Merry Christmas!

In order to be good stewards of our money this Christmas season, we are foregoing sending out Christmas cards. We love each of you and hope you have a blessed Christmas remembering the birth of our dear Savior.  

The Many Faces of Oliver

Oliver was rather expressive tonight at dinner.

The Fish Face/kissy face

The Dog Face

Shaking his head no vigorously

Super fish face

Catching a bubble

The Monster Face

No matter the face. He sure is cute!

30 is...

Now my current age.  It's true I did hit this big milestone back on Dec. 5th.  Growing up, I thought 30 sounded so old; I mean you were truly an adult when you were 30. But now, as I turn 30 I don't feel that old (even though it still sounds old).  From what I heard, the 30s are a great decade...you're usually married, have young kids, and hitting a place where you don't care as much what others think about you.  (Let's be honest, we always care what others think, no matter our age.)

So instead of looking back, I'm looking forward... this decade I'm excited about:

• growing more in the Lord.  With age comes wisdom, right? I pray that my knowledge for God's word increases and that daily I would just learn more about His character. 
• hanging out with my husband..I hope that we can find some time to get away together and that our relationship would continue to grow.
• watching my boys grow up...hopefully to become strong, bright, and able kids.  I hope they become the very best of friends and have a real sense of family.
• potentially adding to our family.  I don't feel like our family is complete so hopefully we can another brother/sister to the mix.
• learning new things...I want to learn Photoshop, to knit, to be more organized...this list grows

I've been blessed over the last 30 years and I pray that the Lord will give me many many more years to come!

Jesse Tree Posts

Due to time constraints this holiday season, I will not be blogging the daily Jesse Tree story and ornament. I'm so far behind and there just isn't enough time in the day. Please check out the book I posted and continue to follow along with your family.

 

Oliver's 1st Birthday Party

Saturday, December 2nd we celebrated Oliver's 1st birthday with our family and a few friends. I went with the Very Hungry Caterpillar theme as it seems as if our little caterpillar can never get satisfied these days. The book lent itself to easy food and decorations ideas (all of which I needed for a birthday the weekend after Thanksgiving).  We had a great time and Oliver was by far the most entertaining kid I've ever seen eating his first cake.  I'm sad I forgot to take pictures of the table and sorts, but you can see the most important pictures (the cake eating) in the below slideshow.

This digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Jesse Tree: Day 6

Day 6: Jacob's Ladder

Later Isaac would have a son named Jacob.  Jacob took a long journey to another country to find a wife.  One night while on his journey he laid down on the ground, using a rock for a pillow, and went to sleep.  That night he had a dream where he saw a ladder reaching from the ground to heaven.  Standing at the top was God himself; this symbolized that Jacob was not far from the arms of God.  This ladder is also a symbol for Jesus; he is our connection to God. Jesus left his place in Heaven and descended to become a man. Because of his death, he the gap between heaven and earth was bridged forever. God used a helpless man to become the source of blessing and means of salvation to the entire world.

Tonight we hung a ladder on the tree.
 

Jesse Tree: Day 5

Day 5: Isaac and the Lamb

God's promise to Abraham was coming true. Abraham and his wife Sarah had a baby name Isaac and later God would Abraham to do the unthinkable, to kill sacrifice his son.  Abraham obeyed though and took Isaac up on the mountain to sacrifice him.  As he laid on the alter, knife coming down, God told Abraham to stop.  Abraham had proved himself faithful and God provided a ram as a replacement sacrifice. God would later provide another replacement lamb,  His Son Jesus.  He would serve as our replacement. Today we place a lamb on the tree to remind us that Jesus is our lamb.
 

Jesse Tree: Day 4

Day 4: The Call to Abram

Abram was called by God to leave his country, his relatives, and his father's home to go to another land which he would inherit. He was a man of faith who listened to God, believed and obeyed him. God promised Abram that he would be the father of many and even changed his name to Abraham. It is through Abraham that the Savior of the world would come.  Today we place a tent and camel on the tree to remember Abram's faithfulness to follow God to a new land.
 

