365

Let me start off by saying we had an absolutely amazing Christmas (6 actually)! It has been so wonderful being off work at the same time as Jim Bob. The four of us have had such sweet, sweet family time. We were truly blessed to get to spend so much time with our extended family as well. I was also excited to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in way too long. Thank you Kori, Amber, Misti, and Robyn for making time for me.
I always get a little sad as the Christmas season comes to an end. We have to wait 365 days to get to do it all again. As I was taking down our Christmas tree this last morning of 2008, I spent a lot of time reflecting and thinking about the past 365 days and the future 365 days. You know, A LOT can happen in a year. I realized just a few things that can happen even as I was putting my Christmas card labels on this year. Being the organized person I am (Ha!), I planned on just using the labels saved on my computer from last year's cards. However, as I printed them out and began looking at them, I realized that I have many friends whose address has changed. Some have moved into their dream homes just across town, some to a new city because of a better job, some to a new state many miles away. I also realized that many families have grown in number due to sweet new babies being born. My heart was also broken as I realized that some families had broken apart within the last year. In the last year I have known people who had babies, people who lost precious loved ones, people who got married, people who got divorced, people who were diagnosed with illness, and people who were healed, just to name a few. As I said, a lot can happen in 365 days.
2008 has been a wonderful, amazing year for our family. We have been so blessed through Jim's new job as a Psychology Instructor at SPC. It has allowed our family to have so much more quality time together, and Jim absolutely loves his job now. This year, we became a part of a new church family at The Heights Fellowship. Jim has done an amazing job as the worship leader, and even though it was hard to "leave" our BHBC family, the wonderful folks at THF have embraced us and welcomed us with such love. My "baby" girl started Kindergarten and Grayson has turned into a non-stop, talking, preschooler. I also became an aunt to the sweetest little miracle, Camren.
What will the next 365 days hold for us, for our family, for our friends? In 365 days, my little girl will be 6 1/2 and my baby boy will almost be 4. I have many friends who will have new little ones for me to love on. My incredible husband and I will celebrate 10 years of blissful marriage. I, personally, can spend too much time playing the guessing game of the future. However, one thing I was reminded of this morning that I know without a shadow of a doubt is that my God is and will be Lord of Lords and King of Kings through each of the 365 days ahead. As Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I pray that you and your family will be blessed in many, many ways in 2009 and that you will know God's love and peace this new year.

Dear Santa

As I was sitting on my bed early this morning putting on my makeup, I heard a rustling outside my door by the Christmas tree. I figured Presley had gotten up early and was snooping around trying to find presents with her name on them. I tiptoed to the door and quietly opened it. Look what I found....A precious little girl with a paper and pencil, laying by the Christmas tree, writing a letter to Santa! How sweet!

All Aboard!

We had such a great time on the Polar Express last weekend! Thanks Mimi and G-Dad for taking the whole fam to the North Pole. It was so much fun to experience it through Presley and Grayson's eyes! They had a blast...even though Grayson told me he "actually just wanted to look at Santa Claus, not talk to him!" Jim and I also took the kids to the 34th Street parade on Saturday. We picked up a One Guy's Pizza and some Toys for Tots, backed into a parking space on 34th, climbed into the back of the expedition and snuggled until the parade started...It was a lot of fun! I also decided to take Presley to the Nutcracker. I think she really enjoyed it! There are also some pictures of Presley's class party and Christmas with my Memaw! It's beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas! Only a two more days until school is out! I am already thanking God for the time I will have to relax and spend time with my family, and most importantly focus on Him.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas trees, lights on houses, Christmas specials on TV every night, shopping with a mission to find the perfect gift, stockings, the cold night air, the Christmas music, and most importantly anticipating the celebration of our Lord's birth! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! I really don't mind the hustle and bustle of the season. There are so many fun, exciting, wonderful family things to do...I want to do them all! Tonight the fam and I had a yummy dinner together(Thanks, sweetie for cooking us up some delish burgers), put on our p.j.s, made white-chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa, and snuggled on the couch while watching The Polar Express. It gives me the "warm-fuzzies" just thinking about it! This seems to be the weekend for lots of fun things. Some of the things I would love to do are:

