The holidays are here!

So, one of my absolute favorite holiday traditions has to be my Dad's fudge. Anyone that has ever tasted it before knows that it is to die for and literally melts in your mouth. He has been making it every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember. He is the only person that knows how to make it just right and he does not reveal his secrets! When we were little, Matthew and Adam and I would argue over who would get to help with which batch. Don't get me wrong though, this was no easy task. Stirring the butter and sugar seems simple enough, but I can still hear my Dad saying "no sploshing" over and over again. I still don't know what would have happened if a little bit would have gotten up on the sides of the pan but it must be detrimental since this was Dad's number one rule to stirring. Luckily, we all got plenty of time to practice as Dad would make up to 75 pounds of his famous fudge to pass around to the hospitals, friends, and so on. Well, I was thrilled when Mom called on Monday and said that Dad wanted to start a new tradition with the grandkids. He wanted them to come over and lick the spoons and pots when he was finished. Luke and Taylor were thrilled to say the least! Seeing Luke get to do the things that I remember doing when I was little has to be one of my favorite parts about being a parent. It is so nice to see traditions like this passed down to the next generation.

P.S. Maybe next year we should do it in the afternoon rather than evening. Luke had the biggest sugar high I've ever seen!



Think he liked it?!?

I guess Taylor needed a break :)

Thanksgiving at the Cline's!

Since Mom and Dad went to Colorado for Thanksgiving this year, we celebrated with them the Sunday before. Mom was so sweet and bought all the grandkids Christmas pj's! They were so cute! Trying to get a picture of them all together was nearly impossible but we did the best we could!

Reading the Grinch...one of my favorites!

Thanksgiving, Clemson/Carolina game, xmas tree...

Well, Thanksgiving Day started out with Luke and Hap going out to Hap's Dad's so that Luke could ride a horse. He was beyond excited, but I was concerned that once he got there he might be a little afraid, but as you can see, I couldn't have been more wrong. He was so at ease around the horses, it's like an instinct. Of course, I must give credit where credit is due. Kyote is the most gentle horse you will ever come across, in fact, she's the only one that I will ride. She is 26 years old and has been with Happy since she was just a baby and Hap can remember riding her when he was just a little boy.

When they got home from Wadmalaw we headed over to Penny and Craig's house to spend the afternoon. It was a very relaxing day filled with wonderful family and great food! Craig said the nicest and most poignant blessing that reminded us all that although this year has been extremely tough, we still have so much to be thankful for. God gives us all the ability to cope in times like this and to get up every day and enjoy our loved ones as each day is so precious. The day was certainly not the same without little Craig and he was missed dearly.

Luke and Kyote out at Papoo's

Britton in her first dress and bow...the first of many :)

Henry has learned how to sit up all by himself!

Zack and Britton

Luke wasn't as interested in picking out the tree as we thought he would be...oh well :(

Week 3

Wow, I can't believe that Britton is already 3 weeks old, time sure does fly! We are all doing great and settling into our new routines. She seems to have gone through a growth spurt this week and has been eating like crazy! We can see her little legs are starting to fill out, as well as her double chin :) Luke is doing great, too and as you can see in one of the pictures he's starting to want to dress himself. He loves his cowboy rainboots that Taylor passed onto him and will wear them with absolutely anything and walk around saying "Yee Haw"! He's at such a fun age right now, everyday it's something new :)

Doctor's appointment

This morning Britton had her 2 week doctor visit and everything was great. She's gained 8 ounces in the last 9 days which is right on track and we don't have to worry about waking her up at night to feed her. Last night she slept from 8 until 5! I swear, Luke wakes us up more than she does :) This week has not been as hectic as I had anticipated with Hap going back to work which is quite a relief. It's almost easier when he's not here because I know I don't have a choice and I'm more motivated to just get things organized. He has to spend Friday night in Hilton Head though for inventory so I might be singing a different tune come Saturday morning! I'll post pictures later but right now there's a hungry baby I have to feed :)

Pictures of Luke from the week...

Here are some of the pictures of Luke's fun filled week! We had our first family outing yesterday to the fall festival at his school and he had a blast! We thought he would be a little scared of the jump castle and big slides because there were a lot of older children but he jumped right in! The weather was beautiful near the end of the week so it was nice that Luke could finally get outside to play, go fishing in the driveway, and mow the grass with Daddy :)

Well, we survived the first week!

It is so hard to believe that Britton has already been home for over a week! It has been a great week, but the true test will come tomorrow when Hap goes back to work. It has been so wonderful having him home and Luke has loved all the special attention and playtime with his Daddy! Britton has been such a dream baby so far - she eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day and she has slept 7 hour stretches 2 nights in a row. She may have slept even longer but I didn't want her to go too long without eating...how did we get so lucky?!? By the way, I am probably totally jinxing myself by writing this down :) Here are some pics from her first bath, various visitors, etc...

Here is Julie getting some practice! She and Trent just found out they are having a boy in March!

We're home!

Well, we finally made it home and we're getting settled in slowly but surely! Luke is doing so well with his baby sister and it just warms our hearts so much to see him hug and kiss Britton. He really is a proud big brother. Our first night home was pretty good, Britton has quite the appetite! She was up every 3 hours like clockwork, but would eat and go right back to sleep. I hope that continues! She seems very laid back so far and it seems like she's been a part of our family forever.