Niamh at 3 months

Niamh turned 3 months old yesterday. I took her to my pediatrician and got her ears pierced. Some of you may think this cruel, but I had my ears pierced when I was about Niamhs age. She did cry but only for about 5 minutes. After that they didn't bother her at all. Now I know I may be biased as her mother, but I do think my little girl is the most beautiful baby. I took some pictures of her this morning after her bath. She is such a happy and content baby. I couldn't ask for more.








The first picture is of Gavin when he was about 8 months old. It is fun to see how Niamh looks very like Gavin as a baby.

Trudi & Tylers Wedding

My little sister, Trudi married the love of her life, Tyler Matlock on January 9th. I am so thrilled to see her find the one for her. He is perfect for her in everyway. She was a beautiful bride and he was a handsome groom. What a magical day it was!

A Milestone for Tyrone.

Today we celebrated Tyrone joining the world of big boys who go pee and poop in the potty. YAY!!! Tyrone was almost completely potty trained before Niamh was born. Then once Niamh came along, he decided he wanted to be a baby and keep wearing diapers. He was in a size 6 diaper and I worried that if he didn't soon potty train, we would have to move on to "depends." :) He has been going pee in the toilet for the last few weeks but will not go #2. We bribed him with promises of buying a nerf toy gun he had been asking for. He just kept saying "I can't go, it's just to scary." I had decided to just wait till he decided for himself, but Lucas took the reigns and told Tyrone if he started going #2 in the toilet that we would take him to Chuckee Cheeses. It only took a day and voila, Tyrone decided it was time he start wearing big boy underwear. I am keeping my fingers crossed because I know he could regress, but I am optimistic that he has decided for good. I am so happy that we only have to buy one size packs of diapers now instead of two.

My Little Bookworm

Tonight after dinner, Gavin found some Goosebump books by R.L Stine on the bookshelf. They are Lucas' from when he was young and he was into the books series. Anyway, Gavin and Tyrone love pulling them all out (we have about 10 of them.) Obviously they can't read them yet, but they are facinated by the scary covers. So, Gavin was showing me one of the books and he caught my attention when he pointed to the top of the book and said "This is the Title." Then he pointed above that and said "This is the Author." Lucas and I both looked at each other, gobsmacked. He is so smart and he is learning so much from the preschool program he is in at Smalley Elementary. Before Christmas Break, we discovered that Gavin also learned to use the computer at school and he can write his name. This is my baby!!!! He is growing up so fast, but I am so proud of him.

A Happy New Year & Sick kids

Happy New Year to you all! We are excited for a new year of possibilities and new goals to be accomplished. Lucas is moving from the SouthCentral Area Command (the strip) to the Southast Area Command. He is very excited to work at this new area, which happens to be the area where he grew up. He is that more excited that his mom and dads house is right across the street from the station, so he can pop over now and again. It is a little closer to home, so we are very happy. He is still working graveyard and still has the same days off. So, as far as the sick kids go, we had Gavin at the ER last week with Croup and a high fever. Both Tyrone and Gavin have had that nasty cough before, but Gavin scared me because he was wheezing so badly and could barely catch his breath. He got a breathing treatment and some Tylenol for his fever and was sent home after a few hours. He has had a lingering cough for a week now. I am so sick of telling him to "cover his mouth" when coughing. Then at the same time Gavin had croup, Tyrone had this nasty phlegmy cough and a constant runny nose, which he insists on wiping with his tongue. He has had that for about 2 weeks and that's not going anywhere either. Then this morning, we got up early because our church time went from 2pm to 9am, which we are very happy about. We were sitting eating breakfast and I noticed that Tyrone has pink eye, in both eyes. Yep! So, I staying home from church with Tyrone and Niamh. Does it ever end?????? I guess it's the season for it. I should be grateful, Niamh has not gotten sick, fingers crossed. Niamh is doing great. She is so happy and loves to smile. It melts my heart. She loves to coo and trys to talk to us all the time. When she is laying on my pillow in our bed, she tries to sit up. She is very smart and was upset at her daddy the other day and when he tried to burp her, she dug her nails in his neck and left a scratch. Hopefully that fiestiness is not from me :) She will be 3 months on the 20th of January. At her 2 month appt, she weighed 12lbs 8oz and she was 23in long. Gavin and Tyrone just love her and try to make her smile all day. It's precious!

