Wishing you a

Merry Christmas!

May your new year be full of smiles, giggles, and true happiness to treasure!

A birthday. A decade. A beautiful blessing.

December 16, 1998. 10 years ago today. A precious little baby girl was brought into this world. A little girl who I did not even know. A little girl who has been blessing lives since the moment she was born.

Inspiring a good man to become an amazing father. Encouraging a struggling woman to find herself and become the mother she never had. Giving hope to a loving mother fighting to survive cancer, and filling her life with joy as she became a grandmother for the very first time. Touching a grown man's life as a father of two boys, making him a papa of a sweet little girl. Introducing a newly married couple into a new role in their life, the coolest & most fun Uncle & Aunt ever.

It wasn't until August of 2000 that I would meet this precious little girl. I never imagined myself being a "step-mother", but because Cameron is so special and because we have full custody of her it doesn't always seeem that way.

At that moment when I looked at the sweetest, most innocent little Daddy's girl, as she sucked her thumb and held on to little Trilo with one hand and her daddy's neck with the other, my life changed too. Changed in many ways that I cannot even put into words. Feelings that I never knew I had.

Cameron Nicole Holland, I love you SO much! You have made me a better person. You have brought me closer to my Savior in ways I didn't know I needed to be. You have filled my soul with hope and faith like never before.

I LOVE & TREASURE your

silliness.

singing.

passion for animals.

compassion.

dancing.

innocence.

creativity.

And even though you may not have grown under my heart, you sure have grown in it!

Happy Birthday Cameron!

Wow! This hardly ever happens!

South Mississippi Forecast


Hi 44 FLo 40 F

Wintry Mix...South Mississippi is under a Winter Storm Watch until noon for the coastal counties and until 6:00pm for inland counties. Today will be cold and windy with highs only in the low to mid 40s.Sunrise 6:42 am Sunset 4:56 pm

The MAGIC continues....

Letters to Santa

Cameron even threw in a knock-knock joke for the jolly old man!

MeRrY & BrIgHt!

We had such a MeRrY & BrIgHt weekend! A Christmas Party, Birthday Dinner for Nana & Cameron, Family Time at Belingrath Gardens in Alabama, Girly time at Holly Day Tea....

I LOVE this time of year!!

Just a couple photos of pieces of our tree. I ordered some monogram vinyl from MARNI & I LOVE it!!! I added them to some ornaments to add a pit of a personal touch. The kids love seeing their initials on the tree...THANKS Marni!

Can I just say AGAIN....I LOVE this time of year!

December

December 1st

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

Hoping our family ELF would soon appear....

And he did!

Meet WOODY.

Our family's elf. He visits us at Christmas time to add to the Spirit of Christmas and add a touch of Santa magic. Woody reports to Santa at the North Pole each night after the last child closes his eyes.Woody watches our actions (you know...better not cry, better not pout, shout...naughty or nice) and even helps Santa know what we would like for Christmas! He became a part of our family last year and we couldn't wait for him to return! He's funny too!! After his visit to the North Pole he returns home to us...in a different place each day! So every morning is a sweet race to start the day with a little game of hide-N-seek! Who can find Woody first? Sometimes Woody even tries to trick us by hiding in the same spot 2 days in a row( with a smile & a wink) If you don't have a family elf, I highly recommend Elf On The Shelf.

I absolutely

the wonder of Christmas and the unforgettable magic it truly brings! Kyle came home from school the other day and said, "Mom! I know where the North Pole is now. We looked at it on a globe at school today. Poor Woody must be SO tired to have to fly there every night....its FAR!"

PRECIOUS!

Love Those Baby Bellies!

There is something so PRECIOUS & so SWEET to

me about a baby belly! It might have to do with the fact that for a woman to carry & grow a baby in her belly is nothing short of miraculous! To see a husband and wife so in love, with a heartfelt desire to bring a precious soul into this world, willing to sacrifice their life as they know it, and fulfill the incredible role of FATHER and MOTHER is just simply beyond BEAUTIFUL!

I just did a maternity shoot for a friend of mine. I had so much fun!! What a special time for them! (Because I didn't get her permission to post these I am only using the ones without their faces to protect their privacy)

For these things, I am thankful!

At this beautiful time of year, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings I have been given. My life is SO good...not to brag, but to give thanks! There is not a day that goes by that I don't realize just how blessed I am!

