1. Our year started with sick kids and ear infections.
2. I also had a sick husband with too many sinus infections.
3. Did I mention ear infections and sick kids? Many prayers for my babies and my husband
4. Jake turned three and moved to a big boy bed in February.
5. I turned 29 in March.
6. Anna Kate was born in April.
7. My granddad had surgery in May and is still cancer free.
8. Anna Kate was dedicated at church in May.
9. My mom was saved in May and baptized in November.
10. We started swimming and living in the pool in June.
11. Vacation at Jackson Lake with the Perdue Family.
12. Jake and Judd received tubes in August.
13. A quick visit to Georgia while Jim went to Mexico in September.
14. We had the joy of coming back to Georgia in October for the Georgia State Fair in Perry. All of the Perdue family met at the fair and enjoyed a fun filled day at the fair.
15. Judd is potty trained in November. Jim turns 31.
16. Judd turned two in December.

This has been a great year. Even with all of the ups and downs God has been so great and blessed us in so many ways. I look forward to 2009. I will be 30!!!!! Am I really going to be that young?

Friday
We got up and went to my Grandmother Etheredge’s house to celebrate Christmas with my dad’s family. We enjoyed seeing all of them. I don’t get to see them very often so I enjoyed catching up and having a great time together.

Saturday Morning
This was Christmas at Papa and Mema’s House. We spent the morning cooking and getting ready for lunch. Everyone arrived around lunch. Our crowd was a smaller this year since Georges, Leslie, Alex, Avery and Palmer couldn’t come. They were taking care of there sweet little boy Palmer who was recovering from RSV. Once again we had way too much food. I do believe that I am leaving Georgia a little bigger than I came and with entirely to many gifts.

Sunday Morning
On Sunday, Jim was given the opportunity to preach at Cross Point Church in Perry, Georgia. It was a pleasure to go to church with my mom, Benny, G-daddy, Peggy, Tripp, Dan and Jessica.

As soon as the service was over we left to go to celebrate Christmas with the Perdue Family. It was so good to see all of Jim’s family and all of the cousins. Boy, ten kids are a house full. It is music to everyone’s ears. I must say that one of the highlights of my Christmas was seeing the Watkins Family.

The Watkins are a dear family that have been friends with Jim’s parents for years upon years. Jim and I were given the opportunity to connect with them when we lived in North Carolina. I do miss you all. Thanks for making the trip and staying long enough to see us all.

Jake finally got one of the gifts that was list here. Nana and Big Buddy gave us a Wii Fit. Our trip home has been full of travel, seeing family and friends.

We close out 2008 in Georgia. This has been a blessed year!

We had a wonderful Christmas. We have been blessed with way more “gifts” than we deserve. This year we decided to stay in Tennessee until Christmas Day. We started our new tradition of getting a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve and waking up with them on Christmas morning.

Christmas morning Jake woke up at 7:05 and was ready to lay on the couch. Jim had to explain to him that it was Christmas morning. BUT he only had to say it once before he was ready to tear into his presents. We had to tell him to wait until we got Judd and Anna Kate out of the bed. At 7:25 the present opening commenced.

Jake was so happy to get a new bike and Judd loves his Shake N Go Racetrack. Anna Kate just loved opening the presents so that she could eat the paper.

Once all of the presents were open, we had a cupcake for breakfast to celebrate Jesus’ Birthday. Jim and I then began taking down all of our Christmas decorations. I know that I sound like a scrooge, but I knew that we were leaving for a week. The last thing I wanted after returning home from a week in Georgia was to take down all of my Christmas decorations. After cleaning, packing and napping we finally left home at 4:45.

We arrived at my mom’s at 1:00 in the morning. It was a LONG drive down. We were all tired. The kids did a great job, but we were tired and since we were traveling on Christmas day there wasn’t very many places open to eat or get gas. When we arrived at Mema’s we were tired and hungry, but so thankful to be in Georgia!

Two weeks ago, my sweet little Judd turned two. As I began typing this post I just smiled because being around Judd will bring a smile to anyone’s face. It is hard to believe that two years have come and gone so quickly.

Here is a peek at my pregnancy journal written for Judd.

“We found in April that we were expecting you. We went to see the Dr and he confirmed that you would be due in Dec. we are thinking approximately 21 or 23. Although we would love for you to come a little earlier in the month so that your birthday wouldn’t be so close to Christmas, but we will take whatever blessing God gives us.”