Jesse Tree: Day 3

Day 3: Inside the Ark

After Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden, the sin in the world grew worse and worse. Soon there were so many people who did not love God and God was angry.  He decided to destroy the world by sending a great flood .  However, there was one man named Noah who loved God and followed Him in all of His ways.  God told Noah to build an ark and put 2 of every animal along with his family.  Inside the ark, Noah and his family were safe.

The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Those who do not turn to God will be lost forever, just like those who turned against God during Noah's time. But God has provided us life through His Son Jesus.  Through Jesus' death on the cross, we are forgiven for our sins and can have eternal life with Him.

Jesse Tree: Day 2

Day 2 is The First Sin. When God first made the world He saw that everything was perfect. That was until sin enter the world. Satan disguised as a snake deceived Eve, making her question God. After eating the forbidden fruit, sin enter our world.  But God knew this and that day He promised a Savior who would come and take our sin away and bring us back to God.

Today we placed an apple on our tree.

Jesse Tree: Day 1

To lead us through our Jesse Tree, we are using the The Advent Jesse Tree by Abingdon Press.  Each day it has a devotion for children and for adults along with a memory verse, song suggestions, questions, and a prayer.  We also purchased a small 4 ft fake Christmas tree to serve as our Jesse Tree and place our ornaments on each day.

Day 1 is the Light of Creation. Gen. 1:1 and John 1:1-4.  In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. He has always been and He created all that we can see and hear.  He created man and woman. Everything He made was good.

Today we put added the globe to our tree.

Happy 1st Birthday Oliver!

Sweet Oliver,

One year ago today, you surprised us all by coming 20 days early. Evidently you didn't care what the calendar said and you just wanted out. :)  From the very first moment we saw you, we knew our world would never been the same.  You showed us early on how strong your lungs were and you made sure your needs were attended to immediately.

You've had a crazy first year of life full of doctor's appointments and tests, but you haven't let it faze you at all.  We are so thankful that your little tumor is almost gone and you are a smart, funny, and healthy toddler now. You have the cutest little expressions and are constantly make some of kind of noise.  You are mischievous, fearless, and easily amused.  You bring so much joy to our lives and we praise God that He chose us to be your parents.

As you reach this big milestone, here are some of the fun new things you are doing:

• You now weigh 22 lbs 14 oz. (52 %tile) and are 30 3/4 in tall (80% tile). Sadly son you have a big head at 18 3/4 in (84 %tile). 
• You are now drinking whole milk exclusively. Sadly due to Mommy's back injury, we quickly had to finish the weaning process. You were a champ though and never looked back. 
• You are doing a little bit of baby sign language now; you can do more and all done.
• You can make sounds that sound like: dada, mama, nana, baba, nigh (for night night) and I swear you said kiss the other day.
• You are starting to point to things you want and people in our family.
• You are eating A LOT! You must be growing through a growth spurt because I swear you are eating more than Owen these days.  I've also learned that you don't like to eat the same thing 2 days in a row. Just because you liked to eat something for lunch today doesn't mean you'll like it tomorrow. You like variety! :) However your new favorites have been apple cinnamon cereal bars and goldfish. 
• You are almost out of 12 month clothes. 
• You have become more of a daddy's boy this month.  You get so excited when he walks in the door and start fussing if he doesn't acknowledge you immediately.
• Clapping is your new favorite thing.  You love for us to sing and you will immediately start to clap when someone breaks out in song. Favorite songs are Wheels on the Bus and If You're Happy and You Know it.

We look forward to celebrating your first year tomorrow with our families and friends.  We pray that we have many, many more birthdays to celebrate together.  WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

An Advent Tradition: The Jesse Tree

A few years ago I saw this awesome advent tradition called the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots."  It is a vehicle to tell the Story of God in the Old Testament, and to connect the Advent Season with the faithfulness of God across 4,000 years of history. The Branch is a biblical sign of newness out of discouragement, which became a way to talk about the expected messiah (for example, Jer 23:5). It is therefore an appropriate symbol of Jesus the Christ, who is the revelation of the grace and faithfulness of God.

The Jesse Tree seeks to tell the story of God's redemptive plan for the world through 25 symbols of the Old and New Testament. The symbols trace the heritage of Jesus Christ from beginning of creation to His birth on Christmas Day. Each day of Advent, there is a Scripture passage to coincide with the symbol, which most families portray as an ornament for their tree (their big family tree or a separate small tree).

