Joy To the World!

A Tale of Four Christmases - #4

Christmas #3 was with my (Cathy's) extended family and I'm waiting on a few photos before sharing that post. So we'll move to the 4th and final Christmas celebration. We left Brandon, MS on Sun 12/23 and used that beloved 2-3 hour naptime to travel to Baton Rouge to see Jeff's parents and brother. Typically we also meet Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Bob (Charlotte, NC) there but due to health reasons, they were unable to travel. We piped them in via Skype though and it was pretty close to having them there. So thankful for many offerings of modern technology, especially in this case! We enjoyed a restful and enjoyable 5 days there. We didn't really pump Santa this year because when Claire saw Santa in person a few weeks ago, she hit the roof in utter fear! We plan to acknowledge him and have fun but try to ensure she's taught about Christ primarily. So we started our Christmas morning with the 3 of us in her room reading the Christmas story from her Bible and down for breakfast. We enjoyed having a relaxed morning of exchanging gifts where there was no short of gifts for Claire. We tried once again to let her know that she was getting gifts because people loved her and she was giving gifts to others because she loved them. She wanted to open and play with each item she got. See the below slideshow for highlights. Grandmommy and Grandaddy gave her a Minnie Mouse battery powered car, of which you'll see in the video she had tons of fun with. It made packing for the trip home a bit tricky though. Thankfully they are coming in about 3 weeks and will bring some things with them we had to leave behind. The rest of the week was fun times together of riding the carousel at the mall, playing with her gifts, and giving mommy and daddy a date night where we enjoyed dessert fondue at Melting Pot and an overnight stay in Baton Rouge. I read in a book for a solid hour, which has not happened in I don't know when! What a treat! It was a fun conversation of reflecting back on all that had happened in 2012 - highlights and lowlights...all build character right?! :)) All I know is that Claire adores all her family, but there is something special when Uncle Bobby is around! We are back home and getting settled from our Tale or Tour of Four Chrismtases, depending on how you look at it! Merry Christmas to all and let's get ready for 2013!

A Tale of Four Christmases - #2

Time to connect with Henderson's and Big Daddy. Best way for us to all connect was to come together at the Embassy Suites in Jackson, MS from our various 3 states that we represent. It was fun! We all converged Saturday afternoon and got unloaded and headed to the Henderson's room where they had a small tree and Christmas music playing. The kids had a ball and enjoyed ripping into all their gifts. We had fun making memories. Jeff picked up pizza and Andrea and I bathed the kids...she did most of it since my pregnant belly was impeding access to these slippery kids in the shower! Not a bad place to do Christmas! Wonder where we'll meet up next year!? Here's some highlights:

Christmas with Mommy and Daddy

With all our travels approaching we had to decide what was the best way to give Claire her gift from us - a new Car! Sure she's not 16 but she can handle it right?! :)) It was a Cozy Coupe! We decided it would be most difficult to transport with upcoming travels and what torture it would be to give it to her, then say, "Time to leave for a trip!" So we planned it for Sunday afternoon 12/16. We'd spend naptime putting it together (along with the sandbox Big Daddy had shipped to us) and give it to her after nap with plenty of play time. After nap, we started talking to her about why we give gifts to each other at Christmas. We discussed that we give gifts because we love each other and want each other to enjoy the gifts and because God gave us the greatest gift in his Son, to enjoy and for our salvation. That was not the total conversation but you get the gist of how it would go with a 2 year old...in stages and in simple terms...the main theme was that we know each other well enough to know what would make someone happy and what they would enjoy, and we bless them with that...like how God knows us and wants us to enjoy His blessings. This actually has been my Christmas ponderance this year. I usually camp out on one thought/theme for the season and this has been it for me and something I hope to instill in Claire - that is that her behavior does not dictate the gifts we give her. Her behavior might dictate a reward or lack there of but never a gift. Big Daddy gets it too as you can see how much fun she had with her sandbox.

