The end of breastfeeding..well for now!

I have officially stopped breastfeeding Hannah. I wasn't really planning it, but it just kinda happened. She was wanting it less and less, and then over the busy holidays, our schedules were all out of sync. We were in different environments, and she was so preoccupied she basically stopped on her own.

It's weird now though. I mean, I don't feel like I have a baby anymore. She's so independent; she barely spends any time with me now. I miss the times of snuggling she would give me when I would nurse. I was only nursing her in the mornings, but now I wake up and it's the first thing I think about. I guess I just need some adjustment time.

Now that I look back on this last year, I can honestly say I enjoyed nursing. Don't get me wrong, though, there were definitely times I thought about quitting. Like the times she would bite, or the time she went on a 3 day nursing strike. Or the times I was being selfish and just wanted to go on a date with my husband alone (she never would touch bottles)! But I wanted to at least make it to a year, so I'm pretty proud of myself. Nursing was in no way easy. It definitely takes a lot of work and sacrifice. But in the end, I'm so very glad I stuck with it!

Gosh, it's been awhile...

Well, I blogged last about our trip to Nashville. And LOTS of things have happened since then. Yet it all flew by so quickly! I love Christmas time, but it goes by way too quickly! We were pretty busy the month of December. One week, we actually had something to do every single night! That's very unusual for us. I'm a homebody for sure, so it put me out of my comfort zone a little.

On Christmas Eve, we always go to Josh's parents house. We usually have the traditon of eating chili, which is always good. But this year they decided to change it up and have a fancy meal. So, we had ribs, asparagus wrapped in bacon, twice baked potatoes, broccoli casserole, and the best stuffed mushrooms I've ever had! It was absolutely delicious! Then we all unwrapped gifts from their Grandma and she unwrapped ours. Then we always watch a movie, which was "Julie and Julia" this year. I'm still undecided about the movie. It was really long for one thing, and the ending was not what I wanted. Oh well.

Then we spend the night at his parents, and wake up and do Christmas morning. Last year, I think we woke up at like 6 which is way too early! But this year, I guess all the kids are teenagers so they actually slept until 8, which is much more reasonable! So we woke up and did Christmas, and it was really good. I got a good hair straightener, and a pedicure! I'm excited! We got Elijah a guitar and he LOVED it! He never puts it down. I loved watching him open it, and then instantly light up and say "Guiiitaarr!" It was priceless! Hannah could have really cared less about her presents. I think she played the most with a wrapping bow she found!

After we do Christmas at Josh's parents', we eat breakfast and then we get ready to go to my parents. This year we decided to be there at lunch, and then do Christmas after lunch. In previous years, we are busting our tails to get there by 10. Which doesn't help the Christmas spirit in my opinion! So we took it easy this year, and made it there at 12:30. We had another delicious meal of supreme casseroles! And then we did Christmas presents. Josh and I solely asked for a flat panel TV, and we got it! It's soo nice! So we then hung out with my family the rest of the day. I think it was a pretty good Christmas overall! We had some good family time with both sides!

For New Year's, we went down to the River House with Josh's family. It's always fun to go! Even if I didn't even step outside the whole time, tooo cold!! The only shortcoming is that our little family sleeps in the same room, which is not inducive to sleeping! The babies make noises constantly during the night, and I'm a very light sleeper! But we did play alot of games, which is always fun!

Josh's parents also do a little prayer session in which we all ask God to reveal to us what He wants from us in the coming year. We each pray over different areas of our lives: Work/school, family, church, finances, and personal. It's always really good! And we got alot of goals for this next year. I'm really excited to see what God has planned!

Home alone...

Well we got back from our trip to Nashville in one piece. It was actually a really awesome trip this time! Last time we went, both babies were sick and did not sleep very good, which doesn't help. But this time, they did sooo awesome! I was so proud of them! They did really good on the trip up, only got a little fussy the last hour. Then they slept great at night, and even better at naptimes! And they were really well behaved the whole trip. It really helps me to relax and enjoy myself when my kids are good! So for thanksgiving, I was very thankful for them!

We also had a good visit with the rest of the family. We stayed with Denise and Jacob, and they are so similar to us that it's like we're at home! Denise got Hannah a cool tent and tunnel that they could play with. Here they are playing:




We had a good day on Thanksgiving as well. There was sooo much good food. I couldn't even begin to name it all. So we ate, then we sat around, then we went and played football. But it was THE coldest day up there, so it didn't last long. We all came back to Chris' house half frozen. But it was fun.

Then on Friday morning we went to the zoo. It was cool to let Elijah see all the animals that he has learned about. Sadly, I forgot my camera this day...so I don't have any pictures! Maybe someone in the family could give me some of theirs!?

