Christmas with the Smothers family

 

Christmas day afternoon with all my family was fun! All the kids had a great time opening their gifts and seeing what Nana and Poppa all got them. We had a yummy dinner prepared by my mother and enjoyed being with family. 

 

All the grands dressed in their matching reindeer shirts

Maddie had to be included in the picture

My little family

Poppa Bill and Will anxiously awaiting presents

Michael, Peyton and Anna Grace

Will checking out his trucks in his stocking

This boy LOVED the trucks

Peyton and Anna Grace opening their presents

Checking out his race car set from Nana and Poppa

Will got a Mr Potato Head

Will got more clothes

Anna Grace and Peyton still working on presents

Will got a hooded dog towel and immediately called it "Mae Mae"

Will got a lawn mower too so he will be available to mow yards this summer

Anna Grace got a baby doll

And Aunt Mary and Uncle John had to baby sit her doll while she finished opening her gifts

Will and Peyton took a break to watch Mickey Mouse with Poppa Bill

After presents, Anna Grace and Will thought it was fun to play in a big box

Anna Grace and Peyton got bikes from Nana and Poppa Bill

Will loved his sound Mickey and Thomas the Train books

Christmas with the Penny's

We had Christmas with the Penny's last Friday night. We had a great time! Santa even came by to visit and helped hand out gifts!

Waiting to open gifts

Kalyn got a make-up set

Ross got a remote control car and Avre got a doll and a suitcase

Will got a weed eater

Will and Nic got matching applique shirts because Nic always makes fun of what Will wears so I got him back!

Nic's bunch

Will, Nic, Santa and Ross

Kalyn and Ross talking to Santa

My family

Will sat in Santa's lap for all of 2 seconds

But he gave Santa a high five

And touched his fur coat

After Santa left, we opened more gifts from the family

Will got a fire truck

Avre got clothes and a barnyard toy

Will got a little Mickey to go with his big Mickey. By the reaction on his face he LOVES Mickey Mouse

Ross and Kalyn got more clothes

 

We enjoyed our Christmas with the Penny's this year!

Christmas Morning

Santa came to see Will this morning. Will woke up at around 8am to see what all Santa had brought

 

Santa brought Will a cozy coupe car, tool bench, cleaning set, tee ball set, basketball goal, bowling ball set, sweater, Thomas the train, john deere tractor, and race cars. Obviously Santa thought Will had been a good boy this year:)

 

 

 

After Will got his gifts, Mommy and Daddy opened theirs. Mommy got a calendar of Will and six packages of her favorite Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks she can make at home. She also got custom frames from Delta Girl Frames that are already hung on the wall that display pictures of the family. Daddy got a pair of black sweat pants, black shorts, calendar of Will, and a few Cutco knives. After that we had breakfast with Doug's parents, Lou and Steve, and Will took a nap and then we left to go to my parents for late lunch and more presents. What a wonderful Christmas we've had!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

from our family to yours!

 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.  May the true meaning of Christmas shine through you today and all the days to come. 

Luke 2:1-21 says 

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. 

Happy 23 months Will

Will turns 23 months old today. He weighs 21.3 lbs and is 2ft 8 inches tall. Will had a follow up at the cardiologist today. He had a great check up. Will was born with a hole in his heart and so we have had to go for yearly check ups to watch and see if the hole will close on its own or continue to stay open. Well after the EKG the doctor said that the hole is CLOSED!! Praise God! So now we only have to go for another check up in 2-3 years. 

Will had also started a new routine with a new caregiver because I have gone back to work. I miss him like crazy everyday but it's the best thing for him because he is growing and achieving so many things since he's been around other and older kids. 

Will is saying a lot more words and speech therapy is helping him so much. He can tell you where his belly and head are. He knows a lot of words and there are way too many to mention. He loves to sit in his chair and look through books. He knows how to operate my iPad and iPhone and find and watch Mickey Mouse. All of this is thanks to my mother. 

We can't wait for his 2nd birthday next month. We have so much to look forward to as Will approaches age 2. More things to learn and do as he continues to grow. We still can't believe he will be TWO next month. Crazy!!!!! 

Santa, Horses, and more Santa.....fa.la.la.la.la

We have been busy this Christmas season doing as much as we possibly can. Can't believe its only 10 more days to Christmas. Shopping is done and we have gone way overboard for Will. Oh well, its all about the kids!

Our Christmas decorations were put up after Thanksgiving and our tree is in protective custody from Will. This idea was given to us by Will's occupational therapist so thanks Lydia! It still has been decorated by Will because he has thrown his blocks, trucks, footballs, and cups into the tree. All the decorations have been moved up high. For instance, my glittery deer that usually sit on the floor by the fireplace are now on the mantle above the fireplace. The ornaments (which have not been broken yet) are "balls" and something Will thinks he should be playing with. My mom has taught him that her tree is "hot" and something we shouldn't touch so every time he goes near her tree he says "hot." It's a hoot to see!

The finished product

Helping daddy assemble the tree

Wondering what that thing is

Cool it has lights!

We made a trip to the mall to see Santa. Will wasn't a fan of the jolly ole man. He screamed, kicked, cried and wanted away from Santa. When I rescued him, he looked at Santa and waved "bye bye." It was absolutely the funniest thing I had ever seen.

 

 

Next up we went to see the Budweiser Clydesdales that were in town for the Tupelo Christmas parade. Unfortunately we didn't make it to the parade because it was 32 degrees at night and I wasn't taking a chance of Will getting sick at this time of the year. He didn't miss out though and never knew there was a parade in town. I, on the other hand, was upset because Tupelo has not had a parade at night in many, many years and was really looking forward to it but it is not all about me, its about keeping my little one well! We saw the Clydesdales and all Will cared about was the dog. Of all the pretty horses there, Will liked the dog. Oh well!

 

 

Then we had Brunch with Santa at the Tupelo Country Club. Will still didn't like Santa. Maybe next year!

 

 

As for now, it's all quiet on the home front until Christmas with all the family (posts to come later). New adventures and routines start tomorrow as I go back to work full-time with the bank and Will goes to Mrs. Bonnie's (his new keeper) house for the week and then he's with his daddy for 2 full weeks while mommy works full time. Life is fixing to get CRaZy!!