"Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;" Luke 2:10

Tonight was the first night we got to light the Advent Wreath. Pa Pa gave it to us a few weeks ago to get us ready for the holiday season! Since Kaci is the oldest she got to light the first candle. Bailey got to be the first to blow it out.

Advent is celebrated the four Sunday’s before Christmas. This year Advent begins on November 30 and ends on Christmas Eve. It is the season that celebrates the “coming” of Christ. Christ has come as the baby Jesus long ago. Christ will come again in the future and Christ is waiting to come into our hearts.

The Sunday’s of Advent - 2008

November 30

December 7

December 14

December 21

Christmas Eve - The end of Advent – Lighting of The Christ Candle

The wreath itself is also symbolic. The circle of evergreen in which the candles are placed represents everlasting life. The seedpods, nuts and cones used to decorate the wreath are symbolic of resurrection, and fruits represent the nourishing fruitfulness of the Christian life.

The kids enjoyed eating dinner with the candle lit and can't wait to light two candles next weekend.

We have started our official countdown to Christmas and it can't get here soon enough for everyone!

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. - Mary Ellen Chase

Here are a few pictures from Christmas pasts....

We put the tree up last week and decorated the inside of the house.

Clint and dad worked all day today on the outside! ( I will take some pictures tonight and see how they turn out)

We have been listening to Christmas carols every time we are in the car since my birthday on November 14th. The presents are all wrapped....the shopping is done! YES!!! The shopping is DONE! Amazing I know...but I want to be able to enjoy the rest of the month!

Now we get to sit back and enjoy the rest of the month while we wait for Christmas to get here. Christmas office parties, parties with friends, watching all the best Christmas shows on t.v., Clint and I seeing the Rockets at the Erwin Center, drinking lots and lots of egg nog, decorating our gingerbread house, holiday parties at the kids school.....There is so much to enjoy this month!

Let the holiday season begin!!! This really is the most wonderful time of the year!

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Waiting in line to get our yummy food.
Pa Pa and Bailey with his centerpiece scarecrow he made for the table.

Bailey and Grandma Dee.

God is great.

God is good.

Let us thank Him for our food.

By His hands we are fed.

Thank you Lord for daily bread.

Amen-

Today was the Thanksgiving Feast at Bailey's school for Grandparent's and "Grand"people! Grandmas Dee and Pa Pa got to come and share in this special day.

There was so much good food and so many good people there. We had a really great time. We are so blessed to have found such a special school for Bailey. He is learning so much and making lots of friends before he ventures off to Kindergarten next year.

Here are some of the pictures we took so that we can remember this day!

We have so much to be thankful for...

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Adabella Radici

November is full of birthdays in our family!

November 24th is my mom's special day!

We celebrated by eating out and heading back to the house afterwards for some truly delicious fudge cake that Amber made!-She also bought some Egg Nog ice cream- and if you have never tried it....DON'T - that way there will be more left at the store for me to buy! LOL! Bailey called it "Christmas Vanilla." Kaci called it "gross!" And I called it "the best ice cream I have had in a long time!" Kaci spent the night with Grandma Dee this past weekend. I think she wanted Grandma Dee to have a slumber party like they had for Pa Pa.

Happy Birthday to the BEST MOM anyone could ever ask for. She is there when I need her no matter what. She will do anything she can to help .... always! She has made me who I am today.

I love you Mom! You are the best@

Enjoy the Christmas Music! This is the most wonderful time of the year!

A house without books is like a room without windows. ~Heinrich Mann

Kaci's school has a very neat Birthday Book program! When it is their birthday, they get to choose a book to buy, and then donate to the library. They are the first person to check it out and even get their name put inside so that it will be remembered as their birthday book for years to come! Kaci choose a book called Chester! It is so funny. Chester is a pesky little cat who will not let the author of the book write the story without changing it with his red marker! He is a pest.....It has super cute drawings and is the perfect book for Kaci since she LOVES cats!

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." George Sands

Today I decided to treat Bailey and myself to a breakfast at McDonalds. So....after we dropped off Kaci we headed straight there. Bailey enjoyed a Chicken Biscuit and a sprite and I had one of their new yummy ice coffees! It was so good! What a big boy Bailey is growing into. Every morning when he wakes up I am thinking it is one day closer to him starting Kindergarten and we won't be able to have these special times together anymore. (well...I am sure we can skip school once or twice during the year ! ) ha After we ate....we played a little bit of Hoops Basketball and played on the slide a little bit. Then it was off to Pre-School. It was Hat Day for Bailey's class and he choose to wear his UT Santa hat. He looked awesome and so did all of his classmates!