Well, Friday night we all went to the Opryland Hotel. It is soo fantastic. It's huge, and has all kinds of stores and restaurants inside. And just trails and trails to walk through. And it was all decorated for Christmas, so it was really pretty! Here's our family pic:

Our last day there was Saturday, and we just had a big football get together at Denise's. We also played another round of family football, which was alot more enjoyable because it was like 70 degrees! It was alot of fun, and the best part for me was when I sacked the quarterback! Oh Yeah! Then we came back home and ate delicious ribs and pork tenderloin! The only sad part of the whole week was when Georgia Tech lost. :( But that's ok, we'll be back next week!

Well, that was the whole trip. And now we are home. But me and the kids are alone! Josh left on Tuesday to go to Panama City on a work trip. We do pretty good during the day without him, since that's the norm, but it's hard at night. He helps out alot with the babies, with dinner, baths, and bedtime. So we do miss him alot! And its hard to get in a bed all alone! But hopefully he'll be back tomorrow! OH, and I did get the house decorated for Christmas while he's been gone. So I feel like I am accomplishing something!

That's all for now!

A little stressed...

This time of year is always sooo busy for us! I love it, but sometimes I find myself stressing too. I mean, this weekend we have a big birthday party planned for Hannah on Saturday. So I need to do alot of preparation for that. With gifts and food and all that. And then we are leaving for Nashville for Thanksgiving on Sunday. So I also have to wash and pack enough clothes for a week. And pack everything you need for babies. By the way, with babies why does it always seem like we pack the whole entire house when we go out of town?? And we always need it all too!

Anyways, so I started thinking about all that needed to be done, and I find myself stressing. Because right around the corner is Christmas, and we haven't even begun to shop for that! So even more to do! But it'll be ok! I'm really excited to be going to Nashville! We are staying with Josh's sister Denise, and her husband Jacob. And I'll get to see my newest nephew, Malachi! And I think we are planning a trip to the zoo, so that'll be fun for my little ones! and it's always fun when the whole Folsom fam gets together.

So there's always alot of fun that comes with a little stress. You just have to power through, and get it all done! Which I will, I guess I just needed to vent for a minute there. :)

"The Big Wed Cah"

for those 3o Rock fans out there!

This translates to "big red car" which is what we now call the new van that we got!

I myself didn't think I would be driving a van, but it was really the only practical thing to do. We needed more room, not only for my children..but we sometimes need to haul other people too. But we also wanted something that was fuel efficient for all the trips to Thomasville. So it only made sense.

Well we came across this van, and I've always liked the Odysseys over any other. We weren't really looking for all the extra perks, just a plain van. But this one has leather seats, power sliding doors, DVD system. And we got it for an amazing price! I feel soooo blessed to have it!

Well, then I started driving it! And I absolutely LOVE it!!! It is soo incredibly smooth. And EXTREMELY convenient! I really have found myself looking for errands so I can drive it! And I don't even mind loading up the kids to take with me, because that's just as easy too! I push a button, the door opens for me, I stand without straining to buckle them in, then the door closes for me! Whoever designed this van, had a woman's needs in mind!

Mind you, I am coming from driving a 2 door car, where I literally had to get in the backseat to buckle a baby in. So, needless to say..I am very happy! Oh, and that reminds me. I was reading back on old blogs, and I just read that we sold my car at the beginning of August! That's almost 4 months without a car. Seems crazy that I went that long, but I definitely feel like God was orchestrating this vehicle to work out for us! So I'm very happy that we waited. Anyways, here's a few pictures.

Elijah's 2nd Birthday

Well, today we celebrated Elijah turning 2! So crazy to think that it's already been 2 years. I remember thinking when he was a baby that it would be soo long before he would be old enough to walk or talk, and now my baby is 2! And it's strange that we've been parents for 2 years already too!

Anyways, we had a small, last minute get together to celebrate his and Josh's birthdays today. (Josh turned 24 on Wednesday). We had a couple of friends and mostly family come over for some bar-b-que chicken. It was really alot of fun! The weather turned out perfect, after it stormed all night the night before. It was even a little warm in the sun!

So we ate, opened presents, ate cake, and just hung out. Very low key and relaxing. Here are some of the pictures.

The new do!

Well, my son Elijah's hair is can we say...umm..unrulely! It's thick and curly, and grows like crazy! I've already cut the child's hair twice, and it's already gotten long again. And I've honestly been wanting to cut it for a long time, but several people wouldn't let me. Mostly Josh, my husband! He loves the hair! Here's a picture!

I mean..there's just not much you can do with hair like this!

Anyways, it started getting out of hand! Like getting in his eyes, and taking a lot of water to rinse out the shampoo! Then the last straw came. Screaming fests, when Hannah would grab fistfuls of his hair and try to pull it all out! So...I cut it all off!!! I really was just going to do a little trim, but I ended up taking a lot more off! And I really like it! I had to get used to it, but I think it makes him look like more of a little boy. Are you ready? Cuz it's a shocker!!

Look at those eyes!! sooo pretty!

Well, Now alot of people are mad at me for cutting it! But you know, most of those people don't deal with it everyday! And I really like it! So, you can just be mad if you like!