Gingerbread, gum drops, icing and sprinkles Oh My!

The gingerbread house before the earthquake. :)
One gum drop on the house, One gum drop in my mouth
So focused on the kneading of the icing
Ella Catherine and Mimi in their matching aprons
Mimi feeding Carter some breakfast

Mimi came to visit this weekend. She and Ella Catherine went shopping at Sam's and came back with all kinds of goodies like a fruit tray and vegetable tray all picked out by Ella Catherine. In addition, she picked out a Gingerbread house kit. So, Mimi, Ella Catherine and I attempted to make a gingerbread house. Mimi had made us all matching aprons to wear. We are very excited to have them and will enjoy them for years to come when we make our Christmas goodies. Let me just say, in making a ginger bread house it is most helpful to read the instructions and follow them. Our kit had conflicting information and we obviously chose the wrong set of instructions to follow. So, we had an earthwake and the house fell down shortly after we took the above picture. However, Matt came to the rescue and fixed it. House is now standing and all is right in the world. The most important thing was Ella Catherine had a great time making the house. She ate almost as much candy as she put on the house and is officially obsessed with candy. When someone asks her what Santa is bringing her or what she wants Santa to bring her she says "Candy".
I had Carter's 6 month photos scheduled for Saturday morning. Angela, our wonderful photographer, had agreed to take some pictures of Ella Catherine as well. Mimi came along to help and it was so nice to have another set of hands to help. I think we got some fabulous pictures and I can't wait to see the proofs. Despite having a terrible cold he cooperated beautifully.
Sunday Carter was feeling worse. So, mimi watched the kids while Matt and I went to church. After church Carter and I stayed at the house while Matt and Mimi took Ella Catherine to see Santa. Well, the line for Santa was extremely long and they did not get to visit with the jolly ol elf. She told Matt that she wasn't scared and she was going to sit on his lap, but history says otherwise. At Matt's company Christmas party Santa came to visit and she cried and refused to sit on his lap. She was still asking to see Santa today and so I think we may try again this weekend...Lord help us!

O Christmas Tree

The Lynch Christmas tree 2009: note the paperchain made by Ella Catherine
PJ time in front of the tree

Putting the angel on top

Our Elf from Santa, "Jess"


Matt, Ella Catherine, Carter and I went Friday after work/school to pick out our Christmas tree. When we got home, Ella Catherine and Carter had gotten a package from Santa Claus. He sent them an Elf to watch over them and report back to him if they were naughty or nice. Ella Catherine got to name him and what you need to know is Ella Catherine isn't into naming her baby dolls or stuffed animals. If the stuffed animal is a teddy bear then its name is teddy bear, if it is a lamb it is lamby. She has many babies and they are distinguished by their size or what they are wearing. For instance, we have purple baby, pink baby, big baby, little baby, soft baby and dolly. So, naming the Elf was a chore to say the least. However, after Matt and I threw out a few names or 20 she came up with "Jess" all on her own. So, our Elf on the Shelf's name is "Jess". She wasn't so sure about the whole Elf thing in the beginning but is very into it now and is excited to look for Jess every morning.
Saturday was filled with decorating the house and the Christmas trees. We have a little artificial tree up in Ella Catherine's room and the family tree downstairs. She really enjoyed putting the ornaments on her tree and liked looking at all the ornaments for the big tree but wasn't much into putting them on. By this time she was ready for some arts and crafts. So, she helped Matt and I get our Christmas cards addressed by putting on the return address labels. Therefore, when you get our cards and you think the label looks a little off remember a 2 1/2 year old did it. :) Carter was observing everything from his jumper. He gets a look in his eye when he looks at the tree and I can just see the wheels turning. If he does crawl before Christmas, we will have to break out the playpen to keep him out of the tree. We are gearing up for Christmas and I can't believe it is only 16 days away!!!

