Christmas Day 2010

Everything from the drumset and keyboard over to the scooter was dropped off by Santa

Lane on his "big boy" scooter!

Yes, Santa brought Logan a drum set!

Christmas morning started at our around 6:30AM. The boys ran into our room to wake us up surprisingly before they checked out what Santa left. We headed off to the playroom for all the excitement. The drum set and scooter were a big success. I think all of us have played a little on the drum set! I'm not sure if Lane was more excited about the scooter or the basketball that was sitting next to it! The boys decided their pillow pets and their toy story snuggies were their favorite of all their gifts! Which was kind of shocking considering the amount of gifts Santa left.

Mommy and Daddy were not left out. Aaron got a Casio Pathfinder watch that he's been drooling over. It comes with a compass, barometer, altimeter, and a few other things that I don't know the meaning of. I just know he should never be lost again! He also got clothes and a few other nick knacks. Santa brought me a Kindle and an awesome red case that has the neatest little light on it which is perfect for night time car reading or bedtime reading. Aaron also got me a jewelry armoire and a houndstooth jacket which you know was a big hit with this Alabama fan!

One other little bonus was the white Christmas we woke up to. It wasn't our first white Christmas thanks to Alaska but it did remind us of being in Alaska. Aaron was super excited about the snow. I thought it was pretty...but I was glad to know it would soon be gone!

I cooked us a pretty tasty turkey along with the fixings and we just spent the day inside. Lane was sick for the second day in a row with a stomach virus and fever. He felt good first thing that morning opening his presents but right after we finished he got sick again and ended up spending most of the day just laying on the couch. He finally got up around 3 that afternoon only to get sick again not long after and then the fever returned. He was back on the couch for the rest of day.

On Sunday Lane was a little better but you could tell he was still not himself. We woke up to the boys being all excited because "they were going to Grammy and Papaw's for the week." So that afternoon we headed off to meet Grammy and Uncle TT and off they went to their grandparents while Mommy and Daddy headed back home. It was a very strange feeling and we missed them tons but they had the greatest time being spoiled rotten at their grandparent's house! More on that later. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!!

Family pictures by SJ Photography

Two post in one day...I know your shocked but remember to breath!!! We had family pictures done in October. I absolutely love everyone of them. They were done by SJ Photography who is just simply amazing. Lane was his usual stubborn self in the beginning but after two or three shots she had him opening up with a full mouth smile. It was hard to pick just one favorite but here are some that I wanted to share. This is my absolute favorite of the boys together. I love the background and I LOVE their expressions. It's is very "them." AND they are wearing their Alabama football jerseys. What mom wouldn't be extra proud!
This picture was totally random. We were getting ready to walk across the street to take more pics and the boys were being goofy so Aaron scooped them up and took off with them across the way. Stephanie snapped this completely un-posed pic which I L-O-V-E!!! My three most favorite guys in the world! Look closely, you can see our cars in front of Aaron. Hehe!
Heres another cute one of the boys. This old abandoned house really does have this bright blue paint around the windows! But it makes wonderful pictures! This was one of the first pics...notice Lane's shyness/stubbornness still shining through!

This is my favorite picture of Aaron and I. I have been wanting a picture like this for years and just never got it right when the people at Sears tried. Stephanie nailed it. Aaron is laughing like crazy in the pic. She told him to "get all Edward" on me. He got the strangest look on his face and said, "who's Edward?" I had to remind him of my fictional boyfriend Edward from Twilight! Haha...he caught on then and his laughter is captured forever! I have some painting to do in our bedroom but once it's done I will get this picture hung over our bed along with a beautiful Uppercase Living piece. I can't wait to share those pictures! If only there were a few more hours in the day...I would get it done!
And I will close with the last picture of the day. My boys will beat on each other all day long but when no one is looking they will cuddle up on the couch or sit on my bed and hug each other, hold each others hands, and just be the sweetest little things you will see. It just melts a mother's heart. To me, this picture captured that moment. The sweet moment when they thought no one was looking. These little fellows have completely captured my heart. Thank you God for these two amazing blessing as well as the man who will always stand by my side. I couldn't ask for more!

Our Christmas decor

So the trees are up and all are fully decorated except for one. More on that later. First we have our traditional tree. This tree has all of my brass ornaments that were given to me every Christmas since I was born by my Grandmother. These are all so special to me. She has started giving the boys one too so I hope they enjoy the tradition as much as I do. This tree also has our homemade ornaments: glass balls Aaron and I painted our first Christmas together, the huge green, red, blue, and gold balls have our names on them as well. This tree is in the boys playroom which is where we plan to spend Christmas morning. I think this is a great idea since it will mean way less clean up for mom since there will be no need to lug everything upstairs. Logan however does like this idea. He is worried Santa will wake him up. I thought this was hilarious since most children try to stay awake to see Santa. I informed Logan that I would shut his door so Santa would not bother him so we will see if he has further objections later on!