After reading up on the activity, I decided it was something I definitely wanted to do with my boys to help us focus on the true meaning of Christmas.  Making 25 ornaments though, is no easy task.  An old friend told me how her mom's group got together for a craft night and did an ornament swap.  Last November, I presented the idea to my moms' group and they were sold. I coordinated the whole night and scheduled for all to get together on Dec. 2nd.

Oliver, however, decided to surprise us all and come 20 days early.  I, therefore, did not make it to my own craft night but it went on without a hitch. Beautiful ornaments were made (each lady made 25 of one symbol) and exchanged. It went so well that I was asked to coordinate it again this year, though I'm not in the group anymore.

Because of Oliver's birth, we didn't get to start the tree last year so I was excited to do it this year. For this next month, I'll be sharing more about our tree so stay tuned.

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving 2011 was quite eventful. Per tradition, we alternate years between the Piners and the Coxes. This year it was our year with the Piners. My mom opens their home to both her and my dad's sides of the family (totally 22 people). I love having all my family in one place and I love all the delicious food my mom, aunts, and cousins make.

Sadly this year though, it was not quite as fun.  Thursday morning I was trying to rock Oliver to sleep for a nap before everyone got there.  After he fell asleep in my arms, I stood up to put him in the pack-n- play and extreme pain shot down my back.  I immediately fell back in the chair, yelling for someone to come help.  It took a while for anyone to hear since they were cooking and all the doors were closed. Finally, they came to my rescue.  I spent the rest of the day stretched out in a recliner with heating pads and pain relievers.

I am so thankful for my family who was there to help with the boys that day.  I felt like I wasn't really part of the celebration that much and sadly I took no pictures.  Luckily my cousin Heather sent me this cute picture of the boys with her daughter Emma.

I hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving!
 

Month of Thanks: 23-30

Sadly I neglected the blog the last week of November. I didn't stop being thankful, I just got too busy enjoying my blessings. So to wrap up the month, here they are:

23: I am thankful for the Pilgrims who came over to America for religious freedom. I am thankful that they were bold enough to stand up for what they believed in.  My prayer is that I would always be bold in sharing my faith.

24: I am thankful for my extended family and that they make it an annual tradition to come to my parents' house for Thanksgiving.  This particular Thanksgiving, I am thankful they were there to help with the boys as I threw my back out that morning while rocking Oliver to sleep.

25: I am thankful for Black Friday and that I could save so much on Christmas gifts. I love giving gifts and good deals make it possible to do more. :)

26: Today I am thankful to live in the US, where I have clean water and air.  I love that I have freedom to praise God publicly. I am thankful that I can vote for my own leaders and that I can express my opinions.

27: Today I am thankful for our small group.  Though it has been a challenge at times, we have continued to work together to find a schedule that works for all.  I'm excited to finally be in a groove and studying God's word together.

28: I am thankful today that Oliver has finally gotten back into a routine and is sleeping all the way through the night again.

29: Today I am thankful for muscle relaxers that finally relieved the pain in my back.

30: I am thankful that I was able to nurse Oliver for a whole year, though honestly I'm glad to be done. :)

I hope you stuck with me through the month.  I feel like this activity really demanded me to reflect on my life.  I heard a quote somewhere (facebook, pinterest?) that said, "What if tomorrow, God only gave you what you thanked him for today?" Why the theology may not all be right, the phrase struck a nerve with me. How much to come to God for supplication instead of thanking Him for all He's done for me already? Thankfully I serve a merciful God who cannot love me anymore or any less than He does now.
 

Month of thanks: day 22

Today I'm thankful that we made it safely to Rocky Mount tonight to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. I'm looking forward to turkey, family, football, and shopping.

Owen Being Owen

Owen is at such a fun age. Every day I amazed at the things he does and says.  For my sake, I wanted to document a few.

