Happy Birthday G!

Friday was my daddy's birthday.  We all went to have dinner at the Trace Grill and then came over to our house for cake.  

 I think it is fairly obvious that my Papaw is pretty crazy about my kiddos!

 My Aunt Diane was in town for a visit which is always so great!  We are already excited that she will be back in MS after the new year!!!

 EK led the birthday song and took care of the blowing out the candle responsibilities as well. She loves a birthday party!

 I mean, could these 3 be having any more fun???  Walker about spazzed out when Aunt Carolyn walked through the door.

 While we were all sitting around visiting, there was a knock at the door.  My cousin Katie flew in from Charlotte to surprise our Papaw.  I think he was super shocked but so very thrilled to have her here for the weekend! We all loved getting to see her!!!

It was such a great night to be together and celebrate another year!

Lights

A couple of nights ago, Ella Kate asked if we could go look at the lights around town.  So, after dinner and bath time (hence the lovely wet hair look we are sporting) we loaded up on a quest to find the most festive decorations.

 Indian Pines did not disappoint!!!!  The most amazing part is that this guy still has a garage full of inflatables that haven't made it out yet!!!

 And this house in Sundial....WOW...I would hate to see their electric bill!!!!

We ran by my parents house after seeing a few neighborhoods and as we drove down their street, Ella Kate said, "Mother, Northbay is NOT very festive."  There you go, Northbay better get with it!!!!

Fun Times

Here is a little recap of the last few weeks.....


After Thankmus in Starkville, we all bundled up and braved the elements in hopes of a Bulldog victory.  Luckily, the frostbite was worth it and the Golden Egg returned to Starkville where it belongs.























We were able to visit with the Gordons and play for just a bit.  Wendy and her husband were in town too, so we all got to catch up over some yummy pizza.  I love my friends and I love that my kids get to grow up with their kids!

EK got to participate in the Hanging of the Green service at church.  It was a very family friendly service geared towards the children and all the Pastors really tried to tell the Christmas story and some of our traditions in a way that was super easy for the kids to grasp.

Haley and I went to watch some of our d group girls sing at the Ice Rink in Madison.  My kids really loved the singing Christmas trees.

We went to visit the Big Guy.  EK was surprisingly shy this year and would not even tell him what was on her list.  Walker just kind of stared at him and of course, pulled on his beard and pulled off his hat.

A group of girls from our church went to Tupelo for a women's retreat with Jen Hatmaker.  Yall.  She is amazing and I wish she would just move to Jackson so we could all be her friends!!!  She has such a heart for teaching and encouraging women and she is HYSTERICAL!!!!! She really challenged us to be true disciples and be about service.  Not sure what the Lord has in store but I know it is HUGE and I'm just excited to get to be a part of this story!!!!

Mom and I took EK to the Nutcracker on Sunday.  She did not move the whole time and had such the serious look throughout the whole performance.  Just taking it all in, I guess?

We had our "Mission Moms" get together for this month at our house.  The kids have so much fun together and it is so neat to get to watch them as they become aware of the need in the world around them.  This month, we colored pictures to send to "Color-a-Smile" which is an organization that distributes kids art work to nursing homes and hospitals.  We also made Candy Cane Happies.  The kids decorated the cards with simple phrases like "Love" "Joy" "Merry" and the hope is to carry them around and give them out to people that we meet to just brighten their day.

Yesterday, we went to the Blairs house for some cookie decorating.  Amanda was BRAVE!!!!
16 kids + an enormous amount of icing and sprinkles = an AWESOME time!!!  They all had such a great time playing together and the mamas had a fabulous time visiting as well!!! I love my friends!!!!

Fa La La

We did a little caroling last night at church.  Nothing says let's spread some holiday cheer like 78 degree temperatures.  Oh Mississippi weather!!! We all broke up into groups and went around the neighborhoods surrounding the church.  The kids were all about it....the homeowners...not so much.  We had 3 people open their doors but saw several others through their windows hiding inside as they chose to ignore us.  Good times.  

 Ella Kate was not super thrilled with the idea of walking so she rotated between several of us.  Haley and I are leading a 6th grade d group together this year, and we had several of our girls with us last night as well.

 This crew was most excited about the cookies that were being served after all that singing business was finished.

 Santa made his (ummm, her) appearance as well.  J's administrative assistant was so sweet to play the part!  She said she got quite a few strange looks while in the girls restroom.  Hehe!

I love our church so much and I love all the opportunities provided for our families to play, serve, and worship together!!!!!

Thanksgiving with the Nelsons

Our Thanksgiving festivities continued in Columbus with the Nelsons.  After a very tasty lunch, we headed down to the Riverwalk to take some family pictures.  It was a beautiful afternoon and the children were somewhat cooperative =)

Before we left for the Riverwalk, Mary Anna requested a picture of her grandsons in their matching polos.  I'm not quite ready to give up the jon jons just yet, but they do look pretty stinkin' cute!!!!

Beyond blessed by these people!!!!

 Peek A Boo!!!

Such a fun day with our sweet family!!!

Thanksmas in Starkville

Thanksgiving Day was the annual Jones Family Thanksmas gathering.  Everyone was able to be there this year, which is a pretty amazing feat with 18 adults and 5 children that all live here, there and everywhere.  We met at my cousin Brad's house in Starkville since the Egg Bowl was to be played later on that night.  

 We loved getting to see Mammaw Jones! I don't think she minded seeing all her great grands too much either!!!!

 Here is our little part of the Jones Family Tree.  

Even though it was frigid, the kids had a great time playing outside.  

 Uncle Gregg had a little help from Brody passing out the gifts.

 Archer and EK played so well together once Archer got over the fact that she was a girl!!!!

 Present time!!! Walker LOVES opening some presents!!! The hardest part now will be keeping him out of the ones under our tree!!!!!

 EK got some REAL pom poms in time for the big game and Walker was a big fan of his Bulldog blanket.  Too cute!!!

It is always great to get to spend time with the extended family, but this year was extra special!!! So thankful for all these people!!!