Tis The Season

It's 12 days until Christmas and our calendars are full of our favorite seasonal traditions. We are busy but it's the good kind of busy filled with activities that are life giving and that celebrate the greatest story ever told. 

This week has been a fun one starting with an unexpected snow day. This was my view as I headed into work early Tuesday morning (Mom-I had just pulled out of my driveway and I was in park. Had to give a disclaimer-safety first!). This was probably the peak of the snow accumulation but it did make for an interesting commute over bridges and two lane roads.

Daddy and Georgia Grace spent their snow day in jams visiting AKK friends. The big bear that has made an appearance in a couple of photos is Aunt Shanna's but GGH has kind of taken him over for now. She loves to run up to him and just fall in his lap. It's precious.

She has had a change of heart concerning Santa (a 5 foot fake dancing Santa mind you) and has come all the way around to giving him kisses! A far cry from our scene two weeks ago. She's back on the nice list :)

I should also mention that this girl said her own name this week! It's not completely clear but you could for sure hear the "Jor" and the "Ja" sounds. She makes me proud everyday!

This week has been the week of the deliveries. I would guess 90% of my Christmas shopping has been online this year so you can imagine the excitement coming home to stacks of packages like this!

Wednesday night our church had our annual holiday meal and the children's choir had their play "Stranger in a Manger". Such a cute performance that I have seen time and time again but it never gets old. All of the kids did so great!

For the meal the older mature ladies in the church each decorate a table. There's a wide variety of Christmas, Thanksgiving, kids-themed, I even saw a Duck Dynasty themed Christmas spread.  Such a neat tradition that I look forward to every year.

I had to snap a picture of our AKK friend Thomas. He made a beeline to Georgia Grace as soon as we got there. He is such a little model!! He was very proud of his bowtie and Georgia Grace had to check it out.

This girl right here has turned into an eating machine this week. You will notice her tray is empty and that's because I couldn't give her bites fast enough! I feel like her appetite has doubled. Now if only we can start liking our sippy cup this much...

I snapped this of my angel baby when we got home from church. It was a one nap day so she fell asleep on the way home from church in her peacoat and hat. I could stare at this picture forever. She's perfect.

Last night after we put the baby to bed, the kitchen was clean and the laundry was caught up, I took my Christmas spirit up a notch by kicking back and watching one of my favorite Christmas movies, Home Alone. I wanted to document this because I want to remember this view for years to come. While I spend a lot of time wishing we had a bigger house or that the next step in building a home would be provided, it's moments like this that remind me of how great our little home is. It may not be a big home but I bet you won't find a cozier one!

And because I am a creature of habit and love my Five On Friday routine, here is a mini version to cover the amazing weekend we have in store.

1. Tonight is the "1st Annual Gammy's Christmas Sleepover"! Our Christmas jams are packed and our bellies are ready for some yummy sleepover food.

2. Our slumber party was scheduled because Marcus is going out of town this weekend with my BIL to go bear hunting. Eric's hometown is having their first ever bear hunt and they think there may be one on their land. He has been looking forward to this so much.

3. Big news-Marcus has completed his Masters Degree! I am so proud of him. His graduation for his Masters would be Saturday but he thinks he would rather bear hunt instead ha! I will post a picture of him with his degree once he receives it in the mail. We are so happy he has this chapter of grad school complete. I'm thankful for the sacrifices he makes to give us the best life.

4. Our town's Christmas parade is rescheduled for Sunday. Georgia Grace was 5 weeks old for the parade last year so I'm excited to see her reaction this year.

5. Sunday (Saturday too) is our church's Christmas Cantata called "An Aberdeen Christmas". If you are local you really should come hear some of the best singing and instrumental music anywhere around. It's not really Christmas for us until we have seen "An Aberdeen Christmas" each year. Goosebumps galore. Your heart will be warmed and full of the Christmas spirit that only the gospel can bring.

I hope everyone has a fun festive weekend embracing the season!

Life Interrupted

Between planning a wedding and planning a first birthday party, we have been super busy. But not so busy that we haven't taken time to enjoy other special events in our lives.

