Cookin' Christmas Cookies

Yesterday we went to hang out with Lindsey and Ella to start off Christmas week with a little cookie baking!! Lindsey and I bought the kids these aprons last year so we only thought it appropriate to get together so they could wear them!! :) We had a great time. We made sugar cookies with icing then let Ella and Caleb decorate them with sprinkles and chocolate chips. Caleb was very into the sprinkles and Ella was very into the chocolate chips....eating them at least! :) Here are some pictures of our great time together....

Oh....yeah. And after the cookie eating, when the sugar began to kick in, Caleb felt it neccessary to take Ella down. He thought it was hilarious. Ella.....not so much!!

Three Words....

Three words that can melt your heart are I Love You. It doesn't matter who speaks them, they are priceless words. Just since last weekend Caleb has started saying these words and it just melts my heart everytime I hear them. Although I know he doesn't really know what they mean yet, it is still so sweet. Most of the time you have to help him start by saying "IIIIII...." and he will finish by saying "YUUUUUB YYYOOOOUUU!" (as he points to himself!) BUT...the other night he was in the tub and completely unprompted he looked right at me and said all three words by himself. BE STILL MY SOUL! I almost got a little teary eyed! And then this morning as Chad was leaving he looked at him and said " IIIIIIII YUUUUB....(pause)....Da-da!!" It's just so precious watching him pick up on so many things. He's like a little sponge and is repeating everything! I am loving this stage!

Fhoto Friday!!

WOW! This is LONG overdue!!!

Rockin' out at Lifeway Christian Bookstore!

A little playtime before bedtime.

Punkin Carvin' Par-tay at our house

Final products!!

Exploring, exploring, exploring!!!

Happy Birthday, Love!

(Notice: I am a very enthusiastic birthday song singer. I like to bring out my operatic voice for these occassions.)

October 22, 1980. I was 19 months old. I was probably running around my house, just like Caleb does these days, getting into everything I could in our little house on Longhill. I'm sure I didn't have a care in the world except eating, sleeping and playing. Again, just like Caleb these days. BUT.....as God would have it, down the highway in Anderson, SC Chad Bruce Byce was being born. At 19 months old the person I was to marry entered the world. After this day it was just God's timing as to when we would meet. We lived our seperate lives for 22ish years until we met at an FCA camp my junior year of college. Again, as God would have it, even after our intial meeting we didn't see each other again for about 3 years....until that day in the foyer at FBC Simpsonville. There he stood propped against the wall in true Chad fashion (as I now know!), looking all relaxed, chatting with one of the youth. I recognized him, went over to say hello, hung out with him and a group of other friends at the Waffle House that night and well....the rest is history!!



I say all that to say this....Do you know how important prayer is? I am so thankful that I know without a doubt that Chad's parents and my parenrts prayed for our future spouses. I am so thankful that Chad's parents raised him according to God's word, that they taught him to measure his successes in life not by the world's standards, but by God's. I am thankful that they took the time to read God's word to him, to share their love for missions with him, to pray with and over him. I am thankful for all this because these things, plus all of Chad's other life experiecens and the way God has worked in his life has shaped him to be the person he is today - the person I get to call my husband and the person Caleb gets to call "da-da". So....if you haven't already starting praying for your child's spouse, today is not too late to start - to pray that they come to know Christ as soon as they understand, that they run hard after Him, and that they will understand God's call to purity. Afterall, they could be being born right this moment!!


Oh...and not to mention that God answered the prayers of my heart for a husband in Chad. :) We are as different as night and day, but I love it!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHAD!!!!

EASY-PEASY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES!!!

I'd say it's a fact that cooler weather promotes cooking. I guess because you have to be inside more. Today while I was inside because of the nastiness outside (Lord, I am thankful for the rain, but like the sun also!) I decided to whip out my super easy peanut butter cookie recipe. Folks, you never need to buy PB cookies again once you know this recipe; it would almost be silly. Check it out below.

Preheat oven to 325.