***Take Presley to the Nutcracker (I think she would like it....anyone have any advice for me on that one? I've never seen the whole thing)

***Candlelight at the Ranch

***34th Street Parade

***Shane and Shane Christmas Concert

***Christmas Shoes at Trinity

***Santa Land

I'm sure there is even more going on that I don't know about! I am looking SOOO forward to our trip on the Polar Express on Friday, too! I know we won't be able to attend all these events listed above, if any, so if any of you find yourself at any of the above...I want DETAILS!!! That way, I can at least experience them through you! Below is a pic of my Santa Babies (Next week is Christmas hat week at my school, so I bought Presley and me Santa hats....apparently I have a rather large head because my hat did not fit, so Grayson gets to keep it...He looks much cuter in it than I do anyway!)

So Very Thankful

Well, the turkey has been eaten and pumpkin pie devoured.....This turkey is stuffed! We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving. I love the Thanksgiving Holiday so much! I feel like it is a time when I am more likely to stop and actually think seriously about all that I have to be thankful for. I thank God every day of the year for the obvious things like my incredible husband, my beautiful, healthy children, and my parents. However, Thanksgiving makes me remember some of the things that I am very thankful for, but often forget to mention to my heavenly father. I wish I would realize more often that everyday is a day for Thanksgiving.
One of the things that I have been thinking a lot about this Thanksgiving is family. Now I realize that is something that most people think a great deal about during this time of year. But, I've got a serious extended FAMILY to be thankful for. Our Thanksgiving plans consisted of THREE Thanksgiving dinners. THREE seperate occasions that our family welcomed us into their home and looked forward to seeing us. THREE days of feasting and visiting with people who had an enormous part in molding Jim and I into who we are today. THREE different families that loved on Presley and Grayson more than one can even imagine.
We started on Thanksgiving day at my mom and dad's house. I'm sure I looked funny walking down the street with a green bean casserole in my hands. Isn't that awesome that I just have to walk less than 50 yards to see my parents? We celebrated with Coby, Jen, Camren, and my Memaw. It was great! This year I have a sweet nephew to be thankful for! The whole family even went to see Bolt in 3D later that night.
The next day we headed to Lamesa to celebrate with Jim's family. It was great to see Jim's parents, Donnell and Family, Dale, Madonna, Tony, and Weston, and Aunt Lana. I am so blessed to be a part of the Archer Family. I couldn't have asked God for a better family to marry into. I loved the way we each had to say something we were thankful for before our prayer. I especially loved how my husband said he was thankful for his "Smokin' Hot Wife!" (Thanks honey.....You might want to explain to Presley why she should stop calling me that.)
The next day we stayed in Lubbock and went to the Tech game. I did have my first national TV appearance during the game, and yes I was freezing if you could not tell! Go Red Raiders!
Finally, today, we drove to Lamesa again for our third and final Thanksgiving dinner. This time we celebrated with my Mimi and Papa and all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and all the new babies. I love how close my family is to one another. I also hope that I will never stop spending the Sunday after Thanksgiving at Mimi and Papa's house like I have for the last 30 years.
As we were driving home tonight, exhausted with belly aches and ready to get home, I couldn't help thinking about how amazingly blessed I am to have so many incredible people I get to call FAMILY.
Thank you God for all of your wonderful blessings of FAMILY.

TAG! 8 Things

So, I got tagged for the first time ever! Thanks to the Jennifers!