A Tale of Four Christmases - #1

It's that time of year again. The shopping is done and it's time to start gathering with family to exchange gifts, enjoy good food, and fun...all while trying to keep focused on the "Reason for the Season." In some shape form or fashion, we will have experienced 4 major gatherings with family by the time this season is over (not counting our little family Christmas). This year it started with Mom and Jim at their house. Here's some photos from that time of gifts, spaghetti meal, and watching Claire entertain Maggie, their dog.

Big Girl Bed!

So we have reached another milestone: The transition to "Big Girl Bed". Claire started showing she had the skills to climb out of her crib about 2 weeks ago so I started moving to get her ready for the twin bed. I dreaded the sound of the "thunk" and subsequent scream when she really did climb out and hit the floor. So I tried to head it off at the pass. So we went shopping and picked out a new comforter and valences and discussed paint colors (which will happen after Christmas). We made the plan to transition last Friday. So while Claire was at school, Jeff and I put together my old twin bed and made it up and got it ready for when she came home. She was so excited! She has been in it a week now and actually stayed in it during nap and night time sleep. I'm sure our day is coming when she'll get out and explore but for now, we are thankful for how smoothe this milestone has gone. I had a "moment" just before we started changing her room up to soak in that my little girl is growing up really fast and how grateful I am for her baby-phase and excited about what each stage holds for her. Here's a video clip of her baby room and a few pictures of her enjoying her big girl bed. We still have more to do in her room to make it "big sister" ready before Brother arrives but thought we'd share.

Big Daddy's bday weekend

It was a nice weekend for Big Daddy to come...mulitfaceted...He got here in time for Claire to take him to her favorite place on the planet - McWane Center!  It is host to the Winter aWonderland Exhibit and the Clifford Exhibit among the always fun staple activities.  Big Daddy kept Claire Fri night so Jeff and I could enjoy a much needed date night to see "West Side Story".  It had been since high school that I was exposed to that story.  Saturday Big Daddy and I embarked upon Toys R Us to complete some shopping for the grandkids...overstimulating but fun.  Fun to watch the faces of people in there trying to figure out what kids would like, if they would play with stuff all wrapped up in how much things cost...is your inbox filled with Toys R Us offers like mine!  Dad and I both unsubscribed :))  We had some fun playtime with the SEC football championship game going and had birthday cake after.  Sunday was a good day of church and lunch before he headed home.  Enjoy some highlights from our time together.

Thanksgiving 2012

We alternate our travel at Thanksgiving and Christmas each year so this year it was Christmas with my (Cathy's) side of the family.  So we spent the morning with Mom and Jim at their home with Jim's side of the family mostly enjoying catching up and quite a tasty meal. Claire enjoyed helping YaYa put together a nativity scene.  Once it hit "nap time" we used that time (despite she didn't nap) to travel over to Starkville to see my dad.  It had been a very long time since we'd seen him on Thanksgiving Day.  We had a little meal and hung out with him until Friday evening when we headed home.  While there we enjoyed family time with him, which always includes a trip up to the playground at the Presbyterian Church and watching a little football.  We got up Saturday morning in our home and prepared to put up Christmas decorations after Claire's nap.  She really got into it this year as you can see the "hands on help" daddy got in putting up the tree and hanging the stockings.  One of her favorite things now is to ask "What's this/that?"...so we went through each ornament and why it's on our tree.  Our ornaments either have significance as it relates to us or is a momento form a trip we have taken as a family.  Each reminds of of God's hand in our lives as we start the celebration of the birth of Christ.

We recounted much to be thankful for this year...Family, friends, our church, work accomplishments and challenges, personal growth that is not without challenge too, blessings of Claire and baby Brother on the way.  I am posting a "Belly Shot" for those requesting to see the progress of growth!  At 24 week appt just before Thankgiving, all is looking good. Strong steady heartbeat and my growth is right on track.  Gained about 14 pounds and I'm in the awkward stage of none of my clothes fit but maternity stuff is too big!  Petite women have babies too :))

