I can feel it coming-

Jeremy has been ordered to pack for 5 days and report to work in the am (no surprise given this wintry weather), so I can feel the blog updates coming this week! I know, I know. About time, right? It's a little overdue.

Pray for JB as he is out working in this cold-

Music with Magnolia-

A few clips of Magnolia singing that I was able to capture this week. Enjoy! :)

Frosty the Snowman (and yes, that is a carrot)

Row your boat (Magnolia style)

Sweet friends-

The Lord has surrounded us with so many sweet friends who are an encouragement to our family, one of whom is Frostie. I love this picture of her and wanted to share it here.

And Magnolia loves this photo of her buddies Captain Hook and Mr. Smee.

Jeremy and I took her to see Disney on Ice when they rolled into town, and our sweet girl was more excited about seeing these pirates than about any of the princesses. This was the first big show that we have taken her to, and I was so excited as we sat there and the lights dropped. We had loaded up on snacks and beverages (her first experience with popcorn and Sprite); the music began; and Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy skate out! My girl turns around and says to me, "Where's Captain Hook?" What in the world! By intermission, I was concerned that he would be a no show (after all that build up, I did not want to see the disappointment on her face), but he and Mr. Smee made their appearance in the last performance (if you look closely you can even see the crocodile in there). We even managed to spot Bill on one of the boats! It turned out to be such a delightful time for all of us!

Tonight on the way home from church, Magnolia asked if she could borrow my car. For what else? To take RuRu to see Disney on Ice next year. What a funny girl-

What's all this monkeying around?

On Saturday, December 13, we celebrated Furman's first birthday. It's so hard for me to believe that my sweet baby boy is now one. I'm sure that most all parents say that on their child's first birthday, but his first year seemed to pass so much more quickly than Magnolia's. I'm not sure if it's because we do have another child and are not able to spend every free moment focused on him (primarily because there really are no free moments), but these twelve months truly flew by. Everything about Furman seems to be fast though (did I mention he's walking like a pro (or at least semi-pro) these days?).

We had such a joyous time celebrating his big day with a party at home with family and a few close friends. Furman sported the same Clemson overalls that Magnolia wore at her first birthday party. Unlike Magnolia, however, Furman LOVED him some birthday cake. Don't get me wrong, Magnolia's sweet tooth has definitely emerged, but she preferred sliced cucumbers and tomatoes over cake on her first b-day. Furman has been pulling out that pointer finger and grunting at the mere sight of sugar for the past several months. I promise you he somehow knew that he was missing out on something good. And check out this face after his first taste of sugary goodness (evidenced by the blue lips).

He took a second to check in with Jeremy to make sure he really was allowed to tear into the cake...

...and then it was on! He actually became upset when Jeremy cut him off.

Don't worry sweet boy. Lord willing, there will be many more cakes to come. Happy 1st Furman! We love you so much!

Arrrr Matey!

It felt like Magnolia and Furman wore their Halloween costumes for a week straight. Between dressing up for Boo in the Zoo, Enchanted Forest at the Pavilion, Pirate Night at Chick-fil-A, their library class, our Small Group, and trick or treating at Publix, we definitely got our money's worth out of these costumes (and we were sure to get a gender-neutral pirate one for Mags so that Furman could wear it in a few years to get the biggest bang for that buck)!

My favorite pictures from the week have to be of Magnolia with my grandparents. These are my dad's parents; Magnolia is named after my grandmother's mother and Furman is named after my grandfather's father. They are both so special to Jeremy and me, and it delights my heart to see Magnolia respond so well to them. Furman is also beginning to warm up to them, though not enough to make great pictures (thus the reason his were left out). I love these shots of our little pirate with Mr. Bud and Great MiMi!

It's a hardwood life, for us.

Ever since he returned home from Ohio, Jeremy has been diligently working on our new home to prepare to move. Though the house was in great shape and did not require much work to be done, we decided to tear up the carpet in the dining room and living room and put down hardwood floors (a small child with reflux and carpet is never a good combination **see previous blogs about Furman's sensitive stomach if there is any doubt). Jeremy ripped up the carpet and prepared for the installation process while waiting for our order to arrive. Once it was here, his dad, my dad, and my brother Craig all came together to tackle this project.

It was a long process (5 weekends, numerous late nights during the week, and one state of delirium (aka. hangover) from staining the floors for 5 hours one night with the windows closed), but with one more coat of poly, the floors will finally be complete. Praise the Lord! And they truly do look beautiful! Great job Brownie (and team)! Now, we just have to wait 3 days to let the floors dry, so we will finally be able to move in on Saturday the 15th!

My sweet girl.

While Jeremy worked on our house this past Saturday with his dad, my dad, and my brother Craig, I was able to spend some sweet time with Magnolia. After her Zoo Tots class, she and I were headed to our new home to take the guys lunch. Since Magpie has never met her Uncle Craig before, I was trying to explain how he was related to her. Once she caught on that he was her uncle just as Keith is, she began to ask about other family members.
"Like MeMe is my aunt."
"That's right."
"Ganna?"
"She's your grandmother."
"Papa?"
"He's your grandfather."
And so it went through the family tree until she got to our immediately family. She asked about Jeremy and then about me. And then she said:
"Furman?"
"He's your brother."
"And he's my friend."
Melt my heart.

Later that night as she lay in bed and was telling me people for whom she wanted to pray she said "Help me pray Mama, cause I don't know the words." What a reflection of the way my heart often feels when coming to my Father. Thank you God for the tender heart that you have given Magnolia (and for giving her to us).