Post Christmas Adventures

We made it through another busy Christmas Day but there was no slowing down in sight.  We had another week ahead of us and every single day was booked solid with fun things to do and lots of friends and family to see.  

On Saturday a few friends of Matthew's family stopped by in the morning to say hello and exchange gifts.  We only see them once a year so it was good to visit for a little while. 

Kyndall put on a "Barbie show" for us with her new Barbie collection

My 5 year old photographer is getting pretty good behind the camera!

 Saturday afternoon Kyndall wanted to try out her new skate mate that Poppie made so we loaded up and headed to Thomasville's skating rink.

It worked perfectly and she was the envy of every kid there!  She proudly told people..."My Poppie MADE this!"

She's a flash!  Super fast!

When we got back to Nonie and Poppie's she was finally able to try out her new bike for the first time

There was no time to rest because that evening Nonie's side of the family came over for dinner and presents. Kyndall helped Nonie prepare dinner....

Sweet gift from Aunt Libby and Uncle Graham

Second cousins!

Aunt Libby and her girls

Things finally settled down later that night and once again we ended the evening with a game of Headbandz...

Even our dog Huckabee loves this game!

Sunday morning my sister and Wyatt came to Thomasville and joined us for a day at Wild Adventures in Valdosta.  By this time we were 4 days into our trip home and my body was hating me.  I was beyond exhausted but didn't want to miss out on a fun day with the family so I mustered up a little more energy to make it happen.  

Matthew and I proudly wore our new matching t-shirts

It was a steamy 90 degrees on this particular day.  Nevermind the fact that it was December 27th.  Welcome to South Georgia.

Sister, sister

Technically I am not supposed to ride roller coasters anymore but occasionally I break the rules.  Besides, I would hardly call this one more than a kiddie ride.

That's Poppie and Matthew behind us

There were only a few rides that Wyatt was tall enough to ride but he was a trooper and stayed happy all day long.  This was definitely his favorite  and Kyndall seemed to love it just as much.  They were too cute!! (And in case Wyatt's sweet little cheeks weren't a dead giveaway...it was dadgum HOT!)

This was a pretty significant day because it was the first time Kyndall wanted to ride a "real" roller coaster.  She rode the ones at Disney but I don't really consider those true thrill rides.  This one, however, is the kind that you HANG from which automatically puts it on an entirely different level in my book.  My little dare devil couldn't wait to measure herself to see if she was tall enough.

And, she was!

I sat with Wyatt while the others took Kyndall on her very first ride.  She insisted on sitting in the very front!

This was her reaction coming straight off the ride....a thumbs up and no tears!

Wyatt got a pedicure while we waited for Kyndall to ride the bumper cars....Ha!

Let me just brag on this guy right here for a minute.  He is the glue that holds our little family of 3 so tightly together.  He does so much for his girls, never expecting anything in return.  He works behind the scenes to make our lives run as smoothly and as pleasantly as possible and picks up the loose ends when I can't.  (Which lately is quite often!)  He's a hard worker but always puts his family first.  He prays over us and guides us as the Lord directs him and on top of that he puts up with ME which says a lot about his patient and loving nature.  Sometimes I feel like he doesn't get the credit he deserves so I'm taking this moment to give him just that!  I've always called him my unsung hero and he continues to live up to that name.  He loves us well and we are crazy about him.

These two also deserve some credit!  For doing things like inadvertently realigning their spines in order to fulfill a certain little girl's wish of riding the bumper cars when said little girls' parents wouldn't ride it themselves!  They'll do pretty much anything for Kyndall.

Patiently waiting while the grown ups ride

There's Kelly and Matthew, the two fearless ones of the bunch

By far, my FAVORITE ride is the swings!

Last ride of the night!

Monday I decided it was time for this tired and worn down body to REST or else I might be spending the upcoming days on the 7th floor at Vanderbilt like so many times before.  Kyndall spent the morning playing with her new toys and around lunchtime everyone except me left the house.  Matthew had lunch with a friend and Nonie and Poppie took Kyndall to the park for a picnic.  I stayed behind and never even changed out of my PJs.  It was just what I needed if I wanted to be able to enjoy the rest of my vacation time.  

