December 2011: Part 1

I thought I'd share a few of our December pre-Christmas memories before the picture frenzy from the holiday celebration is uploaded.

The month has been sprinkled with a few note-worthy events, both Christmasy, and some not so Christmasy.

To start off, we've begun the remodel of our new {1957} house.  It's going well, and Russ is doing a fabulous job!  I am continually impressed with his "handy-man" abilities and am so proud of all he's done thus far.

We are still living with his parents, but spend a lot of time there working, cleaning, riding bikes, playing, etc.

Lawson has proven to be very helpful most of the time...

The green carpet will be removed once the painting is complete.

Here are a few of your first peeks...

There was wallpaper in a few areas, and thankfully it had been sized meaning it was very easy to remove...

 

We've got a long way to go.  There were very few light fixtures in the house as they used lamps which were wired to light switches meaning Russ' job was a little easier... thank you, Lord, for the existing light switches.  With that said, none of the bedrooms had lights, nor did the living rooms, therefore Russ is currently installing lights.  And at this point in time, the three downstairs bedrooms have lights, and he hopes to "see the light" in the front living room and in the mile-long hallway today.  We never expected to be so excited about lighting! :)  I took a few before shots and will post the afters sometime soon.

Onto some Christmasy things...

As mentioned in the Dear Santa Claus posting, we visited Santa's Village here in Martin one Saturday morning.  It was so pretty. The parking was atrocious, but the crowd inside was thin so we were only there for about an hour which was plenty long enough.

An overview in pictures... lots of lights, Enchanted Forest, Christmas music with entertainment, petting zoo, giant slide, carousel, Santa's Lap, train village, and much more!

The petting zoo was a hit with the boys, of course.

A funny memory not captured by pictures... As we were walking up to visit the camel, it stretched it's neck out over the fence, and snatched the cup of feed right out of Lawson's hand. :) He laughed and laughed. I think it startled us more than it did him.

And once again, here they are with Santa.

***

Remember the bike riding mentioned above? Well, here you go... one day we were at the new house working when I heard Emmitt laughing in the other room.  I walked around the corner to see them riding together on Lawson's bike.  It was adorable!  Lawson told me, "I helped him up and then I just started peddaling".  It made my day!

Yes, there is more green carpet...
Green was Mrs. Julia's favorite color.

***

On another Christmasy note, we enjoyed Lawson's Christmas program the middle of December.  It was a sweet program, and as always, watching children sing simply warms your heart.  It was a very "crowded" program so the pictures are not great, but hey, we did capture a few moments from the big night.

Granny got to go and Emmitt wanted to sit with her... she loved that, of course! :)

And that's that.  

A short and sweet thirty-minute Christmas program with sweet boys and girls.

***

The Christmas tree went up and immediately little hands were amidst the ornaments... three broken up to this point. 

So thankful for Mrs. Jane's understanding of toddlers and for her laid-back personality.

Fully decorated Christmas tree pictures to come in the next post.

***

Free Freeze returned this year.  And yes, his name changed as our determined three year old insisted that his name was Freeze and not Free.  So, Freeze it is.  Who knows what next year will hold for this little guy.  In case you're wondering, Freeze had very little influence on Lawson.  He wasn't a very big believer in Freeze, although he liked him, and when we would remind him of Freeze's presence, he quickly told us that he coudn't see/hear him.  What to do?

And so we don't forget - Lawson and his daddy decided one night at bedtime that Freeze has three elf brothers named Icicile, Snow Flake, and Frosty. Funny boys.

***

The last portion of December 2011: Part 1 involves Martin's Christmas parade.  Now let me tell ya... this was a fun night, the kids loved it, it was cold and drizzly, and we brought home coat pockets of candy, but... I couldn't help but notice how different this small town parade was in comparison to the "big town" parades in which we've become accustomed.  It was kind of funny.  Every fire department and police department in the county was there, daycare groups, boy scouts, motorcycle riding groups, horses, bands, and a few floats.  I mean what else could you want?  The important people in this little community were recognized.  It was neat, and once again, memories from my childhood were brought to light.  And through the eyes of a child, it was magical! :)

That's all for now... I hope to post more Christmas tonight. 

Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Dear Santa Claus,

Mailed to, and published in the Weakley County Press; Martin's local newspaper.

Dear Santa Claus,

My name is Lawson Bragg and I am three years old. I have been a good boy this year and would like for you to please bring me a few surprises.