8 TV Shows I Watch
Survivor
Grey's Anatomy
The Today Show
Backyardigans
Dora
Little Einsteins
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Imagination Movers
(Pathetic....I know)

8 Favorite Restaurants
Carino's
Outback
Lujan's
One Guy From Italy Pizza
Chick-fil-a
Manna
Red Carpet
Pei Wei

8 Things I Did This Weekend (This one is easy...we had the BEST weekend!)
Booked a cruise to Mexico to celebrate our 10th anniversary (for June)
Went to see Madagascar II with my sweet kiddos and hotty husband
Shared a Cookie Monster with my family at Cheddar's
Went to eat breakfast at Cracker Barrell after sleeping later than usual
Took the kids to play at Legacy Play Village
Watched a depressing Tech game with Matt and Rebekah....but at least we were in good company!
Cleaned my house...it looks so much better!
Had family pictures made with Coby, Jen, Camren, Mom, Dad, and us!
(Too bad I could only list 8 things...I didn't even mention putting up Christmas lights, hanging out with our LifeGroup.....this was a busy, but awesome weekend!)

8 Things I Look Forward To
Three Thanksgiving dinners with our families
Christmas Shopping
Putting up the Christmas tree
The Holidays in General
The Polar Express
A Cruise to Mexico in June
Getting to spend the summer with Jim and the kids (We will all be out of school for the entire summer!)
Family Camp in Branson, MO

8 Things on My Wish List
To be more like Christ
To be the best mom and wife I can be
To be a better friend
To be a great teacher for my sweet students
To get all my Christmas shopping done early
For potty training Grayson to be easy
For my house to be more organized
For Presley to NEVER grow out of her princess dresses

I tag Rebekah, Melissa, and Holly

My Rock Star Politician

Grayson...my sweet, sweet, boy.....my little rebel without a cause....my snuggle bug....my adventure. G-Jack, as we affectionately call our boy around here, is at such a "funny" age! I use the term "funny" lightly since some would not exactly call it that! For example, last week he asked his G-Dad if there was a baby in G-Dad's tummy. G-Dad did not exactly think that was funny. My mom, however, thought it was wildly funny until Grayson told her in the most innocent way that she was too old to go to the Halloween Carnival with him. On the same note, we think it is hilarious that Grayson has been heard rambling in his carseat about Barack Obama and John McCain. Last night, before he knew we were listening of course, Grayson was saying, "Barack Obabma winned...NO! NO! NO! John McCain winned!" It is pretty adorable when he gets his toy electric guitar and head bangs while making "electric guitar" noises....just like Daddy. (No, I have never seen Jim headbang, but Grayson apparently has!) I just love his BIG personality!
Everyone knows the reputation that comes with a two-year old. I'm certainly not saying that we haven't seen our fair share lately of evidence of the "Terrible Twos." However, I wouldn't trade the sweetness of this age for a year without tantrums. Grayson is so affectionate. He is famous among family and friends for his "night-night sugar and big hugs" that he has to give everyone at least twice before he hits the sack. Those big brown eyes just melt my heart when he looks at me and gives a goofy grin...he sure can charm his way out of trouble with that one! Thank heaven for little boys! I wanted to share some of my favorite pics of Grayson that capture this precious boy of mine.

FYI--That is a lollipop (one of his favorite things) in his mouth...I know it resembles a cigarette!

Walking In His Daddy's Footsteps

Whose Got Talent?

Presley and her friends have talent...that's who! Last night our school had their annual talent show, and Presley and three of her friends from her class were ready to entertain. I must say I was a little nervous....much more so than Presley was! I was armed and ready with my video camera in hand, and yes on the second row! (The first row was already taken..:) They were awesome! They sang Boom Chick-A-Boom, The Pink Song, and did a Wildcat cheer! I was so proud of her for being so brave! Here are a few pictures and even a video!Enjoy!

Here's to Perfect Weekends!

