"HAT!"

Jackson's new favorite word is "hat." And, I am happy to announce that he doesn't just say the word, he wears the hat, too. Before, when a hat was placed on his head, he would take it off right away. Since he got his Curious George hat from his GG Fran, that has changed! He loves to wear this hat and gets excited every time we put it on his head.

Thanksgiving

This year, Troy's family went to Mimi's for Thanksgiving. It was pretty good, except for their bread pudding, which tastes too much like rum. Their turkey, stuffing, potatoes, yams, and bread are delicious, though! After going to Mimi's, we hung out with the family at Troy's parent's house. We all went through Black Friday adds, watched football (very briefly, on my part), and enjoyed each other's company. Next, we headed Jenni's apartment for another Thanksgiving feast. Mmmm....boy and was it ever a feast! We had our traditional dishes, like my grandma's potato casserole (made by Jenni this year), and sweet potato casserole (made be Michael this year), and then Di got a whole meal from Coo-ka-roo. The stuffing was really, really good! Now, to top that all off, we had a little birthday party for Jackson as well! Phew! What a day!

Jackson in his spiffy Thanksgiving sweater!"They fit!"

Jackson looked through the Black Friday ads while GG looks on.Jackson was very happy with all his presents, and enjoyed playing with his new basketball hoop!Little cookie moster. He has become very fond of chocolate chip cookies. I may be to blame for that.Jackson and his wonderful Aunt Jenni.

To end this blog, even though it is over a week late, here are some of the things I am thankful for...
First and foremost, my salvation though Christ, and God's continuous mercy and grace. I am thankful for all of God's provisions as well!
My husband, who never ceases to care for me or Jackson. He works so hard for us. He is an amazing father as well!
My son, who has been such an amazing blessing in our lives this past year. I love Jackson so much and am thankful that God has given Troy and I the privelege to raise him!
Our familes, who in this past year have shown so much love for Jackson. He is so blessed to have such good aunts, uncles, Grandmas, Grandpas (and all the GREATS, too!).
The opportunity to stay at home with Jackson. Troy works hard so I can stay home (and work hard) to raise our little boy. Not everybody can do this, and it isn't something I take for granted!
Our wonderful church, and fellow Christian friends. God has blessed us with an amazing church that preaches God's word with nothing added and nothing watered down. It is such a joy to have a church family who are just that...a family. The fellowship we experiene at the church is a reflection of God's saving grace in the lives of his people. I am also very thankful for those Christian brothers and sisters who attend other churches, but are still an encouragement and we still experience great fellowship with.
And last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for our cat. Yes. My cat. She is sweet and loves us very much. And, she snuggles with me every night. :)

A Big Trasition

Jackson has gone through a big transition within the last month. He has gone from wanting to eat shoes to wanting to try them on. I'm quite happy with the change, myself!

Janis and Jason's Wedding

We attended Troy's old friend, Jason's wedding on Saturday. It took place in Pala, which we discovered is such a beautiful part of California! Orange and grapefruit groves were scattered the valleys, along with meadows of grass and oaks, and avocado trees covered the hills. Here are some pictures from the occasion.Shortly after this picture was taken of Janis and Jason, Jackson kept saying "uh-oh" and "oh, wow," so Troy and I had to take turns taking him off to the side so he couldn't be heard. We had a photo shoot to entertain ourselves!









The wedding was beautifully simple. The decor was kept simple because the nature around the ceromony and reception was so georgeous! Troy and I decided we wanted to come back to Pala sometime in the near future.

"Oh, death, where is your sting?"

Troy's grandpa passed away yesterday. He was a Christian. I say that with great joy because we can rejoice in his death. We can rejoice that because Christ died, Troy's grandpa is in the presence of our glorious God. There is no better place to be. What an immense comfort this is in such a time of grief! Please pray that Troy's family is comforted by this reality and that their grief is met by the precious comfort of Christ.

“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

1 Corinthians 15:55-58

Disneyland

The best thing about having a Disneyland pass is that you can go for a few hours, get on a few rides, and just hang out. Troy and I got to do just that on Friday night with Jenni, Kirsty, Joey, Michael, and Genevieve. We hadn't been to Disneyland since September, so it was nice to return to the happiest place on earth! The park was decorated for Christmas, so we got to feel like it was Christmastime, even though it really isn't yet!"Wave for the camera..."Jenni, Me, and Michael ---a rare sibling photo...w/o Timmy, though :(I love this photo of Michael and Genevieve!Me, Kirsty, and JenniSilly.Serious.

The Getty Villa

Last Saturday, we went to the Getty Villa. Troy and I had gone to visit this beautiful museum of antiquities before, but the rest of our group hadn't. I really enjoyed seeing it the second time around. I love to see the gardens, and the statues of Muses are quit amusing as well. After the museum, we ate at Duke's in Malibu. I was a bit disappointed because smoke surrounded the restaurant. We couldn't see the ocean and I believe it made Jackson more ill than he already was. But, the food was great and the Hula pie was AMAZING!A happy family photo....not that we have any sad ones!Jackson's favorite part of the museum was the pool that he got to cool off in!Jackson with his Nana and PoppyJackson checked out every nook and cranny of the Getty Villa!He climbed the stairs, as well, and, in his diaper, no less!The "ocean view"...a dim reminder of the weekend fires.

A smokey Malibu sunset.