Recently he has become obsessed with Toy Story.  Last Christmas my aunt and uncle gave him 2 Toy Story (TS) figurines along with a TS suitcase.  At the time, he had never really even seen TS before but loved having a suitcase his size.  One day at the library he found the DVDs and wanted to take them, so I obliged. Ever since then he has been obsessed. The cutest thing is does is wears Woody around on his shoulders like Andy does in the movie.  He also flys Buzz around and the strangest thing, he makes Woody and Buzz kiss.  (My thought is that he sees kissing as a sign of affection and he knows the two characters are friends.)   My parents even bought him Woody pajamas that he LOVES to wear. He told me for Christmas he wants a pair of cowboy boots like Woody.  I think we might finally have to invest in our copies of the movies and stop borrowing from the library. :)

Speaking of pjs,  they also bought him a pair of Superman pajamas at the same time.  He loves wearing them as well and flying around the house.  He can't quite say Superman so it's more like uperman, but he's so super cute.  One night he put on his football helmet with the pajamas and told us Superman play football for the Tar Heels. Oh buddy, we definitely could use him on our team this year!

He also tells us the funniest things.  Last week he was talking about wanting a big soccer ball and I told him we didn't have one.  He turned and looked at me and said, "Papa buy it for me." Evidently he's learned early that he has Papa wrapped around his finger. It could be that he picked up on this because Papa and Owen can't leave Target without Papa buying him something. :)

Lately I've realized just how much Owen picks up on his surroundings.  He can identify many of the places we go by the logo.  He can find you any Harris Teeter or Target around Charlotte. He loves telling you that that is his library and church when we go by. I do believe his favorite place to visit is Harris Teeter; he gets so excited to go.  He loves riding in the double cart shaped like a car with Oliver, but I think his favorite is when Daddy stops by the cookie dragon on the way out.

Owen is finally starting to get the hang of this own potty training thing.  He still won't tell you when he has to go but he will always go when you put him on there.  This past weekend he only had one accident and even pooped.  I think the positive reinforcement as really worked with him, but his face lights up and he gets so excited when he uses the bathroom. Sadly though, he still is not going to the bathroom at the Y. They take him numerous times a morning but he still hasn't gone.

Month of Thanks: Day 21

Today I am thankful that all the little boys in my house are happy and healthy. I am also thankful that Oliver finally slept all the way through the night for the first time in a while. :)

Month of Thanks: Day 20

Today I am thankful to finish yet another item on my long to-do list! I am glad to finally have finished our new tree skirt, therefore replacing our cheap ugly one we've had since our first Christmas. I am thankful for sweet friends who worked along side me to make making this even more fun. :)

Month of Thanks: 17,18, and 19

Whoa sickness in our house has put me way behind...

Day 17: I am thankful for a husband who unselfishly gave up his ability to get a new phone to give me one for my birthday.  After the unfortunate drop in the toilet months ago, my phone began to have some major cliches instead a touch screen that wouldn't work.  It's kind of hard to have a phone when you can't dial out or answer.  Luckily we still had our old phones so I was just going to use that until our contracts ran out in March.  When we went to the Verizon store last week to get it switched over, Jeremy found out that his phone was already up and he could get a new one. He sacrificed his own desires for a new phone to let me have one and a great one at that. :)

Day 18: I am thankful for my brother Brandon, who came to babysit Oliver, so I could go to my preschool feast.  Sadly Oliver had hand, foot, and mouth all week long and could not go back to the Y.  My brother, who owns his own business, had some flexibility in his day that he could come watch him for the morning.  Thanks BP!

Day 19:  I am thankful that I have so many thoughtful and caring friends. I thrive off of relationships, the whole being known and knowing others.  I am thankful for all the friends the Lord has blessed me with in all my different life stages. I am thankful for sweet reminders of how God cares for through His people. :)

Month of Thanks: Day 16

Today I'm thankful for girls' night! Right now at our house I have one kid with hand, foot, and mouth and husband with vertigo symptoms. The Lord knew I would need a night out of the house after dealing with a cranky baby all day. Thank you Lord for girlfriends and a loving husband who encourages me to get out of the house. :)

Month of Thanks: Day 14 and 15

Whoops..forgot yesterday's post so today you get 2 for the price of 1. :)

 Day 14: I am thankful for my Bible study fellowship study. I started in this study last year with the book of Acts and have continued this year into the book of Acts. I am thankful how much this study has taught me.  It has provided connections from the Old and New Testament that I never seen before.  It has taught me so much more about the character of Jesus and has left me in awe of our Savior. I am thankful for the growth I have seen in my own Biblical knowledge and in my appreciation for His Word.

