Thanksgiving 2013

This year we headed to Monroe for Thanksgiving with my side of the family. And it was quite the gathering! There were a ton of people and Beau had a blast. And overwhelmed blast. He got to meet his great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. It was a great time with food, family, and fun. It could not be beat! 

The holidays are so much fun with this little guy. Christmas is for sure going to be a BLAST!!

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4

Memorial Day 2013

After we wrapped up at the beach, we headed home for some Memorial Day festivities. Waiting on us at home were three MORE of my favorite people. My brother, Emily, and Baby Caroline! It was like I got to hit the family favorites jackpot! We hung out Saturday and ate some YUMMY Mexican food, which makes sense on an American holiday weekend. 

I wish I could see this sweet face every day. Love my C.

Sunday, we hung out in the morning and went to Strawberry Patch Park to play a little before our cook out that afternoon. C loved the walking trail and the bell. We saw a cute, yet mean, family of geese. But, in their defense, it was a Mama and Daddy protecting their babies. Which were adorable.

I mean. NO. WORDS. So precious.

Our parents were on the way home from ATL so they got to swing by too on Sunday. We grilled out and watched LSU beat Vandy to be SEC Baseball Champs.  GEAUX TIGERS!!! After we all ate, and I finished off almost a whole watermelon... Em and the Parents and C headed to Monroe.  John stayed the night Sunday night and we watched a patriotic movie... Star Trek Into Darkness. HA. It was good and scared me. But, we had a blast.

If only these two would move closer!!! It really was so great to see them and spend some quality time. Unfortunately, something that happens not often enough. We love our family, and we are so blessed to also be genuinely friends with them.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!

Mother's Day 2013

Today is such a surreal day. Today I am exactly 20 weeks pregnant, which is the halfway mark. That in and of itself is insanity, but how cool to be halfway to being a Mama on the day we celebrate moms.

Thank goodness that the Lord saw it fit to place so many wonderful moms in my life. None of course hold a candle to my very own mother. Mama Sheryl has always been such the supporter of me and my brother. She loves us. Laughs with us (this is of course when she understands the joke). Cries for us (since she holds the emotion gene) and all around just makes our lives fun. No one could be a better mom to us than her. And now, she is in her best role yet... Nana! Can't wait for Beau to get to meet this lady.

Next, of course is my incredibly sweet and fun mother-in-law. I am so grateful for her for so many reasons. First, she is a great mom and raised a son that couldn't be more of a gentlemen if he tried. I am so thankful that she raised him to love God and love people. Plus, she is a heck of a lot of fun to hangout with and that just frankly can't be beat. I am also so excited for Beau to meet his Nana. Cause Mrs. Sue is a pretty outstanding one.

I cannot wait to meet our little guy! 20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go. I ought get moving on that nursery :).

Hello 2013, It's nice to meet you!

Well, we survived 2012. And given the end of the world predictions in May and then December, it was a close call! Because I love a list, I decided to list the top 10 moments of our 2012. In no particular order, because who can rank these they are all GREAT!

1. Getting married! I think this is a no-brainer.  We have had such a great year, and May 19, 2012 will always be my all time favorite day. This year was definitely a year of wedding fun and marriage bliss.

2. Caroline Rose making her grand entrance. I love all babies, but my nieces hold a special place in my heart. This sweet girl has brought so much fun to the Potts family!

3. The year of Ashley/Megan. My cousin is my bff. And sadly we never get to see each other, but due to her wedding and my wedding, we had a year of FUN! And of course getting to meet sweet Abby!

4. My best friend's wedding. Yep. That is right. 3 weddings from March to May. It was an eventful year! Emily's wedding was so beautiful and should  have been in Southern Living. I will get off the wedding kick in Number 4... Maybe.

5. Our Honeymoon to Hawaii. I wish I could live there. I loved just about everything on our island. It was a blast.

6. Living life with these girls. And Baby Walker. :)

 

7. The State Fair. It is a highlight every year, and will continue to be until I turn from my redneck ways. Which will be never. Long live the Fair!

8. The first year in our house and having fun gatherings with our friends and family.  Along with this is having a house 5 minutes away from our family. Living close to Will and Rebecca and the girls is so fun for impromptu gatherings and fun.

9. Gunnar's debut into the family. I am a nut job and love my pups. This little guy is about the sweetest thing ever. He has been such a good dog and a definite great addition to the family.

10. Holidays with Bubba. We have had so much fun the past couple of months! Thanksgiving and Christmas were great, and New Year's was so fun too! From killing my first deer to ringing in the New Year. Glad Bubba was the one with me.

 

Happy New Year! Wishing you many, many blessings in 2013!

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime

We have been doing a lot of celebrating the season over the past few days. I absolutely love it. Being festive is a hobby of mine, I think.  As we all know, patience is simply not my virtue. I think that I only matured to the equivalent of a 5 year old in the "wait on the surprise" area. With that being said, Bubba and I have already had our Christmas exchange. Partially due to travel plans, but mostly due to my 10 day nagging and begging fest. I am not proud, however I am certainly happy it paid off! 

