Happy 3rd Birthday, Love!

Like every parent says about their children, we can't believe our sweet DM is 3! It seems like just yesterday she was born! She is in such a sweet season of life.

I never knew I could learn so much from such a little, but full spirit. There is no holding back when you are 3! Every moment is lived to the fullest! Some of the latest ways she embraces life  and makes us laugh include:

1. She'll embrace a sweet treat. As in devour it long after her friends have moved on!
2. Her favorite foods aren't just good! They're delicious!
3. She'll nearly always cheer for a runner or biker that we pass! (Okay, that one took some training, but I love hearing her being encouraging!)
4.  Given that I didn't care too much for books in my early years, I am thrilled that she gets excited about new books!
5.  DM and Tahoe have always had a bit of a rockier relationship than I envisioned.  Really, he is terrified of her, which has made for many fast scrambles on Tahoe's part in the past couple years.  However, this relationship seems to be improving as DM is ever so slowly becoming more gentle with him.
6.  She will belt out "Jesus Loves You" and many other songs without a fear of embarrassing herself or offending anyone!
7.  Sometimes she is all girl with carrying her "purse" and putting on her "lip gloss" (chap stick) before getting out of the car.  Other times, not so girly!  This kiddo refuses to wear hair bows as of late!

 

Of course we celebrated turning 3 all week long! 

We had a birthday playdate with our MP friends!

 

 

 DM was the special helper for the day at school!

We got to have our own cart at Trader Joes!
(Something I avoid like the plague on our typical weekend visits!)

 

 

And followed up Trader Joes with Chick-fil-A  and cupcakes for birthday dinner!
(Birthday girl's choice!)

 

 

We continued our week with a party at MP with our class!

 

We wrapped up the week with Mimi, PawPaw and the Birthday Bear!

 

Next up, Tahoe's birthday!



Valentines Love

I think February brings more opportunities for complete chaos to our house than Christmas!  We have multiple family birthdays, Valentines Day, Mardi Gras, Lent and the list goes on and one. 

 

Here are some of the highlights of the first couple of weeks of the month:

Making cookies with neighbors!

 

 

Valentines with school friends!

Family pizza night on Valentines Day!

And our February "event" that doesn't have any photos:

I say all the time, we are beyond blessed to have so many friends who love on DM like she is their own.  One is a friend I have known since I was 12.  She's seen my highlights and low lights (hair & life!).  Sweet friend is single, and for years D and I have said we really don't understand how she is single.  And we've meant it not out of sympathy, but as in "Wow!  Some guy is missing out!" 
  She is AMAZING!  Guess who brought a boy over for dinner?  She did!  We love him.  My heart is so full for those two!


Going to Gator Country!

I almost didn't post about our AMAZING outing last week to visit friends in Florida, mainly because she is a writer, and well, I'm not so much.   However, I wanted to remember the special weekend so here we go!  First of all, these friends were the hostesses with the mostest!  Every single detail was thought through, and it was all done with a new puppy at home and a house on the market.  Even the sweetest daughter was so welcoming and gracious to DM!

I haven't relaxed so much in someone else's home ever.  I even slept!  I immediately felt like we were back in college, fancy and carefree!  But we aren't back in college.  We have kiddos and dogs and spouses and careers and I can look in the mirror at my face and down at my hands and see that I have aged, which is okay.

We went on a great hike near their house!  DM saw her first "up close" cows and horsey.  

You can't go to Florida without a visit to UF! 

And a beautiful butterfly exhibit!

We had amazing food, complete with campfire and flowing wine.
And of course, stories of college and high school days!

 

We even made a return visit to UF!  They leave their football stadium open for anyone to walk in anytime during the day.  Do most schools do that?  Is UGA the only one that locks the gates?  It was neat.  You could go just about anywhere in the stadium.  Well, with the exception of a clean restroom.  Newly potty trained DM had to go poopies in a gross men's restroom.  Such a trooper!

We danced!  (Or tried as hard as we could!)  Pattersons aren't known for their dancing!  We laughed until I literally spit my wine out!  (Classy, I know!)

Nothing is better than a friend who has seen you at your best and worst over the years and loves you and welcomes your family into her home anyway!

Christmas!

I came across these thoughts a few days ago:
There's always a tension in my heart this time of year. I bet you feel it, too.

As a believer in Christ, I want to honor him and his birth and what it means to the world.

I want to be mindful of how we give into the culture around us in this season of excess.

I don't want to let the busy{ness} & the commercialism of Christmas overwhelm our hearts & minds.

But, I also really, really, really don't want to ever become the Christian that is miserable to be around.

...the one who judges that we give gifts to our kids.

...the one who is mortified that I have two Christmas trees up.

...the one who thinks hosting ornament parties is a little bit ridiculous.

At Between You and Me!  Tara put into sweet, eloquent words what has been swirling around in my head for over a month.  I try to avoid excess and to not make more than we need, but sometimes, like Christmas, I get a bit excited.  I got all excited about putting up Christmas tree(s).  Then, I freaked about taking the focus away from Christ and almost took two of them down.  Then, David encouraged me to leave them up.  After all, these trees are part of how we celebrate.  Next, I freaked that DM had too many gifts.  (Which, mind you, is still many less than most children who live in our parts, but obviously, many more than the Guatemalan orphans.)  And of course, David reminded me that we had planned out the holidays.   DM really only had what we had originally planned to get her, and her few gifts are part of our celebration. 

At the end of the season, my prayer is that DM remembers we had a huge birthday party for Jesus and celebrated (and had a blast!) with our favorite family and friends!

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Our Christmas celebration continued with the arrival of Grandma and Grandpa for the week.  Our first outing was to a beautifil Christmas Eve Service.  DM got to come to "big church" and sing along.  The songs were a bit different from the versions she knew, but she seemed to enjoy, nonetheless.  Christmas Eve photos really weren't her thing, but that is okay. 

Sometimes if you're too worried about getting the "perfect" picture, you miss the entire moment that could have been engrained in your memory forever.
 

 

Our Christmas cookie making spanned a few days.  This was not because they were particularly yummy or beautiful.  Rather, we seemed to struggle to find time from playing and singing "Happy Birthday Jesus" to finish them.

 So, so tired! 



From Our Home to Yours, Merry Christmas!

Celebrating!

We kicked off our week before Christmas with Sunday at Mimi and Papa's house.  DM was clearly beyond thrilled with her gifts!

 The week continued with activities (chaos that induces exhaustion, which induces sickness) at school.
DM's class party was so much fun.  We had Christmas stories, crafts and fun food.

 As is typical, DM was the last at the table eating.  She can savor sweets and junkfood like no other!

 She made us this sweet little "Mistletoes" canvas!

After the party it was Christmas concert time.  This was DM's group's first time participating in the festivities!  Wow!  I am amazed by her teachers and their ability to organize and coordinate 90 little angels!  Of course DM immediately assumed her "not so sure" (thumb planted in mouth) pose, but at least it wasn't another "Santa" type breakdown!

 Much of the concert she actually spent turned around backwards watching the guitar player behind her!

" Mommy, Daddy, are you out there?" 

They were so, so precious!

Santa, Really, We Love You, But Just From Afar!

Year #1 visiting Santa:

(Since year #1 was so bad, we took year #2 off!)

Year #3 visiting Santa!

Not much change!