Carter's 6 month checkup

Carter had his 6 month check up on 12/4/09. (Technically he was 6 1/2 months) He is doing well. His top two teeth are very swollen and we expect them to pop through soon. Perhaps he will get his two front teeth for Christmas. :) Dr. Harraf also said he has some more bottom teeth that are starting to bud. Looks like he will have a good set of chompers before long. He is developing well and his motor skills are good. He weighs 20lbs 12oz (93rd%), he is 28in (90th%)tall and his head is off the charts at 47 (we like to say it is because he has a lot of brains :) ). He is still very anxious to crawl and I have a feeling we will have to get the playpen out if he starts before Christmas. He gets a wild look in his eye when he sees the Christmas tree and I can see those little wheels in his head turning! HA! He goes for his next cardiologist visit on 12/22/09. Matt and I are praying and asking for a good ECHO for Christmas this year.

so much to be thankful for....

The whole family on Thanksgiving afternoon.

Carter with his godmother and aunt

Photo op with Aunt Lori and Uncle Brian. Ella Catherine asked if they could come over and play again as she was going to bed that night. Too Cute! :)

Ella Catherine wrote her name on the back porch for Nana and Pop to enjoy until it rains. :)

The "Duck Commanders", Matt and Cori

Early morning play time in their PJ's

So much fun sitting up and playing with big sister

Making a christmas paperchain to hang on the christmas tree

Matt and I have so very much to be thankful for this year. Matt found a job that he loves working for Cogent Healthcare. We finally sold our house in Memphis and were fortunate enough to find a house to rent in Nashville until we can find a home to buy. I think I can speak for Matt when I say that what we are most thankful for this year is the health of our two children. We were so very blessed with the birth of our baby boy, James Carter Lynch on 5/20/09. Unfortunately, he had a very rough start to life and had us and the doctor's very worried for his life. Thanks to all of our prayer warriors around the country we were blessed with a miracle and he was healed. How he got sick, what actually caused it and how he became better is still a mystery to his healthcare team. We are just very thankful that God answered all those prayers with his healing. I know that he has very big plans for our little man and I am excited to watch as they unfold.

Carter has grown so much in his 6 months on earth. He goes for a checkup tomorrow but unofficially he weighs about 20lbs now and is sooo tall! He is literally bigger than some of the 1 year olds in his class. He is just minutes to days from crawling. He wants to move so badly and he works at it every chance he can get. He is grabbing everything and putting it all in his mouth. Definitely teething big time! He already has 2 teeth and although we don't see any evidence of another one, I feel like it is very close. He has the drool soaked tops to proove it. :) He loves to jabber and try to communicate and LOVES LOVES LOVES his big sister. He smiles and laughs with her every chance he gets. Now that he is sitting up so well they actually sit on the floor together and play. It is so cute to watch. Ella Catherine is a great big sister. She will bring him toys and sit with him and talk, sing or read him books. She too has grown so much this year. She is turning into a little girl right in front of our eyes. She is so smart and very quick to learn. She has several books memorized word for word and loves to sit and read them to us and Carter. She can write her name, well part of her name (Ella). She is so happy, full of life and spunk! She can definitely be full of drama at times as well. :) She LOVES LOVES LOVES her little brother and shows it every opportunity she can by hugging and kissing him. She is completely potty trained, she can dress herself, and brush her own teeth. She is a big help with Carter. She likes to pick out his clothes, help feed him and give him a bath. It has been a lot of fun for Matt and I to watch as their sibling bond grows stronger and they begin to interact.

For Thanksgiving we packed up the kids and the dogs and headed to Georgia for a few days. Matt, my dad, Cori and Brian spent a good portion of the trip hunting. Unfortunately, they didn't get anything but I know they had a good time out in the woods. We were a little disappointed that the ducks didn't fly for them as we were hoping that Elway could show off his skills that dad taught him and Matt has been working so hard to reinforce.

The kids, myself, mom and Becky hung out at the house for the most part. Brian, Lori, Kelly, Keith and Cori came by the house several times to visit and play with the kids. We made a paper chain to go on the Christmas tree, made and decorated Christmas cookies, played with bubbles and sidewalk chalk, rode bicycles etc... Of course, we watched a lot of football and mom and I even left the kids with the guys for an afternoon to go get some Christmas shopping done. As always it was a great trip.

