Favorite "Foto" Friday

I'm copying Ashton :) and posting a favorite pic of mine for Friday. This week it is the picture that we are using for our Christmas cards this year. Why is it my favorite? WELL, let's just say that we only had to take about 10 pictures before we got "the one" and thanks to digital and being able to see what I had just taken, the whole process of "let's take our Christmas card picture" bonanza was relatively quick and painless. No threats had to be made, no one cried (and by no one, I mean me) and we also got some really cute "outtakes" of the boys being silly!

I would like to thank my digital camera (remember the dark ages when you had to take the actual film, get it developed and hope that you had a good one and not a bunch of overexposed, eyes closed, out of focus pix - oh, the horror!) :) I would like to thank my hubby for taking the winning shot and most of all, my two precious boys for being so cute in their matching PJs and for being my favorite subjects to take pictures of - mommy loves you!

Thankful Thursday

I am trying to be a good blogger and post regularly SOOO since I am on a roll (2 days in a row!!) I thought that I would copy some of my blogger friends and write a "Thankful Thursday" entry - here it goes...
1. I'm thankful for BeBe - my hairstylist, hairdresser, girl that colors and cuts my hair - she is wonderful and I was able to pay her a visit today along with my 4 year old who plugged his ears while she was blow drying my hair and consistently asked "When are we going to weave?" (aka "When are we going to LEAVE?" - I love the way he says it...) Anyway, my hair is newly highlighted, bangs trimmed and hair trimmed, but only slightly because I don't want to suffer the wrath of my 6 year old who HATES my hair cut short and does not keep his opinions to himself when it comes to my hair...the things I do for my children!!!
2. I am thankful for the Rain we are getting even if it does make getting myself and Josh in and out of the car umpteen times a bit wet and messy - We DEFINITELY need the rain!
3. I am thankful for McDonald's Cinnamon Melts and their Sweet Tea, both of which I had this morning before my hair appointment - YUM!
4. I am thankful that my boys really TRY to use their manners - saying please and thank you to not only Jon and me, but to strangers and that they love to hold the door open for people especially ladies (I'm trying to train them to be good boyfriends and husbands - WAAYYYY further down the road of course!) I love that they want to put money in every Salvation Army bell ringer's bucket. One day a couple of weeks ago Josh asked for money to put in one and I asked him "Do you know why we put money in those buckets?" to which he replied, "To get Tootsie Wolls!" (A sweet man from a different organization gave him toosie "wolls" one time) SOOO after I squeezed him for being CUTE - I used my teachable moment to explain to him about helping those less fortunate than us (and if by chance he gets a toosie woll while helping in the process, then so be it...) :).
5. On a serious note I am most thankful for the Gift of JESUS. It seems too easy to get swept up in the commercialism of this time of year and I have been guilty of doing just that. But I am trying to remind myself that NO gift that I can give or receive compares to the gift that God gave to us in the form of His Son - Jesus Christ and to the gift of Salvation that Jesus gave when He died on the Cross for our sins. I am thankful that 18 years ago, Jesus came into my heart and saved me. And although I have let him down many times since then, he has never left me and never forsaken me.

I'm FINALLY Updating My Blog...

This slacker has finally updated my blog...I have GOT to get better at this!!! I have three new posts following this one from most recent (John Henry's birthday to his Thanksgiving play at school). Enjoy! :)

John Henry turned 6!

On December 6th John Henry turned 6! It is so hard for me to believe that I have a 6 year old, but I do. John Henry was the answer to my lifelong prayer of becoming a mom. Since the moment I found out I was pregnant with him, I have loved this little boy. I sometimes sit and watch him and am amazed at how much he has grown, how he looks a lot like me (although my hubby would argue with that), and how he amazes me everyday with something new. He is my heart and I am blessed to be his mommy.

He celebrated the day before his birthday with his class at school. He chose to take a giant, decorated chocolate chip cookie and proudly wore the class birthday hat and a blue ribbon that I bought him that said "Birthday Boy" (I wonder if I can get him to do that in middle school?) :).

He had a great day at school and an even better day at his actual birthday party the next day. All in all, it was a great 6th birthday!

Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania

My mom moved to Pennsylvania in August to be near my grandparents and it has been a hard adjustment for all of us - we miss her being here, but my grandparents are loving her being around so that makes it easier. We were able to go up there over Thanksgiving and spend almost a week. When we arrived there was snow on the ground and John Henry was ready to get started on making a snowman. He made three before we left. We rode around my grandparents' property on the ATVs and the boys had a blast! My big boy :) was able to be there for the first two days of deer season (muzzle loading - I believe it's called) and although he didn't get his monster, trophy buck - he did see A LOT of deer. It is a beautiful place and my husband would live someplace like that in a heartbeat. I'm a city girl and considering that the nearest Target was over an hour away from where we were, I will settle for visiting now and then. We had a great time and my little one just asked me today when we're going back...maybe sometime next summer...

LOTS to catch up on...

I just checked in on one of the blogs that I follow daily and laughed out loud because she is SOOOO funny and witty and writes the neatest entries - I LOVE to go her blog! Anyway, as I told her in a message that I sent to her, she has inspired me to do better with my blog. SOOO, I am going to give a brief synopsis of the goings on since my last entry (which involved Halloween - YIKES, it's been too long...) so here it goes...

John Henry is still LOVING school and I LOVE that he LOVES school. Since he was a baby I have prayed for his future friends, his teachers, his future wife (GULP!) - lots of things that I wanted to start covering for the future because I knew that one day those would be important parts of John Henry's life (the wife can be an important part WAYYY in the future...) :). Anyway, he has the most precious teachers who are wonderful Christian women and I love them just as he does. They are wonderful! He has a precious group of children in his class and I am friends with many of their moms who are also a wonderful group of Christian women. I feel blessed that John Henry is in such a loving, caring, nurturing enviornment at school. Did I mention that he is soaking everything up like a sponge? He LOVES to learn and is reading and has almost memorized the 50 states in order. He can count by 5's and 10's and knows our state capital and lots of other interesting pieces of trivia. I am a proud mommy! The entire kindergarten put on a Thanksgiving play and it was PRECIOUS!!! I fought back tears as they sang "America the Beautiful" WITH sign language...they should not do that to emotional moms like me!!! I was so proud of ALL those precious little kindergarteners - they did a WONDERFUL job. I've included a few of the pictures from that very important day. The ladies in the pictures with John Henry are his two WONDERFUL teachers - Mrs. Tyner and Mrs. Meeks.

John Henry and I Had a Date...

This past Friday night John Henry's school sponsored a "Mother/Son Masquerade Dance". I'm not sure who was more excited about the dance - me or John Henry. I've known about the dance for a couple of months and in that time I tried to think of possible costume choices for the two of us - something fun & original. My first thought was for us to go as Dorothy and the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. We went costume shopping one Friday afternoon several weeks ago and found the Tin Man costume for John Henry. He tried it on and looked absolutely precious! But when mommy tried on her Dorothy costume, well, let's just say the "absolutely precious" did not apply to me! So, we kept looking. My wonderful 5 year old found costume after costume for me, some of which were not appropriate for an elementary school dance and most which did not meet mommy's size requirement :) (I love that he thinks I can pull off a super slim Batgirl, Catwoman, I Dream of Jeanie look) Finally, about two weeks ago one of my friends and I hit a costume store that has a large supply of $5.99 costumes and there, in the racks was a Velma costume and it fit. I found a Scooby Doo costume for the same price (yay me) and bought an $8 wig later that afternoon and my Velma glasses at the dollar tree. I was so excited that I had not only found costumes, but that I had found everything so cheap! I got home and showed them to John Henry and to my wonderful hubby to which they both asked, "Why didn't you get Daphne?" (the hotter, slimmer girl on the show) to which I replied, "Daphne is not intended to be plus size!" SOOO, the big day arrived and my little man and I headed to the masquerade dance as Velma and Scooby Doo and we had an absolute blast! I was talking with a group of moms when the first slow song came on. After a few moments, John Henry came up to me and somewhat agitated asked, "Are you going to dance with me or not??!!" It was a precious moment and a wonderful night. I always thought that I would be a girl mommy - I never really pictured myself with boys. But the moment each of my boys was placed in my arms I knew that I was supposed to be a boy mommy, they have captured my heart and the bond we share is indescribable. As I danced that first dance with my sweet boy, I couldn't help but think of dancing with him on his wedding day (IF I allow him to leave me, that is) :) and how quickly time is flying by. I didn't want the night to end, but it did and I am left with precious memories of a very special date with my little man. Now, I have 12 months to prepare for next year's masquerade dance and maybe if I lose the weight, we could go as Batman and Catwoman and if I don't - Batman and the Penguin... :)

