The Watermelon Patch

Watermelons you say? Nope, not watermelons in December, just a fun place to play when it is rainy out! A lady at the park had suggested it to me, so me and a friend took the kids there to test it out!! The kids thought it was fabulous! There were so many things for the kids to play with for all ages!!! I think we will do it again on a dreary day when outside play is just not an option.

Cooper and Hailey wearing their costumes, Cooper insisted on wearing the female nurse and Hailey the fireman!!! :) LOL!!!

Gracie and Carter!!! Aren't they just too cute!!!!

Cooper was the only one brave enough to try the rock wall and the zip line, he is getting so big!!!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

I just love the way the house looks after putting up the Christmas decorations!!! The Christmas lights just give such a warm, comforting glow! I try to put the decorations up the night of Thanksgiving so we can enjoy them all month long. Every year we let the boys pick out ornaments of their choice so that when we get them all out again each year we can remember the memories that went with that ornament. We didn't have a stocking for Carter last year since he was little, so this year I made new stockings for everyone to hang on the mantle! I found a candy gingerbread house kit that Cooper was dying to put together, so we invited his friend Hailey over to put it together! I think they ate enough candy and icing to last them through the Holiday season! :) On Sunday I let the boys wear their Christmas outfits to church to start the season off. I guess it is officially starting to feel and look ALOT like Christmas!!!

Bellingrath Gardens at night!!!

The night after Thanksgiving, Bellingrath Gardens lights their Christmas lights and it is spectacular to look at! Despite the rain, Granny, Uncle Richard, Blaine's mom, dad and sister and the kids and I went to see the lights!! The lights were so beautiful, my pictures don't do them justice! The kids had so much fun! Carter loved the choo choo trains the most and kept saying "choo, choo" all night long! Cooper wore himself out running the whole way! By the time we got to the car Cooper passed out in his carseat first sucker in hand!! Everyone loved the lights and we timed the rain perfect so we didn't get too wet. At the end I let the kids pick out ornaments at the gift shop to take home to put on the tree! It was a very fun way to end our Thanksgiving!!!

SO THANKFUL!!

This year I hosted Thanksgiving at our new home for Blaine's family! It was my first time to have such a big crowd to cook for, but with Blaine's moms help we cooked a feast and everyone was well fed! This year I am so ever grateful for my wonderful, extended family, my adoring husband, my entergetic boys, our new home in Mobile, and the gospel of Jesus Christ that leads our family through all that we do! It has been such a long, exausting, exciting, joyous journey to this place in our lives and I am SO THANKFUL to my Heavenly Father who has blessed our family with more than ever imagined!! It was so wonderful to be able to spend time with Blaine's family and to have the boys bond with their Papa, Grandma, Granny, Uncle Richard and Aunt Megan!!

Papa Jerry cutting the turkey and ham!

Papa and Grandma

Carter enjoying his Thanksgiving feast!

Megan and Granny
Megan, Granny and Uncle Richard

Cooper and Papa zonked out on the couch!
Carter and Daddy relaxing!

Uncle Richard teaching Carter to hit the ball!

Putting up the Christmas tree!

Carter putting ornaments on the tree!

Cooper was my big helper, he decorated alot of the tree all by himself!

The boys and Papa playing in the sand box, Papa built them! (Papa had to have something to keep him busy)

Residency SUCKS!

Okay, I try to keep most of my posts upbeat, but I just need to rant a bit tonight! Residency is HARD work for Blaine and he mostly has crappy days and is ALWAYS tired and is never home to spend time with the kids, so please Samantha or some doctors wife tell me why we are doing this? Obviously because we have too much school loan debt to quit now!!! LOL!!!:) No seriously we know there is reward at the end and Blaine loves what he is doing when he is not too tired to think, but the road at this point just seems every long! I am having a hard time as of late seeing the future perspective of this whole long process!! We have already put in 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of Medical school and now 4 years of Residency! CRAZY!, 12 years to become a Doctor and an in debt Doctor at that! But life rolls on and we choose this path to take so we are dealing with the long hours, late nights, and the two sad boys/wife who miss their dad/husband very much! By the way Blaine, I know you don't think I appreciate all that you do, but this post is really for you since, I feel so bad when I see you so dang tired and then you still have to keep going because your work is not done!! I don't mind all that I have to do at the house and with the boys, if it takes a little bit of the load off of you!!!!! :)

2x the FUN!!

Some days the boys fight all day long about everything, but then sometimes they have these wonderful moments where they play with each other and entertain themselves. These moments are AWESOME and treasured!!!!!

Pretending they were animals caged in the zoo! Carter just kept growling and laughing thinking it was the best game ever!!!

They kept fighting over this ride-on toy, so finally Cooper decided they could ride together! Carter though it was mighty fun!!!

Bellingrath Gardens

This week our book group went to Bellingrath Gardens for our book discussion! It was so pretty there! They have so many gorgeous flowers and a very beautiful scenic trail to walk along! Some of Cooper's friends were there so he had a blast running around with them! The kids LOVED the water fountains the best (what kid dosen't love to get wet?). It was a nice, cool, fall day so that made it all the better. Fall weather is so nice here right now, so it was really fun to enjoy the day in such a pleasant way!