Truth in the Tinsel

Like most people, I LOVE this time of year!!! I do worry about McCoy and Violet getting caught up in Santa and presents and forgetting what the true meaning of Christmas is. So, when I heard about a "book" called Truth in the Tinsel, I knew I had to get it. Starting on Dec. 1 and going to the 25th, there is a part out of the bible to read and an ornament that you make that goes along with the bible reading. McCoy and I have been doing this in the afternoon. I have to admit that we're a little behind because McCoy doesn't want to do it everyday and I really don't force it;), but I do feel like McCoy is starting to realize the true meaning of Christmas, which I love:)!!
I am also loving reading through the story of Jesus' birth. It's such an amazing story and even though I've heard it several times, this book has us going over it daily. So much fun!
Here are some pics of a couple of the ornaments we have made...

6 Month Check-Up

Today Violet had her 6 month check-up with Dr. B. Everything went great and she has met all of her milestones! She also had to get several shots, including a flu vaccine. I always hate that part, but Violet did amazing. She cried for a second, and as soon as I picked her up, she quit:).
And now for the fun part!
Height 24.88 inches 20th percentile
Weight 14 lbs 14 oz. 25th percentile
Head 16.77 inches 50th percentile
So thankful that Violet is doing so well!! It's been an amazing six months with our sweet girl!!!

ENT Check-up

On Thursday afternoon, McCoy had a check-up with Dr. M, his ENT, to make sure his throat looked good after his tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. I told him that morning about his appt and he got very upset. He told me he did not want to get his tonsils out:(. It made me so sad. So, I told him he already had his tonsils out, the dr just wanted to check and make sure everything was ok, and that it wasn't going to hurt. Several times that morning, he would repeat it's not gonna hurt, my tonsils are already gone and look like he was going to burst into tears. Talk about breaking a mama's heart!
Once we got there, he was ok though. Dr. M took a quick look and said everything looked good!! He also said that McCoy's extremely high-pitched voice that he has had since the surgery will go back to normal. His palate just has to lengthen to accomodate the extra space he has. Or something like that;)... And that was good news because the poor boy has been talking like he just swallowed a bunch of helium!!
We are still so glad we made the decision to get his tonsils out. He is already talking more clearly, eating better, and not snoring.

My brave little man before his appt:)!!

UPDATE ON PHIL.....

Phil has been keeping a good eye on McCoy and doing a great job of reporting to Santa. After one quick trip to the North Pole, he was so thirsty, McCoy found him in the refrigerator having a sip of juice!! Luckily, McCoy likes to share;)!

6 Months Old!!!

My baby girl is 6 months old!

How did that happen??? It is amazing how fast time flies when you've got two precious kiddos that you're wanting to keep little!!

Violet's birthday is actually May 31 so I'm just saying that every last day of the month is her monthly birthday. So, yesterday was the big day!! I feel like this past month, especially these past couple of weeks, we've really been able to get her on a very loose "schedule". She's taking two naps a day. And depending on what we're doing that day, one of them is a good nap and the other is usually pretty quick. If we're just home, she normally takes a long nap in the morning, though. At nighttime, she likes to take a bottle around 7:00 or 7:30 and go right to bed. Within the past week, she has been sleeping through the night with a small little spell where we have to go in a pat her back or rock her back to sleep. She normally wakes up around 5:30 though for a bottle and then goes back to bed. It is amazing how good it feels to sleep through the night when you've been waking up at least every few hours for 6 months;)!! Now, I am not saying she is sleeping through the night for good... I'm just saying the past few nights have been nice and I wouldn't mind if she kept it up:)!!! She also prefers sleeping on her tummy, still doesn't take a paci, and sleeps with a little silky that she chews on to comfort herself.

I'm not sure of her exact height and weight measurements. Her check-up is not until next week, but she's still pretty small. She mostly wears 3-6 month or 6 month clothes, size 2 diapers, and her little feet still won't fit into a size 1 shoe!! I'm not sure if her feet have grown any since she was born;). I would love for her to be able to wear some of her cute shoes that she has but for now, she's got some pretty fabulous socks!!

