Christmas with the Caskeys

Every year we have dinner to celebrate Christmas with the Caskeys. We have been friends for a long time and love their boys like they are ours. This year we had yummy taco salads and chocolate cake and then we exchanged gifts. WJC went to his santa shop and spent the money he earned to buys gifts for his family members. CTW, OK, and I were included in his list. It was so fun to see what he picked out for us. We loved our gifts and OK is still carrying around her Fancy Nancy doll. Here are a couple pictures. Also, I included a video of WJC reading to OK. I can't believe he is old enough to read.

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Cass's Birthday Celebration

My neice Cass(also OKW's best friend) turned 5 last Tuesday. She had a birthday party with her family and friends the Saturday before. On Tuesday we celebrated by going to lunch at Chick-Fil-A and then to see Princess and The Frog at the movie theater. It was OK's first trip and Cass's 2nd. I think my sister and I had as much fun as they did. It was a good movie and a wonderful time.

Decorating the Tree

The week of Thanksgiving we spent time decorating the house and putting up the much anticipated tree. I think OK will follow in her parents footsteps when it comes to loving Christmas. It was very exciting to watch her put the ornaments on with care and precision. She knew exactly where she wanted certain ones to go. We had fun looking at the one CTW and I made of her handprint and footprint for her 1st Christmas. Here are a couple of pictures.

Boo in the Zoo

We took our annual trip to the Greenville Zoo for Boo in the Zoo. OK loved it last year and really enjoyed it this year. They do a great job decorating and handing out candy and halloween themed items. She let us take a lot of pictures but didn't necessarily look at the camera. We had a great time. It was a little chilly but we survived. Enjoy the pictures.

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Princess Tea Party

My parents' church hosted a princess tea party. My sister signed OK and I up to attend. We have been talking about it all week and OK was so excited when she woke up today to find that we were finally going. It was a wonderful time. The WMU(Women's Missionary Union--for those that don't know) had decorated the tables up with teapots and baby rose centerpieces. Each little girl had their own placecard. We found our seats and had a wonderful time eating sandwiches and drinking tea(koolaid for the kids). OK loved every minute and so did I. I teared up a few times. I haven't been able to do anything this girlie with her yet, so I was overwhelmed. They had dancing, storytime, and manicures. We had a wonderful time. Here are a couple of pictures.

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Trip to NC

This weekend CTW, OK, and I headed up to Wilkesboro, NC to visit my brother and his wife. We left early Sat morning and came home Sun afternoon. We had a great visit. The town was having their annual apple festival, so after eating some lunch we took off to check it out. There were a lot of people, lots of crafty things, and a whole lot of food. We splurged on some homemade peach ice cream(yummy). Then my brother had arranged for us to go to a local orchard. Members of his church were wonderful enough to let us walk around. We had the place to ourselves. OK had a wonderful time running around and picking apples. I love to see the amazement in her eyes. There were so many apples and I think we may have tried them all. After the orchard, we took off for a 20 minute ride to a local vineyard. It was a beautiful place and to top it off they were setting up for a wedding. We even got a peak at the bride as she was taking pictures. God's creations are amazing and as we walked around in the mountains, I couldn't help but be moved. I am so blessed and sometimes I forget. I get caught up in the day-to-day struggles and forget what my Saviour is capable of. It was definitely a wonderful reminder. Thanks to Uncle Tad and Shay Shay for their hospitality and the wonderful time they planned. We miss them!!! Enjoy the slideshow!!!

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Big Girl Bedroom

A couple of weeks ago, CTW's uncle told us he had some bedroom furniture he was getting rid of if we wanted it. A full-size bed, mattresses, dresser, and night stand. We really couldn't pass it up. We offered to pay for it, but he wouldn't let us. What an answer to prayer. We were trying to figure out how to budget in for her a new bed. The only catch was that we had to go get it then, so I was forced into moving OK into a big girl bed. We had already turned the crib into a toddler bed, but it was still the crib. She was still my little baby, right? We weren't going to put the bed together when we picked up the other furniture, but OK insisted on being in her big bed. We put it together and thought it would be a rough couple of nights. Nope, not for my little girl. We all layed down on the bed after her bath, stories, and prayers. After about 5 minutes, she looked at CTW and I and said in her sweet little girl voice, "Now get out of my bed!" I asked her if she was sure, and of course she told us she was ready to go to sleep. She slept the whole night and we haven't had a problem yet. Another example of how she is ready to grow up before I am ready for her to.

I was however, so excited to finally be able to decorate a little girl's room. We didn't find out the sex of our baby until she arrived, so her crib bedding was very neutral. We did add somethings to it to make it girlie, but not like it is now. Here are a couple pictures of the somewhat finished project. CTW gave me a very small budget, so the room is a work in progress. I am still looking for some deals on little trinkets and a piece of art for over the chest of drawers. If you guys have any cheap ideas, pass them along.

