Merry Christmas, Ya'll!

In pictures! We enjoyed our decorations at home and then took them down on December 19th. We went to TX for the holidays and frankly, I wanted to enjoy them without thinking of some dusty trees and snowmen waiting for me in NC. I came down with a nasty, nasty stomach thing 2 days before we left. Praise the Lord, Marshall was on a half day schedule and helped me sooo much. He took down every stinkin' decoration. And cleaned out the refrigerator because the sight of food made me want to, you know...

We tried to keep it simple this year and keep our focus on Christ. I know Silas doesn't fully understand yet, but I want him to always know what Christmas is about.

We spent Christmas Eve at the candlelight service at our home church and then it was a tissue paper frenzy at the Bohannon house. That's Silas under the tissue paper frenzy.

Collin, Griffin and Ryan showing me their Art For Africa shirts.

Christmas morning at my parents' house. We exchanged gifts and enjoyed watching Silas. Marshall's dream came true and he got a PS3. Happy man. I know the way to my man's heart....electronics. :)

We then moved over to the Coen house.

Silas opened presents...

...and tried to take other grandson's presents....

These are all of the grandchildren (all boys!) on the Coen side. Handsome guys!

Here are all of the grandchildren on the Bohannon side. Surprise! All boys again!!

We hope your Christmas was full of Hope and Joy! We were thankful to spend it with family and friends.

cheesecake?

The UPS man dropped of the most wonderful cheesecake today.

There's just one problem...we don't know who to thank! There was no information about the sender, just a Merry Christmas message to us.

Did you send us a cheesecake? If so, please step forward! :)

these are a few of my favorite things...

...about Silas right now. We have a basket of blankets and books by the couch. On his way back around from trying to play our floor lamp like a trombone, he likes to stop by the basket and choose a book or two. Now he's grabbing a book, sitting down and thumbing through it and then he stands up at the couch with the book, as if to say, "Please read this to me, Mother". Or more like "ma ma ma ma ma ma....."

Gets me every time.

It doesn't matter if I'm standing in the kitchen or sitting on the floor playing with the boy. One of his favorite things is "sneaking" up behind me. (Did I already tell you this?) I call out, "Silas, Silas! Where are you?!" And then I try to turn around and see him both directions. We both squeal with delight. I think I already shared this story. I need more coffee.

What else....I love how in the middle of a meal he just starts clapping. It's like he's saying, "Bravo, Mama! Bravo!" That's what I like to think, anyway.

He's making new sounds...the "kh" sound. He's trying to imitate some animal sounds too.

Don't tell him, but I know how to get him to come to me every time he's going the wrong direction. Just call out his name and when he stops and turns to look I hold up a book. Maybe that will still work when he's 15?

Oh the joy of that boy.

one more Christmas gift idea

Did you enjoy the Mocha Club video below? Even if you never watch videos people post, please watch that one. I think it will speak to your heart. We joined Mocha Club and I just got my "I need Africa more than Africa needs me" t-shirt. Let me just say it's an awesome t-shirt. I would consider myself pretty knowledegable on t-shirts too. Most of my wardrobe has something to do with a t-shirt. :)

On the subject of t-shirts, I have another goody for you. My friend Apryl got me this cool t-shirt. She got it from another adoptive Momma who is raising money for their adoption. This Momma, who shall remain nameless, is not allowed to advertise their adoption in any way, shape or form. The agency this family is working with has very strict rules about this. So, they have no way to get the word out about their stuff. From first hand experience I can tell you that their product is really good. Here are some pictures. Email me if you would like to purchase a shirt or water bottle. These would make great Christmas presents and totally fit the Advent Conspiracy theme.

[The red/white is kidsI have the green one...it's a junior's cut and very stylish. Marshall has the blue short sleeve which is men's or unisex. The long sleeved one in the back is unisex. Water bottle, below, is stainless steel.]

Can I also say that shopping with purpose has been SO fun this year. There are some wonderful products out there that support some wonderful things. Shop on!

One more thing....Silas is sooo fun. His favorite thing to do is "sneak" up behind me, either while I'm standing or sitting on the floor, and "hide" from me. I call out, "Silas! Silas! Where are you?..." He giggles with delight and thinks it's so funny. Every time. He also likes to clap his hands and stayed with a babysitter for the first time this week. Twice. Tis' the Season. Actually it was our sweet neighbor and she was nice enough to come over to our house and spend time with him. He knows her and loves her and it made it so easy. Next I'll ask her to volunteer in the church nursery.

And I'm so proud of Silas' eating. He is eating like a champ. He loves steamed veggies, sweet potatoes, turkey sandwiches, puffs, etc. His bottle to sippy cup transition was seamless. I thought it would be difficult, but he just "got it" and hasn't had a bottle in a week. Thank You, Lord for that mercy!

Mocha Club

Check out this great video from Mocha Club. Wow!

All I Want for Christmas is...

for things to change. Who says we should be stressed out and in debt by mid December? Why not do something different this year? Shake it up. Here are some ideas for gifts that benefit those that make them or just benefit those in need. If you have others to share, please leave a comment!

FEED Bag

Tom's Shoes (one pair of shoes purchased = one pair of shoes to a child without...their next drop is Ethiopia)

Timbali Crafts (handicrafts/bags Swaziland)

Suubi (necklaces)

AHOPE (bracelets, t-shirts, etc)

Compassion International

Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog

Heifer International

Mocha Club

Orphan's Ticket Home

Africa Bags

Water for Christmas

Ten Thousand Villages

Gobena Coffee

Now, can someone help me figure out what to get our nephews, 4-11? Something tells me one of you dear readers will know!

This shopping will make your heart feel full, not anxious. Let me know what you find!

gobble gobble!

We had a blessed Thanksgiving together....3 years is a long time to be away, especially during the holidays.

Sophie and Billy watched through the window as Marshall and Dad put up our fence.

Gaga, Katy, Silas and I went to the Airborne & Special Forces museum in downtown Fayetteville. It's a really good one, so if you're ever in town, I'd recommend it.

We met some friendly soldiers...

PaPa shelled lots of pecans from their trees so Gaga could make pecan pies. Yumm-E!

Silas supervised...

I feel much better now that I've finally caught up with the blog. All of these bloggable moments just weigh on my shoulders until I can get them up. :) Thanks for bearing with me!