Mix together 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Stir well! Form into small balls and press with the tonges of a fork. Bake for 15 min or until a little golden. Place on wire racks after removing from oven and let "set". They take a little while to get firm (5-10 min). They do not get bigger while they bake so the size you make them is the size they will stay. You can also add a mix-in if you like. I used mini chocolate morsels today, but other ideas might be toffee chips, peanuts, whatever you like!

When it rains...

First, we pitch a giant fit because it means we can't go outside much during the day, especially now that it's been much cooler outside.

Next, we decide on the fun things we can do inside the house! Today we decided to have a little fun in the kitchen sink. Caleb is a big fan of playing in water so since it was too cool outside to play in the rain puddles, I just let him have a little splash in the sink. Maybe this means he will love washing dishes one day!

Finally, we made some yummy caramel corn. What a great addition to a rainy, fall day! A house full of a wonderful caramel smell and a tasty snack! You can make your own by following this recipe.

Caleb watching the popcorn pop.

Cooking up the caramel.

The final product!

Going, Going....GONE!

Oh Caleb and his corn. This kid loves it...and I must say it's one of my favorite things to watch him eat! He has a little process where he starts by gnawing away at the ends and then he moves to the middle; however, not only does he chew away at the kernels he also spends much time sucking the juices off the cob. It's so funny and it does a nice time occupying his time at the table. Hmmm...come to think of it, I just may start giving him corn on the cob every night! HA! Enjoy the pics!

Gnawing away!!

Inspecting to see what is left...

A happy corn eater!!

The remains

Labor-less Weekend

All play, no work. That's the way our Labor Day holiday was, and that's just the way I like it! We had such a great long weekend. Chad and I got to spend some time by ourselves and we also got lots of quality as out little family of three. Check out the pictures below for a recap of our days together.

WE RELAXED!!!!
Obviously I was up and about, but Caleb, Chad and Daisy enjoyed a relaxing Friday morning. Caleb woke up and was just getting over being sick so I let him watch a "movie" (aka Baby Einstien) in our room. You can tell Chad and Daisy were oblivious to him being there!

IKEA and BILLY GRAHAM LIBRARY:
Chad and I took off on Saturday to head to Charlotte. I've been wanting to hit up IKEA so mom and dad kept Caleb and off we went. We decided that since we were headed that way we'd also stop by the Billy Graham Library since we'd been wanting to go there as well. WOW! What a neat trip. The whole experience far surpassed our expectations. What a wonderful ministry this is!! It is so inspirational to watch the journey of a man who simply completely yielded his life to Christ. I knew he had touched a lot of lives, but WOW! If you've never been here, you definitely need to make the trip. I promise you it will be a blessing.

GEORGIA AQUARIUM:

Monday we decided to take Caleb to the GA Aquarium. Another very neat place. I will say, it was a little much for an almost 18 month old, but there were parts he really enjoyed. It was somewhat difficult because there were tons of people so we couldn't really just let him walk around so he got a little frustrated having to be held or in the stroller the entire time. However, mommy and daddy had a blast!!

Caleb's favorite part was playing outside of the aqauarium!!!

NEW COUSIN!!!

And last.....although we had a labor-less weekend we had one family member who took the day quite literally!!! Caleb's first first cousin was born on Labor Day. His name is Braylon Jackson Byce and he and his mommy are doing well. Caleb has not met him yet, but is sure to love him!

Do you see what I see?!?!

For weeks now I have been looking for the first signs of fall. The very first sign I found was on the cover of my Southern Living magazine that arrived last week. Yesterday, while Caleb and I were playing outside, we found something a little more promising. Take a look...

(look around the bottom of the tree!)

Caleb would pick up a leaf and say, "OOOOOOOhhhhh" and then rip it apart and throw it down. I can't wait until they all turn crunchy because he will have a blast!! Fall is definitely on it's way. Oh...and the weather yesterday was absolutely PERFECT!!! It almost felt a little cool. Lovin' it!!!!

Where's the horse shampoo?

I had a baby shower to attend on Saturday so Chad was in charge of going to get Caleb's hair cut. Keep in mind this is his 5th haircut, so you'd think he might start becoming a pro at it. HA! If you walked in the salon while he was having his haircut you would probably think the stylist was stabbing him with the scissors while his mom or dad held him down and allowed her to. It's the worst expereince ever!!! He did great with his very first haircut and everyone after that has pretty much been a nightmare! I told Chad that since I have to take him to the Dr. by myself, then he had to have the job of getting his haircut! After this past Saturday we may just let the kid have long hair! Here's how it went down:

This is a picture of Caleb the day before his haircut with my brother, Corey.
AND........

