Bath time

My mom was a postpartum nurse for most of her life so if there is someone who knows how to handle a baby, it's my mom. So when it came time to give the little fellow a bath, I had flash backs to my other 2 kids and decided to let the pro do her thing and I would just watch, with my ear plugs in. As you can see Dylan loves bath time.

Emma, Knox and Dylan

We are so thankful that Emma Caroline and Knox have been so taken with Dylan. Emma is a little mother and wants to hold and kiss and help in any way she can think of. Knox acts like Dylan has always been around and doesn't act the least bit jealous. He asks to "hold it" almost every day. He is lovin' his brother "Dywan". Emma has been wanting to feed the baby a bottle so here she is having the best time. She was so very excited to get to feed a real baby a real bottle.

Dylan Keller Redmond

Dylan is here!! I went into the hospital to be induced at 6:30 am on Friday and Dylan was born at 10:29. I think we both were ready for him to enter the world. And Yep, he weighed 9lb 6 oz. By far my biggest baby. He looks huge in this picture but when you hold him he still seems tiny. You forget how small they are in the beginning. He has a head full of dark hair like his sister did. Also on the day Dylan was born we had a crazy winter storm complete with a day of sleet and then lots of snow. I think it will be refered to as the Dylan Blizzard. One proud Daddy
My sweet angel taking a little nap

I promise to post more pictures soon.

Potty Training

Just for the record I have always been against posting pictures on potty training. Some things just need to be left in private, right? Then I walked pasted the bathroom yesterday and looked in and saw Knox sitting there reading with a cowboy hat on and I just had to laugh. He looked so cute I decided to grab my camera. The really funny part was when he looked up at me and said, "why you take my picture, Mommy?" You just can't explain how cute they are.

10 year anniversary

I honestly can not believe that Matt and I have been married for 10 years yet at the same time, I can hardly remember life before him. It has been a wonderful 10 years and I am so thankful for such a wonderful husband. He was the answer to a 12 year old girl's prayers.

Unfortunantly, we did not get to celebrate like we would have liked to. On top of being almost 9 months pregnant I have a terrible cold. So I spent most of the day laying down. We did manage to go to dinner and have a nice time (despite the fact that I couldn't taste my food). But once we got home the fever hit and I was back in bed - AUGH!!! But my sweet husband did have these beautiful flowers delivered and it made my day.

The day may not have been how I would have planned my 10 year anniversary but looking back over the last 10 years I wouldn't trade a day or even a moment I have had with Matt. Love you, Honey!!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

The main reason I am posting this recipe is because not only was it easy and good but my kids ate it and EC kept telling me how good it was. My kids are picky eaters. I try to get them to eat but it seems like every meal is a battle. When I put this on their plate they ate every bit of it without complaint. Matt and I enjoyed it too and I thought seriously about grabbing a straw and drinking the sauce. By the way it came out of a cookbook my mother-in-law gave me "Table of Grace" put out by Dawson Baptist (just in case some of you have that cookbook). Oh, and I only did half the recipe and we still had leftovers.
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 (8oz) bottle of French dressing
1 env. onion soup mix
1 (8oz - 10oz) jar apricot preserves
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained
Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken. Bake 1 hour at 350, basting occasionally. Serve over rice. Enjoy!!

Slacker

To those who read my blog...... I am sorry for being such a slacker lately. I have gotten really bad about not posting things. But I have about 6 weeks to go until this baby comes and am having a hard time keeping up with every thing in my life. Hang in there. I promise to get better eventually and of course will post all about this baby when he decides to make an appearance.

Knox turns 3

Today is Knox's 3rd birthday!!! All day when we have said "Happy Birthday, Knox", he looks up at us and says "happy birthday". Too cute.
One of the problems with having your birthday so soon after Christmas is that your parents are still frustrated with the multitude of toys you just got and they don't want to buy any more. We certainly didn't want to buy anything with lots of pieces, augh!!! Then I got this idea from my friend Becky..... a trampoline. So, that is what Knox got and he loves it. (thanks Becky) He got a few other things too but still takes most of his delight in just opening the gift regardless of what it is.

