Christmas Eve with the Boatner Family

Taylor and Ashley Hartzler
Tori and Cade Culpepper
Aaron Boatner
Mary Ashley Culpepper
Kasie and MariBeth Runnels

Ella's hospital birth pics

I know these pics are 4 months old, but I just got them back from the photographer.  Since it took so long I got the CD of the pictures for free!

Santa pics

Last night we went to Bass Pro Shop to take pics with Santa.  The boys and Ella did great.  These are the sweet pictures I took.  (I think Santa had a long day!)

Ella with her brothers

Tonight we had a little photo session with my new camera.  I'm still figuring it out. I decided since Ella will be 4 months old next week, it was time for some new pics.  As you can see, Graham wasn't that into it.  He just wanted to be silly.  Garrett loved getting his picture taken with Ella, as usual.  My next attempt will be a photo session in their Christmas outfits.  That should be entertaining!!!

Memphis weekend

Catherine, Jodi and me
Me and Jeremy
John drinking his chocolate milk after the race
John and Catherine
Steven and Jodi

Jodi just wanted to get in the sun after the race...doesn't she look cute in her leopard headband!
The Cross's, the Gentry's and the Jackson's
Steven in his "foil" after the race
Jodi in her "foil" after the race.  We laughed because everyone looked the same after the race when they were wrapped up
The runners!!!

We spent the weekend in Memphis with two other couples.  It was our first get-away since having Ella.  We had so much fun.  The reason we went to Memphis was to support our friends running the St. Jude half marathon.  They all 3 did great!  We can't wait for our next get-away weekend with friends!!! 

I do...

  West Lauderdale High School Senior Prom 1994

10 years ago today I said, "I do" to my best friend.  Jeremy and I have been friends since we were 6 years old and he became my best "guy" friend when we were 16.  We started dating the beginning of our Senior year even though we were so afraid we were going to mess up our friendship.  6 years later we were married. "I can't fight this feeling anymore. What started out as friendship has grown strong" (by REO Speedwagon was one of our favorite songs - that one and "In my dreams."!!!) I can just see us riding around in his little navy blue truck holding hands and thinking "when are we ever going to be able to get married?"

Over the past 10 years we lived in 8 different apartments/houses, had 3 children and 1 dog, Jeremy's had 3 different careers, and 8 years of medical school/training!!!  Although the past 10 years haven't always been easy, I wouldn't trade any of it.  I hope the next 10 years with my best friend are even more wonderful than I can imagine!!!

MSU vs. Bama weekend

This weekend we went to Starkville for Jeremy to work at Oktibbeha County Hospital and go to the game.  He works one weekend a month or every other month and the hospital puts us up in a room.  This was my first weekend without Ella. She stayed with KK and Papaw, and she did great.  Friday night we went to the basketball game.  The boys had never been to a college basketball game before.  Graham thought it was too loud, so we only stayed the first half.

Saturday night we went to the game, but the boys only lasted about a quarter before Graham was saying, "I want to go back to the hotel!" He thought that game was too loud, too!!!  Luckily we were staying right off campus so we were able to walk back.

Sunday we went to a little bit of an inner-squad baseball game and then to the movie to see "Where the Wild Things Are."  I didn't really understand it!  That was after we walked out of "A Christmas Carol" movie because it was too scary!  We got home last night after picking Ella up in Meridian at 11:00!  We enjoyed our weekend even though we had little Ella missing.  All weekend Graham kept saying, "I want to see my baby!"  It was good for me to get to enjoy my boys again.  It seems like I haven't gotten to enjoy them in a while because it's always Jeremy and the boys and me with Ella.  And before that I was pregnant with Ella and didn't feel like doing anything!!! Thank goodness that part is over!!!

Garrett and Taylor

Today Garrett's friend, Taylor, came home with us from school.  Taylor, Garrett and their other friend, Gage, were in the same class last year and this year.  They call themselves the "superheros." We started the afternoon off with lunch at Chick-Fil-A then came home to play.  Graham hung in there with them for the most part, until he got his feelings hurt and would go to his room mad!  Poor Garrett always has to play with Graham's friends, so I decided it was about time he had a friend to come over.  (If I tell them we're going somewhere with Graham's friends, Garrett will say, "Why do I always have to play with Graham's friends?" But then he always has fun.) They had so much fun, playing everything.  I've never seen such short attention spans!!! Taylor is so sweet.  When he first got in the van from school I asked him if he and his little brother, Noah, had been sick. (He also has a new baby brother, Luke at home.) He said, "yeah, he had green diarrhea!"  Kids are so funny, and it's so funny to watch your kids play and interact with other kids. Garrett sure is going to miss Taylor and Gage when we move to Birmingham.  I pray that he finds sweet little friends as soon as we get there!

Ella's new smile

Ella is 12 weeks old today!  She smiles all the time now when we talk to her, and especially when her brothers are talking to her.  She loves to snuggle and be rocked. I love that!  I am enjoying this baby so much.  She is the sweetest thing.  She has been sleeping through the night since around 3 weeks.  She loves to sleep.  After about an hour of being awake, it's time for another nap.  She's like her momma!!! Last night was the first time we've gotten a babysitter for all 3 kids other than the grandparents. They all did great!

Orange Beach

This weekend we took a trip to Orange Beach with KK and Papaw.  Since the last time I ended up in the hospital, this time was better. We stayed at Phoenix on the Bay which was awesome.  It had a water slide and lazy river outside our balcony.  The boys loved it more than the beach.  We did enjoy a couple of hours on the beach one day, but they preferred swimming at the condo.  One night we ate dinner at Lu Lu's and the next night at Kosmo's - both were wonderful!  The weekend just wasn't long enough!  When we got home late Sunday night Ella was so exhausted she slept from 11:30 pm to 12:30 the next day!!! She went 13 hours without eating!!!  You know, by the 3rd child you don't worry as much how long they've been without eating - you're just glad you get to sleep that long!

Graham on the beach

Garrett on the beach

Garrett loved sitting in this chair on the balcony watching people go down the water slide and lazy river at the condo.
I love this picture of Graham!
This was Ella's first beach experience (who doesn't like to sleep on the beach???)
Playing in the sand with Daddy
Getting out all of the beach toys (Before we left I told them to pick out what beach toys they wanted to take from home.  They filled up a garbage bag!)