Pickwick

Matt grew up going to his dad's lakehouse in Pickwick. As a result, he grew up with a love for the water. Although my family did not have a lakehouse, we did have a boat and so we too grew up with a great appreciation for all that lake life has to offer. We are very grateful that our children are able to experience lake life as well. So, this past Saturday morning we loaded up and took a trip to pickwick to see Grandpa, Grams, Uncle Michael and Uncle Christopher. It was definitely too cold to enjoy the water activities that lake life has to offer. However, we did enjoy spending time with good friends the Johnsons and the Haffleys. Grandpa and I also tried to introduce Ella Catherine to one of my favorite winter activities, roasting marshmallows but she wanted nothing to do with it. She preferred her marshmallows not gooey. Oh well, maybe when she is older.
We also brought Elway with us this trip to test out his new hunting skills in a large body of water. He did very well and it seems has gotten over his extreme dislike for the cold water(key to being successful as a duck hunting dog). He jumped in without hesitation and retrieved every dummy that was thrown.

Flyfishing, Football and more Firsts

Tickle Time!!
Good times with Nana
Ella Catherine and I after church. Carter was fast asleep in his carseat.
Sitting up and having fun
Matt and the guide Matt Milner with his catch

My mom and dad drove up last Thursday afternoon. Matt, my dad, his dad and Michael all joined our friends the Coles along with other friends for a guys flyfishing trip. They all traveled to their second home in Arkansas for good fishing, good food and great memories. While they were fishing, my mom stayed here with the kids and I for some fun of our own. As I mentioned before, Matt and I have season football tickets to the Vanderbilt games. Vanderbilt played Kentucky last weekend and the weather was PERFECT! So, Miss Rachel came over and babysat the kids while mom and I went to the game. Unfotrunately, Vanderbilt did not win but they did play the best I have seen them play all year and we enjoyed the game a lot.
Carter has been sitting up for very short periods by himself since he was about 5 months old. Well, early last week he decided it was time to sit up like a big boy and he is now sitting unassisted for long periods of time. In addition, he is getting up on his knees and rocking then scooting backward. So, we may have a crawling baby by Christmas. time will tell....

Trick or Treat

Our little Denver Broncos cheerleader all ready for trick or treating.

Ella Catherine and Carter before the school fall festival

Our little sock monkey happy as usual and all ready for the Big event. Sisterly and brotherly Love The whole gang: Carter (sock monkey), Ella Catherine (cheerleader), Erich (scarecrow) and Reese (Fireman) knocking on the first door of the evening, "Trick or Treat" Ella Catherine assessing her "prize"

More Candy! Carter's first Halloween and first trick or treat experience. He was a good sport and just chilled out while his big sister ran from door to door.



I don't know that as a kid I enjoyed Halloween quite as much as I do now. Ever since I started working with children it has been one of my favorite holidays. Now that I have kids, it is even more fun. So, Matt stating that Halloween night and trick or treating was really all about me versus the kids might have been a half truth. However, when he saw his daughter anxiously run up to that first door, say trick or treat and get so excited about her "take" he realized that it was also about our sweet little girl. We had planned on attending the Vanderbilt trick or treat on Friday night but the rain ruined those plans. So, we invited our friends the Sams to come over and go trick or treating in our neighborhood Halloween night. Ella Catherine had been learning all about the fall and Halloween in school. So, she could tell you she was supposed to knock on the door and say trick or treat when they answered, but we weren't so sure she wouldn't freeze up when the door opened. Just to make sure she could put those words into action, we had a few practice rounds before the Sams arrived and we left the house. She was so happy when the Sams got to the house. Her and Reese played a little before we loaded the little ones in the strollers and headed out for a night of trick or treating. I don't think I will ever forget how excited she got after every house and how she woud run down the drive way smiling and screaming "I'm going to go to another house!" Carter was obviously clueless as to what was going one but he loves his big sister and he loved watching her run back up to the stroller after each house. We had a GREAT night.