Thought also, I'd give you a "State of Claire" update.  At this point she is 2 years and 3 months old.  She has been out of diapers during the day now for almost 3 months with about 3-4 accidents throughout a week but I"m very proud of her.  Her consistent statements are, "Me do it", "What's this?"  "Let's go to McWane!"  "I want booster seat, no high chair", "I need put-put"  (that's her word for paci...she still has it for nap and bedtime and I don't see that addiction changing for some time), ...she still loves Kindermusik, going to Sunday School, trying to dress herself and wanting to get herself in/out of the tub (she is now lying on her tummy and flipping to her back in the tub acting as if swimming...)...She is repeating what others say and clear on what she wants to do or doesn't want to do.  She loves books and her "buddies" (stuffed animals) and singing as you have seen in the recent posts.

So here's a few pix from our Thanksgiving weekend: 

Singing Videos

Claire broke into song a few nights ago and I was so glad the camera was near.

October Silliness

The second half of October has had it's share of silliness and symptoms.  We enjoyed a visit from Big Daddy spent enjoying time with each other, watching football while mommy cooked tons of dishes to restock the freezer, and not to mention time at the park.  The park is where Claire decided to run her first 1/4 mile race nonstop!  She, like Forrest Gump, just hit the track and started running and running and running...all the way saying/giggling, "Mommy, we are running together!"...The bubble above my head is saying, "I have not run in months and here I am almost 20 weeks pregnant and running beside my 2 year old....not too bad...but hope she doesn't go for miles here..."  Thanks, dad, for coming over and leaving us with Claire who is going through Big Daddy DTs...:)

Claire had gotten interested in choosing her own clothes.  We usually pick out 2 outfits the night before school and she picks out one to wear the next morning.  )We don't fight over socks and shoes.)  On days when it's just us girls, I enjoy giving her full freedom to pick out whatever she wants to wear and thought I'd share a few pictures of her latest style (reminiscent of The Punky Brewster Show for those who remember that show).

You'll also see some of her fun in her toy box...many times she likes to get in the toy box with all her toys...She's also gotten in this kick of coming to play on our bed and hide in the pillows or have "tickle time"...or help us with our reading...She wants to make sure we have a strong marriage - I'm told that's one of the best things you can give your kids - so we'll keep working on it and growing together.

Pregnancy update:  20 weeks and going well.  Gained about 8-9 pounds.  Good strong heart beat heard last week.  Still nauseated most every morning but if once I either get sick or make it past 1 hour after breakfast, I'm good for the day.  I'm pooching for sure now and in the awkward stages of clothes...my clothes too small, maternity too big...oh well - this little boy is worth it all.

October ended as we approached Halloween...We were prepared to go to our church's "Trunk or Treat" when Claire's school called and said she had a fever and I needed to come get her.  We headed to pediatrician and turns out all is well, except it's one of those beloved "Fever Viruses".  So no Halloween for us this year.  She was supposed to be a LSU Cheerleader.  Maybe she can cheer for the Dogs next year!

It's a boy!

Meet Little Brother!  Jeff and I went for our 18 week anatomy ultrasound yesterday and found out we are having a boy!  What joy to find out we'll have a son!  Claire has been reading a book the Pearman family gave her called "I"m a Big Sister" and getting prepared and now she can talk about Little Brother!  The ultrasound was beautiful!  Two cerebral hemispheres, 4 heart chambers, solid vertebral column, lots of wiggling and some thumbsucking going on!  He weighs 9oz.  Crazy they can tell you so much!  Claire will catch on I'm sure when reality hits...but right now she's playing hard, being silly and making us proud making it to the potty with not one accident in the last 3-4 days!  6 weeks out of diapers now in day time and making me proud!  She loves books, playing in her tent and is always an avid fan of swinging in her swing.  She also loves to "drive" after we get home and sit in my lap behind the wheel to put my blinkers, windshield wipers and radio stations all out of whack...who cares!  It's fun!  So we rejoice and praise the Lord for knitting together our little guy and blessing us so far!  Oh some have asked about names...we are just starting to ponder but will probably do as we did with Claire and narrow it down to a couple then meet him, and call it when we see him.  I feel better these days.  Gained about 5-6 pounds and gradually working into maternity clothes!  Thanks, Laney and Kate! 

