Disney on Ice

This past weekend, we went to Indianapolis to visit some of my Mom's family. We had our annual Christmas dinner and really had some nice time hanging out with them. :) My Aunt fixed a wonderful ham, hashbrown casserole, salad, rolls and mac n cheese - the funny thing is that she thought it'd be cute to do green Christmas tree macaroni and none of the kids would touch it because they thought it was a vegetable!

The highlight of the day was when the cousins took all the kids to see Disney on Ice. I was nervous about taking Levi because he doesn't like characters. I could tell he was a little uneasy as we were waiting for it to start, but once the show started, he was mesmerized. It was PRECIOUS. He clapped really loud after each song and had the biggest smile on his face!! I'm SO glad we took him.

"Mommy, look. It's Mickey Mouse....ON ICE!!!"

Those two make my heart melt...

And when these two fellers came out, I thought my child was going to have an anxiety attack! He loves Buzz Lightyear and Woody!!!

Such a fun day! Thanks "Auntie" Gail, Uncle Kevin, Dan & Robin for once again being wonderful hosts!!! We love you guys. :)

And there is movement...

I felt the baby move for the first time last night!! Eric and I were watching The Amazing Race and I started feeling these little "movements". It wasn't flutters, like I've been waiting for. It was more of a thump...kind of like a slight heartbeat feeling.

Our ultrasound is two weeks from today, which will put me at 20 weeks! I'm just amazed at how fast this pregnancy is going. It's a little scary to think that in 20 more weeks (give or take a few), our lives will be forever changed.

The Elf on the Shelf

Growing up, we always got one big gift from Santa under the tree. My mom still says “When you stop believing, you stop receiving…” so, I STILL BELIEVE!!! While Santa was a fun part of our Christmas growing up, my parents always made sure the focus of Christmas was about the birth of Jesus.

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Jenny, we started a new tradition at our house this year. I’d never heard of The Elf on the Shelf. She called me last week and told me about the Elf and said she was at Walnut Ridge and they had 3 left and she would buy me one. :) Thanks, Jenny!

Our box came with "Frank" and a book

Here are a few of the specifics:

Each child can name their own elf. Levi named ours Frank!

At night time, Frank flies to go visit Santa and let him know if Levi’s been a good boy! Sometime in the early morning, Frank flies back and hides somewhere in the house. So far, Frank has hidden in the toy room, Levi’s bathroom, the van, and on top of the fridge.

Levi gets to look for Frank after he wakes up. It's very cute! The first thing Levi says after waking up is “Mom, let’s look for Frank!”

Little kids can’t touch their elf or he loses his “magic” and can’t go visit Santa.

On Christmas Eve, Frank brings a letter from Santa to Levi. In our letter, Santa will tell Levi how important it is to be a good boy and always listen to his Mommy and Daddy. It will tell him how much Jesus loves him and how he needs to keep learning the words in his Bible. It will also tell him how important it is to treat his friends nicely and to do the things that God wants him to do.

I love Christmas time!! It's so much fun...

Secret Recipe...

Megan suggested I post the recipe for my special chocolate chip cookies. I’ve never posted a recipe because, honestly, I don’t cook or bake a whole lot! Horrible…hideous, right? I know. I’m trying to be more intentional about cooking at home.

Anyways, my Aunt Diane passed down a very special secret about homemade chocolate chip cookies. Here’s how I make them:

Use the Nestle Toll House recipe.

Follow it exactly, but instead of using butter, like it calls for, use Crisco. I buy the Crisco shortening sticks (regular, not butter flavored)…sold in the baking aisle. They are pre-measured with 16 Tbs. in each package. I think the recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, so measure out how much Crisco you need. You will notice the difference immediately after baking. The cookies never “cave in”, they stay fluffy and they taste so yummy!! Let me know if you try it. I’ll never go back to using butter in my chocolate chip cookies!

Cookie monster

Levi wanted to make cookies for Ms. Louise, his teacher at school. So, tonight, we got busy baking!! He has fun using my KitchenAid mixer and I enjoy letting him be a big boy and stir all the ingredients.

