Merry Christmas!

JOY to the World the LORD has come...
More pictures and info later

Advent for Children

I really love the idea of Advent, how it takes the whole month of December to prepare our hearts to celebrate Christ's first coming and how we now are waiting for Christ's second coming. I really want Clint and I to start doing Advent with Sawyer next year, and on one of my friends blog she posted a great idea that she does with her kids. You make ornaments out of felt and a scripture goes along with each felt ornament. Here are what they look like:



Here are the scriptures that go along with the ornaments:

1. Tree for Jesse: Isaiah 11:1-3, 10
2. World for Creation: Genesis 1:1-2
3. Fruit for Adam and Eve: Genesis 3:1-13
4. Ark for Noah: Genesis 6:9-22
5. Tent for Abraham: Genesis 12:1-7
6. Lamb for Isaac: Genesis 22:1-18
7. Ladder for Jacob: Genesis 28:10-15
8. Coat for Joseph: Genesis 37:1-36
9. Burning Bush for Moses: Exodus 3:1-10
10. Heart for Ruth: Ruth 1:15-18
11. Lamp for Samuel: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 v. 4 God's lamp was still burning
12. Harp for David: 1 Samuel 16:14-23
13. Crown for King Solomon: 1 Kings 3:3-14
14. Six-winged Angel for Isaiah: Isaiah 6:1-8
15. Bible {Word of God} for Jeremiah: Jeremiah 31:31-34
16. Church for Nehemiah: Nehemiah 13:10-22
17. Fiery Furnace: Daniel 3:13-28
18. Lion for Daniel: Daniel 6:1-24
19. Big Fish for Jonah: Jonah 1 and 2
20. Baptismal Font for John the Baptist: Mark 1:1-8
21. Mary, the Mother of Jesus: Luke 1:26-38
22. Saw for Joseph, the carpenter: Matthew 1:18-21, 13:55
23. Star for the wise men: Matthew 2:1-12
24. Manger for the Birth of Jesus: Luke 2:1-20
25. Alpha and Omega for Jesus: Revelation 21:5-7

I am going to start making the felt ornaments now, so hopefully by next December they will be ready!! I can't wait for Sawyer to start to understanding the true meaning of Christmas!!

what we've been up to...

Sawyer has been such a doll lately. She is giving lots of smiles out and starting to "talk" a lot more. I feel so blessed that I get to spend everyday with my daughter, I am trying to cherish these moments!

Clint has been working like crazy at UPS, he doesn't have a day off until Christmas, he is in good spirits despite the fact that he has to work so much and the weather has been horrible. Clint's mom had some of her aunts and cousins over yesterday for a little Christmas get together. Sawyer and I went and had a great time. It was neat hearing all of them talk about Susan's mom, Wanda. I never got to meet her but it was a joy listening to them talk about the kind of woman she was!

We've been listening to lots of Christmas music, wrapping presents, drinking hot chocolate and trying to soak up as much as we can on this first Christmas for Sawyer.

Now what you're all waiting for:

2 months

Well this past Saturday was December 4th, which meant our little girl turned 2 months old. She is getting sweeter and sweeter everyday and somehow I just can't get enough of her =D

Here are her stats:

Weight 11 pounds 8.5 ounces- 50%
Height 23 inches- 50%
And her head is in the 10%

So she is pretty much right on track, excpet her tiny head which I think is adorable! She got some shots and it was the sadest thing ever, she screamed and cried louder than I have ever heard her do, it almost brought tears to my eyes. But she fell fast asleep as soon as I put her in the car.

Now for some hightlights:

She is smiling almost anytime you smile at her
Her neck is getting stronger and supporting that little head of hers
She usually enjoys tummy time
She is starting to "talk" and she gets so excited when she finally gets a sound out
Her hair is growing in and it looks light brown
She has slept through the night 3 times now
She is drolling A LOT

I could go on and on but I'll post some pictures now





I have loved being Sawyer's mommy thus far and look forward to many more months!!

Christmas at Grandmothers

We celebrated Christmas early this year at my Grandmothers house. She lives in Ashland Kentucky which is around 3 hours from Louisville. I was a little anxious about taking Sawyer, but knew no matter how things ended up with her, Clint and I would try to relax and enjoy being with family. Sawyer did fabulous, slept better than she does at home, was in a good mood for the most part, and gave out lots of precious smiles! It was a neat experience taking Sawyer to my Grandmothers house, I have many wonderful Christmas memories in Ashland. Sawyer met many family members, they were all thrilled to see her:

Here is Sawyer with her great-great grandmother, this is my dad's grandmother


Here is Sawyer with her Great-Mama Dottie (my dad's step-mom)


Sawyer captured the heart of her 3rd cousins (these kids are my 2nd cousins on my dad's side)



Sawyer loves her great-grandmother (this is my mom's mom)






And here are my cousins ( on my moms side) who were smitten over Miss Sawyer Beth:



We have kicked off the Christmas season and we are ready for more festivites!!!

Happy Days...

The past few days have been wonderful around here. Sawyer is getting so big and is starting to "talk" a lot more these days.She had a "playdate" yesterday with her friend Lucy who is 2 months older than Saywer, here are some pictures of that:




Sawyer also had some bonding time with her Aunt Kathryn who lives in Dallas:





My dad's sister Toni came in town over the weekend and even though Sawyer was not on her best behavior, her great-aunt Toni still loved seeing her:



I am trying so hard to capture pictures of Sawyer smiling, but so far I haven't had much luck. Here are a few pictures of her just hanging around being in a good mood:





Today Sawyer is going Christmas shopping for the first time, I'll be sure to post pictures of that, hopefully she will be a good girl =D
This coming up weekend is Christmas at my grandmother's house, I am really looking forward to this sweet time with family, we will be leaving on Thursday and coming home on Saturday. I am a little nervous about Sawyer but I am going to try to relax and enjoy myself and hopefully she will do the same!!

pictures

Here are some pictures over the past couple of days:

She is making her daddy proud by cheering for the wildcats



Here is Sawyer and her cousin Ezekiel on their first Thanksgiving together


Sawyer is not the only one who likes her playmat




Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Clint and I have so many things to be thankful for.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in every circumstances, for this is the God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18