Hendersons come to town

Robert, Andrea, Brodie and Ellie stopped in for the night this past week en route to Georgia.  It's Robert's fall break and he's on the job hunt.  I wish I had a photo of Claire's face when their car pulled up!  I heard a yell, "MOMMY!  BRODIE AND ELLIE! BRODIE AND ELLIE! OPEN THE DOOR, OPEN THE DOOR!"  WHen they walked in I don't think Brodie and Claire stopped running and chasing each other all over the house!  The sweetest laughs between them!  It was a fun time to catch up, eat a bite of dinner together and splash around in the tub together.  Uncle Robert held all attention with his reading of Corduroy - a favorite!  Fun times for cousins and for us to share our families together.  Thanks for pit stopping on your journey and I know you'll find the right job to use your great skills and place to call home!  Cheering you on!

Fall Break - Baton Rouge

Jeff got 2 days "off" for fall break so we made a run to Baton Rouge and had a fun relaxing 3 days.  It was the first major road trip without diapers (except night time).  Thanks Aunt Bobby and Uncle John for letting us pit stop in Brandon, Ms for Claire to run for a while!  It really helped!  Claire did excellent with only one accident on the way down and 1-2 while there and none on the way home!  I hear cheers coming from every corner! :)  We enjoyed some play time at the park, a trip to the mall for shopping and carousel rides, and time at home watching football.  We got to go see where Uncle Bobby works at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Medical Physics.  Claire had a little input for him on some calculations and wanted to know a reference for appropriate radiation treatments.  We got to go eat at a favorite spot for us all - TJ Ribs!  The best ribs anywhere!  Jeff and I got to get out on Friday night which was quite a treat!  It's always fun to be together!  Thanks for a great weekend! 

Happy Birthday Cel!

A milestone birthday for a dear friend!  Celeste is one of the very first friends I made when I moved to Birmingham in 1996 and we have been close friends ever since - 16 years of friendship!  Wow!  Cel is the first of our birthday club to turn 40 and we had a fun time celebrating!  We had our usual birthday club dinner but 2 weeks later, another dear friend, Kerri, and I (Ashley we missed you greatly!) got the chance to make a night of it to celebrate.  It was dinner at Firebirds for a relaxing dinner and off to a night at the Embassy Suites in Hoover of girl time!  A little elf had entered the room and left flowers and Cel's favorite dessert of Strawberry cupcakes from Edgar's Bakery.  No calories on your birthday, much less your 40th!  Such a fun time together and nice relaxing breakfast and chatting and praying for each other on Saturday morning.  Friendships like these are precious and not to be taken for granted!  Cel, thanks for your enduring friendship through thick and thin and more is to come!  What an incredible 40 years and more is coming your way, sister!  thanks for letting us celebrate with you!  You are a blessing to me and so many!!! 

Another milestone- First haircut

How do you know when it's time for that first trim for a little girl?!?  The ends were uneven and we'd heard it was good to get a trim to help her hair grow in more full...so we found the day we could both go and it was yesterday.  Went to where Jeff gets his haircut at Vestavia Barber shop.  We talked all the way about it and she got to watch some kids get their haircut while she waited.  She sat up there so still and beautifully!  Admittedly I was prepared to have to hold her in my lap because she will hardly let me comb her hair after bathtime!  I guess we just don't know until we try!  Here's some snaps of her barber shop experience!

Pregnancy update 16 weeks

Many of you have asked how things are going with the pregnancy...I am 16 weeks today.  We had a OB appt last Wed and heard another precious strong heartbeat!  I have gained 4 pounds and moving right along.  My nausea is not so daily any more but I have not totally escaped yet, but it's manageable.  I am scrounging to find maternity clothes especially for Sundays...Things are getting a little snug!  Claire seems to be preparing herself in praying for brother or sister and kissing my tummy each night telling him/her "night, night! and love you!"  Good stuff!  We'll go in 2 weeks for the anatomy ultrasound and find out the gender!  That will be fun to find out.  Thanks for praying for us and this little one!