Fall Festival Fun

Tonight was our "Fall Festival" at church and we had such a great time! The boys were able to wear their costumes two days early and play games, win prizes and best of all, get candy!!! We had so much fun spending time with our church family and watching the boys enjoying themselves. It was a wonderful time!

Updates - Part 1

Well, I have been a slacker when it comes to keeping up with this blog and I am ashamed but hope to make it right with all of the fun and wonderful events that will be happening to the Alexander family in the next couple of weeks. To play catch up, John Henry has been playing T-ball with the the Wren (Auburn) Tigers (daddy removed the stitching across the back of the hat that said "Auburn" - he is REALLY die hard when it comes to Alabama!) He loves it and I am such a proud mommy. Everytime he goes up to bat I am overcome with tremendous pride as my first born has entered the world of sports and I wonder where this journey will take him. He is having so much fun and on Saturday he received a "Game Ball" and I'm not sure who was more excited, John Henry or me. Of all days to not have my camera - thankfully, Kim (Coach Kunz's wife) had her camera and took the most precious picture of my proud little boy holding his prized possession (I hope that I can get it to upload). The pictures are from the first two games.

Updates - Part 2

We have also been enjoying one of our fall traditions - visiting the Pumpkin Patch. I was able to go twice in the same week with the boys. Josh and I went on a Wednesday and even though it was raining :(, the kids were still able to play in the Hay barn and choose a pumpkin from the group of pumpkins gathered by the brave, not afraid to get wet adults. I went two days later with John Henry and his kindergarten class to the same pumpkin patch and we had a ball! The kids had so much fun and so did the adults. It is fun to be a parent on a field trip now instead of the teacher :). We had a great time and are looking forward to our annual "Pumpkin Painting Party" at Christi's house this Sunday.

I'm WAYYYY Behind on Posting!!!

Play Ball!

Today was a big day in the Alexander household. Not only did Josh turn 4 years old, but John Henry had his first day of t-ball practice. Poor John Henry has tried to get involved with t-ball last fall (missed the cut off), soccer in the spring (could get the last spot, but not on the team with his buddy Hayne) and football this fall (had to be 6 by November 30th - his b-day is December 6th) and so when the chance to play t-ball happened, we made sure that we didn't miss out. He is on the team with two of his friends, Carson and Ethan, and is VERY excited! The only drawback is that his team will be called the "Auburn Tigers" and since we are Alabama fans, we are having to make an extreme sacrifice :) . His practice went very well this morning and we are looking forward to his first game. This season should be a lot of FUN!!!

Happy Birthday Josh!!

Well, today my precious Joshi turns 4 years old. I can't believe that four years have gone by as quickly as they have. He arrived at 2:47 am weighing in at 8 lbs 9 oz - almost two pounds more than John Henry (he seemed like a giant!) From the moment he entered our lives, he stole our hearts and continues to do so everyday. Josh was our most wonderful "surprise" - Jon and I didn't "plan" on giving John Henry a sibling until he was at least 3 or 4 years old. But God, in HIS infinite wisdom and in HIS great plan for our lives, chose to make John Henry a big brother when he was 21 months old and we have thanked God ever since that HIS will is greater than ours and that HIS plan is ALWAYS better. So, on this very special day, I thank our Heavenly Father for the gift that he gave to us four years ago in the form of a precious little boy that we named Joshua Wayne Alexander. We cannot imagine our life without him.

Happy birthday my sweet "angel face" - we love you very much...

