Merry Christmas

We are so grateful for the Good News and Great Joy of this day. We love you all and pray you have blessed day of drawing closer to Him.



1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised,(AH) he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Brunch with Santa

Our weekly story time was replace with brunch with Santa. The boys were fine with this. There was Santa and there were donuts and Grandma and Grandpa Hermie. All good things.


Walker wants a train table and Annie and Claribel (Thomas's passenger cars). Whew...Santa is in good shape. ;)
Notice someone missing? This year Eli is really fond of Santa, from about 10 feet away.





Donuts are fantastic.

Baby Brother Stateside

Pops and Grandma Jayne hosted a get together to celebrate Uncle Matthew and Aunt Elaine being home from Japan for Christmas.

Perfectly descriptive photo.



Matthew insisted on making weird faces.


Aunt Elaine caught up with Colin, who was a few days shy of his birthday the last time she saw him.




The Grandparents came.








The Aunt Came.




The cousin came.


The boys played.




And there were silly hats.

(I kinda really love the way my dad is looking over his glasses in this photo)



And many pictures were taken (obviously).


And it was fantastic.

The First Thing We Ever Bought...

...Together, was our kitchen table. We found it shortly after we were engaged and put it on layaway. It was the only way we could afford it at the time (not that it was very expensive). Jason's Aunt Kaye and Uncle Jerry secretly paid it off for us as a bonus wedding present. I knew we loved it at the time. I didn't know how much more I could love it when it is surrounded by those I love so deeply.

Recently we had the boys' friends, Harrison and Palmer, over. I was taken back at the sight of five precious boys around our little table. I never imagined God had so much in store for us.

The Cutest Bouncy Ever!

I love watching little ones bounce up and down. This bouncy even makes cute Tigger bouncing noises when they jump. Colin loves to hang out (haha I crack myself up) in it while the boys are in their bedroom.





Eli using it first.

Colin's New Trick

Baby boy is getting so strong.




He still falls over some, but for the most part he is sitting up. Where does the time go?

Walker at the about the same age with the same toy. The best 25 cents Grammy ever spent. A fantastic thrift store find.

Oh So Photogenic

For some reason Eli and Walker have decided they will run screaming when I try to take their picture. This is just fantastic. Mommy really enjoys it (can you hear the sarcasm?). Eli is so photogenic that even in running from the camera I still got some amazing shots of this little boy.

















Walker is pretty photogenic, too. He is just faster.

Fall in Alabama

Sure we have days that are windy, cold and cloudy. But, we also get these gorgeous days of sunny, 65 degrees, and clear. And on those days we head swiftly to the park.

Obligatory attempt at a group shot. Walker was the only one willing to look at the camera.


Both boys love to hold their little brother.


I love how the boys stay close to each other, no matter where we go.


Eli helped Colin enjoy a park trip in the stroller instead of in mommy's sling.




Walker, being my cautious child has never been a fan of the big tube slides, but this day he must have went down it 50 times. I think he liked hiding out in it.







When it was time to go the mud we had so carefully avoided was found. The child came out of the mud, but the shoes did not.

5 Months

I had grand intentions of taking Colin's picture once a month so we could watch him grow. Then when the first two months flew by, I planned to take pictures once every three months and we would still be able to see his growth. Well it hasn't quite worked out that way either. So I sat him down for some pictures at 5 months. I think the new plan is: "take pictures when Colin is awake and in a good mood, but the big brothers are napping." I'm sure that will come around again, one day.

He has some scratches on his face, but even with that he is still the cutest baby around.












Walker at about 5 months


Eli at about 5 months


When Colin was first born he looked exactly like Walker to me. Now that he is getting older I can see a good mixture of both boys, but Jason still thinks he looks most like Walker. Thoughts?