Sleigh Ride

Editor's Note:  (This post has nothing to do with Sleigh Rides but the song was on when I titled it, so there you go...festive, huh?  Also, I haven't proofread this so bear with me.)

So, I guess it’s time for a little update for the four people out there that still read this.



We’ve been in the Christmas spirit for the last few weeks. I read something recently (no idea where) that someone wrote about “producing Christmas” at their house and I thought it was a pretty accurate term. So much work goes into “producing Christmas”…and not even the over the top stuff (which I’m guilty of) but also into trying to make it fun for little ones and into activities that help us absorb the real meaning of Christmas…if any of that makes sense. I’m trying to make a point to slow down and enjoy my family and the season. Anyway, I know that you all tuned in to get my thoughts on Christmas but I’ll move on to the highlights of our life…bullet-point style.


-Reed has started basketball. It’s our family’s first organized sport. He’s had his first practice and games will start in January. Go Little Cheetahs! In other basketball related news, his uniform swallows him whole. I commented on how big it was only to receive a sharp reply from an unnamed member of our family that I could sign him up next time if I had a problem with it.


-Gaines has always been pretty spunky, but I constantly find myself telling him to get off of Reed. They are playing together a lot these days but mostly in a wrestling fashion. Not too long ago, I found Reed sitting on Gaines with a blanket wrapped around his head. We had a serious talk and some time-out time over that one but mostly it’s just Gaines tackling Reed when he’s not expecting it. Every time I pull him off he says the same thing, “Soddy Mobby” (that would be sorry mommy) but he says it with some sort of weird accent. Makes me laugh every time.


-Lord knows where it came from but, the phrase of the week this week is “Hey, watch it too-tall”. Reed says it to Gaines and then Gaines says it back and it goes on and on. It’s so fun to hear Gaines say it though. I forgot how funny it is to listen to a little one just learning to talk. And an update on that is that Gaines is talking ton…and we can understand most of it. He’s definitely a little mimic right now. There are something that we don’t understand but he improves every day.


-Side note, do y’all love that Christmas Canon song? It’s one of my top five favorite Christmas songs. Our church did it the other day as part of their Living Christmas Tree performance and it was so spot on. I almost cried. Ridiculous, but it was beautiful. I will tell you which Christmas song I could do without, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause”. I think it makes the mother look a bit like a harlot…for lack of a better family friendly word.


-We went to a NICU graduate Christmas party down here last weekend. It was so fun to see all the sweet nurses that took care of my littlest boy. I’m not saying that he’s a NICU superstar or anything, but there was a definite “Gaines” (think “Norm” from Cheers) when he walked in. I loved being able to show them how well he’s doing…and he is doing really, really well. Y’all keep all the families that are spending the Christmas season in the hospital in your prayers. I’m keeping up with a really sick local little girl right now and it brings back so many memories of countless doctors, scary nights, watching the numbers…just all of it, but it also reminds me of how good people are and how many people prayed Gaines home and (eventually) healthy. That will never be lost on me.


-I have recently refreshed myself on the proper times to use an apostrophe in “it’s/its”. I’m pretty pumped about this as I’ve just been guessing at it since people stopped grading my English homework. No worries though, comma splices and …’s still run rampant around here.


-We went to a Christmas Hayride last weekend where Gaines rode a horse for the first time ever. I could barely get him off. If only we had a place to keep a horse. I need a farm. Beau isn’t quite on board with my farm dream.

I think I’m just rambling now so I’ll stop. Maybe I’ll be back soon. I hope to be.


Merry Christmas and Love to All-


Brittany