“So May 12 your daddy and I went to see Dr. Cox for our first ultrasound. We were able to hear your heartbeat, which were 170. Since I found out I was pregnant with you I thought that you were a girl and I have always heard that high heartbeats could mean a girl. I guess we will wait and see what God has in store for us in December.”

“We pray for you often. We pray that no matter your gender that you will be a healthy baby that loves the Lord will all your heart. I want you to know Him and love Him unashamedly with a passion that will never stop.”

“Your daddy and I then mentioned to Regina that I think you are a girl and he thinks you are a boy. She then said oh I already know! Which could mean it was so obvious that you are a boy, but what is crazy is your daddy and I looked at the screen the whole time and didn’t see anything. How Fun! We got to see you kick mommy a lot. You are so much more active than your brother, which is really funny since I thought he was really active.”

“This morning at breakfast he (Jake) started saying “Baby Judd” maybe he knows something we don’t.”

“You entered the world 6 minutes after I started pushing at 4:42 p.m. It’s a boy! We just looked at you and smiled. Your daddy had been right the whole time.”

I enjoyed that stroll down memory lane. Judd has been and continues to bring so much joy to our lives and our family. There is never a dull moment when he is around.

Here are a few of Judd’s favorites things:
1. Mommy says “Judd you need to finish eating your lunch” and Judd says “only two bites”
2. Yay Facons (Falcons)
3. He LOVES to repeat everything Jake says or does. We call him Jake’s Parrot.
4. Very Recently Judd has started telling us “Me preach Bible.”
5. Pizza: The boy thinks pizza should be his only source of nutrition.

Here are a few pictures from his party:

This year was some what difficult. Once, again we decided to stay in TN for Thanksgiving. Driving for 8 hours just to spend 2 1/2 days in Georgia didn’t really to appeal to Jim and me.

We both woke up Thanksgiving morning homesick and wishing that we would have gone to see family and then the kiddos didn’t have the best day. As lunch approached Jim and I looked at each other and just wished the day would hurry up and end. Yes, we were very thankful but we wanted to be in Georgia with family.

To sum up the rest of the day I will make a list:

1. No Judd don’t touch me
2. Jake, No mine
3. Dry Ham
4. Runny Macaroni
5. I’m not hungry mommy.
6. I am thankful for Mommy, Jake, Daddy, Anna Kate, Judd, Bible and Jesus.
7. Mommy, watch Anna Kate smile at me.
8. Will you read to me?

8:30- Kiddos in bed and the day is done.

Before going to bed, Jim and I did thank the Lord for our family and His faithfulness. We also decided that we will be driving to Georgia next year. Once every three years isn’t too bad.
One bright spot in our day was when we took the boys on the back of our property raked leaves and let them play. Here are a few things pictures to capture of Thanksgiving week. The first picture is our Thankful tree that we started a few weeks before Thanksgiving.

I know this post is almost a month late, but I have been trying to scan some pictures so that I could post them as you can tell I still haven’t been able to get them to scan. Oh well. Here goes:

November 23, 2008 Jim and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. Where in the world has the time gone?

We have started a anniversary tradition. We go to a restaurant that we wouldn’t typically choose any other time of the year. For example, we have gone to Emerils, Ruth Chris Steakhouse, and this year we decided to go the Texas de Brazil. It always helps when we have gift cards 🙂 We enjoyed our meal, but I don’t think I want any type of steak for quite awhile.

While we were out we spent some time discussing our lives over the past 6 years. What an amazing journey it has been! Over the past six years, we’ve lived in 3 different states, had three beautiful children, served at four churches, and been through lots of ups and some downs along our journey together. God is and continues to bless us in amazing ways.

Jim, we have reached another year and we are experiencing such a busy and blessed season of our lives. Thanks for your love, encouragement and support. I look forward to the next 6, 16 and 60 years….

It was a very eventful weekend around the Perdue house. We had a birthday party Friday night, Dan, Jessica and Rabun came up on Saturday and Judd turned two on Sunday. Judd’s party went great on Friday night, we’ve had a blast with my brother, sister-in-law and niece and Sunday was another great day at Crosspointe.

I have so much to update and so little time…

I need to tell you about my anniversary, Thanksgiving, Jim’s Birthday, and Judd’s birthday. How did I let everything get so far behind. Maybe I will be able to update this week…..or maybe not!