Thanksgiving

Father, today, in this moment, I thank You that:

1. There are beautifully colored fall leaves covering our yard and the weather is perfect
2. My sweet, handsome, loving husband is blowing the leaves into the mulch - because he wants to
3. It rained last night
4. I have two precious, sweet little girls swinging, laughing and playing outside
5. We got the best surprise ever - a perfect little boy, sleeping away in a borrowed bouncy seat
6. I'm barely 31, am healthy and have a healthy family of five
7. We ate yummy turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans, macaroni and sweet potatoes as a family
8. The Christmas season starts tomorrow
9. The Carolina/Clemson game is on Saturday and Carolina didn't lose last weekend (it was our off week)
10. We're getting a Christmas tree tonight - if it doesn't rain, and if it does, thank You for the rain

5 Short Years

Five years ago today Stephen and I became parents. It has been such a short but joyful journey! I loved every stage, every age as much as the first. Abby has turned into a very kind, helpful, loving little girl and we are truly blessed to have been chosen to be her parents. Thank you, Lord, for our beautiful daughter - in every sense of the word.

Here are pictures I took today of the kids in our red chair. We take the kids' picture in it from the time they are itty-bitties until today so we can see how much they've grown.

Abby's 5 year pic

Sydney's 2-1/2 year pic

Brody's 1-month pic

Good News - Bad News

BAD NEWS:
- Brody has been crying inconsolably since Sunday (rarely cried before that - crying right now, in fact)
- He wanted to eat every hour so I fed him...every hour (growth spurt??!?!)
- Stephen was out of town Mon-Wed
- Yesterday the pediatrician said Brody has bronchiolitis, acid reflux or colic
- Acid reflux, colic and gassiness all peak at 4 weeks
- Yesterday the OB said I have mastititis

GOOD NEWS:
- Stephen made it home safely from Orlando
- Brody took his first bottle on Wednesday and took it like a champ
- Molly Burns watched the girls yesterday
- Brody did go through a growth spurt and now weighst 10 lbs (4 weeks old)
- Bronchiolitis is temporary
- Dr. Bass gave us Zantac to try for the reflux
- Colic goes away after 3 months
- Brody slept well last night with the humidifier on and in his carrier
- I slept well and so did Stephen
- We have a beautiful baby boy, two sweet little girls and a Heavenly Father who loves us more than we know

Happy Pumpkin WEEK

So what is more fun than trick-or-treating at your Daddy's office, trunk-or-treating at your church and then getting to trick-or-treat with your daddy and best friends in your neighborhood?

When I asked Abby what her favorite part of Halloween was she replied honestly, "Getting all that candy - my pumpkin was so "heaby" (heavy) I couldn't even carry it!"

Sydney loves the candy too. We call her "close talker" now because when she wants to ask for it she gets in your face and asks as politely as she knows how if she can have a "sucker" please.

Brody is just happy to be fed when he's hungry...doubt he can taste all the candy I've eaten! And the orange outfit is a halloween outfit - don't think we've gone soft on the garnet/black just because we've been losing!

Sydney (Syd-na-rella), Brody (baby in halloween outfit), Abby (Snow White)

Stephen in his costume as a "stick-figure warrior"