Merry Christmas 2008...Levi's 1st, Amelia Grace's 4th, and our 1st in our New House

Christmas Eve evening, I realized I had to make 2 Sweet Potato Casseroles, and 2 Cranberry Pecan Pies, (with homemade pie crusts, I might add).  

So, on Christmas morning in the Barbee house, when Levi woke up at 6:30 am, he and I got up and began our preparations for the day. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice all of the gifts under the tree that "Santa" had brought for him and his sister.....but that was okay, right then I really didn't have time to play.  

We began cooking sweet potatoes and making our pie crusts, and soon it turned 7:00 and still no one was awake, Amelia Grace usually never sleeps this late, so I turn on the computer to look up my Cranberry pecan pie recipe and Jason begins to stir.  Levi and I were getting hungry and really wanted to go ahead and began making our Christmas breakfast of Pancakes and bacon, so at 7:30 when Jason woke up and then woke up Amelia Grace we were reallyhappy.  

But then the most puzzling thing happens...when Amelia Grace wakes up and comes into the family room, she doesn't even say anything about the brand new bicycle or the Tinkerbell doll that "Santa" worried himself to death over finding the exact one that she wanted, or any of the other toys that were under the tree.  All she wanted was pancakes and bacon and to know why Santa didn't eat all of his cookies, and if we left him any milk?  After breakfast though she warmed up to the toys that she was given and I think she wasn't actually sure that they were hers.  Levi on the other hand just dove right into his toys I think he was just excited to get trucks and cars, and barns with farm animals, real boy toys, he couldn't take it all in.  it was fun to have an 8 month old at Christmas time.  

All in all I believe this Christmas was the best that we have ever had as a family...we have our son and our daughter.  We have a wonderful set of brothers and sisters and all the family that goes with them and our parents are all doing great.  We truly couldn't ask for more....our whole entire  family is so very blessed....those are truly the best gifts we could ever ask for.

Merry Christmas 2008 with Mamaw and Papaw!!

On Christmas day we went to visit with my parents and have Christmas dinner.  We had turkey, ham, and all of the fixings, and my daddy and older sister's favorite...cranberry pecan pie.  For the last 4 years I have made this pie and I have never had a piece of it until this year....and it is yummy!  But anyway getting back to the memories that were made.  My older brother Tim and his family were there, my older sister came up from Surfside Beach with her 2 children, my younger brother was there with his wife and daughter, and my younger sister was there.  We also got to spend the holiday with my uncle David and aunt Linda and their granddaughter Kimberley.  

Amelia Grace and Levi really got alot of gifts, but I think they enjoyed being with their cousins most of all.  Bless his heart, Levi was suffering with a fever so he didn't want many people messing with him and come to find out he had double ear infections.  (We took him to the Dr. the next day)

Oh yeah I almost forgot my grandma was there or as Amelia Grace and Levi call her Gramma, and my Aunt Tina ( my daddy's sister) and her two boys were there.  

I spent most of my time out on the front porch in a rocking chair talking to my older sister.  I really miss her since she moved to the beach but that just means that we will be making trips to the beach this summer, I have never met my nephew, Gus or my niece, Apple.  Gus is a beautifulGreat Dane who is about 7 months old and is a smokey gray color, I have talked to him on the phone and can't wait to get to love on him and well,  Apple.... she's just crazy.   We had a great Christmas at my mama and daddy's house...a lot of people in a house that would otherwise be huge until you try to fit about 35 people in it at one time, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  My family may sometimes be odd, a little hard to get along with, or just simply crazy, ut they are my family and I love them just the way they are.

Merry Christmas 2008 with Nanny & Papaw!

This Christmas was a fun one we actually got to spend sometime with Jason's sister Julie,  her new husband, Trevor, and their "blended"family.  Our Christmas celebration with Jason's family is on Christmas Eve, which had Jason working for 1/2 a day, but he got home in time for us to meet at his parents house to have a pick-up lunch.  The food was great, sausage balls, veggie cheese ball, hot dogs marinated in Worcestershire sauce, pistachio salad, cherry puddles, veggie tray, chips and dip, party ham biscuits, oh and so many other good things to eat.  While we ate there were Christmas pictures of years past in the center of the table that we got to look at some for the first time.  And then we started opening gifts.........with 7 grandchildren that takes some time.  Everyone was so happy just to get to spend time together, but everyone loved the gifts they received.  It was great!  Julie and her family had to leave around 5:00 to get to Trevor's parents house but we stayed for our traditional steak and baked potato supper with salad and bread...I look forward to that every year.  We had a great time and it was nice for Levi to get to have such a big celebration for his first Christmas!