October is a very special month for our family because we have three October 2012 babies on the Embry side. Maddux Chase (9th), Will Lincoln (30th) and Georgia Grace (30th) were all born within three weeks of each other. Sadly we had to miss Maddux's party due to Paige's wedding shower but we were able to attend Will's this weekend.

The big birthday boy enjoying his smash cake! Sweet boy.

We found a new thing that Georgia Grace loves-a pool of plastic balls! I have seen this on Pinterest and other moms doing it but never made one of our own but I think we will need to invest in one now. She had a "ball"! :)

Will, Georgia Grace, and Avery. Sweet baby friends.

The three baby cousins with their mommies (I'm ashamed of the picture quality, I left my good camera at home. Maybe we can get some better ones Saturday at our party)

All six Embry cousins. This was the best out of about 10 pictures LOL!

Saturday night the Ross's invited us over for some soup and football. We discovered something else that Georgia loves that we will NOT be investing in-a dog bed. We could not keep her out of it (or the candle burner or the TV screen...). She entertained us all to say the least.

Sunday we left GGH in the church nursery again in hopes we could make a regular routine out of leaving her in there during worship service. She made it about 20 minutes until the nursery door was opened and that was it. They had to come get me but not before she took this selfie on our friend Kathrine's iPad ha!

I'm hoping the nursery situation will get easier. I know ultimately she would enjoy the nursery more than "big church" and we would hear the message clearer without having to entertain her. I know it will come in time though and we will just have to be patient until she is ready.

It was Pastor Appreciation Sunday so we had a special dinner after church. She was much happier after a little mommy time and a nap.  We are so thankful for our pastor, Brother Taylor, who selflessly gives his time to minister to our church family AND the community. He is a great leader in the ministry! I'm thankful for all that he has done for my family.

Sunday night we went to cousin Keagen's hayride birthday party. No hayride for us so we just entertained guests inside. Keagen was the one that came and got me out of church that morning and his exact words were (to our friend Gina), "Can you get Katie? She's crying her eyes out!" He really knows how to paint a picture with words :) Cannot believe that big hearted boy is a big 9 year old. We love him so much!

This week is off to a rocky start (hit a deer on my way to work, had a baby/restaurant catastrophe, and a dead battery in our SUV) so I am hoping we are getting all of that out before the birthday party weekend. We are 3 days away!! I can't wait!

Weekend and WALKING

I usually like to blog about things in chronological order but I'm jumping right to the heart of this post. 

She is walking!!!!!

Georgia Grace took her first steps Sunday afternoon. I told Marcus I thought she was ready so we got out the camera, camcorder, and iPhones. This video isn't her first steps (we did get those on the camcorder), this is about the fourth time she took steps.

 The video of her first steps is hysterical because I'm screaming and I ask Marcus, "Does that count?" HA!

I am so proud of her. And she was so proud of herself after she did it. She probably walked 3 steps about 10 times yesterday. I knew once she gained the confidence to take that first step she would be unstoppable.

 Like any giddy excited mommy I took to social media to show off my baby's new trick. Thanks to all of you for your sweet comments!

My dad does not own a cell phone (and never will if he can get by without) and so obviously does not use social media so I emailed him the video and this was his response:

"We knew that was coming. She has such great balance. Should make a great shortstop or second base. Looks like a point guard too."

He really deserved a son or now at this point a grandson HA!

Just a quick weekend recap for documentation sake. Friday night our little family of three went out for dinner and some shopping. Georgia Grace had her first bite of hamburger and french fries. We all need a splurge every once in a while :) Of course she loved it. We had a good night eating and just going to a few stores. We didn't have a long list of things we needed so it was enjoyable.

Saturday was a lazy rainy day. We had considered heading to the pumpkin patch but changed our mind due to the weather. That is on the agenda for this week since daddy is home on fall break!

Instead I did a lot of preparation for the big first birthday bash. Just three weeks away!  I can hardly believe it. I made her party invitations and I really like they way they turned out. My goal is to get those mailed out this week. The other pictures are party "pinspiration". How did you plan a party before Pinterest?!? I don't know either.

