A Christmas Miracle!

On Tuesday night, we went to the MCC Children's Christmas party. This is one of the best events the club hosts! It is a crazy, chaotic mess of kids running around on a sugar high while their parents enjoy a holiday toddy (well, most of them do!) and look on. 

 

They have a Santa schedule and you get to slip the big guy a note about your little one so as soon as we walked in the room, Santa said "Hello, Thomas!" I thought Thomas was going to pass out. Then Santa said, "You are two, right?" Thomas looked over at me and then ran to sit in Santa's lap. Santa told Thomas that he was on Santa's "nice list." Santa asked Thomas if he still wanted a crane and a train station. Of course, he said yes and then he added to his list with his wishes of the day. 

 

 

Then Thomas asked Santa what kind of cookies he wanted. They talked about the reindeers and leaving them some carrots. Do you see that big smile? Yes, a Christmas miracle indeed! Thomas walked out of that room with stars in his eyes!

 

We all had to get our picture with Santa.

 

Smiling for a picture with BooBoo.

 

Thomas caught sight of Tino and ran down the hall to greet him.

 

And show him his snowman balloon.

 

Thomas and Mimi.

 

Waiting for his turn to ride on the horse drawn carriage around the golf course.

 

And the sugar high begins....

 

Riding in Santa's sleigh - he thought he was so cool!

 

Telling Daddy that he "better not be naughty because Santa is watching"

 

Thomas and his cousin, Elin, dancing around the tree. Couldn't get these two to be still for the camera.

 

Waiting patiently in line for face painting.

 

Opted for the hand instead of the face - thank goodness!

 

He kept giggling because it tickled.

 

So proud of his snowman.

 

One last picture before we leave.

 

Last night, we went to the PJ story time at Second Pres. It was a really cute program. They sang songs, read a book and then Sandy acted out the Christmas story with some help from the kids in the audience. At the end, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and then had milk and cookies to celebrate.

 

The dynamic duo showed up in almost identical PJ's.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Where do the days go? I feel like I look up and two weeks have flown by in the blink of an eye. We have been enjoying Christmas and all of the wonderful things that it brings. Thomas talks about Santa and baby Jesus all of the time. It is so fun to teach him all of the fun traditions and the real reason for the season!

 

Last Friday we had a "mini" ice storm. Just the threat of this storm closed schools and sent people off to the grocery to raid the shelves for milk and bread. I get the milk thing now that we go through 4 gallons of milk a week!

 

Thomas had a haircut scheduled for that morning, and this Mama had had enough of a shaggy-haired little boy, so we braved the ice and enjoyed a cupcake at Muddy's afterwards. Of course the streets never got bad but it was nice to be bundled up inside most of the weekend by the fire!

 

 

On Saturday morning, we snuck out despite the ice that everyone thought was still on the roads. We met Charlie and Amanda at the Enchanted Forest. Thomas talked a big talk about seeing Santa, but freaked out when we rounded the corner. No sitting on the big man's lap again this year....thank goodness for this rocking horse. Of course, this year, he also decided to stick his tongue out at Santa. Let's hope that doesn't put him on the "naughty list."

 

Speaking of naughty lists...Thomas is very quick to tell anyone who does something bad these last few weeks that they don't need to be naughty because Santa is watching. Ha! His teachers think it is hysterical...Mr. Disciplinarian himself. Too bad he doesn't apply that theory to his own behavior. I am the one always reminding him that Santa is watching!

 

 

 

The highlight of the Enchanted Forest is, of course, the trains. We had to pry these little ones away. They would have stayed all day and watched.

 

Thomas helped me finish decorating on Friday. We learned all about the Nativity and the people in the manger. At school, they made their very own baby Jesus doll and Thomas loves to take care of him. Hope he is as sweet to baby Henry!

 

 

 On Saturday morning, we had Oliver's birthday party - breakfast with Santa and come in your pj's! Such a cute idea. Thomas loved the IDEA and then Santa walked in....and he had a death grip on my neck until he was gone. Look at those long legs...I can't stand how tall he is getting....such a big boy.

 

Today was his class Christmas party at EUMK. Such a sweet class and sweet teachers. They had Chick-fil-a, fruit and cookies. They gave the mommies the sweet ornaments they made for us and we all said goodbye until next year!

 

These two are T.R.O.U.B.L.E....but the best of friends.

 

My sweet boy!

 

 

 

Tonight, we have the MCC Children's Christmas Party. It was so much fun last year, so I am very excited about this year. Santa visit round two...been talking it up with Thomas, but talk is talk and when the real man walks in, you just can't always handle it when you are two! :)

 

Thankful

  This year, we spent Thanksgiving in Georgia. Thomas was so excited to go see Nana and Papa...he talked about going to "the farm" for weeks. Patrick's Aunt Beth and Uncle Harry were also there with their son, Scott, and his wife Becky.

 

 

Group picture, round one. We were missing Betty Jo.

 

Group picture, round two! Everyone is there!

 

On Saturday, Thomas got to ride one of the ponies, Hot Shot. Can you tell he was just a tiny bit excited?

 

 

Off to feed the horses some "big carrots."

 

 

Off he goes....

 

The other horses were jealous of the attention that Hot Shot was getting.

 

Nana, I'm cold!

 

Thanks for the ride, Hot Shot!

 

Of course, Thomas had to take a turn on the tractor, or front-end loader as he will quickly correct you. This boy knows way too much about the nuances of tractors and construction equipment. I cannot keep up!

 

 

Thankful for our little guy and his baby brother, Henry! We got our first gift with his name on it. Still to finalize the middle name, but we are certain about Henry. Patrick's grandfather was Henry Thomas Walker. He went by Thomas and that is our Thomas's namesake. His great-grandfather was also Henry Walker.

