Happy Birthday to our Sweet Boy!

Today, our little tiny baby is one! Ok, so maybe he's not so little tiny anymore, but it sure seems like he should be. Where on earth did this year go? I love this little guy more than I can express and he has made our lives SO much richer. C.J. and I decided tonight that this year has been our best ever, and that is largely due to the fact that our sweet baby joined our family!

I decided not to do a big party for Silas this year. I figured that this year he doesn't know the difference so why not take advantage of that and just enjoy a low key celebration with the four of us. And let me just say, I am SO glad we did. I love a good party here and there, but it was sooooo much fun to just hang around as a family all day (even if we are all feeling a bit under the weather). We put up a few decorations, opened presents, ate cupcakes, and just lazed around all day. And I'm pretty sure we all enjoyed it. Happy Birthday my sweet baby! I love you so much more than words can express. It is such an honor to be your Mama!













This awesome banner was made by Alli and I happen to love it. Thanks Al. It definitely makes decorating for a birthday easy!


Enjoying the presents:








And then there's this sweet boy. He came up to me this afternoon in this get up and asked, "Mom, don't I look like a vampire?"
I love him, too!

Our sweet little baby is about to turn One!!!

Silas will be one on the 31st, and to celebrate his first year of life I made a little slide show. I can't believe our baby is almost one. I really wish I could just put life on pause for a while. Hope you enjoy the pictures...

Christmas at the Bluff...

We were lucky enough to host for our first Christmas here on the Bluff (thanks to baby Henry's arrival that is about to take place, by the way!). We had Ryker, Hilary and her family for the week and then my parents, Alli's family, and my cousin Avery's family for the Christmas festivities. It was a week full of fun, relaxing, and a wonderful time. I LOVED it. Yes, it was a full house, but I loved every minute of it. The pictures I have are not the best quality, but they are definitely fun memories for me. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, too!

First, we spent a few days just lazing around, enjoying the snow, and making some yummy treats:







We also got to put Uncle Ryker's cool new projector to use. It allows you to watch a show wherever you may choose, like on the ceiling for example:


Then, on Christmas Eve we continued our tradition of acting out a live Nativity. The kiddos are finally getting old enough to understand it and get into it, which is SOOOOO much fun. I don't have pictures of all of the characters because I was behind the curtain for the actual production, but I did snap a couple after the performance of the angel and Mary:




Later that evening, we opened our presents:


And then spent a lot of time on Christmas day enjoying them:













And finally, to top off the day, the men made the feast....which was delicious! Nice work fellas!







And I also want to mention that we were blessed by the presence of these wonderful people for Christmas dinner (sorry it's so blurry, the lighting was not the best). Craig, Sharon, and Kylene, we loved having you here. Thanks for coming!


P.S. I think baby Henry is going to make his arrival some time tonight! Go Alli, go! Can't wait to meet the little guy! HOORAY!!!

Tis the season...

This is what life is all about. I LOVE Christmas, in case you didn't already know that. And so far, this year is proving to be one of the best ever!




















P.S. Uncle Ryker built one heck of a snow man today. Unfortunately he got a little too tall and toppled over. But I did snap a picture of the work in progress: