Christmas Catchup #3...

The weekend before Christmas we joined my family at our mountain house for GFC aka Gettis Family Christmas. We had to wait till Andy was finished with work before heading out on Friday and by the time we got on the road we received a phone call that the power was out at the mtn. house due to extreme winds. Long story short we ended up staying Friday night at my parents house and then driving the rest of the way to the mtn. house on Saturday morning. We spent the day hanging out and AG learned how to prep green beans with Aunt Mis in the kitchen. That evening we had a big meal and then opened presents. The biggest gifts of the year were a tractor and a corn hole set. 

My dad has been waiting since AG was born to give him a John Deere tractor ride-on like the one he had as a child since AG was born. My mom has been making him wait because he wasn't big enough for it till now. G-Daddy was quite excited about it and AG was beside himself with it. He's all about being a farmer and his tractor is identical to the ones at Andy's family farm. Of course, he immediately noticed that it would hold a trailer and informed us he needed a trailer to haul his fruits and vegetables. (Good thing someone has a birthday three weeks after Christmas.) I have a feeling there will be lots of happy memories made with this tractor in the years to come. 

The other big gift was a surprise for my dad. Andy has taken to making corn hole sets and he's INCREDIBLE at it. They are gorgeous...hand painted and stained. Anyways, my dad is all about homemade gifts and things that the whole family can use. Andy decided to make my dad a set and my sisters all chipped in on the cost. For this set we went with an Atlanta Braves theme since my dad has been a life long Braves fan and has many memories with the Braves...from watching the games with my Granddad on Sunday afternoons, to ushering the playoffs and World Series games in the early 90's, to family games and tailgating. My dad was completely shocked and caught off guard by it. And he loved it. Christmas surprise success! 

We left the mountains on Sunday and headed home to get ready for Christmas with the Edwards family. At this point both of the kids were both snotty but we didn't think much of it because they were acting normal. Little did we know about what was to come...

Christmas Catchup #2...

AG's last day of school was the Thursday before Christmas. His class had a party that morning and the week before they had requested that each family send a $5 gift wrapped for their child. We brought the gifts and they placed them under the class Christmas tree. AG loved his party and Avi-Kate loved being included in the festivities. I think she'd go to school tomorrow if they would let her. After they enjoyed their treats each child got to take a turn unwrapping their gift. It was pretty neat and all their friends 'ooohed and ahhhhhed' over their treasures. Afterwards we were free to take our children but AG wanted to stay and play so I left him and returned later for him. 

 That afternoon among the things that AG came home with were this collection of homemade ornaments that he had been working on all month. I absolutely adore them. AG enjoyed finding spots to hang them on our tree in the dining room.

That evening we made our family gingerbread houses and AG was beside himself with excitement. Avi-Kate played with the tool bench while I prepped everything but alas, she did not stay up to join us. She was quite tired and ready for bed. This was probably the last day she felt good till January because over the weekend she got sick and spent the next two and a half weeks sick, sick, sick. 

 AG, Andy, and I had fun making and decorating houses. AG and Andy worked on one and I worked on the other since AKs left me for her bed. :) I am hoping that next year I can make our own gingerbread and we can maybe do some sort of decorating party with our college students. (Thanks for advice, Grace!) Hopefully, I'll get my act together and have things organized enough to be able to do it before they leave for the holidays. We'll see! Regardless, we had a great evening decorating and making memories with AG. He was quite proud of his creation and I have a feeling that next year Avi-Kate will be right in the middle of it all at 2.5 years old.

Christmas Catchup #1...

A bunch of the ladies in our church get together every few weeks to have craft night so that we can work on our current projects together. Anyways, when the Christmas season started we spent one evening prepping our building on Broad Street for the holidays. We decorated trees, hung pinecones in the windows, and some of the ladies created a gorgeous huge wreath for the front window. Then the day of the church Christmas party I came back and added small touches...lanterns, jars filled with candles and natural filler, fresh greens, jumbo pinecones from Berry, etc. I decided to use natural fillers in the jars of things from the farm and went with whole pecans and dried corn. (I have a huge bucket of natural fillers bagged that I keep in the laundry room and I pull it out when I decorate/host parties.) I think it turned out beautiful and quite rustic. The party was wonderful and we enjoyed having a night out with no children. 

Here's a few pictures right before the party started:

Sorry for the wave of posts that I am doing to get caught up. I feel the need to post/document even if it is just small snippets and pictures. One day I'll be glad that I did it, right? That's what I keep telling myself.  

AG is 4...

