A Winter Storm

Yes a winter storm is just what is needed to slow down and catch up on blogging and other things that you just never seem to get around to. I made a list that includes cleaning out closets, preparing Lottie's room and closet for her little sister to join her, organizing our home office, etc...

We'll see just how much of all of that gets done...good intentions....

Battle took the kids out yesterday in the snow while the sleet was pouring down. I opted to stay inside and blog . I joined them this morning when the sunshine decided to come out from behind the clouds. We walked up to the park and went sledding . We had a great time and took lots of pictures!! I came home and was all ready to put the pictures on the blog. I placed my camera card in the computer only to realize to my extreme sadness that technology had failed me and not one of the pictures I had taken was there. They had ALL somehow been erased!! I was heartsick as I had taken some really cute pictures!!! I wanted to just cry but I mustered the energy to go back out while the kids were still out and try to recreate some of the pictures. The kids were not thrilled to be back in front of the camera AGAIN, but I think I managed to catch a few cute memories!!

Here is Lottie sporting her new snow suit.....she looked like a Pillsbury Dough Eskimo!!!!

And here are my snow angels!!!

The three Muskateers!!!

Thankful for the gift of the white stuff to slow us down and appreciate the simple things in life. To allow us time to slip, slide and sled together as a family!!To stop and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, a bowl of snow cream and a family movie with a fire blazing!! Thank you Lord for simple pleasures!!!

New Years

We continue our Christmas celebration on New Years by traveling across the state to visit Battle's family. We celebrate Christmas in Flat Rock with Nanny and Papa, Battle's brother and sister-in-law Hardin and Liz and his grandmother , Momaw.

I can't think of a better way to end one year and ring in the next than to continue in celebration of our Lord's birth.

This year the kids got an extra treat as there was still snow on the ground that had come over Christmas. They enjoyed sledding a little and throwing a snowball or two!!

The boys were surprised with some new musical instruments and Lottie was delighted with a gymnastics mat to practice her new found tumbling skills!

We enjoyed going to see Momaw and celebrating Christmas with her and ringing in yet another new year with her. She celebrated 94 years on her birthday in August of 2009. She has always been so full of life and so willing to share her love of life with others. She has always been a child at heart!!

May we all embrace the new year with the heart of a child and each new day look forward with expectant anticipation of ALL that God has planned!!!

God bless you and yours in this New Year of 2010!!!!

Christmas Day!!

The kids have a tradition on Christmas morn of sitting at the top of the stairs before the all clear is given to run downstairs to see what goodies Santa has left under the tree.

This year was no different except Macy anxiously waited with them to see if Santa was a canine friend.

Santa did not disappoint , and Lottie found a princess bicycle , Noah found a video camera , and Graham found the Wii Fit.

There were several wrapped presents under the tree for all and then we went and unloaded the stockings!!

We head back over to Mimi and Paw Paw's for a Christmas lunch with extended family and then return Christmas night to our home where our friends from the beach come and celebrate with us! We are blessed to be able to richly fellowship with family and friends during this Christmas season.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

No, you didn't read the title wrong. I am just woefully behind in blogging and trying desperately to catch up. It really is the last weekend in January and Valentine's will be here before I know it!!! Sooo, I wanted to document one of my favorite times of the year before Christmas 2009 became a distant memory.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given..." Isaiah 9:6

It was a special Christmas indeed! We so enjoyed celebrating with family and friends. Lottie opened up the holiday season with a cookie party with her play group friends. Oh how fun it is to celebrate with little ones. They just delight in everything! We enjoyed decorating our home for the holiday and this year we had two Christmas trees as we wanted our new playroom to be all festive!! Our small group celebrated with a meal together and then went caroling in our cul-de-sac. We had fun making a joyful noise and bringing a little Christmas cheer to the neighbors.

We missed my grandmother "Gamma" being with us this year as we celebrated. She went to celebrate with Jesus face to face in November. We also were missing our baby girl waiting for us on the other side of the world. She had a stocking hung with care though under our mantle and next year will be home for sure!

On Christmas eve we travel over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house! Actually it is about 20 minutes to Mimi and Paw Paw's house where we gather with my sister and her family to celebrate. The children are giddy with excitement and it is hard to get them to settle down for a picture but we managed to get a few!

After a hearty meal, we gather in the family room to open stockings and presents.

Paw Paw was surprised with a gift of tarheel boxers from the boys that came complete with jingle bells!!

Yes, great fun was had by ALL!!!

We ended the evening with a new tradition. We went down to Paw Paw's barn and the children did a simple portrayal of the birth of Christ. Complete with some cows mooing in the background.

I am sure God smiled!!

A Season Of Thanks

Thanksgiving was a sweet time of fun and fellowship with family and friends this year. And a time to reflect on just how blessed we really are. Lottie began this season of thanks with a turkey cupcake party with her Friday morning playgroup. What fun they had making...and EATING...their turkeys!!!

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we have started a wonderful tradition of gathering with three other families from our adoption travel group to China. Three families including us are in the area and the fourth family travels through Raleigh to visit family on Thanksgiving! We are so very blessed to have such a wonderful group of people to have shared this adoption journey with. They always enjoy each other as you can see here!

Lottie enjoyed sharing with her friends that she was going to be a "BIG SISTER"!!!

We always gather each year for a Thanksgiving covered dish meal with extended family. Here is a peek at our smorgasboard!!! We left fat and happy!!!

A few family pics taken of us and my sister's family on Thanksgiving Day!!

We returned home where our our dear friends from the beach joined us for the weekend.

We always have fun catching up, doing a little shopping, and this year the kids broke in our newly transformed garage playroom!

Here they are playing a heated game of Risk well into the wee hours of the morning!

Oh such fun!!!

And greatest thanks and praise to our King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has blessed us abundantly!

Treasured Traditions

Well, the boys football season is now over. They lost in the first round of their play offs but that was one of only two losses for the season. Coming off of an undefeated season last year, the losses were difficult. They played hard all season and their coach reminded them that losses are a part of life and character is shown more during the losses than the wins. We were thankful the boys had a great coaching staff for their city football league. They learned a lot on and off the field.

The most exciting game of the season was on a Saturday I happened to have been working at the hospital. I happened to get finished a little early and made it to the game right before halftime. I arrived just in time to see Graham as quarterback throw up a long pass to be caught by Noah who then ran it in for a touchdown!!!! That was SWEET!!!!! A Watkins Boys Touchdown!!! And how sweet of the Lord to allow me to get there just in time to see and celebrate with them!

Yes, It has become a tradition to spend our saturdays in the fall watching the boys play football. It has also become a tradition to go to a local diner called the Circus to grab a hot dog after the games. They have 99 cent hot dogs on Saturdays. The boys also like to celebrate with a limeade slushie! The Circus has been around for years. It is near the ball field where the boys play which is in the neighborhood where my grandparents lived most of my life. I have memories of going to the Circus with my grandfather when I was a little girl. I have even better memories of every Sunday afternoon driving to my grandparents house in that same neighborhood and having Sunday lunch. Those memories are priceless!! And those Sunday lunches also became a family tradition as we now travel to my parents house after church most Sundays and have lunch with my parents, my grandmothers, great aunt, and my sister and her three children. The kids have a great time playing with their cousins. They sometimes will stage an impromptu concert for the family or have a pickup game of basketball in the driveway . These are great family times and a treasured tradition. I think Chicken and dumplings is on the menu for tomorrow...can't wait!! Thanks Mom and Dad for carrying on this treasured tradition!