Thursday, December 29, 2011

Christmas 2011 Pictures

The boys enjoying Santa's Wonderland at the Bass Pro Shop

 My 2 lil' sleepy heads

 Their stockings :)

 3 pretty gals ready to open gifts at Gramma's house!

 Mom & Dad

 Josh, Lil & Landon :)

 The boys love their train table Gramps & Gramma gave to them!

 Landon opening a gift from Aunt Sarah
 at Mom & Dad's house :)

 Andy & Landon having a good time together :)

 Lili's gown from us :)

 Mom's sweater :)

 My adorable slippers from Lili :)

 My awesome cookware from Dad & Mom :)

 The kids enjoy Dad's Ipad!

 The boys waiting for Daddy to get home so they could open presents Christmas Eve!

 Getting their stockings!

 Opening gifts.....

 Our handsome men ready for Church Christmas morning!

 Christmas grub :)

 My gift from Anthony :)

 Opening his huge gift with a puzzled expression! (a new suit and shoes:)

 The boys with their gifts from Aunt Shelly :)

 Shelly looking at her Shutterfly book of Pam


Monday, December 26, 2011

Post Christmas/Post Sickness Thoughts....

    As always, we had a wonderful Christmas filled with family, food and festivities. My favorite part of the season is giving. I love shopping for loved ones and watching their reactions as they open their gifts. Mom got an unexpected cashmere sweater, Anthony got a new suit and dress shoes, Shelly got a Shutterfly book of Pam that brought both of us to tears, and our boys got way more toys than they need (which are keeping them quite busy today)! I made a huge Christmas dinner of ham, broccoli casserole, homemade mac & cheese, potato salad, baked beans, and rolls which was shared with neighbors who loved and appreciated it. Jameson's reaction to opening his #1 most wanted present (a "Big Buzz") was priceless. His excitement spilled over on us and his genuine and voluntary, "Thanks, Mom and Dad!" meant the world to me and Anthony. Landon literally played the life out of his little Elmo drum set and drove us crazy in the process. I have to admit, I feel a little guilty at the amount of toys my children have when many children get nothing for Christmas. A small gift like a hot wheels car would be the thrill of their lifetime and my kids' room overflows with things they don't really need. 

    I received a new purple tambourine from Anthony this year. I've used my red one for over 20 years so I'd say it was time for a replacement. I remember Mom & Dad taking me to pick it out when I was about 6 years old. I won't ever get rid of it, but I'm looking forward to playing the new one at Church while not worrying about rusted cymbals flying off and hitting a pew neighbor in the head though! (This never happened, it was only a silly fear. Rhythm Tech comes highly recommended here. No injuries and it still made a joyful noise at 22 years old. The "joyful" part may be debatable though.) Mom and Dad gave me a stainless steel cookware set than I am in love with already. I wore out the $20 set we received as a wedding gift 8 years ago and was thrilled to see those old pots replaced with shiny new ones! We were given several restaurant gift cards and we don't waste much time using them. 

    I am such a blessed girl! When I see our "table scraps" I think of the hungry people who would consider them a feast. When I complain about cleaning up after my guys, my heart is pricked and I remember how blessed I am to have those 3 guys and this wonderful, warm home to keep.

    Landon and I are happy to be on the mend from our recent sinus infections. Mine started out feeling like the flu about a week and a half ago. My body ached, I was weak, and my head and face hurt badly. My sweet little boy told me to wait until Daddy got home because they would both pray for me. He heard me crying in the living room and left his lasagna supper to come get the job done, with or without Dad, who hadn't arrived home from work. It touched my heart when he laid his hands on my shoulders and prayed for me to feel better. After 5 days of antibiotics, I'm feeling like myself again. When my kids are sick, I realize how blessed we are to have healthy ones. When I'm feeling bad, it makes me thankful for health and strength to be a Mom and wife. 

    The best gift I have ever received is one that we should share all year round: JESUS!

    Christmas pictures will follow this post shortly! (Every one's definition of "shortly" differs but it will be soon! ;)

    Blessings in 2012,

    Michelle

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Merry Christmas 2011 from the Young family! 
HE is the reason for the season and we hope yours is blessed!


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Yet another critter addition.......