The most wonderful time of the year!

The Abbott grandkids


We had a wonderful Christmas in our home this year. Gavin and Tyrone are old enough to really understand the story of the birth of Christ. We have a miniature nativity that we would get down and put on the floor. The boys would each name the characters and their favorite was to point to "Baby Jesus." This Christmas season flew by in such a blink that I really didn't feel I had a lot of time to focus on the true meaning. Lucas and I did decide in the middle of the year, that we would not place so much importance on presents and the commercial side of Christmas. The boys told us 3 or 4 things that they really wanted from Santa and we felt that was enough for them. Lucas and I actually left each others gift shopping till the last minute, and were still picking up last minute things on Christmas Eve. That was a little crazy to say the least. We still had fun picking out things from each others wish lists. I am always grounded when I hear the sweet Christmas music; playing in stores, on the radio and in our home throughout the season. We celebrate the birth of our Savior and are reminded of his love and sacrifice for each of us. My favorite part of Christmas is seeing the joy in my childrens faces as they open their gifts and spending time with family. That's all that really matters.
Three little Elves

Lucas reading "Twas The Night Before Christmas."

The Story of the Candy Cane

Legend has it that in the 18th Century somewhere in Europe any public display of Christianity was forbidden. No crosses or Bibles were allowed and the Christians were greatly oppressed. One old man, a candy maker by profession, was particularly distressed by this. He loved the Lord with all of his heart and couldn't stand to not share that love with the world. His heart especially went out to the children when Christmas drew near and no one was allowed to have a nativity scene on display in their homes. He prayed for God to show him some way to make Christmas gifts for the children which would teach them the story of Christ.

The answer was the candy cane. The candy cane was in the shape of a shepherds staff to show them Jesus is our Shepherd and we are His flock. A sheep follows his own shepherd, knows his voice, and trusts him and knows that he is totally safe with him. The sheep will follow no other shepherd but their own. This is how we are to be with Jesus if we truly follow Him ( John 10:11; Psalm 23:1; Isaiah 40:11)

Upside down the candy cane was a "J", the first letter of Jesus' name. ( Luke 1:31) It was made of hard candy to remind us that Christ is the rock of our salvation. The wide red stripes on the candy cane were to represent the blood He shed on the cross for each one of us so that we can have eternal life through Him. He redeems us and cleanses us with His shed blood - the only thing that can wash away our sin. ( Luke 22:20) . The white stripes on a candy cane represented the virgin birth, sinless life and purity of our Lord. He is the only human being who ever lived on this earth who never committed a single sin. Even though He was tempted just as we are, He never sinned. ( I Peter: 22) The three narrow red stripes on candy canes symbolized that by His stripes, or wounds, we are healed and the Trinity - the Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit. Before the crucifixion Jesus was beaten; the crown of thorns was placed on His head; His back was raw from the whip. We are healed by those wounds. He bore our sorrows and by His stripes we are healed. ( Isaiah 53:3) The flavoring in the candy cane was peppermint, which is similar to hyssop. Hyssop is of the mint family and was used in Old Testament times for purification and sacrifice just as Jesus sacrificed His life for ours. ( John 19:29; Psalm 51:7)

The old candy maker told them that when we break our candy cane it reminds us that Jesus' body was broken for us. When we have communion it is a reminder of what He did for us. ( I Cor. 11:24) If we share our candy cane and give some to someone else in love because we want to, it represents that same love of Jesus because He is to be shared with one another in love. ( I John 4:7,8) God gave Himself to us when He sent Jesus. He loved us so much He wants us to spend eternal life with Him... which we can do if we accept Jesus in our hearts as Savior and Lord. ( John 1:12; John 3:3,16) Some people believe this story of the candy cane is just a legend. Others believe it really happened. We do not know for sure exactly how the candy cane was invented, but there is one thing for certain... it is an excellent picture of Christ and His love for you.