My dear, sweet ginger,

Wow. I can't believe how fast the last four years have flown by. AG, are you really four today?!? As G-Daddy would sing..."Today is your birthday! Today is a special day!" We are so grateful that four years ago today you joined our family. You light up a room when you walk in and you love people deeply. This last year we have seen your interests grow and you have developed an incredible love for the family farm. Your fan loyalties have deepened and you are your father's son. You love all sports and we look forward to seeing which ones you invest yourself in over the years to come. This year you have started school and you love going to school everyday. You proudly tell people you go to Berry College and you beam from ear to ear. Daddy and I love to watch the way you interact with Avi-Cakes. You are an amazing big brother and you love to show off your sister each day to your friends at school. Each day you make us laugh. And we love to see the way your mind works with the questions you ask and the connections you make. It's a joy and an honor to be your parents. We are so grateful that God chose us to love and raise you. Thanks for being such an incredible young man and we can't wait to see what the next year holds for you!

I love you. MORE.

Mommy

 We love you!

 Samson is your partner in crime and your best friend.

You are the proud owner of your very own tractor thanks to G-Daddy and GiGi.

 Disney World continues to be one of your favorite places in all the world.

 And Peter Pan continues to be your all time favorite movie and character.

 The U-lym-phics were the highlight of your summer and yardwork with Daddy is one of your favorite things to do around the house.

 Chipper Jones continues to be your favorite baseball player. I tried explaining retirement to you earlier this week and it didn't go over so well. :)

You love all things that have to do with farming and being at the farm.

 Chick-fil-A and FroYo...doesn't take much to make you happy. 

 You love having special outings with Daddy.

 Muffins at the farm and it's Saturday in Athens! Life is good.

 Berry continues to hold a special place in your heart and that makes us unbelievably happy because it is so dear to us.

 Mtn. Day is one of your favorite days of the year and you love spending time on the mountain.

 Honeymoon Bakery aka The Cupcake Store is your favorite place to visit for a sweet treat.

 You love to cheer on the Dawgs!

 Unbelievably grateful for the incredible role model your father is and the wonderful relationship that y'all have.

You are such a ray of sunshine and we love you more than you ever will know.

On the run...

This time last year I was almost seven months post-partum with Avi-Kate and I was ready to reclaim my body. I was ready to change it up and lose the rest of my baby weight. In the months immediately following Avi-Kate's birth I gave a  lot of thought to what I could and couldn't do. I needed to do something that I could do at any point in my day and that wouldn't require me to buy equipment. My time with two small kids is valuable. I don't have a lot of time to work on myself but when I do I wanted to be able to be dedicated to follow through without crazy commitments or time requirements. I also wanted something that Andy and I could do together. (At least in the parallel sense since we usually have to trade off watching the kids.)

 And so, I became a runner. Running can be done whenever my schedule allows me...sometimes that's before the kids wake, some days I run on campus with Avi-Kate in the jogging stroller, most times it's in the afternoon around the neighborhood, and sometimes it's late at night on campus or on the track at The Cage. I'll be honest, some days I just don't feel like running but most days I love it. Which is not something I ever thought I'd say. In a year, I've gone from not being able to run a mile without stopping to being able to run miles at a time without stopping. My goal last year was to start running and to at least be training for a half marathon by the end of 2012. Well, despite some set backs with crazy schedules and sick kids I'm going to attempt my first half January 12th. Then I'll turn around a month later and run my second. (Lord willing! Here's hoping I survive my first. Ha.) It amazes me when I look back and think how far I've come in a year. I'm hoping this time next year I'll see even more progress.

I wrote that at the beginning of the month and then didn't get a chance to finish it due to lots of unforeseen stuff that came up. Regardless, I wanted to publish it as is and am so proud to say that I did it! I completed my very first half marathon this past weekend! It was an amazing experience and I plan to post all the details this next week. (I just need to get through AG's birthday this weekend.) So, stay with me. Thanks for baring with me these last few weeks as I had to take a blogging sabbatical. Tonight I have uploaded an insane amount of photos to my Google+ account so that I can get the blog up to speed here's hoping I can hold up my end of the deal. :)

Wordless Wednesday...Sacked Out Edition.

You Are Mine.

You are Mine [Enter the Worship Circle]
maybe i don't have the strength
maybe i don't have the faith
you brought me here in forty years
when i know this trip should take a week
i've shed my tears and shed my blood
been outran some by the flood
and winter steals my songs away
in all of this i've come undone
.
when you walk through the water
i will be with you
when you pass through the river
those waves they will not overtake you
when you walk on the fire
those flames they will not touch you
you are mine
you are mine
.
i've been a child
i've been a slave
and i've grown bitter
and learned to pray
i've packed my bags and started back
the cost is just too high to pay
.
when you walk through the water
i will be with you
when you pass through the river
the waves they will not overtake you
when you walk on the fire
those flames they will not touch you
you are mine
you are mine.
you are mine.


A friend of mine from college committed suicide Friday. The last few days have been a blur. Grateful for a community that despite our differences has rallyed around to support each other. Grateful that God redeems horrible circumstances and uses them for good. Grateful for Isaiah 41:3. Grateful for the chance to spend a few days at the Happiest Place on Earth later this week with Andy...for much needed time to decompress from all that has happened.