Beach Trip 2009

We made a trip to Myrtle Beach at the end of June. We had a wonderful time. We were afraid that OK would be afraid of the ocean, but we should never underestimate our child. She plunged right in and never wanted to leave. She loved playing in the waves and the sand. She also loved being out in the ocean. I am not much of a ocean water person. Don't get me wrong I love to watch it and feel the breeze, but I don't usually venture out into the water. I guess having children makes you do things you don't necessarily like. My favorite part of the week had to be when she saw the water for the first time. I have to say seeing the amazement on her little face is my favorite part of being a mother. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

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Happy Birthday Daddy

First Big Girl Haircut

CTW had a hair appointment tonight, so I asked our hairdresser what I could do to OK's hair to keep her from getting a mullet while her hair grew in. We decided that we would continue to cut the back until the front and sides caught up. I have trimmed the scraggly hairs in the back and around her ears, but tonight she got her first big girl haircut. She put the smock on and she was okay but when she started cutting, OK let it known that she didn't like it. Here are a few shots.

OK's Birthday

So this is very late, but OK had a great birthday. She turned two on 2/27/09 and had her party on 2/28/09. Her two year stats were 24.5 lbs and 32.5 inches tall. I can't believe how much she has grown since her birth. We are so blessed and enjoy her. She is really funny and learning new things everyday. The doctor was blown away by her growth. He couldn't believe how well she was talking and that she knows her colors and shapes already. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Sorry that we are so behind schedule.

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Disney World Trip--March 2009

The first week of March we headed down to Orlando for OK's first trip to Disney World. My parents, neice, and sister joined us on the trip. My parents knew someone who had a house in the area and he gave us a great deal, so we went. We would not have been able to afford to go without it. We had a blast. We spent Sunday night through Saturday afternoon in Orlando and enjoyed each and every moment. We went to Magic Kingdom twice, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. It was so wonderful. A smile never left OK's face. She was amazed by the characters and so was I. It was little cooler than we thought it would be but that definitely didn't stop us.

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Happy Birthday to Chris

Happy Birthday to one of my college roommate. You are truely one of the sweetest people I know and I am so lucky to have you as a friend. I hope you have a wonderful day. We love you so much. Thanks you so much for being there for over the years. You have seen me at highs and at lows and yet you still are my friend. Your words of encouragement about motherhood and marriage will stay with me forever. You definitely love me unconditionally and I will never be able to repay you for that love. Thanks for loving me, CTW, and OK. I can't believe it has been 11 years since we met and I look forward to so many more. Have a wonderful Birthday and I can't wait for our playdate next week. WE LOVE YOU!!!

Happy Birthday Beez

Happy Birthday to the best friend a girl could have. I can't believe we are celebrating another year gone, but don't worry it isn't a year older it is a year better. I can't begin to thank you for the love, support, and encouragement you give me and my family. When I am at my lowest you know exactly what to say. You are not judging and superficial. You know exactly when I need a swift kick in the pants. Thank you for loving me, CTW, and most of all OK. I can't wait to grow older with you. I love you!!!

What have we been up to?

Hello everyone. It has been forever since I have posted. Our laptop has been broken so I haven't really gotten around to doing it. So, what have we been up to. We have been enjoying time together as a family when we can. CTW has been working a lot of overtime at work. This past week he has been sick with the flu. Below there are quite a few new posts. I think I have caught up from Christmas, so bear with me. I hope this finds all of you doing well and I again say sorry for being so far behind.

The Circus

My sister and I had been talking about taking the girls to the circus for a while. We found a coupon and was able to save quite a bit, so we bought the tickets. The Circus came to town on Feb 4th. My mom, CTW, KCW, CPW, OK, and I loaded up and headed downtown. We got there in time to see the elephants up-close and saw some other performances, but nothing will match the look on OK's face when they started up and all of the performers and Elephants came out. The look of amazement on her face was something I will never forget. I think that if her eyes could have gotten any bigger they would have burst. She got a little antsy during the clown shows but overall she sat in either mine or my mom's lap quiet and still. At the very end they shot confetti in the air and she had the biggest smile. We had a blast and I am sure I have said it before but we are definitely blessed to live in a city where we can take OK to special events like this.

Christmas Day

On Christmas Day CTW and I got up and got dressed and then we woke OK up to see if Santa came. Of course he did and OK's face was priceless. She was amazed and so excited. We had a hard time getting her to open the presents from Mommy and Daddy. After we enjoyed family time we went to Grandma and Papa's to celebrate the rest of the day. We ate good and had a wonderful time catching up with family.

Christmas Eve at Pappy and Granna's

We celebrate Christmas with CTW's family on Christmas Eve and my family on Christmas Day. By the time we got ready to open presents both days she was wiped and overdue for a nap so excuse the paci in some of the shots.