'08 is going to be GREAT!!!

I have to say it....Aside from my sweet baby boy's birth, I am so glad that 2007 is over!!! Talk about a challenging year in our house! Man, thank goodness we did a study on 1st and 2nd Peter in CBS this fall because I was about to just give up. It seemed like every time we felt like we were starting to get our bearings straight something else would come up, but the blessing in all that is that God was always with us, carrying us most of the time as we could hardly stay on our feet. Praise God for always watching us and keeping us in the palm of his hand!!! He truly is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.

Now on to the new year! So far '08 has been great!!! Clemson Football is once again undefeated and even though the basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss to UNC the other night, they are looking to be quite the threat this year. Some people have even said that we will make the Big Dance!!! How great would that be!!! Shelby and JP are doing wonderful. I was hoping that maybe we would start to get more consistent nights of sleep; that hasn't come yet, but I am sure soon enough I will be having to drag my kids out of bed in the morning (atleast I am hoping for that).

It is only 9 days into the new year and already I feel like we have done enough to fill up a couple of months. It has been nice to have everyone back in town from their travels. Yesterday we started back into our routine of school, CBS, etc. Shelby was so excited to go back to school and while I was beginning to fear that she may be dropping her nap, all she really needed was one fun morning of school to really wear her out.

New Year and new miracle!!! Shelby actually wore her hair in a ponytail for almost a whole day. She looked so grown up and soooo cute up (she hasn't let me put her hair in a ponytail since). Here is a side picture. Her hair is getting so long. Pratt and I keep talking about when and if we should cut it, I just can't make up my mind. One day I think that we need to trim it a little, but then the next I think that we should just leave it because her hair is still so thin.

Shelby was so excited to have Rob and Erik back in town. They came over for dinner the other night and immediately were roped into playing, reading and doing whatever my little princess wished. Here is a picture of Shelby and Rob reading. I don't know how much of the book that they made it through before Shelby was on to the next adventure.

As you know, Aunt Suzy and Uncle Patricio have been in town for a couple of weeks to visit. The kids have had the most fun playing with them and hanging out. Shelby asks all the time, "Aunt Suzy Uncle Patricio stay at my house?". I think that she really loves all the extra attention that she gets. One of her favorite things to do is put Uncle Patricio to bed. She makes him lay in her bed, turns on her noisemaker, walks out and shuts the door behind her. Then she announces to everyone in the room that Uncle Patricio is taking a nap and we should be quiet. He puts up with so much from her and I am so thankful!!! It is so sweet to watch them together. When Suzy and Patricio come over I might as well be chopped liver. It is a great break for me. Thanks so much guys for all you do!!!! Anyway, here is a picture of Uncle Patricio and JP hanging out in Shelby's room. JP is still a mama's boy, but every day he is discovering more and more about his world and enjoying other people's interaction. Look at how happy he is!!!!

As you can tell from this picture we have been busy. I never seen Shelby act so tired as she did this day. Truthfully, I can't even remember what day it was or what we did that day, but whatever it was it tuckered her out. She has had her little anywhere chair for a year and not once has she ever laid down in it like in this picture. I just love how she looks so restful and it makes the picture complete to have Froggy in it because she definitely would never lay this still without him in her arms.

And finally, check out how cute my little man is in his new hat. We are going to the mountains at the end of this week and so I had to get a few essentials for the kids so that they could stay warm. This hat is about the cutest thing that I have ever seen on JP. The funny thing is that I took this picture yesterday when it was 75 degrees out. I don't think that he will get much wear out of the hat here, but I know that it will be great for our trip. On the walking front, everyday he has been taking a few steps here and there. I know that it is just a matter of time that he will be walking!!! I really can't wait to see how the dynamic of his and Shelby's relationship will change. They play together so well now and I hope that it only gets better as he becomes more independent....I hope!

Oh, one final, final thing. Pratt is doing great. I realize that I don't really talk much about him or myself on this post. Our lives revolve a lot around the kids, but we also have other things going on. His latest endeavor has been in the form of a 1980 something Jeep Wagoneer. You know the kind with the wood paneling around it. He has done a lot of work on it, some on his own with the help of friends and some we have had to hire qualified professionals. All in all, it is really looking good.

In closing, I hope that you all have a wonderful new year!!! We are definitely looking forward to all the God has planned for us, everything from the fun adventures to the lessons that we need to learn.