December, Christmas, and Family :)

We have had a very blessed December and Christmas! On little Cyril's birthday, the gym had a breakfast with Santa. Both of the boys enjoyed seeing Santa!

 

This past week my sister was in town so we went to Dollywood on Wednesday. We enjoyed riding all of the roller coasters and staying until dark to admire all of the lights. Then we went back with Cyril's parents and his brother Evan on Sunday. Where we were able to take in some Christmas shows, ride the rides, and even go on the train at night to see more lights! Tommy loved the Rockin' Roadway where he was able to drive the car. We must have ridden it eight times in a row while everyone else was watching The Polar Express in 4-D! It was a cool and rainy day, but still very enjoyable! The ride home was a different story...Tommy is not fond of being confined to his car seat, so he serenaded us most of the way home by screaming at the top of his lungs. Until we got smart and my husband played Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on his phone for Tommy to watch (why we didn't think of this sooner I am not sure), which saved the day.

 

 

 

On Christmas Eve we attended the Christmas pageant at church where little Cyril was a Shepherd. He did a great job of course!

 

Then we went to my in-laws to spend the night. I wasn't quite sure how it would go, but we had a great time. My father in law read the Christmas book that he had read to all of his kids on Christmas Eve, the boys were a little restless but enjoyed it. Then it was time for bed, Little Cyril and Tommy were fast asleep by eight o'clock. I went back to church for the late service with Evan, I really enjoy all of the carols.

Christmas morning came quickly, and after my father-in-law Cyril read us the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible we went downstairs to see what Santa had brought for us :)

 

 

 

Santa even brought the TREE!!! Then of course the boys were ready to open the gifts under the tree...

 

 

 

 

Then to church we went for our Christmas Day service. This is one of my favorite church services to go to, I love hearing and being reminded what Christmas is truly about. The birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

After church, we headed home for a much needed nap! I fell asleep watching A Christmas Story, one of my favorite things to do on Christmas day. Cyril and Cyril watched Madagascar 3, and little Cyril modeled the wig that came with it :)

 

After Tommy and I woke up, we went over to my parents to see my sister Beth, my parents, and my Grandmother. There we were blessed with many more gifts, and a wonderful time with my family. Then we headed to Chinese with Cyril's parents and brother Evan for dinner! This was a first, I have never eaten out on Christmas. It was fun and delicious! Then we headed back to the Meredith's to finish the gifts from around the tree. I got the rest of my fiesta ware, and it looks BEAUTIFUL in my cabinet!

 

Even with Cyril still looking for work and a tight budget, this was an amazing Christmas. Spending quality time with family was so wonderful, and watching the boys enjoy their gifts and play with their Aunts and Uncles is priceless.

Today we are relaxing a bit and cleaning house before heading back to the Meredith's, where Amanda and Matt will join us for Christmas dinner. I went to the gym this morning and came home to a mostly clean house, which was wonderful. Little Cyril is already getting better at the drums, and even though it is cold and rainy Tommy wants to be outside riding in his truck.

 

Little Cyril and I are about to make some sour cream cookies with burnt butter frosting. Really enjoying this time off from work, but will get back to it tomorrow!

I hope you too had a very Merry Christmas, and may the new year bring you and your family many blessings! Merry Christmas!

Happy Sixth Birthday, Cyril!

How Time Flies

This past month has just flown by. I don't really even know where to begin. Cyril is still on the job hunt. We are pretty sure we won't hear anything until after the new year. In the meantime he is helping a TON around the house, and the boys love having him home.

As for me I am working a lot, but am enjoying it.

Little Cyril is doing fantastic. He has already met all of the goals for kindergarten! They moved him to a different reading group so he could continue learning instead if waiting for the rest of the class to get to his level. He will be turning six in Saturday, so we are making homemade pizzas and having cupcakes to celebrate. The gym also has a breakfast with Santa on Saturday so he can enjoy that as well.

As for Tommy, he LOVES having Daddy take care of him every day. Not real sure what will happen when Cyril gets a job, Tommy won't know what to do with himself! Tommy is working on getting several teeth, and is really enjoying our Christmas tree with all of its pretty sparkling ornaments! Our Elf on the shelf has also been back with us since Thanksgiving, and both boys wake up running to find Elfy. And Tommy asks to see him all day long!