Day 15: I am thankful for a kind, caring, and knowledgeable pediatrician.  Luck would have it that we kind of just got fell under Dr. Ankrah's care. When we first moved here we had to find a doctor quickly when we found out Owen still had fluid in his ears.  After calling all my local friends (all 3 at the time), we called Elizabeth Pediatrics to see one of their older and highly recommended doctors.  Because he was so highly recommended he was not taking new patients anymore and they suggested their new doctor.  I said, "What the heck! We'll try her." I'm so glad that we did because she has been nothing but amazing.  She is kind but doesn't just tell you what you want to hear.  She is geniuely concerned for my boys and truthfully read every thing that comes across her desk about them.  I was so impressed when she called me one night on her way home because she wasn't able to call me back in the office.  Now that we moved further south in the city, her office is a good 30 mins. away but we still drive over to see her because she is just that good.

Month of Thanks: Day 13

Last week I was at my friend Caron's house and she made us all go around and say something we were thankful. Her first answer challenged me to think outside of the box and not just say my family (which was going to be my first go-to answer).

As I thought about this year, I thought about how much we have been through especially when it comes to our health.  So today the thing I am most thankful for is that through all these tests they have all come back with positive results.  From the beginning of the year, we had the scare with Oliver's tumor and we praise the Lord that it was benign and it is now shrinking on it's own. I am thankful that through all of Owen's testing, we found that everything is fine with his brain.  What could have been a really scary situation, is now something easy that we can just monitor.  We are so thankful for clean reports and healthy children.

Month of Thanks: Day 12

Today I am thankful for weekends.  The Lord told us to take a Sabbath for reason...we need a day of rest.  I love weekends because it means time we get to spend as a family.  With the days getting shorter, Jeremy getting home later, and the boys going to bed early, there is very little time between dinner and bedtime.  Weekends give us more time to play, run errands, and just be together. I love my little family!

Month of Thanks: Day 11

Today on Veteran's Day I am thankful for the men and women past and present who serve our country. I'm thankful for their bravery, strength, and self-sacrifice so that I can feel safe. I have so much respect for our servicemen and could never thank them enough for all that they do.

Month of Thanks: Day 10

Are you bored with this yet? If so I'm sorry..I promise to interlace some cute pics of the boys to keep you interested.

Today the thing I thankful for might seem silly but I'm thankful for Facebook.  I'm thankful that it allows me to stay connected to friends from all stages of my life. When we moved to Nashville, Facebook kept me from getting depressed when I felt so isolated as a new mom. I love also that if you have a question about anything, you can get quick fast answers from hundreds of friends.

I confess though that it a time waster and I spend way too much on it.  So what is a blessing can also be a curse, uh?
 

Oliver @ 11 Months

11 months...such a fun age.

This month, Oliver is:

• 22  lbs (by our scale)
• wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers
• still nursing 3x a day and has one cup of formula in the morning at preschool (ok and let's be honest, lately he's been waking up once during the early early morning and we'll only go back to sleep if I nurse him)
• taking one short nap at the Y and one longer nap here in the afternoon
• has 6 teeth..2 on the top and 4 on the bottom
• cruising along all the furniture and loves to pull up on any and every thing
• can crawl up the stairs
• no more bottles..he's moved onto sippy cups
• still a good eater but a little bit picker than the rest of the family
• wants anything Owen has and will fight him for it
• waves to everyone wherever we go
• loves to clap his hands
• a super fast crawler and walking holding onto our hands
• like most kids, loves to throw things off his high chair tray

In a few short weeks, we'll be celebrating his 1st birthday! It's so crazy how much faster the first year went with him than his brother's. We love you little man!

Month of Thanks: Day 9

This 9th of November I'm thankful for our jobs. I'm thankful that Jeremy enjoys his job and that they value him for his skills.  I am thankful for my job at the Y and especially thankful that they have a FREE staff childcare program.

Month of Thanks: Day 8

Today I am thankful for my brother and sibling-in-laws. I am thankful that my brother and I have remained close over the years and we have been there for one another through all of life's milestones. I also love my in-laws and am glad to have sisters now. :)

 (Thanks family for letting me steal your Facebook pics...it was the easiest way to get a recent picture of you.)