Third and Final Christmas

The day after Christmas, Dad and Kim (Grandpa and Bebe) made their way from Dallas to Crossville. It took them a little longer to get here than expected because of bad weather in Arkansas, but they finally made it, safe and sound. And James and Mattie Rose were excited to wake up to their faces the next morning!

I did a terrible job taking pictures while they were here. We were just having such a fun time relaxing, drinking LOTS of coffee, and shopping! 

They spoiled the babies rotten with lots of wonderful toys and Golden Books, my favorite! I had a collection of them when I was little that mysteriously disappeared, so I am excited to start a collection for the twins. 

Literally, the ONLY pictures I took while they were here. Kicking myself now....

{sweet baby james}

{nothing but giggles}

{is this close enough mom?}

{who me???}

Christmas Number Two

After celebrating with the McShans on Saturday night, my mom, Mike, brother Kyle and his girlfriend Bailey came on Sunday to stay for a few days to celebrate Christmas. I was so happy that they were willing to come to us. Just made everything much easier than having to pack up gobs of baby items. We could just relax and enjoy the holidays!

On Christmas Eve we usually open one present. The twins got to enjoy their new wagon from MeMe and Pop, and everyone else got to open matching jams from me! :)

{silly babies}

{totally distracted}

{my happy little man}

{we love our wagon}

{always with something in their mouths}

{sweet girl}

{my handsome fella}

{tired babies}

{o.m.g. love him more than words}

{christmas eve babies}

{sweet brother giving christmas eve kisses}

Then we got to the good stuff Christmas morning!!! :)

{loved looking at the bows}

{loved eating the bows}

{still with bows in the mouth}

{and still...}

{family photo. greasy hair. ha!}

{right now. i. am. complete.}

{bailey and brother}

{brother's favorite bulldogs}

{brother and the ladies}

{can't go wrong with anything orange}

{meme and mattie rose}

First (Of Three) Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE MCSHANS!

Christmas went just as fast as it came this year, but I suppose that is how life is going to be nowadays. We spent the entire holiday in Crossville spending our first celebration with the McShans and then two more with my brother, Mom, and Mike, and then Dad and Kim. It was wonderful celebrating James' and Mattie Rose's first Christmas in our new home. I am definitely looking forward to Christmases to come making and growing traditions in our home. 

A few pictures from our first celebration with the McShans...

{mattie rose loving on mickey and minnie. the twins' bffs.}

{so happy}

{trying to figure out what is going on}

{love these two}

{they figured out what to do real quick}

{sweet siblings sharing}

{new hats from l.l. bean. plenty of room for growing :) }

{hi mom}

{all he needs. an uncle and a dog. joy.}

{needless to say ramona loved her gift}

{mcshan gentlemen}

6 Month Sickness

James and Mattie Rose turned SIX MONTHS OLD two Fridays ago. That's right. You heard me. SIX. MONTHS. Unbelievable how quickly they are growing and changing. Monthly photo shoots are getting tougher each time as they are becoming more curious about everything and much more mobile. Once they start crawling, I am going to be in trouble.

First up, some pictures from our monthly shoot :)

{so silly}

{have i mentioned it's impossible to get them both to look at the same spot at the same time?}

{mattie rose was flirting with her daddy and james was ready for her to stop leaning on him}

{sweet girl}

{so happy}

{her jake-dog was making her laugh}

{that mouth is always open}

{sweet boy}

{"are you serious?"}

{drooling is all we do}

{oh that little smirk...}

{hands and everything else go in ours mouths, but still no teeth}

{they were over it at this point, but just wanted you to be able to see their size difference}

Last Tuesday we went to Memphis, because we had a pediatrician appointment later in the week for their six month check-up and immunizations. I am just not ready to let go of Dr. Hanson (who I raved about in earlier posts). The week started out good, like this:

{story time with pop}

{and laughing with meme}

...and then the week quickly turned to a horrible bug and a trip to the ER. In hindsight, the ER visit was a little extreme, but the nurse at the doctor's office told us to if x, y, and z didn't work out, and there is always the thought of what would have happened if I hadn't taken her? 

{poor thing. not feeling well at all.}

{hospital beds are not as comfy as our crib}

Friday morning, they acted like they were feeling better, however we had several outfit changes and went through many, many paper towels at the doctor's office.

{mattie rose}

{james likes to try and hold the phone to take his picture}

{you would never know by the picture how many times they got sick prior to this}

{when james gets excited, he extends his entire body, shakes, and makes a high pitch noise. so funny.}

{mattie rose is easily entertained and zones in on whatever catches her eye}

{side by side}

{just killing some time waitin' on Dr. Hanson to come in. those eyes melt my heart.}

{after getting shots, girlfriend was worn out. couldn't even finish her phone call.}

We went ahead with their immunizations on Friday. And though they did okay, I think choosing to do so has caused them to take a little longer getting over this bug. We got all their stats, and I must say, I have some minis on my hands...

James:

     Head circumference: 42.5 cm - 18th percentile

     Length: 26.75 inches - 59th percentile

     Weight: 15 pounds 6 ounces - 14th percentile

Mattie Rose:

     Head circumference: 42 cm - 37th percentile

     Length: 25.5 inches - 39th percentile

     Weight: 13 pounds 6 ounces - 7th percentile

Just a growin'. Slowly, but surely. 

I am just grateful to the Lord, for healthy, happy babies. Trying everyday not to take this for granted. 

Hope these pictures brought a smile to your face as they do mine! :)