When we asked Knox what he wanted for his birthday his answer was always the same, "cake". Nothing fancy but he sure was excited.

Me and my sweet little boy who is growing up WAY too fast. What a blessing you have been to us Knox. We are so thankful that God gave you to us and we love you.

Thai Pesto Shrimp

I made Thai Pesto Shrimp for dinner and it was awesome!!! It is in the February issue of Southern Living or you can click here for the recipe. My husband said it was restaurant worthy and he would order it again. (:

Hobby Lobby

Emma Caroline, with her speech issues, has given us many reasons to laugh over the years. Part of her problem is retrieving information she has in her head. So sometimes, when she is trying to say something, it doesn't come out right. Last night was a good example of that. Matt was sharing one of his favorite things with the kids, a big jar of Jelly Belly jellybeans. Matt handed a bright red one to EC and she promptly said, "no thanks, I don't like those. They taste like Hobby Lobby." This of course made Matt and I look at each other with very confused looks. Both of us trying to figure out what she meant by that. Then she said, "it is too spicy" and it hit us, not Hobby Lobby, she meant Hot Tamales. Gotta love it.

Fun at the Mall

When we are in B'ham we always have to go to the Galleria and ride the carousel. At Christmas all the animals are reindeer. EC loves it, Knox is still a little scared but Daddy was there to keep everyone safe. And yes, please make note that Knox has his thumb in his mouth and his finger up his nose. Gotta love it.

4th and final Christmas

After spending the morning with my family and eating lunch, we headed back to the Redmond's for the final Christmas party of the day. The Redmond party is fun but chaos since there are so many of us. Here is EC with her Uncle Bobby. Knox with Julie and proof that there are blondes in the family.

The boy cousins: Knox, Tyler and Trey

OK, so EC got this cute ATM machine (which is really a piggy bank with accessories). But the funny thing was how excited her 21 year old cousin Rachel got about it. I think we know what we can get Rachel for Christmas next year.

Did I mention it is a little chaotic? I couldn't even see EC opening her presents until the mound of presents dwindled a bit.

The whole Redmond crew.

3rd Christmas

Ok, technically this picture was not taken on Christmas. A few days before Christmas MiMi and the kids made this cute gingerbread house. It all came in a kit and was so easy to put together. Thankfully my mom had the brilliant idea to buy more candy so that some could be eaten while the house was being decorated. I'm not sure my kids ever came off the sugar high but we all had a fun time decorating the little house. So, after opening presents with the Redmonds we headed to the Ramsay side to have our 3rd Christmas with my family. Of course, the kids got a ton of stuff but mainly just liked opening the gifts. I think I could have wrapped a bunch of empty boxes and they would have been happy.

These Superman PJs came complete with a cape. So cute!!

EC got a Barbie and a Ken doll with lots of clothes. It took me back in time (except that Barbie's clothes weren't that skimpy when I was little.)

2nd Christmas

2nd Christmas was on Christmas morning at the Redmond's. This was just us giving our kids the rest of their gifts, Santa's gifts, Matt and I exchanging gifts and Mr. and Mrs. Redmond exchanging gifts. It was a fun morning. After eating a great breakfast we headed over to my parent's house for our 3rd Christmas.

1st Christmas

Since we were spending Christmas in Birmingham we had a mini Christmas here before we left. The main reason we did that is because we had 1 big present for Knox that we couldn't take with us and 1 present for EC that we thought she might like to play with in the car. So here is our "1st Christmas". Here is Knox's big present. Some super sweet and generous friends gave us this train table and train set. As you can tell from his face, Knox loved it. The funny thing is that I think EC has had just as much fun with it as Knox. YEAH!!