I'm not sure how many cookies Ms. Louise will actually get because this little cookie monster liked eating the batter and was scarfing it down faster than I could get them on the cookie sheet to bake!! :-)

Madison

Last year, we (ahem) invited ourselves to be a part of Paul & Gretchen's tradition of going to Madison for the Nights Before Christmas Home Tour in Madison. :) Thanks guys!!! I think this was the Murphy's 3rd or 4th year going. We ate dinner at a happenin' place - The Pines and then headed out for the tour.

Two of the three happy couples
The first house we went to...The Lanier Mansion. I think it's just beautiful and love hearing the history!!

Ok, somehow I managed NOT to get a pic of me & my hubby, but I got one of him and Gretchen!

The three gals...Melanie, Tracey & Gretchen

We had such a fun evening and I just really enjoy the company of our friends. What wonderful traditions to be able to share in this holiday season. I love you guys!!

Oh, and a shout out to my parents who kept Levi all night for us. He LOVES going to Grammy & Papa's to spend the night. In fact, I'm not sure how I feel about him crying when he has to come back home... I guess it's good to know your little baby is having a blast and being taken care of with a huge amount of love!! Thanks Mom & Dad!!

Thanksgiving!

Our little family has so many things to be thankful for! I have such a wonderful husband that I adore; we have a precious little boy that is such a joy for us; we have another little joy on the way - yet, above all of this, we know Jesus, and for that, I am most thankful. I am not a perfect person, but Jesus loves me despite my flaws. What a wonderful gift!

For several years now, our Thanksgiving morning starts out with fun family time at home. Mamaw (Eric's Mom) comes over at lunch time and we go to Cracker Barrel for a turkey dinner. (Levi usually orders pancakes and sausage.) We always have a fun time visiting with my Mother-in-law! She's such a sweet woman with the biggest heart of gold. Here's a shot of Mamaw with Levi.

This year, after lunch, we headed to Mom's to help get dinner ready!! Mom cooks a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, there's turkey, dressing, taters, corn, green beans, mac n cheese, fruit salad, rolls, and one of my favorites, cracker dumplings!!! YUM!!

After we got things prepped, my Mom, Aunt Gail and I headed to the cemetery to put fresh flowers on my grandparent's grave. It's such a sweet thing for me to go to the cemetery and reminisce about Grandmother and Granddaddy. I miss them tons but know without a doubt I will see them soon when we gather around the throne and worship God together.

Around 4, the family started to gather at Mom's. My Aunt & Uncle, my cousins and their children and all of my family, including my grandparents (dad's parents) were all there. It was so much fun to visit and, ahem, listen to the kids play. The food was awesome and the fellowship was even better. :)

Mom and "Auntie" Gail
Great Granny Miller carving the turkey!!!

Levi and his big cousin Abigail

Nicholas.....he and Levi are 7 weeks apart! :)

Aunt Gail would HANG me, but I had to post this funny pic of her! She LOVES the skin on the turkey and kept picking it off and eating it!!! So funny!

Some of the food as we're getting "directions" from the teacher (Mom)!

The Kiddie table (oh my goodness...they can get loud!)

The adults... Daniel, Tricia, Travis, Jen, Eric and Robin E. and Nicholas in the orange

This is the geriatric room...nicknamed by my brother!! Mom, Dad, Aunt Gail, Uncle Kevin and Great Granny & Papa ate in here (away from the noise of the little ones!!)

After dinner, Dan started a wrestling match with all the kids! BRAVE man!!!

What a wonderful day filled with love and lots of thanksgiving! Everyone went home for bed around 9 so that we could get plenty of sleep before heading out for Black Friday...another tradition! Today, we got up early, shopped the morning away and headed back out after some afternoon resting. I enjoy being with my family so much and am so thankful for the closeness that we share. God has laid his hand on my family and blessed us beyond anything we deserve. I'm so thankful.