That evening (still in my PJs!) we packed up all of our things and said goodbye to Thomasville and moved on to Tallahassee where we spent the rest of the week with my parents.  I wish I had taken a picture of our car.  It was packed to the gills with luggage and toys and gifts!  

I bid farewell to my husband that night and officially became a hunting widow for the rest of the week.  He and my Dad spent the entire week in the woods, leaving the house long before I was awake and arriving back home after dinner.  We saw each other briefly at night and that was about it!  

Tuesday morning we met up with my friend Betsy and her boys at Fun Station in Tallahassee.  I had some gift cards I wanted to let Kyndall cash in and since it was a rainy day it seemed like a good way to spent he morning.  

We started with a game of laser tag, in which Betsy and I also participated.  Kyndall impressed (or possibly freaked out) everyone with her vast knowledge of guns and all things related.  She asked the instructor if she was going to have a riffle or a hand gun and then wanted to know where to get extra ammunition.  Pretty sure most 5 year old girls don't even have those words in their vocabulary!

Koby hit the jackpot!

Last year Betsy and her boys invited us to join them at the top of the capitol for a picnic lunch.  We decided to make it a tradition by doing it again this year!

Beautiful view of my hometown from 22 stories up

The difference in boys and girls when it comes to picture taking.....

Flashback to last year.....

Why am I always laughing in our pictures?  Maybe it's the mass chaos that seems to always be taking place around us when our crew is together!  Either way, I love that we laugh....a LOT!

December 2014

December 2015 and still laughing!

A lot has changed in a year!  Our kiddos are growing up!

That night I had a girls night with Betsy and several of my other Tallahassee girlfriends.  I love that we've all been friends since high school (some of us since middle school!) and yet we still make time in our schedules to get together when everyone is in town.  I hope we always do this.  I didn't take any pictures, but maybe the fact that I was out until nearly 1:00 a.m. paired with the fact that my face hurt from laughing so much will give you an indication of what a great night it was.  Love my hometown girls.

On Wednesday I had a very special lunch date with a precious friend whom I had never met before.  I knew we were kindred spirits even before I met her and I am so thankful that God carefully placed her in my life at just the right time.  She too received the precious gift of life by way of a liver transplant this past June at Mayo.  She looks amazing and is doing well but just needed someone to talk to who had been there, done that.  I'm so glad I was that person for her.  We sat at lunch for over FOUR hours talking and sharing our stories.  There is no way anyone can possibly understand this wild and crazy journey unless they've lived it themselves and it is such a comfort when I get the opportunity to talk to someone who has walked this same road.  We share the same fears, the same struggles and the same hopes and there's just something about knowing you're not alone in this that makes it all seem ok.  I'm going to be ok.  She's going to be ok.  We will be ok together.  I love my sweet new friend and I'm thankful for a new sister to share this crazy ride with.

While I was at lunch, Grammy and Aunt Kelly treated Kyndall and Wyatt to an afternoon at Chuck E Cheese.  My Mom sent me this sweet picture of them.  I'm not entirely sure that's a look of enjoyment on Wyatt's face and I'm also not entirely sure that's a look of love on Kyndall's either....

If you know me, you know that anytime I'm home I absolutely must indulge in a pizza from Barnaby's.  It's simply my favorite and it will always make me feel like I'm truly "home". When I sit in that dark (and probably dirty) old restaurant and look around to see so many familiar faces I can't help but think back to my high school days when the church youth group would invade this very same space on a Friday night after a Lincoln High School football game.  Those were the days.  Even though I've grown up and moved away, there's something familiar about that place that I just love.  I love taking Kyndall there and reflecting back to 15 years ago when she was merely a twinkle in my eye.  Things have come full circle.  It's about so much more than just pizza.

On our way to Barnaby's Wednesday night

I've been begging Kyndall for months to let me get her hair trimmed.  I love that it's so long but it's also the source of many tears and tantrums on a daily basis as I fight the tangle monster every single morning.  I'm over it.  I've tried negotiating with her, offering her a treat of her choice if she would just let me get it trimmed a tiny bit.  She wouldn't give in.  She finally agreed to let Mrs. Mary cut it for her but only if she would give her a special braid like she always does.  Mary has been my hairdresser since I was in high school and she has given Kyndall almost all of her haircuts, including her very first one.  Kyndall's loyalty to Mary runs deep, apparently.