Go Alabama!

Well today Alabama takes on Clemson and Jon just left with our friends Gary, Chase & Heath to head to the Georgia Dome for the big game. All of us are decked out in our Alabama apparel and are rooting for our favorite team! Go Bama - ROLL TIDE!!!!

What a Day!!

John Henry had a GREAT day! We are allowed to pick up our kindergarteners at 2:30 if we are willing to get to the school and wait at the front door - so at 2:05 I was walking to the front door and noticed John Henry's class on the playground. I tried not to let him see me as I hid behind a tree trying to take some more pictures. One of the mothers standing there said I looked like paparazzi! Luckily, I was not the only mom with camera in hand. Several more walked up with theirs, so I didn't feel so silly. A few minutes later the door flew open and I heard, "MOMMY!" and there stood my baby - the first one out the door, but he quickly turned around and held the door open for his teacher and other classmates (I was so proud!) He had such a great day and told me ALL about it ALL the way home. He made a few new friends and told me about the fun things he did today. I was so glad to get him back - I watched the clock A LOT today, but knowing that he was having so much fun was worth it. I am so proud of my big boy!

First Day of Kindergarten

Well, WE did it! John Henry had a successful entrance into kindergarten and I didn't have to be hauled out by security kicking and screaming. John Henry went right in to the classroom, found his name and hung his backpack and lunch box and gave Mrs. Tyner the picture he made for her last night. He was so excited and I was doing fine until I noticed another mom hug Mrs. Tyner and begin to cry - WELL, to quote Dolly Parton from "Steel Magnolias" - "I make it a rule that no one cry alone in my presence!" I thought I had made it out the door without John Henry seeing me tear up but Jon said he wanted to tell me something so I went back in and we talked about me having a treat from Sonic ready for him when we pick him up this afternoon. I think that he could tell I was fighting tears so I tried real hard to be brave :) and let him know everything was going to be GREAT! I left him at the table creating something wonderful with play-doh and passed several other moms on the way out wiping their own tears. It is now almost 12:00 and I cannot wait to go pick up my baby. I can't wait to hear about his day and give him a big hug!

Twas the Day Before Kindergarten...

Today was John Henry's "special day" as we took him to do some fun things and take care of some last minute things before the "big day" tomorrow. We began the day with a trip to the barber shop. I had hoped that both boys would get haircuts, but Josh announced that he would not be getting his hair cut today. So, John Henry is nice and trimmed for tomorrow. After the barber shop we stopped at Bojangles for biscuits and then headed to Toys R' Us for a special "I'm starting kindergarten" toy/prize (I guess Josh got the "My brother is starting kindergarten" toy/prize). We spent a fair amount of time there because there are too many choices and that can be overwhelming for a 5 and 3 year old. John Henry finally chose a Ben 10 Omnitrix watch and Josh found two new Spider-Man bitties to add to his collection. We then headed to the mall for some new tennis shoes. We finally decided on a pair that we could ALL agree on and finally made our way to the much anticipated Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. John Henry ran into his buddy from Mother's Morning Out, Hayne (who will also be starting kindergarten tomorrow) and was so excited to see him. All 3 of my boys :) had lots of fun playing games, winning tickets and competing against each other. The pizza was mostly eaten by me because they were very busy with a cup full of tokens to use. We eventually left after trading in our tickets for funny glasses, candy and a sheriff's badge. We are now home and I am watching the clock tick away as I get my baby ready to head off to "big school" - the 1st day outfit has been ironed, the backpack is hanging on the door, forms that mommy had to fill out are filled out and ready to go. All that is left is time for hugs and cuddles and time to enjoy my baby before he goes to sleep. Tomorrow starts a new chapter in John Henry's life and I am so proud of him. It seems like only yesterday that we brought home a precious 6lb 14 oz little boy from the hospital and now I am about to walk with him into his first day of kindergarten. What a journey it has been...I am beyond blessed that the Lord sent us an angel that we call John Henry and that He chose me to be his mommy. I am very proud of my little guy and look forward to many more of his "firsts" - FIRST Day of Kindergarten - here comes John Henry...