We recently acquired another outdoor pet from some Church friends. This time, it's a canine. It's a Lab/Beagle mix and he's about 3 months old. He's a sweet dog but now I have to feed Tux inside since he's got a taste for cat food. He wants so badly to play with Tux but he's isn't so sure about him yet. He's only about 7 months old himself but he seems so much more "mature" than the dog. LOL! 2 kids and 2 critters are ENOUGH for me right now! : )

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Still Alive.....

Hey Ya'll,

I know, I know. "Why have a blog if you're not going to keep up with it?!" No excuses here but you'll just have to take what you get from me. ; ) Now to catch you up to date on the Young'ns! We went to good ole' Pigeon Forge, TN last month for our first family vacation as four. We had a wonderful time. We stayed in a very nice cabin duplex. Because of the deal we found, (thanks to our friends Kenny & Angela telling us about VRBO.com) we were able to stay for 4 nights. The boys loved it all. We went to the Dixie Stampede, The Comedy Barn and Titanic museum during our visit. (Along with the usual shopping, walking of the strip in Gatlinburg and eating out - one of my favorite parts of vacation is the FOOD:) Our friends (the same ones who helped us find that sweet deal on our cabin:) were there during our stay so it was fun getting to hang out with them.

The boys have had encountered some Fall sickness but nothing major. Landon has had it the roughest. He had an ear infection that went into a bad cold that got worse. Then he caught a stomach virus that he shared with his brother and Daddy. Mommy has gotten by pretty good during all of the laundry and cleaning, thank God! I think He knows that one person needs to be well in the home to take care of the others. ; )

We put up our Christmas tree a little early this year and we're loving it. It's kind of weird having Fall and Christmas decor up at the same time, but it'll only be for a couple of days so no biggie. It'll be nice to relax the entire weekend and not have to worry about getting it done. I'm looking forward to Christmas this year. Jameson is beyond excited. Landon will be able to do so much more this year. Last year, he wasn't even crawling. My, how a year changes things! It's crazy that Jameson will soon turn 4 and be a "Pre-schooler." I wish these boys would slow it down and stop growing so fast!

While I'm looking forward to the holidays, the other part of my heart aches to see two precious women that miss so very much. It seems I miss Mamaw & Pam more as time goes on. It's hard to think about another Christmas without them. My heart goes out to Shelly. Last year's Christmas felt empty and it will never be the same without my sweet Mom-in-law.

I better stop before the tears get worse. Happy Thanksgiving to every one!
Let's take time to be thankful. Try living the moto, 'Too blessed to be stressed!'

Michelle

Here are some pictures from our vacation and an extra one at the end.

The Three Bears General Store
I loved that place! The sidewalk sale was awesome.


Landon at Bennett's BBQ
Why hadn't we been there before? YUM YUM!


Anthony & I at the Dixie Stampede


The 4 of us at The Comedy Barn


Me & my boys at the Titanic Museum
I found it really interesting, especially the boarding passes we received with real passenger names/info on them. Anthony was Percy Keen. I was Emma Bliss. Both crew, both survived. Coincidentally, the boys were young brothers- John and Philip Kiernan. Third class passengers, both died. :(


Captain Jameson


Horses at Cade's Cove


Beautiful Fall scenery


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Now to finish shopping and get to wrapping!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Adventures of The Young Brothers Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, some thing pretty funny happened one night. I was sitting on the couch and the boys were in the dining room where their desk and art supplies are. I thought they were being awfully quiet and suspected some mischief was happening. I heard silence and occassional giggles from Jameson. I hollered from the living room to ask Jameson what he was doing. He said he was "painting." (This is what he calls coloring some times.) I asked him what he was coloring a couple of times and he said "Paper!" I should have gotten up to double check the situation but I trusted him. All the while, I still had the nagging Mothering instinct that some thing was going on. A couple of minutes later, Jameson and Landon came into the kitchen but Landon ran past the doorway so fast I didn't see him. Jameson went to the master bathroom, then came back into the kitchen where Landon was. I noticed that he would laugh when he saw Landon. I asked him what he was laughing at. He replied, "His face!" while pointing Landon's way. That's when I saw him. I laid over in the kitchen floor cracking up laughing after hollering for Anthony to come see. He was more worried about Landon than amused. I assured him the markers were non toxic and and after my giggles were gone, (and photos snapped for memories) I scolded Jameson for using Landon's face as a canvas for his artwork. He was quite a thorough artist, even coloring inside of his ears. Landon didn't seem to mind a bit though! It appears he also taste tasted the markers during the art session. LOL. We'll never forget this!





