Weekend Happenings.....

Over the Thanksgiving weekend we did something we have never done before.  We bought a "real" tree this year!  Growing up we both had real trees most years but together this is a first.  With the help of Edie we carefully selected the skinniest, shortest tree we could find (or so we thought).  When seeing your tree outdoors it appears to be much smaller than it really is people!  So once our skinny/short tree was lit with over 1100 lights that I WRAPPED BY HAND we brought it indoors to see how HUGE it really was!  None the less we love it.  It smells great and looks beautiful and it will make Christmas 2011 a memorable one if we can keep it alive for the next 21 days :)

Oh and ROLL TIDE!!!!

Our Family

Several weeks ago the Shunnarah and Kitchen families gathered for our very first family picture day since the babies have been born.  Edie and OA's aunt and uncle had a sweet baby boy named Hollis almost one month before OA was born.  We are so fortunate to have two new blessings in our family.  Holidays at Gigi's and Giddo's will never be the same with two bustling boys and a bossy big girl ;)  I can't wait to watch these boys grow up together and be the best of friends! 

One through Twelve

These past two months have gone by WAY too fast!  My little BIG boy is now two months old!  I must say it has been so much fun.  We have once again been blessed with a sweet and happy baby.  Dr. Cortopasi warned me of how fast things would go this time around I never expected it would be this fast.  OA started smiling at 4 weeks, cooing at 6 and found his hands at 8 weeks.  He is now working on getting his thumb in his mouth too!  He has good neck strength and is working on controlling it.  He loves to sit up and look around but his favorite thing is for someone to sing to him.  I promise he is trying to sing too, it is so cute :)  He wakes up smiling just like his big sister and has truly been a great baby.

Last night was my first time not being in the same room with him in technically over 10 months.  He started off in the bassinet and/or sleeping in my arms :)  Three weeks ago we felt he had outgrown the bassinet and moved him to his crib.  I slept in the twin bed in his room until last night :(  It was bitter sweet because I truly do LOVE to cuddle with him but I must say I do not think I have slept so hard since I was 6 months pregnant.  The biggest blessing of all was that he slept all night!  Well.....at least from 11:00-6:30.  To me that is all night.

OA continues to grow and weighed 10 lbs 5oz at his last Dr visit.  He eats VERY well and we have finally settled into somewhat of a pattern.  I can't believe how fast he is growing and I wish it would slow down just a bit! 

Giving Thanks

We have SO much to be thankful for this year.  We are thankful for our Lord and Savior who loves us unconditionally, our family(s), our health, God's many blessings, OA - our new addition to the family and Edie and her continued accomplishments (she amazes us each day).  We have a wonderful life and I would not change anything!

This year we had Thanksgiving lunch at our house.  Scott smoked THE BEST turkey ever!!  It was soooo yummy and of course we had a fried turkey too, but the smoked was my favorite (along with nannies famous dressing).  We had an abundance of food and stuffed ourselves silly.  Edie decided she wanted to wear her Christmas jammie pants ALL DAY LONG which did not go very well with the matching pumpkin shirt I had gotten for her and OA to wear - but oh well.  You pick your battles :)  We had a great day sharing, eating and laughing with the family.  These times are too few and far between, but I am thankful when we do all come together and for the memories we make.

Daddy Day

Recently OA and I went to visit daddy at his new office and to see where OA will be working one day :)  Back in February Scott was offered a position as a District Manager for Farmers Insurance in Prattville.  This is a goal he had been working towards for over three years.  We were not sure when this day would come, but what a blessing God gave our family.  His timing could not have been more perfect!  I had just found out that we were expecting and I hated the thought of continued traveling for work.  For me it was just not an option to have two babies at home while I was away working, nights at a time in another state.  So with Scott's promotion (and permission :)) I too got promoted!  We are so proud of Scott for working so hard and for the opportunity he has received.  I am thankful to him for giving me the gift of being a stay at home mommy.  I have SO enjoyed my time at home, especially with having a new baby.  It has been such a blessing.

Since opening his office Scott has done really well.  He now recruits agents, trains them and manages a team.  Right now he has a team of ten with several others in training.  My part in the operation was helping to select furniture for and decorate the office.  It is a minimal clean look and works well with Scott's taste.  It still needs a few more things, but other than that it is close to perfect ;)  Once I have adjusted to being a new mommy again I hope to help in the business in some way.  Scott has much to be proud of and I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next!

Boo!

This Halloween we were a family of ghost and spiders.  I went along with the spider theme of our house (for those of you who have never seen our house at Halloween we have a HUGE black spider that all of the kids just love).  Edie and OA were ghost and daddy was the ghost buster :)  They were all super cute.  Edie and daddy went out Trick or Treating while OA and I stayed in and passed out candy to all of the neighborhood kiddos. 

This year Edie had several chances to wear her Halloween outfit, so the $10 was well worth it!  She had a costume party at dance, a Halloween parade at school which OA and I attended and again on Halloween night.  Edie loved wearing it.  OA on the other hand was not too pleased with wearing his ((snug)) ghost tail.  Poor thing....it was made for a newborn yet he had already outgrown it!!  I love my little BIG boy!