Sunday, November 29, 2009

Thanksgiving, 2009


The day started out as it does every year - with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Cash is officially a fan. That makes 2 out of the 4 Hollingsworths. :)

Corrinne was really excited for Thanksgiving. Or maybe she was excited about wearing those adorable pink boots!

This is the just the "grown up" table.

Here we have Cash wearing his favorite part of the meal: Megan's chocolate chip cookies.

And my favorite picture of last weekend - Carter & Corrinne. 3 1/2 and 4 month old cuteness!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

aaaThank you!

Last year around this time, I wrote a Thank You post containing several things/people I was thankful for at the time. To keep with tradition, I thought I'd give God another "shout-out" and list what I'm thankful for this year. Without any further ado...

Always on my list: My dear, sweet, adorable, sexy, loving, courageous, and hard-working husband, Drew. He is the funniest guy I know, incredible father to our children, and the champion of my heart. He will always be at the top of my "thankful" list.

Of course, I'm equally thankful for my two kids. The fact that they're healthy, growing, and smart is a miracle. Not everyone can say that. I'm often reminded of this. And as a bonus - they're hilarious, adorable, and downright beautiful. ;) I love them both equally, but I'm thankful for them for different reasons: I'm thankful for Cash because he introduced me to the wonderful world of motherhood. He has endured so many "test runs" as our first child and has somehow made it! ;) He has such a sweet, tender spirit, yet can test my limits in almost the same breath. He's an awesome sleeper and excellent big brother. Being his mom is a true joy.
I'm thankful for Corrinne because she taught me about trusting in God's timing before she was even born! At only 3 1/2 months old she is learning so much everyday. Because she's my second and I'm a little more relaxed, I enjoy watching her learn without worrying she's not doing what she should at this given stage, etc. Having her has forced me to be the organized person I always wanted to be, but never had the swift kick in the pants I needed to get me there. Her smile is a highlight of my day, and the reason I don't (always) cry when I am woken up in the middle of the night...I'm so incredibly thankful and glad we were blessed with her.

Almost daily I think to myself, "I love our new house." Its such a blessing to have so much space for our kids, visitors, our stuff, and the kids to come. (Yes, there will be more! But not anytime soon.) We've been able to entertain our friends and family without people having to sit on each other's laps. (I kid, that never happened.) We are so grateful God worked it out for us to be able to sell our house and purchase this one. It was truly His handiwork.

My family. I have a HUGE family and its always crazy when we're all together. But I think I'd probably cry if it were any other way. There's nothing quite like the bond you share with your siblings. My sisters are my very best friends and I know it'll always be that way. We understand each other better than anyone, know the other person's joke before they say it and laugh the loudest at it. We hurt when one is hurting and celebrate each other's accomplishments. I realize not everyone can say they're thankful for their family and that breaks my heart because I can't imagine a life without that support system. I have tremendous parents whom I've become friends with as an adult and appreciate their love and parenting even more as I've become a parent. I know I don't say it often enough, so in case you guys are reading this -- I love you! :)

Chick-fil-a Sauce. Ok, I don't know when Mr. Truett Cathy came up with this recipe but I'm pretty sure all of heaven rejoiced. I think I've become slightly obsessed with it and its become a staple at lunch on play date days - which happens once a week. And it occurred to me this afternoon, while eating my 2nd 8 pack nugget meal with a large sweet tea and extra C-F-A sauce this week, that this could be to blame for the 11 pounds of baby weight I constantly complain about. (Yes - I lost a pound last week! Baby steps, people. Baby steps.)

Mylicon. I'd like to thank the manufacturers of Mylicon for all the times you have had a hand in allowing me some extra sleep when my little one gets a bit gassy. You have created a miracle drug and I'm considering buying stock in your company...

DVR. Gone are the days of missing out on shows just because they're on after I go to bed, or having to miss something because I need to leave the room momentarily. Oh no! Not only can I "record" a show without using the VCR (do those even still exist?!) but I can record FOUR SHOWS AT ONCE! Glorious technology!

And lastly (just for this particular list) but far from the least...
My salvation. You know I couldn't do a list without stating the obvious. I'm forever grateful for the sacrifice Christ made for me and you and have committed my life to doing everything I can to glorify and honor Him.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Hollingsworths!









Thursday, November 5, 2009

Life is like a box of chocolates. Mmmm, Chocolate!

Truth be told, I hardly ever know what day it is. Blame it on (somewhat) sleepless nights, hormones, the sheer fact that I have 2 children under 2. Whatever. Its a fact. But yesterday I was caught off guard by just how quickly time is passing.
Yesterday Megan and I were discussing how glad we are not to be in high school anymore, but how it doesn't seem like it was that long ago that we were (in reality its been 8 and 5 years for us!). It feels like I just celebrated my 18th birthday a few years ago..."a few years ago" meaning almost 9. When I'm around women my age who have yet to join the ranks of motherhood, I admit I feel like life is passing me by. They're out living it up in the workplace with their abs still intact and exciting vacations planned while I'm at home wiping boogers and hineys all day long, trying to find something to wear that hides the 12 lbs of baby weight clinging for dear life.
This past Sunday I was convicted on our way to church. Drew had been off work all weekend and wasn't scheduled to go back until Tuesday morning. But there it was Sunday morning and I was mentally trying to prepare myself for this week's schedule and began asking him about his work-week, etc. I had (mentally) skipped over the last day of his "vacation" and was already geared up for him to go back to work. It was right then that I felt God tugging on my heart and saying, "Don't worry about tomorrow...enjoy today." I realized in that instance how often I do skip over today and move right on to preparing for tomorrow and the days to follow without even being guaranteed a tomorrow! Life isn't passing me by; I'm passing by life. Sometimes flying right past it!
This is my life - diapers, spit up, drool, boogers, galore! The kitchen has dirty dishes in the sink, and I have a ton of laundry to do. During the 30 minutes its taken me to write this, I've saved Corrinne from being trampled on by Cash approximately 15 times. And I'm sure I'll "save her life" about 300 times more today...But around 5:00 tonight the most handsome man ever will walk in my front door and greet me with a kiss. We'll enjoy a lovely dinner of stuffed peppers and help some friends celebrate their first baby girl's arrival into the world. Its not an extravagant vacation but we'll have time for those someday...in about 20 years. :) And as for those 12 lbs and saggy abs (and saggy other parts of the body we won't mention by name) - I wear them with pride (sometimes) because without them I wouldn't have my beautiful kids. And lets face it - its not natural to be that skinny and have 2 kids. ;)

Monday, November 2, 2009

Wait a sec. Did we just turn the clocks back?!

I just wanted to let you know its November. In case you hadn't realized yet. And in this house, that means its officially time to break out the CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!! I've practiced some serious self control and haven't asked Drew to get the Christmas decorations out. But I think thats only because he's still busy painting in preparation for our big Thanksgiving dinner!
(Yes, we're hosting BOTH of our families for Thanksgiving. Thats roughly 30 people. I'm SO excited!) Speaking of Project Paint 2009, I'm LOVING how its turning out. I can't wait to see the finished product complete with new curtains, wall art, and decor. Its going to be beautiful! I'll be sure to keep you up to date on that.
Since its officially Christmas season, I've added some holiday treats to my playlist. You're welcome. And Merry Christmas!!! :)