 

 

We had a great Thanksgiving. Glad to be home and done with all of our driving, though! Started pulling out the Christmas decorations yesterday. It is my most favorite time of the year!!!

 

 

 

Friendsgiving and Santa Arrives!

This past weekend, we had two fun highlights. Patrick was away hunting for opening weekend of duck season. Thomas and I bundled up early on Saturday morning and ventured out to watch Santa Claus arrive at the Pink Palace via a helicopter. Thomas talked about this all week...he was so excited to see Santa. He really understands Christmas this year, so Santa is, of course, a very big deal.

Mimi was brave enough to come with us and bear the brutal cold....when I say cold, it was 30 degrees before the helicopter landed and nearly blew us away.

 

Here comes the helicopter!

 

Now, we aren't so sure....

 

There is Santa Claus!

 

Freezing our tails off!

 

 

On Sunday night, we hosted "Friendsgiving" for our friends. The Campbells, Bowies, Stines, and Watson (poor Helene was at home sick) came over to celebrate with us. It was so nice to be able to celebrate with our friends. All of the kids had so much fun playing!

 

I made Patrick's grandmother's dressing. It is a yummy recipe and always a hit!

Privilege

A close friend of mine and fellow boy-Mama once told me that she considered it a “privilege” to raise a boy. I have thought about this a lot. I think that raising both genders is equally important and difficult, but I also think that there is just something different about raising a boy. I had not been able to put my finger on what it was until I thought about her comment.

One of the definitions of the word “privilege” is a special opportunity to do something that makes you proud. Maybe I think of raising a boy as a privilege since I am a girl and the inner-workings of boys are truly foreign, so I feel like I have the added extra responsibility to get it right? Maybe I always imagined I would have girls since I come from a family of girls? Or maybe I just love that little boy more than I could ever imagine so being his Mama has to be a privilege? Or maybe it is all of the above and more.

Every parent has hopes and dreams for their children…lessons they strive to instill in them from a young age. As parents, we are shaping hearts, souls and minds (no minor responsibility there, my friends!). Raising a boy, I am always aware that one day he will be the head of his household, responsible for his own family’s well-being. I want him to be strong, compassionate, loyal, responsible, generous, respectful, passionate and godly. That is tall order for a little boy, but what a wonderful man he will become if he has a foundation that emphasizes the importance of these traits and can apply them as a father, husband and citizen!

There are plenty of days when I’m certain that I am a complete failure when it comes to raising a little boy. There are other days where I am flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants and lucky that it worked out okay. Then there are other days when I think I have this whole “boy-thing” down. Let’s hope that there are more days to come when I feel like I’m acing the “boy-Mama” role because we have been given another precious and perfect gift from God. I have the “privilege” of being the Mama to another little BOY in May. Can you believe it? May Walker, a mother of ALL BOYS! My friends and family are in complete disbelief!

We found out the gender last week and are over the moon excited! I secretly (okay, not so secretly) wanted another little boy. It is the perfect addition to complete our little family. I am most excited that we get to “keep-on keeping-on.” I won’t be pulled in different directions from ballet to football and art to lacrosse. We will be in boy-mode 100% of the time…so much easier for the planner in me. ;) Patrick jokingly said I will be outnumbered and out-voted, but I think he knows better….

The baby is healthy and growing perfectly. I have felt worse with this second pregnancy but the second trimester seems to be bringing a little relief. Thank goodness! They will monitor me more closely this time after my first pregnancy. Dr. Sullivant and I are both optimistic that not having tax season will help remove a lot of the stress that may have contributed to my low fluid levels. Bed rest with a 2 year old would be an absolute nightmare, so I keep saying my prayers hoping to avoid that.

Thomas is very excited about the baby in Mama's belly. This is how he looked when we first told him! 

                                  

Then he realized that he would have to share his toys with his baby brother and gave me some attitude. Just kidding about Thomas's reactions. These are just some great shots that we got from Thomas's photo shoot. Couldn't resist because the captions just matched the storyline so well. More on the pictures in another post.

       

Lots to do before our new little man arrives and the nesting is in high gear! Luckily, it is duck season, so I can “piddle” on my little projects while Patrick is off hunting. One day, all three of my guys will be off to spend the weekends duck hunting!

A Trip to Auburn

 

Last weekend, we went to visit BooBoo at Auburn. All of the driving was so worth our visit. We loved getting to see the campus and town and meet some of Lisa's friends.

 

After a yummy breakfast, we spent the rest of Saturday morning touring the campus, shopping downtown and playing a little football on old campus. All Thomas wanted was a football, so we bought him an Auburn one. The ONLY Auburn thing I would let him have. Lisa was begging me to get him a t-shirt but I finally convinced her it would be a waste of money because he would NEVER wear it.

 

Funny story to show just how much of a UGA fan Thomas is....we were eating ice cream at Toomer's corner diner, when Thomas decides to belt out one of his favorite songs, "It's great to be a Georgia Bulldog!" Personally, I was proud, but I thought Patrick and Lisa were going to crawl in a hole.

 

 

 

On Saturday night, we had dinner at Hamilton's with two of Lisa's friends, Susie and Nell. Such cute girls....Thomas thought so too!

 

 

After Auburn's win over Arkansas, we saw the student's rolling Toomer's Corner. A fun tradition, but a little sad since the famous trees are gone.

 

 

 

We had a great weekend with BooBoo. We loved getting to see her new life in Auburn and are very proud of how well she is doing. We sure do miss her back at home though...and I think she especially misses this little boy!