Christmas 2011

Well I guess I will wrap up Christmas this year.  After our great weekend with all the Oney's we spent the rest of the week preparing for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  I must have been on a peanut butter kick this year because on Christmas Eve we made peanut butter pie, peanut butter cookies, and peanut butter fudge!  It was all yummy too.  That evening we headed over to my Dad's house for Christmas Eve with the family.  It was great as always!  Here are all the cousins and spouses minus Chelsi and Bobby who couldn't be with us this year. (sad)

It was sweet baby Gracen's first Christmas!  Here she is with her pretty Mama, my sister Mandy.

She looked adorable in her holiday wear tutu!  She has the most adorable, chubby legs I have ever seen!  Her big sister Leighton and cousin Lyla had a great time dressing up in their Cinderalla gear that Aunt Kylee got them.

So I really have no words to describe how much Leighton loves her big cousin Kyle.  I mean she LOVES him so much.  She always wants him to hold her and follows him around.  She is always giving him hugs and kisses.  It is so cute and funny to watch.  Kyle loves her too and ususally accomodates her every whim.

Here is my sweet girl on Christmas Eve.

After getting tons of loot at Grammy and Poppy's we headed home to get to bed so Santa could come.  Here are my sweet babies on Christmas morning getting ready to go down and see what Santa brought.

Santa brought Lyla a musical princess vanity and Kyle a Kindle.

They had a great time opening presents and playing with their toys all day.  Nana and Papaw spent the whole day with us and Marlene and Tom came over for Christmas dinner.  We cooked a turkey on our Holland Grill and it was delicious!!  We had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you all did too!  I am blessed with such a wonderful family.  Here are some more pictures. Enjoy!

Oney Family Christmas

Every year the weekend or two before Christmas my mom's extended family, The Oney's get together for our Christmas.  Aunt Teresa (TT)  flies in from Florida and we are all so excited to see her!  Mamaw comes down from Eastern Kentucky and Todd the youngest brother comes in with his wife and kids from Nashville.  It is one of the only times (sometimes the only time) we all get together throughout the year.  We had a great time being together.  Here are the four cousins. (Todd' kids and my kids) Sam, Maya, Lyla and Kyle.

Maya loves Kyle!  It was such a mild day they got to go to the park and play for a  long time together. 

My dear Papaw passed away in 1997 so Mamaw is the glue of our family.  Here she is with all the kiddos.

We all went to our favorite family tradition dinner place to eat, Giovanni's in Nicholasville.  If you haven't ever eaten at one I strongly suggest you do! Here is a group photo of all us after we got home.  This is such a special picture because it has all of the generations.  Mamaw is on the couch with all of her children and the grandkids and great grandkids are on the floor.

 

I am always sad to see our time together come to an end, especially with Teresa because we don't get to see her very often.  I have so many wonderful memories of spending our holidays together at my Mamaw and Papaw's when I was growing up.  My grandparents are wonderful people who instilled such a sense of faith and family in us.  My papaw would be so proud to know that all of his children and grandchildren are Christians.  That is all he ever wanted for us was to know Jesus.  He read the Christmas story from Luke Chapter 2 to us every year, a tradition that Todd has continued since his passing.  I miss him so much, especially at Christmas. 

Time flies when you are having fun and the week with Teresa here was gone before we knew it.  We had a blast and laughed a lot.  One night we drove through Southern Lights and laughed so hard and had such a great time.  Here are some pictures we took before we headed for the airport.

I already can't wait until we can all be together again!



Christmas Time

This posting is not an update on our family, but rather some things I've been thinking about lately.  With Christmas fast approaching I have been thinking a lot about the reason for the season.  I know that sounds cliche, but it is true.  JESUS.  There seems to be a lot of attention on Jesus in the media lately, thanks to Tim Tebow.  Kind of funny that Tebow is causing the hoopla about Jesus but yet we are in the midst of the season that celebrates his birthday.  Which has also got me thinking about why non-Christians celebrate Christmas.  Obviously it has become a secular holiday but for me it is a religious holiday.  No one knows what day Jesus was really born but December 25th is the date that was chosen to celebrate His birth.  Because of His birth we have a Savior, but what does that really mean?  To me it means I have someone that loves me no matter what I do or say.  To me it means I have an advocate who is always on my side no matter what.  To me it means I have an intecessor to God.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  Without him NO one can come to the Father.  So to me his birth is pretty darn important.