Marni challenged us to blog what we are thankful for, but I keep putting it off because I know it will take me awhile & didn't quite have the time. Because I share this blog with my children.... I want them to know what I am truly grateful for!





THANKFUL for the blessings I could not imagine my life without:

My Savior
My Heavenly Father
My husband
My children, Chris-Cami-Kyle
My mother
My 7 siblings
My FAITH
My Church
Extended Family- cousins, aunts, uncles, grand parents, nieces, nephews
My in-law family
My friends
My hands and feet
My senses- to see & hear
My love for children
Living in America
Freedom




THANKFUL for the blessings that help make my life more enjoyable & fun!

ALL of the above
Our Home
Family vacations
Nature- The sun & stars, Rainbows, Clouds, Trees, Mountains, Beaches
Photography
Contacts
School & learning
Working with children
Cheesecake
Cell phones
Today's Technology
Our Vehicles
Scrapbooking
Clothes and jewelry
Shoes
Music

Holidays

Monavie
Creative Arts
Manicure & Pedicures








I AM TRULY GRATEFUL!




Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~Melody Beattie

When One Season Ends, Another Must Begin

We are excited for Kyle to play soccer, but sad to see FOOTBALL go!

We are so proud of CHRIS and his awesome football season. This was his first year to play on the school team & it was F-U-N! I really enjoyed cheering him on from the stands, wearing his button proudly, buying matching #27 shirts, and working the concession stands after his game.

Ocean Springs record was 6-2

But Chris's score with US was 100%

The very last game it rained...not hard, but a steady drizzle, the ENTIRE game. He never once complained...honestly! We were devoted fans too, because we sat on the cold bleachers in our rain gear (thanks, Jeremy...he is always so prepared)& umbrella with wet booties, rooting for our team! (I wanted a picture really bad so that you would believe me, but didn't risk the rain & the camera)

Many times when I saw what he had to endure as a football player, it made me want to go home and have a hot shower waiting for him, fix him a BIG delicious dinner, then do his homework & his chores FOR him!!

Those young guys work hard!

We enjoyed his football banquet & now we say farewell to football....til next year!

Cami is still in dance...her season is not over yet....she continues to DANCE LIKE NO ONES WATCHING!

Every moment...a teaching moment!

I could go on and on about how I believe each moment spent with a child can be a teaching moment. Children are filled with such innocent wonder and curiosity followed by a HUGE imagination just waiting to be unleashed!

I believe in the importance of talk, talk, talk-ing to children. They can learn so much in just a simple conversation. There are many times when in the sweet craziness of a day, I could use some good ol' peace and quiet, but I find that those are the times my children and I engage in the best discussions. I am reminded SO often that when I take the time to turn a simple moment into a teaching moment, the effect is everlasting. They do listen & then they learn ...and so do I.

I LOVE to see my children learn & then it is SO rewarding to see my children apply what they learn.

This summer we had an AMAZING family vacation in Portland, Oregon. We went to visit Uncle Jeff & Aunt Weezer. (Jeremy's brother and his wife Wendy...but Weezer is much more fun to say... our kids love silly words so this one has definitely stuck!) Among many incredible activities we enjoyed, we went camping. The real deal too! SO much F-U-N!

Sleeping in tents

No showering

Dehydrated food

Roasting Marshmallows

Ghost Stories by the campfire

Hand washing clothes & hanging them on a line

Enjoying the true outdoors- no t.v., radio, internet

We had alot of fun activites prepared for us all to enjoy, but at one point we decided to surprise the kids with an all day boat & tubing adventure. While the guys went to get the boat, Wendy came up with a little game to keep the kids occupied. Jeff and Wendy love and appreciate the outdoors greatly and are very passionate about conserving and respecting our earth. She told our children that she and Jeff believe in always leaving a place better than it was when they got there.

Then they played a game...

Can you tell what the game was about? Do you see any similarities in the pictures below?

No, Kyle does not drink alot of soda, nor does he endorse Coca-Cola! But....he does RECYCLE!

Everywhere we go! Almost everytime we stop at a stoplight he notices all the litter and says the same thing everytime, "Someone didn't throw their trash away & they didn't even recycle!" Followed by a, "Look at all that stuff WE could recycle! We no longer can go to a public event without carrying home a can or two to recycle, and I LOVE that!

Wendy challenged them to see who could pick up the most trash around our campsite. They talked about what could be recycled.

It was a game and it was fun, which ended up being a life lesson.

A lesson that has made a difference!

A moment that became a teaching moment!