" Good morning Beautiful. How was your night?"- Steve Holy

Today is Kaci's 7th Birthday! So, I wanted to dedicate today's post to her. It has amazed me how fast she has grown up and it is hard to believe how fast time can pass. We are so proud of her and are blessed to have such a happy, smart and healthy little girl! Here are a few of my favorite pics of her. (Hard to choose, since I take millions! ha)

If you scroll to the bottom where the music player is located -and click on, "Good Morning Beautiful" (scroll up it is the first song on the playlist) you can listen to the song that Clint and I sang to her in the hospital and the week we brought her home. It had just been released right before she was born.

Happy Birthday Kaci!

We love you!

"Dip and Sip, Baby!"

Fire Baby
Amber, Jessica, and Summer

Me, Laura and Wendy

The Melting Pot!

I had the most fun last night at the Melting Pot with 5 lovely ladies! It was a late birthday celebration for me and my friend, Laura! There was good food, good drinks and lots of laughs! Just what I needed on a Monday night to get my week jump started in the right direction! I even got new batteries and some of the settings adjusted on my camera by the very nice host. :) It was great night of sippin' and dippin' and if you have never been....I HIGHLY recommend it!

"Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday Dear, Kaci. Happy Birthday to You!"

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

"We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world." Helen Keller

All went well with Bailey yesterday!

The procedure only took about an hour, but we were there much longer than we thought (since they took us in 2 hours after our scheduled time.) We got to the office at 10:30 for our 11:00 appointment and were not taken in until almost 1. He was done a little after 2 and we got to head home about 3. He was not able to eat or drink from midnight the night before until everything was completed...so shortly after he awoke he asked for a hamburger with cheese! We stopped by Sonic on the way home and he ate it with a little help from Mommy. He was still a little "dopey" so it was kinda cute to watch him. He made it look like the best hamburger EVER!

Here are a few cute pics of him and Grandma Dee resting on the couch. She was laying next to him to make sure he didn't fall off the couch. Even Missy jumped up to check on him! Bailey was a very brave boy.

"It's the MOST wonderful time of the year...."

So.....here they are....

Drum roll, please..........

We love Santa!
Kaci and Bailey 2008

Serious talk.....all about their "Wish List"

The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: "What good is it?"Aldo Leopold

Today was a great day at Bailey's Pre-School. They had a zoo animals come to their school. His name was Mr. Zoo Man (according to Bailey) He brought a kangaroo, snakes, a parrot, hissing cockroaches, a porcupine and more! Bailey got to get up close and personal with the snake, but he assured me that he did not touch it! Here are a few pictures of this great experience. Remember....Bailey has his dental procedure tomorrow. So...say a quick prayer that all goes quick and (most importantly) well!

P. S. We went and saw Santa at the mall tonight....I will post our pics with him tomorrow!

'Be kinder than necessary;for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle"

A friend sent this to me yesterday...I really needed it~

I just love this picture from Kaci's birthday last year!

Dear God,

The lady reading this is beautiful, classy & strong and I love her.

Help her live her life to the fullest.

Please promote her and cause her to excel above expectations.

Help her to shine in dark places and love where it seems impossible to love.

Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most and
let her know that when she walks with you;
she will always be safe.
Amen

"Freedom is never free." Author Unknown

Today is a special day.... Veteran's Day!

Kaci's school invited all veterans and current military family members to join their student(s) for lunch today in their cafeteria. So PaPa (who served in Vietnam) and I- went to have lunch with her. I didn't take photo of them at school (can you believe I forgot?) But I have included a cute pic of them together from the UT game. I have also included a picture of my Grandfather, John Joseph Felchak Sr. who served in World War 1. Please read the poem below as well.

The American Hero
by Roger Robicheau

The American Hero always comes through

To capture our hearts with a spirit so true
Some proudly are soldiers who march in harm’s way

Insuring our freedom, courageous they stay
While others come forth as civilians so brave

Determined in purpose, so steadfast to save
We should always keep clear a place in our heart

For each has a value beyond precious art
Their duty to country will not be surpassed

Please honor their courage, for some it’s their last
We live in a world which can be hard to bear

Thank God for these people, how greatly they care
Do ponder new heroes and what they will face

And pray for their safety no matter their place
Our heritage brings out the best, we all know

Our great book of heroes is destined to grow.