For Christmas, I would like to have a new gun, a train table, a new big boy Bible, and if you make hockey goals, hockey sticks, and pucks, I would like some of those, too.

I also have a little brother named Emmitt. He is one year old, and he has been a good boy, too. Please bring him a train table, a little boy Bible, and a chair with his name on it.

We are very excited about Christmas, and we thank you for remembering us! We will leave you and your reindeer a snack so that you will be strong when you fly your sleigh on Christmas Eve!

Love,

Lawson and Emmitt Bragg

***

So, Martin has brought a new light to the holiday season... 

Our boys have experienced traditions from our childhood and are making many of the same memories that Russ and I made as children.  It has been very exciting.

A sneek peek into those memories... we visited Santa's Village and Lawson shared his wishes with the jolly ol' man.  And although Emmitt was scared, it was a lot of fun!

I am excited about the upcoming days as we celebrate Christmas and share the spirit of the season.

More Christmas memories to come real soon.

November Happenings

Well, hello there...

I'm still here although it's been a little over a month since my last post.  There has been a lot of change over the past few weeks, and for some reason the blog has been the easiest to move to the back burner.  I have a few things I'd like to document and a few pictures to add to our memories here on the blog...  

First off, we are officially residents of Martin, Tennessee.  Last Friday consisted of new drivers license, and address changes, which made us official here at 38237.  It has been a whirlwind of a move, to say the least, but we are happy to be here and are slowly adjusting. 

As to the whirlwind of a move... I had to check the date of the following pictures to remember when we actually moved as I just can't keep up with the dates any more.  Staying at home will do that to you, but during all of this, it seems as though we've literally flown by the seats of our pants. {I can't believe it is December 9!}

So, we departed from our Columbia home on the evening of November 10.  It was a long day of tying up loose ends, and loading last minute things.  We will be forever grateful for our realtor, Paul, and our neighbor, Trae.  We couldn't have made it without them.  They were truly blessings in our move.

 

In an effort to save money and not have to stay in a hotel, we stayed the last night in our house, and the boys slept in our room as their beds were already packed.  We left our bed as one of the final things to pack... they were so sweet, and slept like babies.

The next day consisted of Paul, Trae, and Russ loading the final pieces of furniture amongst other things and us cleaning for the new family that would move into our house.  They are from India, and it is a part of their culture to have a relationship with the ones in which they are doing business, so we got to know them really well. :)  Thankfully, they were extremely nice people.

And here we are ready to pull out... the boys thought the moving truck was very cool!

:)

We were only in Columbia for a short time, {12 months and 1 day to be exact}, however I've decided that it is never easy leaving your safe-haven-of-home no matter the location or situation.  Pulling out of the drive way with a few honks of the horn, as if to say farewell, caused a mixture of emotions which surprised me.  We headed East and spent the night in St. Louis before finishing the move the next morning.  In case you're wondering, the boys and I followed Russ in our van.

I believe that sums up our move to Martin, and overall things are going well.  We closed on our new house here last Thursday, December 1, and are continuing to live with Russ' parents as our "new 1957" house needs quite a bit of updating.  I will post the "before" pictures soon. :) 

***

On to Thanksgiving...

It was nice to celebrate Thanksgiving without having to travel, although it was a stressful day for me for some reason.  We had three locations to visit during the day and it was just a little much.  Or a lot much, to be honest.  We began the morning with the Macy's Day Parade which Lawson enjoyed more this year, then headed to my Grandmother and Granddaddy's for lunch at 11:00, my Mama B and Daddy Denton's for lunch at 12:30, followed by lunch here with Russ' family around 3:30.  It was a busy day, but hopefully next year will be different.  My main struggle with holiday marathons like that are the lack of quality time spent with family on such a special day... it feels like we eat and run to the next place.  I have some hopeful ideas for next year to remedy that... we'll see! 

Here are Russ and the boys watching the parade.

And a cousin shot at Mama B's... 

Maddie, Lawson, McKenzie, and sweet baby Jenna Kate with an unhappy Emmitt.

It was truly a lot for Emmitt who slept through eating with the Bragg family.

I did, however, love watching Maddie and Lawson play together.

Don't they look happy?!

Although Thanksgiving was slightly overwhelming for me this year, we truly have SO much to be thankful for.  I don't want the overwhelming emotions to overshadow our gratefulness.  God has blessed us with more than we deserve and we praise Him for each and every day we spend enjoying our life here on Earth. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

I hope you and yours enjoyed a blessed Thanksgiving.