 In church we have been studying the verse John 3:16.  Sounds pretty basic as it is one of the most famous verses in the world, one that most people know even if they are not Christians.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  So what does that really mean?  It means that God loved us SO much that he wanted to save us, even though we messed it up with our sins.  He is still giving us the chance for eternal life with him.  And what do we have to do to get this eternal life?  BELIEVE.  That's it.  We don't have to do anything, go anywhere, do any rituals, perform any acts, nothing but just believe.  Sure there are good acts we want to perform because we are Christians and want to demonstrate Jesus' love, but none of these acts gets us the eternal life.  What did we do to deserve this gift of Jesus?  Again, nothing.  God's grace is the only reason we get this Savior.  He loves us so much that he does not want anyone separated from Him, and sin separates us from God.  Jesus came and washed away those sins and if we choose to believe in Him, we will never be separated from God again.  We will have eternal life.  That's it.  It's that simple. 

I love Christmas time and all that it brings with it.  I love my Christmas tree, I love Christmas carols, I love spending time with my family.  But most of all I love celebrating the birth of my Savior.  I hope this Christmas if you don't already you will choose to believe also.  I promise it will be the best gift you will ever receive.

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:11

Here is Martina McBride singing my favorite Christmas carol. 

Mom Thoughts

Well it's been a rough couple of weeks around our HouseHould.  Along with Kyle recovering from his tonsillectomy, Chris got a nasty virus.  He has been sick for almost the whole week and has barely slept.  I feel sad for him.  I think he may be on the mend finally though. 

Kyle has finally turned the corner on his recovery.  He has started eating again and has been able to stop taking pain medicine.  He returned to school today.  I have missed him a lot!  The one good thing about this surgery (besides hopefully eliminating strep throat) is that I have been able to stay home from my part-time job for two weeks.  I LOVE staying home with my kids and always have.  I have never been one of those who get fulfillment from a job.  True, I never really had much of a "career" or job I liked before having the kids so I am sure that makes a big difference.  But I am really hoping to be able to stay home permanently soon, thanks to my hard working hubby!

In other news Kyle had a RIDICULOUS project for school, especially for a 3rd grader.  We ended up building a monument to Johnny Appleseed with the help of my wonderfully artistic cousin Missie.  She and I did the whole thing and Kyle did...nothing!  I don't blame him though because it was way too much for his grade level.  I actually received an email from another parent today saying she found the project on a website for SEVENTH GRADE level!!  What the heck??  Add to it that is was due during the holidays and for us in the middle of a tonsillectomy.  Anyway here is the finished product.  I hope Missie and I get a good grade.

In holiday news I avoided Black Friday like the plague but did get our Christmas Tree up.  My bff's daughters who were visiting their best bud Kyle decorated my tree so fast my head spun.  I am definitely inviting those girls over next year for a tree trimming party!  Kyle gets bored after hanging like three ornaments and usually I am left decorating the whole tree myself.  Here is the finished product.

So my favorite time of year is here, and no it's not Christmas.  It is UK basketball time!!!!!!!! And the Cats are #1 going into the big game against UNC tomorrow.  Go Big Blue!

Turkeys and Tonsillectomies

Well this Thanksgiving week started out with my sweet 9 year old having surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids.  Here is to hoping it stops his numerous bouts with strep throat over the last 4 years.  Here is my boy the morning of the surgery before we left the house.

He was in pretty good spirits and very brave about the whole thing.  He started to get a tiny bit nervous once we got to the surgery center but he had quite the entourage of supporters.  Once he got in his gown and in the bed he decided to play dead for them all when they came back to see him.

Such a silly boy!  The surgery went by quickly and went very well.  I was able to go back and see him as soon as he started waking up.  This time he wasn't so chipper.

Poor little guy!  They let us go home within 30 minutes of me getting to see him.  He was a real trooper and did great through the whole thing.  I am so proud of him.  He has had quite a bit of pain in his recovery and it is hard for us to see him hurt so badly.  He has slept, watched lots of Spongebob, and played video games until my eyeballs are about to fall out.  I have begged him at certain points to turn it off.

So Turkey Day rolled around and we decided to be especially low key this year due to our little patient.  Mom and Harry came over and picked up Cracker Barrel to go for our Thanksgiving meal.  It was delicious and stress free!  The little man got a turkey too, his just happened to be made of ice cream.

He got visits from his favorite cousins Leighton and Gracen and Uncle Toby brought him some Nerf guns for a get well gift.  Love these little turkeys!

After dinner we had lots more visitors including cousin Chase who made a surprise early return from New Zealand!  It was so great to see him and Kyle was so excited when he surprised him before his surgery on Sunday night.  We are so glad to have him home!  Future newlyweds Chelsi and Bobby were in from Maryland and visited also.  We are so blessed with so many family and friends that have visited, called and texted to check on our sweet boy!  Grammy and Nana have been over everyday and even cooked meals at our house to help out.  Thanksgiving is a great time to count our blessings and be thankful for all we have, but I feel truly blessed all year round.  I'm especially thankful for these little blessings.

Hope everyone had a blessed holiday!  Now on to putting up the Christmas Tree!