September Highlights

So September has been fun!  Started off with a rainy Labor Day in which Claire went to spend a few hours with YaYa and Jim and Jeff got some stuff done around the house.  Claire took some swimming lessons at the Pelham YMCA (parent-child class).  She wasn't real fond of going under water.  Did well kicking her feet but not too keen on using her arms or jumping off the edge just yet.  We'll go at her pace.  We'll play around for a while.  We also had some fun times at home as football season kicked off as you can see by Claire's adornment of her LSU jersey.  She likes to help me in the kitchen during half-time!  We also had some house-time together since we officially started potty training!  What a monumental milestone for all of us!  She said bye-bye to diapers about 2 1/2 weeks ago and with a few accidents here and there is doing great overall!  We have a silly "happy dance" we do when we have success and M&Ms is always a hit!  Thank you Aunt Andrea for sending the Potty Training Prize Pack!  As you can see, she looks good in her shades!  Kindermusik started back and she can't wait to get there on Mondays!  So far the Bulldogs and Tigers are undefeated and it's a fun time!  We are loving this weather and can't stay outside enough swinging in her swing and kicking balls in the back yard.  It's a long way to the potty from the backyard :)  Here's a few pictures and video clips from September.

Claire's 2 year photos

Hard to narrow down out of a ton taken by Becca from 2B Photography.  Thanks Becca for capturing the celebration and family on Claire's 2 year birthday!

Carver Family is Growing!

That's right!  Baby Carver #2 is on the way and due March 17, 2013.  We are right at 12 weeks along and things are going great.  We had a great ultrasound this week and heard a strong and rapid heartbeat.  We are all excited and Claire can't wait to be a big sis!  Please pray for us and especially this little one as God knits him/her together! 

Chattanooga

Our first family vacation not revolving around a holiday or work trip!  Chattanooga was great place to go!  We had tons of fun running around the Choo Choo on Sunday afternoon.  Monday was the morning at the Tennessee Aquarium.  She enjoyed the penguins and the otters to name a few.  We got to see a demonstration about a varieties of birds and Claire now things birds say "La La" vs. Tweet Tweet.  Cute!  Tuesday morning was a visit to Creative Discovery Museum which was incredible.  So much interaction and ability to experience so many things from art stuff to music, theatre, tinker toys and water activities.  It was a great trip to get away and just enjoy time together as a family.  Enjoy the highlights!

Oh My, It's True, Claire really is Two!!!

Wow! Here we are at year 2! The amazing amount of learning and growing continues! We had a great time celebrating Claire with a party at her school shared with her friend, Jack, who was born just 12 hours before her. They've been buddies ever since. You'll enjoy seeing the kids truly enjoy cupcakes and ice cream and meet some of Claire's teachers along the way. It was great being able to celebrate with family on her actual birthday, which her her words is "Augus Fort". We started the day with a photographer coming to take her 2 year photos and getting shots with family. (I'll post those when I get them back). Enjoyed lunch by Taziki's then Claire and Ellie napped while family visited with some watching Olympic games and others playing backyard ball. Brodie is quite the slugger!  We celebrated with him since his 5 year birthday was on July 31!  What a great kid!  I think most every time my dad and brother get together a baseball has to come out. After nap we had cupcakes and ice cream and gifts. So I tried to be a good mommy and make the cupcakes to look like ladybugs. So it's not Edgars but it was a fun attempt to operate out of my right brain, which may atrophy sooner than my left. I think Claire recognized them as ladybugs. It was a wonderful day spent with family from both sides. We did miss mom and Jim as they went to the funeral of Jim, mother. Once again our condolences and we enjoyed celebrating mom's birthday the next week. Fun to share birthday month with Ya Ya. I think my most fun moment was watching Claire's expression when she got the tricycle we gave her. "Oh...Bike! YEA!" and soon after "Thank you Mommy (and Daddy)!" She got great gifts from our very generous and thoughtful family. We appreciate you making trips in from 4 states to celebrate our little girl! Thank you for the influence you have on her to become all God wants her to be. Weighing 24.5# and standing 31 1/4" tall she is on her way to growth in lots of areas! Enjoy the highlights... SCHOOL PARTY:

