Totally Different..

Well this year is completely different than last year and boy am I thankful! This weekend we have been with my parents and it has been awesome!! We celebrated Christmas with them yesterday morning and it was such a special moment because last year we were in the hospital. I had thought about blogging about last year but it has been really hard on me. I thought I would be ok but every once in awhile it will hit me like a ton of bricks. I know you are thinking well why is she being like this...why isn't she happy she is home. She better be thankful that she brought him home...  Well, trust me I have been asking myself why I get emotional about it and I can't explain it, but the times it does hit me its like I am sitting in the hospital reliving the whole thing. The hardest part was being away from Jagger. I can not explain what it felt like having him pulled away from us. I know it was super hard on my mother in law because she was the one having to pry him off of us. I literally thought my heart was ripping out of my body!  On a happier note, we are celebrating every second this year, not only for the birth of our Savior but also celebrating our time at home and our sweet miracle Hudson!
The time we have been with mom and dad has been great so far. I know the rest of our Christmas will be amazing. We opened presents with mom and dad. Hudson loved the paper. Forget the presents, just give him paper and he is happy! He is crawling everywhere and even trying to pull up!  Now Jagger on the other hand loved the presents. We ate breakfast before we opened presents and I thought he was going to not survive having to wait! The excitement about got the best of him! ;) After we opened presents, Matthew and I decided to head to town to finish our Christmas shopping! I thought we would just make it a quick trip! WRONG..what was I thinking. Wal-Mart was insane! Every single isle you went down was packed full of people doing the same thing I was! So our quick trip turned into a several hour trip! When we got home we ate supper and then got ready for our family game of Uno. The last two nights Matthew, Mom, Dad and I have been playing Uno. Talk about hysterical. My mom gets very competitive. Dad just lets us all get him (skip, draw 4, etc) and never says a word! Matthew says, Ok its on!   I just laugh through the whole thing! I am so grateful for the fun times that God gives us...such special memories!
Well time to get off here and enjoy a cup of coffee with my grandma!
Hope everyone has a super blessed day!
Lots of Love

Christmas Spirit!

You know sometimes how it can be the Christmas season but you are just not quite in the Christmas Spirit.. You have the tree up, you have done some shopping, etc, etc but just not quite there yet!! Well that has been me until yesterday! I am not quite sure why i haven't been in the Christmas spirit.. I have been excited.. I have done fun things it just hasnt clicked yet! I am sure I sound like the Grinch saying all this but I am really not!

So anyways yesterday was an awesome day! The day started out with me volunteering to help with Community Christmas! For those of you who do not know what Communtiy Christmas is... Its all the churchs and whoever else wants to help come together and donate mens gifts, womens gifts and toys for families to come and "shop" for gifts for Christmas! These families have to qualify for it and when they come they come in each room and hand pick a gift then take it to have it wrapped! Our church is always in the mens room. It is so sweet to see some the small children come in to pick a gift for grandpa and dad!! I have helped for several years and it is something I look forward to every year!

After Community Christmas I normally have a small breakdown because it truly reminds me of how blessed we are..i think many times we all take it for granted and forget so it is Nice to be reminded!

When I got home Hudson and I took a nap while the older boys went duck hunting!!! And Jagger had a blast! They didnt stay long because he got cold but he was so excited that he got to go! Hunting is definitely in the boys blood and there is no turning back now! I seriously think he would hunt anything they have a season for and probably some they dont! :) 

Around 6 it was time to get to church for the Tour Of Homes! This is where several people in our church open up there home for the women in the church to tour! It is really neat and if you remember we did this a couple of years ago! I started decorating after Halloween and it was somewhat stressful! But the homes are so gorgeous!!!! Matthew says he doesnt like for me to go on these things because then I come home full of ideas and wanting to but new things! Surely not me!! ;) when we get done with the tour we go back to the church, eat and listen to some beautiful Christmas music!! Last night I really felt in the Christmas Spirit!! I guess just a full day of Christmas things helped get me there. Tonight we have our deacons Christmas supper and the Children choir program at church. Tomorrow night we are ringing the Salvation Army bell, Christmas parade, and Matthews work party!! A couple of days of exciting Christmas events was all I needed!!! 

Hope everyone has a blessed day!! 

Lots of love!

The Sounds...