Getting her hair "did" on New Year's Eve

Last picture before the trim. Don't be deceived by those beautiful locks....they are a force to be reckoned with!!

She was concerned that Mary was going to trim more than two inches, which was the amount she agreed upon before the appointment ever started. 

SO much healthier and no more awful tangles!

We enjoyed a New Year's Eve lunch with our friend Jessica where Wyatt discovered his love for ice cream cones.

We spent New Year's Eve night at my parents house like we always do.  My Mom made chili and we had all kids of junk food and desserts.  My in-laws joined us as well as my friend Lindsey and her husband and daughter Payton.  It was sweet to see Kyndall and Payton playing together.

Kelly's birthday isn't until January 13th, but I wanted to celebrate while I was in town so I bought her a cake, sang to her and made sure she was thoroughly embarrassed.

How is my "baby" sister 29??  What does that make ME??

We didn't plan this

The Headbandz game made an appearance again....

Kyndall is well loved by her G-Daddy and her Poppie

All of the party poopers either left or went to bed well before midnight but my little night owl and I rang in the new year together.  We watched the festivities in New York City and she danced to Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood as they performed....

We played another round of Headbandz.....

And then rang in the new year with a sparkling grape juice toast, just the two of us!  

I fell asleep next to this sweet face that night and thanked God for another year with her

As I laid in bed trying to fall asleep I looked at my Time Hop app which gave me a haunting reminder of times past.  This picture was taken on New Year's Eve of 2013 when I was so very sick and in desperate need of my miracle.  My grave appearance alone is a clear reminder of how very serious my need was.  In looking at this I was reminded once again of God's goodness, faithfulness and mercy towards me.  I ended 2015 feeling unworthy of so many blessings yet so thankful for all that I've been given over the past two years.

 On Friday we decided to forego the traditional New Year's Day lunch (yuck!!) and instead met my sweet friend Georgeanna and her Mama for wings!

Pray for Georgeanna.  She's waiting on her call from Shands for her own liver transplant.  My heart nearly jumps out of my chest every time her number shows up on my caller ID.  It's going to happen soon, I just know it.  

After lunch we took Kyndall to the skating rink that I grew up going to so that she could skate one more time before the week was up.  For a kid who didn't even walk until she was 22 months old and had to wear tiny pink braces on her legs, this girl LOVES to skate.  Her pediatric physical therapist would be so proud to see her now!

Payton and Lindsey met us there

Much like her Mama, Payton is not a fan of hugs or physical affection at ALL!  Ha!

We went for a frozen yogurt treat at Nuberri after they were done skating

Saturday morning we packed up our things (lots and lots of things!) and made the long and sad trip back to Tennessee.  It was definitely a fun-filled, exhausting, joyful, memorable Christmas vacation!  As much as I hated to leave, I was actually ready to get home so that I could rest.  My body was in shock from all of the activity and I only had one day of down time before our typical weekly routine of pre-school, dance class, piano lessons, church and social obligations would resume.

So far 2016 is shaping up to be a pretty good year.  We survived the first week back in the real world and celebrated with a movie at the theater this past Friday and frozen yogurt on Tuesday.  The next couple of weeks will be a little hectic but in the best possible way.  My Mom will arrive on Wednesday to stay with us for a week and a half. Matthew and I will be leaving Thursday to go to Gatlinburg with our church for the same marriage retreat that we attended last year.  I absolutely cannot wait for this!  My Mom will stay here and take care of Kyndall while we're away and then will also help out the following week when I have a minor procedure done at Vanderbilt.  I also have three speaking engagements coming up in the next week and a half, a new Bible study to dive into, plus a million other obligations to carry out.  I love being busy with these types of things so I am looking forward to all of it, though it may be a little chaotic at times.  I will take chaos over helplessness any day.  I'm thankful to be in a season of life when I welcome the chaos!  

I'm excited to see what 2016 has in store for our family.  Some pretty big changes are coming our way in the near future so stay tuned for more on that!  

Bring it on, 2016!