickered to myself and said "Ristow....know what? ... Chicken butt!" Well, that is all is took and within seconds we were both laughing and coming up with more great "know what" answers.
Then at dinner tonight Ristow tells his dad the great new saying he learned today, with more giggling. A few minutes later he says "Want to hear the bible verse I memorized?... may the words of my mouth be pleasing to you God, Psalm 19:14" We were so proud of Ristow being able to memorize scripture.
But then I say to Christopher "Great, I am teaching him chicken butt and he is learning bible verses"
Christopher says "it's ok, that's why we are sending him to school!"
I don't think that "chicken butt" jokes bring God great pleasure and joy but I do believe that He is pleased when we share love and laugh as a family, building bonds that will last a lifetime.

May the words of my mouth be pleasing to you God, help me to continue to use my words to build up and encourage others, to bring joy and to honor You. And thanks for letting us enjoy the occasional chicken butt joke too!

A Weekend of Love

This weekend held many things. It brought the 10yr anniversary of my marriage to my amazing husband, it brought visiting college friends, and it brought much laughter and lots of love!

First, I cannot believe that it has been 10 yrs since Christopher and I got married. It has been a wonderful time full of many great adventures. The latest one, the birth of Jessica, we are still adjusting to and learning to truly enjoy. She has expanded our love to yet another dimension. It is wonderful to see how God has blessed our family and our marriage.

Then descended the girls......

Christopher was a champ this weekend as 3 of my college girlfriends came to visit. He let us overrun the house and he wrangled Ristow all weekend. It was wonderful. It was such a great time of love and care for one another as women and as mom's. It was the perfect girl's weekend, we did tons of girl stuff.....from dying hair to eating brownies and ice cream while watching chic flicks to getting tattoos and drinking margaritas. These women are so important to me and provide a type of fellowship that is nourishing to my heart. All women need women in their life that they can lean on and cry with and laugh with and support. I am convinced of the importance of this daily, and thankful for the provision of these women in a time when I really needed them.

God has blessed me greatly.

Tabby brought her 9 week old son Jaylen with her and it was neat to see all the differences and similarities between him and Jessica.

Little Warrior

This morning I was awakened by a fearsome sight. Warrior Ristow, as I would come to learn, was showing me his mighty display of camouflage power. He had gotten into my make-up bag while I was sleeping and used mass quantities of my eye shadow to create his disguise.

I had no idea how to respond, just waking up and all. I explained the misuse of my makeup was inappropriate and then to my dismay he asked for his own makeup. Luckily he wanted his own makeup to use for warrior paint and not a show girl disguise instead ;)

After slathering his face with ponds cream, we got cleaned up and ready for school, of course we were late as I had not factored makeup removal into my morning schedule. Ristow always provides interesting parenting experiences!