Thoughts on Christmas

As I grow older, have babies of my own and grow in my knowledge and love of God's word, my thoughts on Christmas have changed. Some of this is influenced also by books I read and songs I hear. One song, Labor of Love by Andrew Peterson, moves me to tears every time I hear it. As a child, being innocent, as all children should be, I, of course, did not have a clue what Mary was going through. I just looked at nativity scenes that showed a woman who looked to be in her 30's kneeling and praying to a fat baby in a very clean manger with a halo around his head and thought that must have been what it looked like, right? Not even close. She was a teenage who had been through a traumatic 9 months, traveled a long journey with her new husband, given birth to her first child in a barn on some smelly hay with an audience of livestock. She was probably in terrible pain, bloody, cold, filthy, scared out of her mind and no clue what to do. Then she has this baby who is the son of God but he looks just like any other baby. There was no earthquake, no royalty, no purple robe to wrap him in, just an occasional moo and neigh. What must she have been thinking? The promised child. The one she and her people had been waiting for for hundreds of years to save them and here they are in a barn, in the dark, in a small town. And who should show up to see the baby but some smelly shepherds saying some angels had told them to come. Shepherds, the riff-raff of society. THAT is who God sent his choir of angels to to proclaim that the Messiah had come. Not to a palace, not to a large city to tell hundreds of people. No, to some shepherds on a hillside in the middle of the night. Think about it. The whole thing is preposterous. BUT this was the grand plan of God put in place before the stars that gave them light that night had even been created. What a picture the whole thing makes because I can see myself so clearly in it. I am the smelly stable, the scared girl, the riff - raff shepherds. I am the one He came to redeem. And He wasn't just any baby, He was "the maker of the moon, the Author of the faith that could make the mountains move." He was the Son of God who grew into a man who hung on the cross in terrible pain, bloody, cold and filthy. But unlike his mother He knew exactly what he was doing. All praise to God with His crazy plan to save riff-raff like me.

Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow

We woke up to about 3 inches of beautiful snow yesterday. The wind was NOT blowing so it lay peacefully. So much more enjoyable than last time. I don't have pictures of the kids in it because they never went out to play. Like I said before, life goes on even when it snows and we had too much going on. You can't really see it in this picture but my favorite thing to see is the snow in the trees. I love how it lines each limb white on brown or how it lays in the pines like a "flocked" Christmas tree. I would start singing "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas", but we are heading to B'ham where it has been in the 70's for the past week. Oh well, maybe another year.

Paint or not to paint.....

Looks like a dang Christmas card if you ask me. But that is not why I am posting this. We have now been in our house for almost 7 months and I have been prego almost the whole time which means I have done little to make this house mine. I re-did a bathroom and painted the downstairs bedroom and playroom and had carpet put in but have done almost nothing upstairs. I desperately need to paint the den and plan on doing that (I mean, have Matt do it) before the baby comes. I will probably do it a light khaki. This is a dark room with just 1 sliding glass door and no windows. At one end of the room is the fireplace and bookshelves. The big question is do I paint them a lighter color? Some kind of paint treatment, not just plain white. The floors are hardwood laminate and did I mention it is dark in here. So what do y'all think? And no I won't be doing it until after the baby is born.

Our First Wichita Snow

Right after we got up Tuesday morning it began to snow. The kids loved watching it come down. It continued to snow most of the day. The wind was also blowing hard so it was almost impossible to be out in it for more than a few minutes. Knox looks happy hear but he wasn't a big fan. Right after this picture he picked up some snow and said "it's cold, it's cold" and burst into tears. And through his sobs he was saying over and over "go inside, go inside".

When you live outside of the South and it snows, life still goes on. We went to MOPS (a get together for Mothers of Preschoolers) that morning and everyone was there. But I chickened out of driving EC to school. Matt went to work but came home early to enjoy a few minutes of snow and a lot of time in front of the fire.

EC warming up with a cup of hot chocolate. I can't believe my baby is drinking hot chocolate.

Christmas Around the World

Last week Emma Caroline had her school Christmas program. It truly was the best kindergarten program I have seen. They sang a few songs and did hand motions. Everyone sang and everyone did the motions. It was great. The theme was Christmas around the world and they showed video of missionary kids around the world and what Christmas was like for them. Great program. This is EC with her wonderful sweet teacher.