We finally got to have a real tree again. They were so expensive in Alaska, not to mention we didn't have a house big enough. So this year we went out to a Christmas tree farm near by and purchased our own. This tree is downstairs for everyone to see. It still needs some decorating. I wanted to do this tree all blue and silver but finding ornaments that I like...that didn't cost $8 each has been hard. So it's a little bare. But I plan to head out after Christmas and pick up some so that next year it will be extra purdy!

I purchased this little 4.5 ft on a special sale the day after Thanksgiving. It was a little prelit tree on sale for $20. I knew the boys would love having one their size to decorate so I grabbed it up. My plan was to let the boys keep it in their room. Well again, Logan said no. He thought Santa would get confused about which tree to leave presents under and would wonder into his room and once again wake him up. So they have placed it in the dining room for now. I'm temped to put it at the top of the stairs but so far I have been lazy and left it where it stands.
And of course you can't forget the outside. I wanted the whole roof lined with lights but Aaron used the lame...I mean obvious excuse that we have a two story house and our roof is extremely high and we don't have a ladder that even comes close to reaching the roof. So I just have a little light up garlin and these little light up presents I found at Kirklands (love!!!). Oh yeah, and you can see my recently paint front door. Yes, I did it myself!

Ok well, I'm off to watch the Grinch with the boys...have a wonderful Tuesday night!

Catch up day!

Hello all! Yes I have neglected this blog since March. Wow, time really does fly but things get so busy! Let see, a little catch up on what is going on with us. Aaron is still working at the NCO Academy. He enjoys teaching but just isn't that happy with his job. But reenlistment time in coming around and he's making that big choice on whether to stay in or get out. With the job market right now he's leaning towards staying in. He's going through a lot right now so please keep him in your prayers. Aaron was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) about two weeks ago. This has stemmed from an untreated concussion he received while in Iraq. We really didn't know what was going on but I knew he was different and just not the same person he used to be. After a little encouraging he went to a counselor who sent him on to a doctor who then referred him to the TBI clinic. After lots of appointments and countless test he was diagnosed. Currently we are going through the process of getting him into the 12 week rehab program. His chain of command have been less than supportive which is making everything even more frustrating. Since appearance wise Aaron looks perfectly normal and since they didn't know him before his chain of command claims they do not understand why he needs to go. This is where I want to scream..."BECAUSE HIS DOCTORS SAID SO!" But I'm trying to be a good wife and support from the home front and just pray. But biting my tongue is very hard when it comes to my family and their well being. Currently we are waiting on a meeting between the doctors and the chain of command so the doctors can stress the need and help them better understand the situation and the effects TBI has on soldiers and what non-treatment will do. So please pray with us.

I am still working on post. Currently I am working with a very good doctor who does a lot of different types of dentistry so I'm really enjoying the learning experience. But I still miss doing oral surgery. I am contemplating going back to school to become an RN and specialize in surgery. I really do feel that is my calling but going back to school is just not something I'm wanting to do right now. So we will see. I may do a few online classes but we will see how things fall into place.


Logan is loving Kindergarten. He has learned so much. This past weekend Aaron told him to eat his eggs so he would energy to play. Logan informed him that "bread foods give you energy because they are carbohydrates." Really too smart for his own good! He is learning to read now. I didn't realize he would be doing that in Kindergarten but they do way more than I remember doing in Kindergarten. Logan was sent home from school yesterday for a slight fever. So I'm home with him today...which is the only reason I have time to do this! He is feeling fine. He's had a little cough but certainly doesn't act like a sick little boy today!

Lane is as wild as ever. He broke his other collarbone this summer. Crazy thing is he gets hurts doing the innocent things...like sleeping and falling off his Grammy's couch. But when he jumps off my couch or down the stairs he lands on his feet! We are trying our best to potty train. Too bad he's not trying as hard as we are! He has no interest in using the "big boy potty" at all. It does not bother him one bit to use his diaper! I have promised him everything if he will start going to the potty but so far no luck. Sad thing is...he knows how. He came in from being outside the other day just so he could go use the potty. Then two hours later, while wearing underwear inside the house, he refused to go. Then at school yesterday he went completely by himself. Walked to the bathroom, which in their room, pulled down his pants, took off his diaper and started going all before the teachers even realized. Then last night screamed when I tried to get him to go before heading to bed. Logan was so easy to train and had given up diapers way before the age Lane is now. But it is so very true that you can not compair children. They will do everything at their own pace!

I still can't believe that Christmas is just around the corner. We had just got back from Alaska this time last year. I am so very excited to spend our first Christmas in our new house. I currently have three Christmas trees up and want more but I'm trying to contain myself. I wanted one in every room but Aaron says that is crazy! I think it's a great idea!!! Hahaha. Once I get the trees completely decorated, hopefully by today, I'll get some pictures up. So I've got to get busy taking advantage of this free day!!! Have a great Thursday!