This is the result of a screaming, flailing, fighting little boy who let the stylist majorly gap up his baby boy hair. This was the only thing left to do after she cut the large accidental chunks out of his hair...

Chad called me on the phone while I was at the shower and said, "Umm....I think you might be upset about what I did." Yeah, not a great way to start a phone call. Anyway, he explained and yes, I was a little upset, but I got home and he's still a super cute kid!! Thank goodness it's only hair. I feel sure that with daily use of horse shampoo it will soon grow back!!!

FREE PUPPY!

Need a snuggly friend?!?!! Here's your ticket!!This little guy showed up at Chad's office today. He was with four others and they all now have homes. He's the only one left....poor guy! We have him with us right now and he is very, very sweet and seems to get along great with our cocker spaniel and with Caleb. Chad took him to be checked out by the vet today and he's fine. He had his first round of puppy shots and is due for boosters in a week. He is about 6 weeks old and we think he may be in the lab family. If you or someone you know would like to give this little guy home, please contact me ASAP. We need to have a home by the week's end.

Arabian Tea

This past weekend I made my first journey to Arab (pronounced aaaaaay-rab), Alabama, the hometown of my brother’s fiancé. In Arab it is tradition for each bride to have a bridal “tea”. I had never heard of this before and it was nothing short of interesting. Kristen tried to explain it to me before we came, but this is one of those things you just have to attend yourself. Here are some facts about the “tea”:

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FACT #1:

You don't actually drink tea. They just served typical shower food - finger foods, fruit, and PUNCH! Check out the picture below.

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FACT #2:

The bride doesn’t open the gifts; the hostesses do. The bride basically stands at the door and greets her guests. Most of the gifts have already been delivered to the house hosting the tea prior to the event. A majority of the people in Arab buy their gifts at a few little shops downtown so these stores deliver the purchased gifts to the hosting house and the gifts are already on display in rooms throughout the house (by categories) when you arrive. (see pics below)

Kristen greeting guests w/ the hostess.

Room #1: Kitchen things

Room #2: Auburn related items. No VT things for Corey. Poor guy!

Room #3: Baskets, linens, etc.

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FACT #3:

It is considered rude for the bride to walk through the rooms and look at her gifts! I thought this was crazy!! Kristen and Corey had to wait until they got back to her house to look through it all; although I think I did hear Kristen mention that she went and peeked at the things one quick time!!

Kristen with her mom and sisters.

Me and Kristen

Soon-to-be Sosebee's



Kristen asked me what I thought it when it was over and I told her it was “different”! I meant this in the nicest way; just nothing like I have ever been to or even heard of! I asked her if she got bored just standing by the door and not getting to look at her loot, but she said she had fun and that it was just what she had expected. Of course, she’s been going to Arabian “teas” her whole life!!

It was exciting getting to meet all her family and friends. Only 18 more days and I’ll have a new sis! I can’t wait!

P.S. The house that the shower was hosted in was AMAZING! I never thought I would see a hot pink dining room that looked good, but I did this weekend. I felt like I was walking through the pages of a magazine! Loved it!

The Lazy Days of Summer (so far...)

Although we haven't vacationed anywhere this summer, we've done lots of fun summer-y activities over the past few weeks. The weather has been unbelievably hot so we've done just about anything to keep cool. I suppose that's the south for ya! Here are a few pics of what we've been up to

PLAYING IN THE POOL AT GRANNIE'S

CHILLIN' ON THE BOAT

(what a stud muffin captain!)

takin' it easy!





PLAYING WITH ELLA CLAIRE

LEARNING TO THROW ROCKS WITH DADDY

(while we wait on fireworks)

Caleb seems to be enjoying it all. He's at such a fun age and is just so curious about EVERYTHING!!! We are enjoying every minute of watching him learn and explore. I will be great until he discovers bugs!!! UGH!!