It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Wow! I cannot believe that another Christmas is almost here. This is now Harrison's third Christmas and Kate's first. We have received so many blessings this year. How great is our Father's love for us. It seems that no matter how grim things have looked for us, God has always clothed us, fed us, sheltered us, and protected us. I am in awe of His graciousness and His goodness. I was recently reading a book on Mary, the mother of Jesus and was struck by how humble Jesus' birth really was. He wasn't born in a palace with all the finest of the things. He was born in the lowest of all places... an animal stable! My king was born to a simple girl and a carpenter, but had eternal royalty running through his veins. I look at my two adorable children and am brought to tears just thinking of how much God loves us. He sent his perfect son to dwell here on this earth with all of this imperfection. He gave love from heaven. What an extraordinary gift!

My children remind me daily of how much God loves us. Each smile, boo boo, and yes even tantrum, teaches me how to love like my Father. I hope this Christmas, Christ brings a smile to your face and a joy so unspeakable that your heart has no choice, but to overflow into the lives of the people around you. Merry Christmas!

Oh... and here are a few of our first Christmas pictures. Enjoy!

Kate's FIrst Fall

Here are a few pictures of my beautiful baby girl enjoying the season of fall!

Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday, we went to the Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch. We had such a wonderful time! Harrison, and Kate enjoyed jumping on the inflatables and climbing on the pumpkins.
They also enjoyed playing in sunflowers.

Isn't she precious!


Even Jeremy and I got in on the fun!

It was a windy day, but it did not stop us from having a blast. We saw tee pees, animals, pumpkins, and a helicopter.
We also ate yummy foods like roasted corn, barbecue, caramel apples, and boiled peanuts. What a great way to enter into the Thanksgiving season.

The Rubber Duck!

Now that Kate is almost seven months, I thought I would break out the rubber duck bathtub for her. The suggested ages for the duck tub are 6-24 months. However, I knew that once I blew it up, Harrison would have to check it out. Poor Kate! She will never get to experience anything new!

Harrison, of course, loved putting his bath friends in the "pool." He had such a great time jumping in and out of it! Who knew that a rubber duck could make bathtime so much fun!

Kate loved it too! She enjoyed splashing around and playing with the rubber hippo!


Oh what fun!

ELMO AND FRIENDS

It has been a while since I have blogged but we have been so busy lately. Here are a few of the most recent adventures in our lives.
#1 Kate
Look at how beautiful she is!


She is sitting up, eating baby food, and smiling so much!

# 2
Do you think he is up to something? Where is Harrison?

TA! DA! Here I AM!

Here we are at Elmo live! Harrison and Kate both loved it!

Harrison is in awe of the characters!

Where's ELMo?


Having fun with Daddy!

Happy Babies!

Beach Bonding!

Our family took our vacation this summer to Gulf Shores. We mixed a little business with pleasure and had a wonderful time. Jeremy had the honor of officiating a wedding ceremony of one of his high school buddies so we tacked on a few extra days of vacation as a family. Here are a few of the pictures from the trip. We had such a good time hanging out as a family.

Harrison loved the beach this time and especially loved the pool! He enjoyed jumping of the side off the pool into our arms. He also was very brave and walked into the water with us. The pool was one of those that have a gradual slope so that the kids could play in relatively shallow water. Harrison however; did not let the depth of the water hinder him. I think he sprouted a porpoise fin while we were down there because he was jumping and splashing like crazy!

Kate enjoyed the sound of the waves and the sea breeze. One afternoon she took a nap in the gently breeze. She did put her feet in the sand and dipped them into the ocean. She didn't cry, but wasn't a fan either. Kate was the darling of the beach and attracted the gazes of many people. But what would you expect? She is so adorable, especially in her pink bikini!

We also spent some time at the track! Harrison rode the swings, merry-go-round and the train! He had a blast! Kate enjoyed hanging out and observing her big brother. We got so much joy out of watching our kids enjoy the festivities. They were well behaved and had smiles on both of their faces most of the time!



One of the highlights of our trip was the wedding that Jeremy officiated on Mobile Bay. We were able to stay in a really nice hotel with a really great atmosphere and pool. The sun popped out long enough for Harrison to go down the slide a few times and for Kate to catch a few rays! It was so much much fun! I cannot say enough how thankful we are for God's blessings!