FAMILY PARTY

Random Fun in July

Here are a few moments of fun for the rest of this month. YaYa joined us for fun at McWane. Claire loved showing her all about the Dora Exhibit and how she navigated many other stations. We had a brief visit with Big Daddy in Starkville and note the twinkle in both sets of eyes! What fun to have cousins pass through town in route to Mississippi! I can't believe these kids have grown up so much! Sarah and Connor live in Greenville, NC and Mary Morgan lives here (yahoo!) Claire saw me painting my toes and wanted hers done too so you'll see the results of my first attempt to give her a pedi! :)) Finally, you'll note that Claire is wearing a "special belt". This is because she has learned to take her diaper off when she naps or goes to bed. So after much consultation from friends with kids, duct tape was the answer! It has worked like a charm! We ran out so you'll see her in red tape for now. She thinks it's a "special belt" and it has to "stay on" to stay special :))The things we do... Hard to believe August is on the horizon which means we are marching toward Claire's 2 year birthday! WOW!

Singing Talents of a 23 month old

Here are a couple of videos of Claire. First one singing ABCs and second one is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Beach Trip 2012

Here's a few highlights from our trip to Dauphin Island for a few days last week. Jeff's parents met us there. Beautiful weather and very relaxing. Claire enjoyed both the beach, which she termed the "sandbox" and the pool. She was a little perplexed why the water kept returning on the beach and she enjoyed some wading with Grandad. We enjoyed a little education at the ESTUARIUM where Claire got to touch a few animals namely a baby octopus and run circles around the tanks. But mostly we did beach or pool in the morning and napped then went late afternoon. Jeff and I watched the fireworks show from the front porch which sounded like the civil war but Claire didn't wake at all. Great time to get away and rest and get exercise and enjoy family. Enjoy a video: Play time on the beach and some photos:

Henderson-McWhorter Family Reunion

A typical southern family reunion! Hosted at a small country church that can't be found on Google Maps (though the cemetery for the church is on there!) we met many people we have never seen before. The start of this family tree were my great grandparents. My grandfather (Earl Henderson) was one of 5 children. There were 15 total children from those 5. One was my dad - the only child of Earl and Frances Henderson. Of my dad's 14 cousins, 9 are still living and most were there with their children and grandchildren. I knew 2 of my dad's cousins but was pleased to connect with a little of my heritage. Despite the fact it was >100 degrees outside and you may never keep in touch with these folks, there is something special about thinking you have a family connection to these folks. Some stories are probably better left untold, but the ones that were fun to eavesdrop on were how proud people were of their children and grandchildren. Fun to see my dad especially show off this grandchildren primarily. It also gave me pride to introduce my family and say, "Yes, I belong to Bill." Thanks for keeping us connected dad!

Jeff the Father and Professor

Happy (pause) Fadda's (pause) Day, Daddy! (can you hear the toddler voice as she repeats the words coached by Mommy?!) She adores her daddy (as do I!). Claire loves to "Tackle Daddy" before bath time, play piano with him, give him tea at tea parties, read books to and with him 20 times from the same book, "check mail, daddy!", "help daddy" when he's doing something outside, after a skinned knee? "Daddy kiss it!" What precious moments in a precious relationship that make a mommy so proud! We are also proud to inform the world that Jeff was approved for tenure at U. of Alabama to be effective August 2012. This is a huge deal for faculty representing untold hours of research, grant-writing, teaching, talks given and workshops proctored around the world, student mentoring, paper writing, collaborations on so many levels etc...Typically, you go up after 6 years but he lost a couple of years because of ME :)) and he moved to Alabama. So let me introduce to you Dr. Jeffrey C. Carver, Associate Professor! Well done, Sweetheart! And all the folks in academia take that sigh of relief and sense of pride with you and Claire and I do our Happy Dance in celebration! We are so proud of you and love you very much!