The Wedding.......

Friday night December 12, 2008 we attended Jason's sisters wedding. It was on a yacht in Lake Norman called the Lady of the Lake. A beautiful boat, a beautiful place to have a wedding, not such a great place to have a 3 year old and a 8 month old, who are used to being in bed at 6:30 and 7:30. It was a beautiful wedding, with prime rib, roasted pork tenderloin, or salmon for dinner and wedding cake, of course, for dessert. We also had the cutest party favors, little tiny Godiva dark chocolate wedding cakes filled with milk chocolate ganache. The boxes were tied with ribbon and had a silver heart charm.Luckily, Levi slept most of the time, and Amelia Grace was well behaved, most of the time, except when she was crawling under the dinner table and refused to come out, and all she ate for dinner was the little chocolate wedding cake. So, after her sugar rush kicked in her and her cousins (Julie has 3 children) began running around the top floor of the boat, which seemed to only get smaller as the night went on.
All in all it was a beautiful wedding, we are so happy that they are happy. We all had a good time and we will never take Amelia Grace and Levi on a boat again, until they get in their teens!

Happy Birthday, Remington!

December 10th is always a very difficult day for me, you see that is our oldest son's birthday. Remington Edwards Barbee was born on 12-10-04 @ 7:30 am, in heaven, surrounded by angels and with his Heavenly Father.


If someone had told me that at 26 years old I would be in a cemetery on a cold December morning burying my firstborn infant son, I wouldn't have been able to imagine just how horrible that could have felt. I always think about him and just how much he looked like his daddy, with dark hair and his daddy's dimple....and my nose....what a perfectly beautiful little man he was.


I know you hear people say things happen for a reason, and I believe that too, but more importantly I believe things happen to in some way bring glory to God and His ultimate plan for our lives. No matter how short Remington's life was it was not an insignificant life, I believe in some way he had an impact on someone, even if it was just me...to be my first son, to help me know how much love a mother can have for her children even if she doesn't get to physically care for them, and to know that if I had a choice, with how much my heart aches to hold him some days that I would never bring him back to this place, to know fear, pain, anger and sickness. But with my heart resting in the assurance that he is with Jesus, and that when the time comes I will see him again, makes my heart peacefully happy.

Thanksgiving

I know it is a tad bit late to writing about Thanksgiving but I have just now gotten the time. This Thanksgiving was special because it was Levi's 1st, and well sometimes holidays are the only times we get to see extended family. Our Thanksgiving holiday started on the Tuesday before when we went to Jason's Mama & Daddy's house to have a big dinner with them and Jason's sister Julie. her fiancee, Trevor, and her 3 children Blake, Madison, & Annsley. The dinner was wonderful however we failed to get any pictures because all of the grandchildren are so young it takes lots and lots and lots (did I mention lots?) of supervision when they are all together. But they have fun and get along so what more could parents ask for?
Then on Thanksgiving Thursday, we went to my Mama & Daddy's house for dinner. It was slightly crowded and my Mama & Daddy's house is fairly a good size one. My older brother Tim was there with his wife, Tanum and their 3 children Kylie, Nicholas, and Madilyn. My older sister, Shelley came up from Myrtle Beach with her 2 children AJ, (short for Ariel Jordan) and Jacob. My younger brother Joshua came in with his wife Savanna and their 2 year old daughter Kaytlyn and then there is my youngest sister Melani. Then add in my Grandma and my Uncle David and his wife Linda and their granddaughter Kimberley and then my cousin Steven and his wife April who is pregnant and their little girl Taylor. And oh yeah I almost for got my Uncle Butch without his wife ( a very long and somewhat complicated story) and My aunt Tina. Plus 2 dogs BJ (Bruiser Jr.) and Jelley Bean, and a cat Tessa. We had a great time except that Levi would not let anyone hold him except my Daddy and Jason and someone threw my plate of food away before I got to finish it, but my oldest brother Tim did say the my Sweet Potato Casserole was the best that he has ever had, so that made me feel really good.
So, yea, memories, and we get to do it all over again on CHRISTMAS!