My Babies are Growing!

Oh how time is flying! My babies are getting big already. Harrison is knocking on the potty training door and Kate is wanting to get into the action around the Saylor household. Where is the time going? It seems like I was just holding my newborns and now one is trying to outgrow his Huggies (thankfully) and graduate into big boy underwear and the other is eating cereal and playing in her exersaucer.I love them so much and thank God that He has given me these precious gifts. I have such a great family. I couldn't have asked for a better mate. Not only is her a great father to our wonderful children, but he is also quite a catch! He has this amazing smile that lights up the room whenever he enters. His laugh is loud, but engaging and he can make you feel so good inside just being near him. I love him so much. He also is such an inspiration to me. He loves God so much and is always looking for ways to draw people including me into a deeper connection with God. I pray that our children are able to follow his leadership and develop a love for people like their daddy.Harrison just keeps amazing me. He stays at home with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I must say, although it is challenging having two kids at home with me, I miss the conversations that he has with me when he goes to preschool. He loves his mommy. The other day, Jeremy took him to the store and he brought me home some flowers. I had tears in my eyes. What more could a mother ask for? It was so amazed watching my little man bring me a bouquet of mums! His daddy is already training him to be a great husband!Kate is blooming with personality. It is hard to believe that she is 4 months now. She has the sweetest smile and is trying to get in on the conversations now. She laughs and coos and dances! She is trying to sit up and is rolling over. She is no longer an infant that eats, sleeps, and poops. She really wants to get in on the action!

I love our family! What a great blessing from God!

Celebrating in Style

Oh say can you see..... We really enjoyed our very busy fourth of July weekend. We definitely burnt up our four dollar a gallon gas traveling to our parents' homes. Jeremy's parents have a home on Smith Lake so we spent the who day on the lake. Here are a few highlights from that day!

Kate is checking out the scenery from the back porch. She had such a good time visiting with all of her relatives from Indiana. She especially loved her Granny Saylor!
Harrison, as usual, was the social butterfly. He enjoyed talking to everyone. This was the first time that he had ever met his twin cousins, Shelby and Brooklyn. He had so much fun watching them jump in the lake and play with each other. Here is a picture of the three of them as they are looking quite exhausted after a day of swimming!
He also enjoyed splashing around in the lake

and chillin' with his cool dude sunglasses.
Both of the kids loved spending time with their Poppie
and Meme.
We had such a great time and ate way too much! But soon we had to leave to go to Tuscaloosa for Henry's first birthday party. Henry was born on July 4th! He is definitely our little firecracker! We also had a great time with all of my family. Nana and Grandy really enjoyed their grandkids!

I will have to post more pictures of this later when my sister sends me some more pics!

Summer Time Splash

Harrrison loves the water. We recently went to Jeremy's parents lake house on Smith lake and had a blast. Here is Harrison testing the water. At first he wasn't really sure about the lake. He saw Jeremy's sister, Gracie, swimming in the water and thought he could just jump right in (He didn't jump in). Talk about cardiac arrest! I thought my heart was going to jump through my chest! However; he quickly realized that that type of water was not for him. This is the extent of his lake adventures. He was content just watching everyone with his mommy and daddy right beside him.
Harrison did not like having to wear his life jacket on the boat. So he decided to take a nap after not getting his way. Kate; however, loved sleeping on the boat. I know the motor of the boat lulled her to sleep.She may not be old enough for her own raft on the lake, but she loves the bath. Isn't she cute!
Attack!!!!! Harrison and Henry had a fun day at Nana and Grandy's house. The gator pool was the perfect way to relax after a day of playing. Harrison thought that the alligator needed a lesson in wrestling, so he attacked! Guess who won?
Henry loves his cousin, Harrison. They have such a great time together. I like to think this picture is a perfect depiction of ebony and ivory. Henry is so tanned and Harrison is like his mother, milky white. He doesn't let the color stop him from being outside. We have just learned to love SPF 50!!!!
As usual, Kate is just the perfect bathing beauty. It is hard to believe that she is approaching three months! She is doing a good job observing her brother and cousin. I know that she is learning their moves and can't wait to participate.