Monday, September 12, 2011

Making a list and checking it twice......

It's here again, the week of another Kentucky Kids Consignment Sale! I'm happy to be DONE with all of the gathering, entering, ironing, tagging and checking in! Anthony is on vacation this week and has been a tremendous help. I enjoyed working tonight and spotted a couple of things I really hope some one doesn't get to before I do. (fingers crossed;) Tomorrow I will go out on a REAL DATE, some thing I haven't done in a year with my sweetie! THEN, Wednesday, it's TIME TO SHOP til' I drop (or run out of money...lol)! I'm sitting on the couch making a list of what my boys need so I'll know what to shop for. Most of the "needs" are for Jameson. Of course, I'll walk out of the Prichard Community Center with a few "wants" also. With all of the clothes, shoes and purses, I'm sure I'll find some thing for Mommy too. ;) Lastly, Anthony and I are working the Sale together Thursday which I am looking forward to again. I wasn't sure if he would want to do it again and I'm excited to be able to spend so much time with him this week "kidless"! He looks pretty hot in the aprons, if you ask me. HaHa! (He'll probably opt OUT of wearing one this time.)

Getting back to my list now! What a wonderful week.....

Michelle

Thursday, September 8, 2011

          
               September 13, 2003 ~ The day I married my best friend ~





Almost 8 years and 2 gorgeous sons later......Where has the time gone?
I can't wait for our date next Tuesday night! (Those don't happen often with the 2 gorgeous sons in the picture:) I'm also excited to get to work the Kentucky Kids Consignment Sale together again!  God has blessed me with a godly husband and wonderful Daddy with a huge heart!

Happy (early) Anniversary to us!



Saturday, September 3, 2011

Jameson and I were singing "He Knows My Name" last night in the car. I was trying to teach him to say the words the right way. I explained to him that Jesus knows his name. I also told him that Jesus would knock on his heart one day and he should open the door to let him in. That's when he made the sound of a door creaking open. He cracks me up some times!

(I added a silly picture of us. Jameson wants me to open my mouth like this for pictures. Ha Ha!)

Monday, August 29, 2011

The Definition of Cute!


The faces I love!


Just for smiles:

Jameson recently taught Landon the art of preaching. They tag team their sermons, each holding plastic hammers or oblong shaped toys for their microphones. Books are used for their Bibles. Landon has a growly preacher voice and stomps around the living room while we crack up laughing. Jameson uses a handkerchief like his Daddy and pants during his message about "Train Tracks." What would we do for laughs without these guys?!


Wednesday, August 24, 2011


One year ago today my sweet Mother-in-law, Pam went to be with the Lord. Remembering that night causes the sadness to wash over me again. It was so hard to watch my husband grieve the loss of a parent for the second time. Yet the Comforter has been with us every step of the way and we couldn't have done it without Him. We miss her very much. Life will never be the same. It's hard knowing she won't be here to watch her grandbabies grow up. Jameson has amazed us by how much he remembers her and misses her to this day. He talks of "Memaw" often and even incorporates her into his play time. Landon resembles her, and it's a precious gift from God to be able to catch a glimpse of her when we look at him. It's so sweet to know that it's not "Good-bye" but, "See you later!"

Michelle

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Country Living

We've enjoyed the veggies from our Pastor's garden and are planning on growing our own next year. I have never put up vegetables of any kind so I was proud of the half bushel of corn that I did recently. The boys enjoyed munching while I was shucking it outside! We've only eaten one bag so far but it was delicious.



Landon enjoying a mini cob!

Shucked & washed!

In the bowl...

My 7 bags of corn : )

I couldn't resist including this clip of Jameson!

Mom's 50th!

We had a great time celebrating Mom's birthday with our entire family at Moe's. We went back to the house for cake & ice cream afterwards. I feel so blessed to have her and I'm looking forward to the next fifty years! : )

Pop & Nana with all four grands (and Lili:) on her 50th B-day!


Mom with her pretty cake Dad bought for her party!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Two Lil' Monkeys Ready for Bed

Nothing says "Hug me" like a freshly bathed little boy wearing brand new jammies! ( And I've got two! Double the snuggles! :)





I love this one! Landon is saying "Awww!" while Jameson hugs him. So funny!


I just wanna squeeze them!!!