Batman And The Cold, Cold Day

Well, when it's a whopping six degrees outside with a windchill of -7, you STAY AT HOME {if you can!}. So, when my friend texted me this morning, asking if they could come over, I said, "Yes, yes! Please!" It was the perfect way to spend a frigid morning. We even stayed in our jammies! Well, until the costumes came out. . .

A Reflection On 2014

Wow, we're all done with 2014? Really? That went by quickly!

We're in the swing of things here in Virginia. Loving life. Loving our friends. Loving our church. Learning to rely on Christ more and more as the comforts of family and a husband who's around a bit more are things of the past. :)

Scott loves surgery residency so, so, so much {If I could put seventy-nine "so's" in there, I would}. He loves the program at Virginia Tech. He loves the hospital. He loves operating. He loves his fellow residents and attendings. It's AWESOME. It's no longer some great, mysterious unknown. Nah. We're a year-and-a-half in. We got this.

The boys. They're getting older. {Refrain from saying, "Duh, Emily."} It's AWESOME. I have the total and complete opposite of baby fever; it's called "toddler joy." It's where you look around and realize that most mornings, you get to drink your coffee while it's still hot. You've almost got a diaperless house. You get to sleep through the night. You get to take showers in the morning. I know! Real showers! So, I'm loving this stage we're entering. The boys are much more independent, and it makes things a lot easier on this momma.

Running. In case you're unaware, I fell in love with it back in February 2014. We're still going strong. Just this morning, as I was starting to run, I had a goofy-dumb-can't-control-it smile on my face. Why? Because running feels so good I literally have dreams where I'm just running. I constantly Google what races are coming up. Love, love, love. Also, as a direct result of this, I've lost twenty-six pounds in the last year, and now weigh what I did on my wedding day. Hello. Can't complain about that.

Work. I'm completely adjusted to working full-time from home. Yes, there are a lot of early mornings and late nights, but I've got it down. I've learned to take my phone conferences while the boys are at school, and I also learned {the hard way} that when my boys are at home and awake, I'm not working. There was too much mommy guilt--I was practically drowning in it.

Arkansas. It feels so, so far away. I just love seeing my family, and I wish they were closer. But I never, and I mean never, sit around thinking, "Gosh, I wish I lived in Arkansas." Sorry, but it's the truth. I really love where God has us right now in Virginia.

2014 was a fantastic year--so, so, so much better than the stinky 2013. I have high hopes for 2015! Here we go! :)

Christmas In Virginia

Christmas 2014: Just the four of us. Peaceful. Soft Christmas music playing. Homemade sugar cookies. "Daddy, did Santa come!?" Singing happy birthday to Jesus. Christmas candy. A trip to the park. Squeals of joy. A Christmas I'll never forget. :)

Trip to North Carolina

About a week-and-a-half ago, my cousin Katherine got married in Chapel Hill. Thankfully for us, that's about a two-and-a-half hour drive. Yay! We had a wonderful time celebrating my sweet cousin, and soaking in good family time.

The Boys

These two Christmas cuties make my heart explode every day. I get about one good picture of them for every forty or so that I take. :) Here they are before church.

This sweet boy of mine is a looooover. All day long (when he's not in time-out or wrestling his brother), he says, "Kisses, Mommy. Mmmmmm. And hugs." I could kiss him and hug him all day long!

The other day, I happened upon this. They were playing together in Nathan's room. They were laughing, and it made my heart SO FULL. I pray they will be best friends for the rest of their lives. They really do adore each other.

And here's Rudolph on the way to his swim lesson. He always falls asleep on the way to swim. I don't know about you, but this is the cutest Rudolph I've ever seen!

Jack's First Movie

Three weeks ago, Scott came down with the flu. The actual flu. So, I was trying my hardest to keep the boys healthy. He stayed in our room for four days, while the boys and I went about the business of everyday life.

One afternoon, I decided I'd take the boys to go see Penguins of Madagascar. I thought they'd enjoy it. I guess I was feeling brave.

Nathan was very excited! See this face? It says, "Emily, chill out. This was worth $26.00."

I was praying that Jack would do well at his first movie. See this face? It says, "I'm capable of anything, Mom--including, but not limited to, making you feel like you flushed $26.00 down the toilet."

It was a bit of a disaster. Jack sat quietly for about twenty minutes, and then it was, "Mommy, go please! Please go! Please go!" At one point, I took my eyes off of him for a second and when I looked up he was stroking the woman's face sitting in front of us.

We had to abandon ship after an hour, and I think the audience nearly applauded when we left. I felt so frustrated, and I had to remind myself of what a disaster Nathan's first movie was. I encouraged myself by thinking, "They grow out of this. Soon, I will be able to take both of my children to a movie without having to flee the theater."

Sweet Boys

I love these two cutie pies! Please excuse the adorableness of Jack sleeping all over the place. Ever since I transitioned him from his crib to a toddler bed, he's a tad bit sleepier than usual. :)

Nathan's Class

Nathan has the sweetest class this year! These kiddos are precious. And I just adore his teacher! :)

Decorating for Christmas

This Christmas is the first time in my life that I won't be with my parents and siblings on Christmas Day! WOW! And last year, we all drove back to Arkansas for Christmas. So, I was more than a little excited to unpack all of our Christmas stuff and get to decorating!

The boys were pretty excited, too!

Despite the fact that it miiiiight appear that Christmas has exploded in my house, I love it!!

Jack's Birthday

Well, we'd already had the birthday party, but I just had to celebrate my big, sweet two year old on his actual birthday! We were in Little Rock, so I took him to Shipley's for doughnuts that morning. Nathan slept in, so I just went with Jack. It was really special. He picked out two doughnuts, and he kept saying, "Yuuuuuummmmy!"

That evening, we had a family birthday party at my parents' house. Jack loved it! I sure loved every minute of celebrating my precious two year old!