I went crafty and made a neat decoration with all of her monthly pictures. What a trip down memory lane comparing these side by side. It's so funny because you think you will NEVER forget how they looked at a certain age or the outfit they wore for the picture. Wrong! Another reason I'm so happy I have my blog.

Saturday night we went to Gammy and Gran Stan's for an early birthday celebration for Mamaw Carolyn and Uncle Eric. It was the only time we could squeeze it in between the wedding festivities and first birthday party.

Little did we know Saturday night at Gammy and Gran Stan's house that she was practicing for the big event. She walked many a steps making the circle from the living room, dining room, and kitchen.

 

Uncle Eric turns 23 the day before their wedding. Isn't he handsome? Georgia Grace is smitten if you can't tell.

Sunday was homecoming at our church. Georgia Grace made it the whole 1 1/2 hour service which was a small victory for us! It was a great day. Some of the best singing I've ever heard. I'm thankful for our 106 year old church on the hill.

She took a victory lap Sunday night at Grams with all her babies to celebrate her achievement. I guess she was worn out from all that walking.

It was such an exciting weekend and a great start to fall break week. We aren't going anywhere this week but we have big plans for Christmas break-more to come on that :) Marcus is excited for a care-free week at home with Georgia Grace. And I can't wait to join them Thursday!

Birthdays, Ballgames and In Between

This week we...

• Cheered on the Bears at their Homecoming game with our sweet friend Raven. Sadly there wasn't much to cheer about, we were on the other end of the stick from two weeks ago. We still had fun visiting with everyone!

• Attended our best baby friend's first birthday party! Abbott is one! And this guy earns the crown as the best smash cake destroyer EVER. There is a video of him that would go viral if they put it on Youtube. It was so awesome! His party was the cutest with all the farm and rustic details.

Georgia Grace had fun playing with Abbott and Caroline. They decided to tag team her and see who could rip her bow out the fastest. Notice Caroline is holding the bow and Georgia's hair is a mess ha!

I guess she had had enough LOL! Sweet babies.

I've had several ask me where my dress came from. It is a Target summer clearance snag! I am totally making it work for fall though by pairiing it with cards and boots. Best 12 bucks I've spent in a long time. And GGH's dress is handmade by me :)

• Ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel and went to church with my dad, sister, and future brother-in-law. Zane Pratt was the speaker at Eric's church and we were excited to hear him. Georgia Grace and I spent the majority of the service in the lobby but I heard he brought a wonderful message! :)

• Played dollhouse with our AKK friends. She plays so well to be just ten months old. She loves learning and exploring new things.
• Started blowing kisses! To men only. That's right, she's probably blew 10 kisses and they have all been to men. Pray for us.
• Developed a love for cheerios. It's her new favorite food.

• Upgraded to a new iPhone and realized when transferring pictures that this pic collage never made it to the blog. So I had to do something about it so here it is posted a month late ha! Nine months in, nine months out. A year and a half of accepting my call to be her mommy. I am blessed!

And last but definitely not least I have a prayer request. Please take a moment and pray for 4 month old Ryman Little. Ryman is in desperate need of a second liver transplant after an unsuccessful transplant about a week ago. You can read all about her journey here. Brandy is from my hometown and I went to school with her sweet sister Sara. Their faith is evident and they know God's hands are on her. I know they would covet any prayers you could send their way today!

Five On Friday

FRIDAY! It is so good to see you again, you're my favorite by the way! My Five On Friday is about our transition to the new season. We're welcoming football and the school year back, switching out seasonal clothes, gearing up for the big winter wedding, and enjoying our favorite summer fruit before they are gone until next year. Such a fun time for change and progress!

One

Football

Tonight we are taking Georgia Grace to her first football game! Our high school team opens up their season at home and it's a blackout to compliment their new black uniforms this year. We LOVE all things football-Friday Night Lights, SEC Saturday, and NFL Sundays. Tonight should be a lot of fun-Go Bears! 

Two

Back To School

Wednesday night our church had a Back to School Bash that we attended . It was geared more for school-age kids of course but we still had fun fellowshipping with everyone and enjoying some good food. And this is what happens when your dad watches your daughter for you-she sits in the middle of the table and eats homemade ice cream! You think she's just a little doted on? 