It's been a week since I last blogged, or should I say, let Jim Bob take over my blog. We had a good, but busy week, and this week looks like it will be even busier. We were able to have a wonderful weekend. It was just one of those weekends that just goes exactly like you envision it. It started off Friday night with an incredible night of praise and worship. Jim and the Heights Band held a concert of worship and prayer called Deep. We had a babysitter watch the kids so we could just focus on praising our Father...it was a wonderful way to spend a Friday night. My prayer is that I would continue praising Him and worshiping Him throughout this week at school, at home, in the car.
Saturday morning was a monumental moment in the Archer house as Presley had her first Kindergarten friend over for a playdate. Presley and Rece had a blast decorating cookies, painting butterflies, and of course, playing dress-up. For lunch we were able to meet up with some of our college friends that were in town for the Tech game. We had such a great time catching up with Ryan and Naomi, Nathan, Jennifer, and Jake for some One Guy pizza. Just like the good ol' days! We finished a great day with another Texas Tech victory! Go Red Raiders!
After a wonderful time of worship at church this morning and great meal at Lujan's, we were able to have a very restful Sunday afternoon! Here is to a perfect weekend! Only five more days until Friday!

First Time for Everything-Jim Bob's First Blog

It's me, Jim Bob, blogging. Just call me Jim Blog. Big day for me. Kelli coaxed me into starting a facebook account, and she's somehow persuaded me to submit my first blog. It's hard for a guy named Jim Bob to really enjoy technology. I guess this is just the next natural step that will lead to me being fed through the slot in my cage by my computer master. I hope my computer master will let me out to play with you all on weekends. Pretty sure that I'll be obselete before you though, so you've still got a little more time than me before you are replaced by the computer version of you.

I celebrated another big first tonight. Grayson and I had our first real game of catch. I got to say, "Keep your eye on the ball," which resulted in him getting beaned right on the noggin. True, it wasn't like a last second game winning toss from Harrell to Crabtree, but it was definitely a game of catch. Back and forth we tossed the nerf football, and I've got to say, he's got a good arm. It's funny, because two nights ago, he kept me up all night crying and refusing to let me go to sleep. I really thought I was going to lose it with him. Then tonight I had that moment that I've dreamed of having with him since I found out that we would be having a boy. I wouldn't trade our game of catch for a thousand nights of good sleep or even a Crabtree catch to beat Texas (that's a bold statement). I hope this was the first of many good games of catch with my boy. God, remind me of that if he keeps us up tonight. One day, he'll be my Crabtree, and I'll be his Harrell.

Happy Halloween

We had a very Happy Halloween! It all started last weekend when the kids went to a Halloween party at the Falls. Presley was a princess (of course!) and Grayson was a Dallas Cowboy football player (again...no surprise!). The next day we went to the Calvary Fall Festival. It was super fun! We still had our football player, but this time Presley was a Red Raider cheerleader! Both of them were absolutely adorable if I do say so myself! Finally, on Halloween night, we went to the Heights Fall Festival and to Coby and Jen's annual Halloween party. Jim and I got in the spirit, too. (In case you can't tell...I was Sarah Palin and Jim was John McCain. The precious baby we are kissing is Camren!) It was great fun! Here are a few pics from our Halloween....And I cannot end this without saying, "GO RED RAIDERS!" How awesome was that game??? Incredible!

My Princess Presley

This time of year always makes me think of one of the most special times of my life. It was October of 2002 that I found out I was pregnant with Presley. I will never forget how I felt, but I could never put into words how thrilled I was. She was a very prayed for miracle. Today, as school was letting out, I looked up and there she was coming down the hallway with all the other big kids, wearing her backpack and a huge smile. My heart seriously skipped a beat...My baby isn't a baby anymore. Yes, she has been in Kindergarten for 10 weeks now, and we have both done wonderfully, but every now and then it hits me like it did on the first day of school, or on her birthday, or on some random Saturday when I realize she is doing something completely without my help! Do you mothers out there ever have those moments that just take you by surprise? Everything is going great, when all of a sudden something so tiny reminds you of how fast time flies?