Don't you love the sounds of this season?? I know I do! The music is amazing! I confess I am one of the crazy people who starts listening to Christmas music way early!! I just love the message behind all of it and the way it makes you feel so happy! My favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night! It brings me to tears everytime I hear it and when Mrs Carrie Underwood sings it.... Oh my gracious! I get chill bumps thinking about it! I also enjoy the Elvis Christmas album! So many great classic songs mixed with his own and then hymnals! Its awesome! Jagger will say, Mom do we have to listen to Elvis anymore?? Hahah. Jagger's top pick would have to be the Chipmunk Christmas. He loves it but after awhile their voices start to drive me nuts! So thats when we go back to good ol Elvis! 

I love the sound of the house full of family visiting! There is so much laughter in the air! Its a sound I want to bottle up so we can listen anytime! The sound of all the cousins running through the house screaming, laughing and chasing each other. The sound of Christmas movies.. Christmas Vacation, Rudolph, Santa Claus is coming to town, Elf, Polar Express, and so many others! 

The sound of the bell.. You know... The bell outside of Walmart and department stores that many of us are guilty of trying to avoid! The Salvation Army bell! I truly enjoy the sound of it because when you hear that first ring of the season we know its The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! 

And then lastly the sound of squeals and excitement on Christmas morning! I Love when you pick just the right gift that makes them smile, jump up and down, gasp or whatever else means excited! The kids tearing through wrapping paper. Then the sound of toys being played with! 

Its all really wonderful and makes this season even more special! 

Whats your favorite sound this time of year! (I know my husband would say the ducks flying over head!!) 

Hope everyone has a blessed night!

Lots of love! 

Simple....

Simple.. That is just how we are keeping Christmas this year! I can not believe we are coming up on the year anniversary of our nightmare! I say nightmare but over the past few months I have really started dealing with what we went through, and yes it was not fun and I don't want to ever go through it again but I am truly beginning to think it was part a blessing! I know you are thinking I am crazy for saying a blessing but I know that God does everything for a reason and in his plan that was suppose to us during the holiday season last year... Why? We will never know but I think God showed me alot during those two weeks in the hospital! 

The big thing is he taught Matthew and I what Christmas is really about! Its not about trees, presents, food, decorations, parties and all the other things! Its about Jesus! And last year thats all we had! We were in a hospital room with nothing but family and Jesus! And I truly believe we experienced a true Christmas! God stripped us of everything that we thought was important and showed us what was truly important! So this year I have totally changed my thinking!! We are taking it one day at a time! Whatever shopping I get done, thats what I get done! If I don't get all the crafts, food, and everything that pinterest tells me I need to do, I know it will be ok! I just want my family to focus on love, giving to others and Jesus! The rest doesn't mean squat! 

With all that being said, I will say we have done some fun things so far...last year we started the countdown to christmas with the random acts of christmas...we loved it so much we decided to do it again! Each day we do different acts of Christmas kindness! We have done some Christmas crafts.. Nothing too involved! We have watched Christmas movies! We built a gingerbread train.. That is now falling over! We have read Christmas books... And many other fun things! I want the Christmas season to be fun for my kids but I never again want to be stressed and miserable over a time that is suppose to be full of love and joy! I want to keep things simple as can be! 

Hope everyone has a blessed night. 

Lots of love

Megan

Life..

Life can be so awesome at times and then in the blink of an eye change! We have for sure learned this over the last year but it still amazes me how fast life can change! Yesterday we said goodbye to my Aunt Ruthann!! This was a complete and total shock to the whole family! She had no signs of being sicka and as far as most of us know she was healthy! They just found her in her apartment Tuesday morning! It actually makes me sick typing this sick because I feel its a dream! She should still be here..My grandma had 8 kids and she was the second to oldest! There are two girls and the rest boys! I have grown up thinking both of my aunts hung the moon! They are both special in their own way. I remember growing up thinking my Aunt Ruthann was so beautiful! She always had her beautiful blonde hair fixed and  She had these awesome red fingernails. She always called me Megan Marie! The older I have gotten the closer we got! We have always shared a love for Elvis and for family history! I love anything to do with our family and she was my go to lady when it came to that! I could ask her anything about our family and she knew it! I feel so blessed because a few weeks ago we sat in Grandmas living room and for several hours she told me stories about their childhood! I have cried and cried because I am so glad that God gave me this time with her because I will never have it again and she told me stories that I can pass on! She also came to St Louis while Hudson was in the hospital and we got to spend several days together! Her laugh is one I will never forget! You could hear it a mile away and when she laughed you would instantly laugh with her! 

My aunt was an awesome mother, nonnie( grandma), aunt, daughter, friend, sister and so much more! She will be missed so much! I pray that God will give us the comfort we need to deal and help us focus on all the good times! I know she is up in heaven smiling down on us listening to Elvis! 

Hope everyone has a blessed day! 

Lots of love 

Megan