She takes about 4-5 bottles a day, depending on when she wakes up in the morning, and normally drinks 8-3 oz at each feeding. She also spits up quite a bit and always has. I'm definitely going to talk to the doctor about that at our check-up. If something is going on, like McCoy talking to her, she will be completely uninterested in a bottle. She also normally has a fruit and oatmeal for breakfast and a vegetable and rice cereal for dinner. She has just recently started to get into her fruits but vegetables have always been a favorite. I'm definitely saying prayers that it sticks;)!!

Now to the fun stuff! She rolls all over the place!! I'll lay her on a blanket, leave the room for a second, and come back to find her in a completely different spot. I've found her under the coffee table, Christmas tree, and her swing!! I think I'm in trouble once Miss Priss figures out how to crawl. She loves to chew on anything and everything, especially tags. She's not quite sitting up by herself just yet but she's sooooo close!! She can sit for a little bit and then turns around to look at something and topples over. She LOVES Sophie, our dog!!! Whenever she sees her, she immediately starts kicking her legs and squealing! I don't think Sophie is going to get that much rest once Violet is on the move, either;). McCoy can always makes Violet smile and she loves to watch him play. She's still such a happy baby and rarely cries. We are so thankful for that!! She also likes to grab for things, especially peoples faces when she is being held. And that reminds me, she loves to be held. She's definitely a little cuddle bug, which I love!! She is definitely a babbler and can sometimes be pretty loud!! I always wonder what she is trying to say:). We've been working on mama, but she normally just laughs at me. I'm thinking soon, though;)!

I have loved watching Violet grow and her personality develop over the past 6 months and I can't wait to see what the next month will bring for our sweet girl!! Love her soooo much!

Here are a couple of pictures we got last night of Violet sitting up. This was the longest she had gone without support!!

Maybe one of my new favorite pics!

Love waking up to this sweet face:)

Phil, the Elf

Our Elf on the Shelf, Phil, made his appearance yesterday morning!! I'm really not quite sure where McCoy came up with the name Phil, but we're going with it;). McCoy has been really well-behaved so far, so I've only had to remind him a couple of times that Phil is here as Santa's eyes and ears. We're looking forward to seeing where Phil will land tomorrow;)....

On a side note, my kiddos do have stockings...Violet's is being monogrammed and McCoy's is there as an example.

Baby Dedication

This past Sunday, we took part in the baby dedication at our church. Normally it is for babies, but we had never done a baby dedication for McCoy, so we decided to dedicate both McCoy and Violet. In our church, children decide when they want to be baptized. So a dedication is for us to give back to Him what He has given us. It is our promise to raise our children according to His guidelines.
We have been members of our church for almost a year now and are so thankful that we have found a place we both really love and want to be involved in. McCoy also has several friends in his Sunday School class so he also loves to go!
We are so thankful that we have such a wonderful church home and support system that will help us in raising our children to be godly people.
And if you can't tell, McCoy was not up for pics, so this is the best we could do;)...

Thanksgiving

We spent this Thanksgiving in Hot Springs at my parents' condo. My grandmother, aunts, and cousins were also able to come! We had such a great, relaxing day and the food was delicious!!! I LOVE spending time with my family! We always have such an amazing time!!!

My hungry boys!

ReeRee and Violet

Poor Violet, barely got any attention;)

My 3 favorites, watching Cars

Love my babies!!

The girls:)

This is the life...

Daddy's girl...melts my heart

Nanny and her great-granddaughter

Kirk's favorite, mashed potatoes

Watch and learn, ladies;)

Kirk likes to help out, too!

Violet is ready to eat!

So is McCoy!

Kirk and I have so many things to be thankful for this year, but we are most thankful for our two sweet babies! God is so good to us and we feel so blessed!