I am so proud of my beautiful daughter. She is absolutely precious on the inside and out. I love the way those green eyes dance when she is telling me a story and how her sweet lips and that smile can light up a room. I will never get tired of seeing her change every five minutes into a different princess dress, or get tired of hearing her ask her daddy if she looks beautiful. I am so proud of the way she is beginning to think of others more than herself. Yesterday, she decorated an empty peanut butter jar with a picture of a little girl named Luana from Brazil. She then hunted for any change she could find to put in the jar so we can send it to Luana. Today, she spent what seemed like forever looking for the perfect prize from the treasure box in my classroom to give to Grayson. She then spent the evening playing with him and taking care of him since his tummy hurt. My heart leaped for joy tonight when I started to say our goodnight prayers, and she stopped me and said, "Mom, I want to say the prayer tonight." She preceded to pray the sweetest, most genuine prayer.
I LOVE THIS GIRL! I am so thankful God shares His precious princess Presley with us.

The Corn Maze and More...

This past weekend was such a happy ending to a difficult week. On Friday, we went to the Corn Maze here in Lubbock with some friends from the Heights Fellowship worship band. What a fun way to socialize and hang out! The kids had a blast! Grayson loved the farm animals and the cow train. He insisted that I take his picture with every animal. Presley was Little Miss Independent as she marched through the corn maze ahead of mom and dad. She would get so excited when we would come to one of the question clues! We went on a hay ride and then sat by the campfire and visited. The weather was perfect and it was a much needed night with the family.
On Saturday, Presley had a soccer game. Last Saturday, she told Jim she would give him $20 if she didn't have to go, but this week she didn't complain too much about going, and she actually kicked the ball a time or two--in the right direction! This coming Saturday is our last game with an awards ceremony following. I am so proud of her for sticking it out!
Finally, on Saturday night, I had the amazing privilege of spending some quality time with two of my BFFs from Levelland. Amber, Robyn, and I had a Girls' Night Out at Abuelo's and Art Avenue. I wish I had some pictures of us being crafty, but I was too stressed out over the "colorful" mosaic I was attempting to make to remember that I had my camera with me. Here are a few pics I did take on our wonderful weekend! Only two more days until another weekend will be here!

Rainy Day Sunday

Yesterday was a wonderful, rainy day. I love a rainy day...especially a rainy Sunday afternoon! Once we got home from church, Grayson took a long nap and Presley had some quiet time while I cozied up on the couch with a cup of coffee and watched football with my hubby (I may have actually done more sleeping than watching!). Once everyone was up, it was time for some rainy day fun. Jim is such an amazing daddy. He always has ideas to keep the kids entertained and having fun. Presley is really into putting on plays. So Jim, Grayson, and Presley put on a "play" about secret agents. I always get to be the audience because according to Pres, I am not as good of an actor as Daddy. After the Spy play, Jim put up the tent in the middle of the living room floor and we all watched a movie. Good times...

So now what???

Well, I've done it. I've spent the last hour sorting through cute blog backgrounds, trying to figure out what a gadget is, and all the while attempting to convince myself that I can do this blogging thing. After spending the last few (or more) evenings checking out all my friends' blogs, I finally decided it was time I enter the blogging world. That, and since I am a sucker for anything "Fallish" these days, I couldn't pass up the cute fall background. (Probably not a great reason to blog, but I have to start somewhere!) Notice how I have attached my precious husband's name to this since he is more the deep thinker and has a better way with words! I figure I can post pictures of my adorable kids, and he can somehow put into words how wonderfully blessed we are! I love how he is willing to be my partner in anything...even blogging! I am hoping this blog will encourage me to take more pics of my kids and family and share the ones I do take, to keep up with all the incredible people in my life, and to be more aware of all the blessings God gives me that are worth writing down. Sometimes I feel like I get so caught up in the daily routines of life, that I don't stop to appreciate all of life's little joys happening all around me! So there...my attempt at blogging--day one. So, if anyone is reading this, be patient with me-I have a lot to learn!