We did small, fun Christmas this year. Mainly because we did exciting things like buy a deep freeze and car insurance. Oh adulthood how you be so awesome. Anyway. Bubba's big gift was a game that he wanted and some soft pants and some books. He got me a cute shirt and sweater as my small gifts. My big gift was this....

Yes. An Umbrella and a Spoon and Sugar.

It was more of a clue than a present.  Turns out it was an umbrella and a "spoonful of sugar." We are going to see Mary Poppins in Memphis in a few months! I am SO excited!! Mary Poppins is my absolute most favorite movie of all time. I love love love it. I cannot wait!

The Pups also got presents because I am crazy like that. Gunnar and Gertie got a candy cane bone, tennis balls, and new stuffed toys to destroy and leave white fuzz ALL over the place. This hasn't happened yet. I am just coming to terms with my future.

Loves her bone more than life itself.

We have also done a good bit of Christmas movie watching, going to look at all the pretty Christmas lights, and baking. I made Christmas Bark for some neighbors, co-workers, and friends. It was a huge success! So easy and so yummy! I used this recipe.  Seriously the easiest thing I have ever made. This is a terrible picture, but it tasted lovely.

Lastly, we have just been hanging out with good friends, who are kinda the same as family. And that is truly our greatest blessing. Last night we went to dinner to celebrate life and Will's new JOB!!!!!!! and ate and laughed and cried (well, just Whit) and laughed because Whitney was crying :).  I can't wait to celebrate this week with our families. This week has been a pretty great pre-game warm-up! 

Will finally got his facial hair he always wanted!

This month has been a great one! I cannot wait for it to finish out strong. The best is yet to come.

The best being this baby girl! Caroline, I am coming for you!!!

Oh. And it is worth mentioning... I have been married to this guy for 7 months. Best 7 months to date!

Such a softy

Have a Merry Christmas!!

For a child is born to us,

    a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.

    And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Pancake Pajama Palooza

Nothing says Christmas like friends coming over for pancakes in their pajamas.  We had our 2nd Annual Pancake Pajama Palooza on Wednesday, and it was so much fun! We love all our friends and this was such a fun time to get together and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!

This tradition will definitely be one that sticks around for years to come. Or as I said to Bubba, "I want to eat pancakes in my pajamas until I die." And while that does sound appealing, I think I was dramatically trying to say that this tradition should stick around for a long time. But who knows, I may eat pancakes from here on out. Only time will truly tell.

Please note that A needed high heels to accessorize

Pancakes clearly are lonely without a big ole ham

Until next year, Happy Pancake Pajama Palooza!!

Thanksgiving Week 2012

We had the best Thanksgiving! We started off the week with a chance to visit with our friend Brandon. That always makes my heart glad. We met Brandon, Les, Whit, Will, Fri and Joey to ice skate and watch some Ballet. It was a blast. We ate at Chili's after and it truly was such a great time. We can't wait for B to live close. I am so thankful for time with best friends to laugh and eat. Brings me joy.

Wednesday we went up to Batesville for Thanksgiving. It was a GREAT day and weekend. We love our family so much and had a wonderful time visiting with cousins and family. The meal was great and we all had very full and happy bellies. Friday we went to see James Bond. My only regret of the weekend is that I didn't take many pictures.

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for my friends and family and all the love they show us.

A Very Merry Friendsgiving!

Last night, we celebrated Friendsgiving. A joyous celebration with dear friends and pot luck dinner. Can I get an Amen? We had pork roast and all the yummy sides you could think of: corn casserole, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, potato salad, and desserts! There is something quite magical about sharing a meal with those you love. Be them friends or family. Or in this case a little of both :).  Everyone had a blast, and we ate and fellowshipped. Two of my greatest skills. 

Someone had a lot of chocolate :)

Friends and Family

We may not have a big, perfectly set table to sit at, but we keep it classy with turkey paper plates and sitting criss-cross applesauce style on the floor. 

Our friends are some of the best in the world. And these were just a portion of them. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with great friends that are truly family. This was a great pre-game training meal for next week. May the Holidays begin!!

Costume Love

I love a costume and a theme. I like to think I have an active imagination, and not simply a creeper. Growing up I was typically a cat or a hobo for Halloween, which I know realize is code for oops its the day of Halloween and you don't have a costume. I do not blame Sheryl for this. It was tough in the BPE days, i.e. Before Pinterest Era. While I can and will never be able to compete with these people (not random internet finds, but kinfolk if you will)...

Bun in the oven and the Baker

I do look forward to some GREAT holiday fun dressing up! And yes, Christmas is obviously a dress up time as well. Maybe I can get Bubba to dress up as a Pilgrim with me for Thanksgiving. Then we could have the trifecta of holiday wear. A hat-trick for you soccer fans. Behold the costumes of holiday past! 

80's work-out girl

This is a personal fave. Homemade Care Bears. He sure does love me.

Tacky Christmas. Makes me so happy!

The Grinch and his dog Max (or May since I'm a girl).

I suppose since Halloween is next week I need to get on that costume! What ever will we be?