PROGRESS

I cannot believe that I forgot to write about this but with Christmas & all the parties, etc it just slipped my mind.

Madison has been sleeping in HER ROOM for 2 weeks now!!! Can you hear the Hallelujah chorus signing now?? I can:)  I didn't write about it the first night because to be honest, I never thought it would actually last but it has. She still refuses to sleep on her bed or any mattress for that matter but
she has made her a little spot in front of her window (she liked to sleep in front of the window in our bedroom too) where she sleeps with her doll & all her stuffed animals, its really cute!

So I am happy with the progress she is making and in another week she will be starting VPK. I cant wait to see how much she blossoms being in a classroom environment. But for now she is really excited that she's going to see her Nana & Paw paw in a few days and we will be having Christmas all over again:)

4 months home!

Madison you have been home for 4 months! I can hardly believe how fast the time has flown by.
Some things about you that I don't want to forget:

• You LOVE to talk....NON STOP, ALL THE TIME!
• You are sassy but sweet
• You love to help me do things around the house
• Your smile can light up a room
• You can hear a song 1 time & know the words instantly (not exactly clear English though)
• You are very loud:)
• You can eat like a grown man:)
• You ask for food every 30 minutes ALL.DAY.LONG.
• You love your dolls & stuffed animals
• You still don't like to share but your getting better.
• Your favorite place to eat is Chick-fil-a  (I mean that's a given)
• Your favorite shows are Doc McStuffins, Mickey Mouse club house, & Imagination movers.
• You still love your routine, it makes you feel safe & secure.
• And last but not least, you make our family complete! 

PINTEREST

I love pinterest but I also hate it because it reminds me of how "domestically challenged" I am! If you feel the same way I think you will enjoy this blog post from Jenn Hatmaker. She is an amazing writer & very funny too!

http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/12/21/women-of-valor-pinterest-aside#

Melissa

MERRY CHRISTMAS

We have had a great day, no where to go in fact we are all still in our pj's. Sometimes it's just nice to have a day where you don't have anything to do and nowhere to be & jut hang out in your Jammie's all day! Actually right now David & Madison are taking a nap ( this is the first time she has ever taken a nap) And I am outside watching McKinley ride her bike. Yes, Im sitting outside in my pj's..dont judge me:)!

We actually woke Madison up this morning at 6:45... yes, that is when the other 2 woke me up! SO she was still a little sleepy when she started opening presents. Something happened to my video camera so I am sad to say, I didn't get any videos of this morning:(

Look at that face (bedhead & all) when she saw her kitchen! That kitchen took "Santa" 4 hrs to put together, no that's not a typo! 4 hrs.... lets just say Santa wasn't too happy with " Mrs. Claus"!

They all got silly string in their stockings, so they had a little silly string fight outside... Madison really didn't enjoy it, she was wondering what was so fun with someone skirting stuff at your face:)

Merry Christmas From the Whitten's

CHRISTMAS EVE

Well 1 out of 3 of my kiddos are asleep so I have just a few minutes to post about the amazing Christmas eve service our church had tonight. It has been many, many years since our whole church could worship together at one service (currently we have 4 Sunday worship services to accomdate everybody). In years past, we also had multiple Christmas Eve services where again, everyone is split up but this year we decided to do something different...we held our service outside at the local high school football/soccer stadium (that's for you Jones family) and over 2,000 showed up! We also had an 80 member choir that sounded glorious and did a fantastic job.

It was overcast & drizzle all day today and I must admit I was getting a little worried because we really didn't have a plan B. We were "all in" for the stadium but God's people started praying around 1pm and we all know what happens when God's people pray... ANYTHING can happen. So, a little before 4 the sun started to come out & the drizzle stopped! It was amazing as I was pulling in the high school there was car after car waiting to get in...it gave me chill bumps for sure!

The service was complete with a snow machine for all the kiddos!

Yes that is a naked baby you see! Madison insisted on bringing it and I am learning that there are just some battles not worth fighting. Anyway, I hope you have a great Christmas with family and friends. Enjoy your day and remember to thank God for the greatest gift of all...Jesus!

Happy Birthday Jesus.

The First Fire !

We bought a new house back in August ( 2 weeks before we left for China..can you say STRESSFUL?)Anyway, our new house has a rock fireplace that we both love. It reminds us
of the ranch type houses  that are in Alabama, I think that is why both David & I fell in love
with this house as soon as we saw it. Well, tonight we had our first fire!!! It is so warm and cozy
sitting by the fire. I am so happy that it is cold outside & it actually feels like Christmas to me.

We ate chili & grilled cheese sandwiches & relaxed by the fire.



We are looking forward to our Christmas Eve service tomorrow afternoon & worshipping the real reason for the season, JESUS! I am praying that you all have a very blessed Christmas day.

Happy Christmas Eve, Eve!

MY FAVORITE PARK

Yesterday the girls were out of school & David was in bed sick so I wanted to get them out of the house so he could sleep in peace. I called my friend Anne who is always up for anything & we headed to my favorite park in Lakeland. It's about a 45-50 minute drive but it is well worth it once you get there...although there were a few moments in the car when we were rethinking it:) We had a 12yr old (who had her earphones in the whole time), two 4 yr olds (one who doesn't speak complete English BUT loves to talk & sing non stop), a 7yr old, 6 yr old and baby Enzo who is around 8 months...Now that should give you a little of the dynamics going on in my car! I will just leave it at that.

We stopped and got McDonald's and took It to the park & had a picnic & then played for 4 hours! Yes that's right, the kids were having so much fun we stayed at the park for 4 hours! And in that 4 hours I took 93 pictures:) I will not bore you with all 93 but I do have several I want to share.  ENJOY

This is their "we did it" pose.