Sibling Love

When Lyla was born in 2008 Kyle was almost 6.  I didn't really plan on such an age difference, it's just the way things worked out.  Kyle was (and still is) such an easy going child so I wasn't too worried about how he would take the new addition to the family.

What I didn't plan on is how close they would be given their age difference.  Kyle really adores his sister and is VERY protective of her.  He likes to say he once saved her life by getting in front of an accent table that was about to fall on her (True Story).  When she was tiny he would cuddle with her and when she got a little older he would read books to her.

This relationship is mutual.  Lyla thinks her "brudder" is about as awesome as it gets.  She always wants to know where he is and what he is doing.  She misses him while he is at school and flies into his arms when he gets home in the afternoons.  So maybe, just maybe she chews him out every now and then. And maybe, just maybe she bosses him around a little (or a lot).  But it doesn't mean she doesn't love him so much.

They play together a lot more than I thought they would due to their age gap, and they fight a lot more than I thought they would due to their age gap.  Lyla is slightly demanding (sarcasm intended) and most of the time Kyle is pretty patient with her.  But sometimes he is not in the mood to deal with her and the fighting ensues.  Mostly they get along though and Lyla wants to be just like him.  Since he is into superheros, she is into superheroes.  For a 3 year old girl she knows a lot about Spiderman, Batman, Captain America and The Hulk.  She was going to be Belle for Halloween but as soon as she found out Kyle was going to be a superhero she had to be one too.

The sweet moments are my favorite.  Like when she cries or gets hurt and Kyle goes rushing to see if she's okay.  He is a sucker for her "sad face".  I've actually seen him tear up if she is that sad.  And if he is sick or has to go to the doctor she pats him and tells him he'll be okay.  It warms my heart in a way I can't explain to see how much they love each other. 

Last night I went to the movies with my best friend and when I got home I saw the most precious sight. They were both on the couch watching Scooby Doo together and Kyle was laying with his head in Lyla's lap and she was rubbing his hair.  Chris said Lyla had asked Kyle to lay with her.  It's moments like these that makes me feel like the most blessed Momma in the world.  I am so glad they have each other.

Random HouseHousehold Happenings

Today I am off work and going to use the opportunity to post about some random happenings.  First off we have had some beautiful fall weather here in the bluegrass.  Lyla has loved getting to go out and play.

With the holidays fast approaching I have been busy shopping and wrapping gifts.  Kyle is having his tonsils removed this coming Monday so I wanted to be prepared as possible.  Please say a prayer for this sweet little face when you get a chance.

We are praying this surgery will help with his too numerous to count bouts with strep throat.  In order to include him in the Turkey festivities Nana has ordered him and ice cream turkey for Thanksgiving complete with sugar cone "legs".  He is pretty excited about it and has already planned a joke for it.

Chris is out of town this week getting trained for his new business venture with National Scouting Report.  Things seemed to be going well and we are looking forward to him getting home and being able to get started with this.  The kids are missing their daddy lots!

With Daddy gone one of the kids favorite people came to stay the night.  They LOVE their "Aunt" Shelly and look forward to her visits. Lyla loves for Shelly to give her a bath and sing "Wash that Body" to the tune of "Rock that Body" by the Black Eyed Peas lol. And Kyle loves for her to watch him play video games ha ha.

And lastly on a completely unrelated note has anyone seen the trailer that came out this week for The Hunger Games??  Oh my gosh I am so pumped for March!  And may the odds be ever in your favor!

School Days

Lyla has been going to preschool 2 mornings a week since September. She likes school and loves her teacher Ms. Kimberly.

However she doesn't like getting up in the morning to go to school. This morning when I was trying to wake her up she said "Wait." When I asked her wait for what she said "Wait for me to finish sleeping." Then she pulled the covers back over her. I'm afraid she is just like her Mama in the mornings.

She doesn't usually get in a good mood until she gets in the car and can listen to her "songs" (which would be top 40 radio).  No kid songs in the minivan!  Then we go pick up her best bud "Sephie" (aka Seth) and head to Little Elks Preschool.  She gives me kisses and hugs and always says "Bye Mama" in her sweet little voice.  I love her so and sometimes wish she could be three forever!

Welcome to the Hould Household

Here goes my attempt to start blogging.  My life isn't extremely interesting or anything, I just think it is a great way to record family memories.  My sister Mandy blogs and I look forward to reading her posts about her sweet babies.  It makes me feel connected to what is going on in her life so I wanted to do the same. 

Right now the big thing going on in our lives is Chris' new business venture.  He has officially become a licensee for National Scouting Report.  The goal is to help high school athletes get scholarships.  He is a high school softball coach and this is a passion of his.  We are hoping (and praying, a lot) that he will be successful and help our family financially like he has always done so well.  So if anyone has any extra prayers we will gladly take them.

The kiddos are doing great and looking forward to the holidays.  They are both out of school today for the election and are currently fighting.  I am so blessed to be home with them! :)