I am so thankful...

When Matt and I got married in 2008, we decided that we would form a tradition of always doing Thanksgiving at our house. We don't have very much room, but we have always had plenty of food and fun. This year my uncle, aunt, and favorite cousin Jess came so it was extra special. Before they came, Jess told me that this is what she wants to do every year from now on, so to "throw a little sparkle on it" so her parents wouldn't even dream of not coming back. I think we accomplished that goal! Finn was precious, the food was oh so delicious, and the company was wonderful if I do say so myself!

I love Thanksgiving because it reminds me of what I'm thankful for. I have many many blessings in my life, but the greatest is that God hasn't always given me what I've asked for. When I was in my early 20's, I asked Him for a husband....He said "not yet" and Matt has been the best thing I've ever had to wait for. When I wanted a baby, I didn't get one right away. And even though the heartache was real, I wouldn't have it any other way. Matt always says "the sweet ain't as sweet without the sour" and it is so true. I am thankful that God knows exactly what I need and when I need it.

Here are some pictures of the family time and a few of the gluttony.

Look at this cute outfit Aunt Tiffany got me!

 Granny preparing her specialties (the gravy and the dressing)

And we weren't even drinking..... 

Does this look kinda scary to anyone else?

 I think it is safe to say that Lola was very jealous of the little hairless dog her 

mother kept holding and loving. 

 Maybe Dody and Granny are shopping online for my Christmas present.

Maybe they're just looking at Facebook....

 I mean, we had NOTHING to eat. 

 Dody's mini apple pies...IN an apple! Genius! 

What? You don't let your dog sit at the table? 

And now some "Finn pics". Can you believe nobody wanted to hold him??? It was so rude! 

Everyone was pretty exhausted after all the eating.

Including my mom and Myrtle!

Yep, I'm a pretty lucky gal. I've got more than a lot of people in this world. A safe country to live in, shoes on my feet, and a warm bed at night. I am so thankful....

Finn's first trip to Summerville

 Finn's first trip to Summerville was this past weekend. Well, his first trip to Summerville on the outside anyway. :) The top priority was visiting Tiffany....I was in serious need of best friend time and we needed to introduce Austin and Finn! Finn attended his first "play group". Melissa came over and brought Eli and Morgan brought Graham (both precious and getting so big). Charlotte was able to come by too. He didn't do much actual playing (more sleeping) but it was great to see everyone! As an added bonus Michael went to get his girls for Thanksgiving so we got to see them too. And of course we had lots of visitors at my mom's that couldn't wait to get their hands on sweet Finn. Of course he was extremely well-behaved and was his usual charming little self. There was a mix up concerning where he would sleep at my mom's house, so we ended up putting him in his car seat (Yikes! Will this work??? Are we going to be up all night???), but he was obviously very comfortable because he slept like a rock from 10pm til 7am. Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Austin and Finn meeting for the first time

Getting to know each other

Eli 

Graham

Quality time with Nana

Austin is so helpful!

And sweet....

Telling Finn a secret

"Hi Finn! Hi! Hi! Hi!!!"

Callie and Reese (They are growing like weeds!)

It was an awesome weekend spent with great friends and family. I absolutely love going home and I can't wait to get back as soon as I can!

Impromptu Visit with Santa

Saturday morning Matt and I headed to Bass Pro with Finn in tow to do a little clothes shopping. Matt has lost a TON of weight and I officially deemed his jeans "way too big" so he needed new pants. Bass Pro is the only place I can get him to actually try anything on. Also, I am starting the Couch to 5K program (a plan to get you running a 5K in 10 weeks....oh how I need to do this, for lots of reasons, so doubters beware!) and I need some new running gear. Or maybe I don't need it, but I want to look as cute as possible while I'm sweating profusely and unable to breathe due to how out of shape I am. And I know I just had a baby, but believe me folks, I was out of shape long before that.

So we get there and WOW! Winter Wonderland! How could I have forgotten that Bass Pro has a whole section during the holidays that looks as if it actually IS the North Pole. I mean, if they would turn the air down a little you would seriously have to think twice. And who is the king of Christmas? Well, besides Jesus of course. :) It's SANTA! Finn was wide awake and in a good mood so I thought we'd better take advantage of the photo op while we had the chance. Also, one of the elves told us the line can get crazy the closer Christmas gets.....like over 3 hours....yeah, those are some serious Santa-lovers who are willing to wait that long. The only problem was that Finn's outfit was very un-Christmas-y. Thank goodness there was also an area with holiday baby clothes for sale. We located a zip-up reindeer suit and stuck him in it. Don't worry, we actually purchased it later. Then we stood in line and when it was his turn, Finn sat there like a champ and told Santa what he wanted (a bottle and a nap). Here are the pictures Matt took with his phone:

"What time are you thinking of stopping by my house on Christmas Eve? That's ok, I won't see you anyway because I'm sleeping through the night now!"

Check out my reindeer ears!

It was so much fun and I know this is just the first of lots of holiday fun for this year and the years to come!

Why I'm Happy

It is Thursday and there are LOTS of reasons why I am happy today.

1) Matt is coming home tonight (gigantic YAY!) for 4 whole nights.

2) It is my very wonderful sister-in-law's birthday. Happy B-day Carrie! Hope you've had a great day....you deserve it.

3) Tomorrow is a half day and then I have officially made it through my first week back at work. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I was chatting with my neighbor this morning and she was comparing it to her husband deploying with the Army. If the anticipation and anxiety leading up to it don't kill you, you'll be fine. :)

4) I came home from work this afternoon to find the following:

A happily sleeping baby who was an angel all day

A refrigerator with two very exciting things inside....bottles for the next 24 hours made AND, more importantly, a blueberry cream cheese cake (it has 5 layers....yep, I said 5)

Here's a close-up of that cake just incase you couldn't see it clearly enough to really feel jealousy

I think it is safe to say that my nanny is the BEST. I'll let you know how the cake tastes. I might be able to wait for Matt....

Back to work

Tomorrow is the big day. Back to work. Ugh. I didn't think I would be dreading it this much. First of all, I had no idea 6 whole weeks could fly by this fast. I mean, 6 weeks sounds like forever! 6 weeks of anything sucky would feel like 6 years! 6 weeks of a nagging cough,  6 weeks to wait until you pick up your new puppy, 6 weeks until Christmas when you're little, having the same annoying zit for 6 weeks.....forever! Don't get me wrong, it isn't that I don't want to work. I just want to be there and here at the exact same time. I know that it's one of those things that won't be as bad as I think. Or will it? Just kidding...I really will be fine. Right? RIGHT?

Birth Photos

Warning: This post contains birth photos. I don't think they're graphic, but if you're really a weenie they might bother you. 

Tammy Williams, a local photographer, specializes in birth photography. I never even knew such a thing existed until I discovered her, but it is a wonderful service that I'm so glad I decided to have done. In fact, when I picked up the proofs on Friday I cried the first time I looked at them. I mean, yeah I was there, but I wasn't really there-there....I was so overwhelmed that everything was sort of a blur. The best part of these pictures is how happy Matt looks. And he was so proud to show Finn off. There are so many pictures, it was hard to choose just a few to include here. So, here are a few more than a few.  :)

Here's Matt in the "contemplation" chair while I was getting my spinal block.

Things are feeling pretty strange right about now.

He's here!

7 pounds 14 ounces

Meeting each other for the first time!

The two grandmothers

See what I mean? A proud dad!

20 1/4 inches

My favorite

"Dad, don't leave me here...these people are crazy!"

Holding him for the first time

Finn and Bop

Aunt Carrie

With C.C.

Yep, these pictures were worth every penny. Amazing!!!