That is about all for now, will try to post birthday pictures on Saturday! Here are some recent pictures to tide you over :)

Cyril sold the most...in the whole school!!!

Cyril came home today with a huge stuffed angry bird. Apparently he sold the most items out of the ENTIRE SCHOOL for his fundraiser!!!! Thank you all so much for your help!

Halloween fun!

Yesterday we had a Halloween party at church. Cyril got to wear his costume, which is his karate gi. Tommy wore Cyril's old horse costume. We had a great time! Then tonight little Cyril and I went to get a pumpkin to carve. There weren't many to choose from but they were majorly discounted so that was good :) the first one we carved two sides and the second only one side. We started out using the carving kits but found out quickly it was much easier to make our own easier designs. Then of course we had to roast pumpkin seeds per little Cyril's request! Happy Halloween!

Family fun at the zoo!

One benefit of Cyril being out of work is that we get to spend more time together as a family. Today was gorgeous weather so we decided to take the boys to the zoo. We had a great time!

October

This has been a crazy month for our family. My mom got in a really bad car accident, and very luckily walked away with only lots if bruising a few fractured ribs and one fractured vertebrae. So I have been helping she and my Dad as much as possible.

The following Monday Cyril's company laid off about 150 people and he was one of them. So we have been busy job hunting, and are extremely fortunate to have such a great network of friends and family to help get his resume out. In the meantime he is having a great time staying home with Tommy! My work has been very gracious in letting me pick up a lot of extra days, so that helps. We are keeping the faith and know we will be able to look back at this situation and see the reason behind it.

As for the boys Cyril has started riding the bus to and from school and LOVES it! He also is now sporting a buzz cut as mommy's barber shop is now open! He likes it, his "best friend Joe" has the same haircut.

Tommy is doing great, finally about to get his seventh tooth. He also spent the entire night in his crib last night which is fantastic, he somehow has always landed back in our bed at some point in the night.

Hope to post an update soon to tell you about Cyril's new job! Keep us in your prayers while we travel on this journey!

Color Me Rad!

So this morning I turned 31 and celebrated by running 3.1miles!

I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag...

Cyril was so excited last week that his teacher, Mrs. Pendergrass, had put his name in the drawing at school to say the pledge all this week. We heard about it every day, he wondered if he would get picked. When I picked him up Friday I found out that he had been picked! So we have practiced all weekend, and he does an amazing job! Looking forward to hearing about how it went when I pick him up today :)

Raising Money For a New Playground

Dear Friends and Family,

Cyril came home from school today smiling from ear to ear. He had been sent home with a fundraiser :) He desperately wants to sell a lot of items as this fundraiser is to help build a new playground at his school! He is very excited and I wasn't quite sure how to help him. I can buy some wrapping paper and kitchen items, but not the whole catalog! So I thought I would email our friends and family, if you are interested there is some great wrapping paper as Christmas is approaching as well as items for the kitchen and home. You name it, and they are probably selling it! So check out the website when you get a chance and see if something catches your eye! Little Cyril would greatly appreciate your support. The best part is, by ordering online it can be shipped directly to you!

The website is www.charlestonwrap.com Make sure you enter his student code at checkout so he and his school get credit for your purchase!

Cyril's student code is : 146036

 Thank you so much!

Jenny

I found goggles!!

Kindergarten is Exhausting :)

Didn't even make it home before he was asleep :)

Sunday Dinner at Grandma's

Growing up, my Mom always went to her Grandma's house for dinner on Sundays. So we have recently started this tradition as well, going to my parents each Sunday evening to share a meal and talk about what is new. Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day, so we were able to have some fun inside and out!

Little Cyril wanted to play hopscotch, so we ended up with four hopscotch courses. Tommy wanted to ride in the wagon, so we took several trips up and down the street. Then there was hide and seek, where Cyril found a Cicada shell on the Bradford Pear tree. And of course last but not least there was a delcious meal at the end!