Three

Winter Wedding

I found Georgia Grace's shoes for Aunt Paige's wedding yesterday!!! Oh these tiny pieces of gold awesomeness make my heart so happy. No dress yet, but the shoes are a done deal. You know you are a girl mom when you buy the accessories before the outfit ha! I'm hoping this purchase is a sign that we can start making some decisions. My sister (and the rest of us) have been so indecisive. And we have less than four months...

Four

Ruffle Pants & Cardigans

This week I set out to organize and sort through ALL of Georgia Grace's clothes. I had not developed an effective system for storing bigger clothes I have bought for Georgia Grace to grow into and clothes she has outgrown that I'm storing for baby #2. So I decided to start from scratch and develop a new system which meant hours of work and lots of piles. I had a wonderful little helper who quickly destroyed neat, labeled piles for me :) Really sped up the process.

But it was all worth it when I came across outfits like this that I've bought and forgot about! It's like buying them all over again. I'm going to have a hard time waiting until December to put this on her.

Five

Bye Bye Peaches

I live in a small town. A small town where a fruit/vegetable stand is sat up in the middle of town that is ran on the honor system. No one mans the booth, you just put your money in a slot and take your farm fresh goodies! I LOVE this. When people ask me why I want to live in a small town this is one of my reasons. I bought probably our last bushel of peaches for the year yesterday and they were oh so juicy and delicious. Our family will definitely miss having fresh peaches in the house.

Happy Friday, y'all!

Healthy & Happy

After a sicky week we were so glad to see the weekend. I'm happy to report everyone is feeling much better! I'm thankful for a slow-paced weekend of rest. I didn't cook one meal (besides Friday night-thanks family!) and spent lots of time playing with my baby doll. It was lovely!

Saturday we went to our buddy Thomas' 4th birthday party. Isn't Thomas the cutest thing ever opening his gifts shirtless HA! He is all boy. Georgia Grace experienced her first bouncy house and first cupcake! Of course she loved both of those things. She had several little mommys (and little daddys) there that helped me take care of her. Even though she is just nine months old I'm thankful for the friendships that are already forming. I pray for her future friends daily and I know we are richly blessed with a wonderful group of children for her to grow up with.

I tried to get a picture of Georgia Grace's teethies this weekend but wasn't successful. I will settle for this cheesy goodness though! I was trying to get a picture of her bottom teeth because her two upper front teeth have broke the skin! Bless her heart no wonder she felt so crummy the past few weeks being sick AND teething. She seems to feel perfectly fine now though. She was back to her "Georgia the Explorer" self this weekend.

We were at grams visiting this weekend and she left her trail-baby, baby's bottle, flower (from outfit), and then her bow. I guess they were holding her back and she needed her freedom ha!

Georgia Grace has recently not been a fan of anything that has to be spoon fed to her. She much prefers things that I can feed her with my fingers or that she can feed herself. So after several failed attempts at oatmeal I decided Sunday morning I was going to try some pancakes. While I was feeding them to her she reached over and grabbed my hand to hold it. That answered the question for me if she liked them or not :) My heart melted. These are the mommy moments I live for.

My big girl after church on Sunday. That smile gets bigger everyday! She was such a happy girl this weekend. Her little personality is just precious. She lets everybody hold her and loves to "talk" to people that show her attention. She loves to play with the Colton and her cousins that sit on the pew behind us. We kept her in church this Sunday because my sister was home and she wanted to see her. She only squealed out a few times. I was so proud of her!

I promise I put shoes on her but she throws them so quickly we finally give up and leave them off. This girl loves to be bare foot!

Sunday after church we watched an old episode of Kentucky Afield where they had interviewed my great-great grandfather for being 97 years old and killing a deer with one shot. He was still alive when I was born so I was a 5th generation baby. He passed when I was little but I feel like I know him from all the pictures and stories about him. I loved watching this video again.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Today will be the first Monday of the school year. I'm sure we will be racing to see who can get in our pj's first tonight!