Embrace the moments...they may never come again!

Thank You Wendy! We smile and think of you every time he stops to pick up a can!

Let The Games Begin....

Look who's playing soccer!

This is his very first sport...Go Kyle!!

Fall Fun!

Just a few Highlights of the fun we have had this fall already:

Trunk-or-Treat at the church

Halloween & Hayride (Jeremy provides this for our Halloween Neighborhood Block Party...they all LOVE it!)

Pumpkin Carving (The kids each picked out their own pumpkin and carved it all by themselves! They loved being in charge!)

Peter Anderson Festival

Southern Miss Football Game

Kyle & Cami at Fall-de-Rah (Fall celebration at their school)

Sweet Surprises

As I was driving down the road after work last week, my phone starting singing an unfamiliar tune. It wasn't my ringtone & it wasn't my text message tune. So when I picked it up to see what it was doing, this is what I saw:




My SWEET son Chris had set an alarm to go off at a random time he chose, with the words, "I love you mom" I didn't want to exit it. I wanted it to stay...so I left the phone open for as long as I could.






I LOVE sweet surprises...especially the ones that are reminders of how sweet life really is and what really matters! Especially when the days are too short to do all that I need to do, especially when I feel like all I do is rant and rave and it still doesn't work, especially when I just need to indulge in a sweet surprise from my oldest and first born child...and I did...it made my week!
Thanks Chris!

Superior Scribbler

Fun, Fun!

As if blogging wasn't fun enough already....



My friend Valerie sent me this fun award! I am honored that she thought of me...thank you! To keep the fun going, I am now passing it on. The only not-fun part is only being able to pick 5 people to pass it to. (Though, I am hoping that the other bloggers I was thinking of, will probably receive one through one of these sweet gals!)



There are rules though, so let me see if I can get all this right.



Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.

•Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.

•Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.

•Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

•Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!







Okay...I received this honor from Valerie @ Momof3CrazyKids. We went to church together in our youth. She was fun and I remember her always smiling. She was older ( & much cooler) than me. I remember looking up to her and her gang. I have had a blast getting to know her again through blogging.




I now pass this Superior Scribble Award to: (in no particular order)

1. Amy is a wonderful friend from my youth as well, that I have SO many special memories of. She is so very sweet and caring and fun! I love reading her blog and feeling connected to her again! I wish we lived closer!

2. Marni is SO fun. I had the joy of working with her and getting to know her awesome personality. I have great memories of her and when I read her blog it makes me laugh and makes me miss being around her. I would love to get some Sonic & take our kids to the park to play and just visit!

3. Natalie is awesome! I also knew her in my youth. (I love her and Marni...they were so young and beautiful and they made me feel just as "cool" as them. Even though I was older, they invited me to an ASU singles dance with them. I had alot of fun, & if they were embarassed, they didn't let me know it!)
She is so crafty and creative with her Scrappies and cards. (I am jealous) She is also very dedicated to blogging and challenges us all to be better as well.

4. Dana is a sweet friend of mine that lives here in MS. She definitely deserves this award...She has 7 children and still finds a way to blog and always leaves sweet comments on mine. You are awesome!

5. Kristen my cute cousin! She is a sweetie & I wish we lived closer. We share some special genes! I LOVE the Herbert side of our family! We need to have a reunion...but until then I adore reading her blog and seeing what she is up to. She is so kind to stay in touch with me even though it has been years since we have seen each other!!

Have FUN! Pass it on! Share the LOVE!

Love you guys!

FoReVeR!

After an extremely sleepless night...(due to recent national events)


My sweet hubby and I embraced this morning on his way out to work, & I expressed a heartfelt concern or two of mine, he hugged me tight and replied, "All I know is that what matters the most is that I have YOU...FOREVER"!!

Oh, how I needed that!!

Freedom, Prayer, & Voting!

Wow!
Never before has a presidential election affected me like this one.
As I drove by one of our biggest voting precincts here in Ocean Springs on our way to school this morning, and saw the hundreds of people lined up, I was overwhelmed with many different feelings at once...
tears filled my eyes
& my stomach fluttered with worry.
THEN,
I spoke to my children about the importance of today. The importance of a great President. The importance of taking the time to vote. The importance of PATRIOTISM. The importance of prayer.
THEN,
I prayed.
AGAIN
For our NATION
For our FREEDOM
For our FAMILIES
For our MILITARY
For our LIVES
THEN,
I VOTED!

& I hope you did too!