January

January of 2014 dawned cold and bleak. Apparently the coldest it has been in this part of the country in over 25 years. Fabulous. Please note my dripping sarcasm. I am so homesick for the Southwest United States at this point that I just want to throw things at people back home who are sharing pictures of themselves on hikes at Red Rock or at the park in their cardigan sweaters while I am here in Oxford perfecting the art of layering clothes and basically becoming a hermit. Okay, positive thoughts. January, here we go!

Ezra turned five months old and became even cuter than the previous month. We can hardly stand it. We also started sleep training and he is now successfully sleeping through the night! Which makes us love him EVEN more. His hobbies include: eating, sleeping, squealing, eating, laughing at his brother, and eating.

We drove to Memphis to see a Memphis Grizzlies game with some friends. It was a blast, but I forgot my camera, so now we have to go back and do it again!

I turned 26, and was showered with gifts and chocolates from my family. The best of which was this bench that I fell in love with at an antique store which doubles as a toy chest which makes my living room adorable and which my husband went back and got for me when he realized how badly I wanted it! We also got to go eat some hibachi sans kids for dinner one night thanks to our awesome friends!

Liam and I made a cake for my birthday!

But it turned out terrible...

 Just kidding... we just hate to have messy fingers in this house. 'Tis a tragedy. We invited friends over for a playdate to help us finish the cake. It surprisingly is very easy to get people to come to your house when you tell them you have a need for someone to eat your birthday cake! It was a fun time.

The rest of the month we spent inside. We read lots of books.

Ezra became a giant from eating so much, so we bought him a big boy car seat. He was pretty stoked about it! Liam likes to hold his hand and give him toys to play with, so now Ezra doesn't mind being in the car as much! Awesome. Too bad the only place we go nowadays is the grocery store and the library.

So, that's about it. Kind of an uneventful month. Jason has gone back to school and the boys and I are still hunkered down at home trying to keep ourselves entertained. We love you all and hope it is warmer where you are and there are more indoor activities where you live! Hugs and kisses from Mississippi.

An Owen Christmas in Oxford

I know, I know, I know! I am behind in my blogging AGAIN! I know y'all have been on pins and needles to know how our Christmas went! We had our Ward (church) Christmas Party which consisted of a special Christmas message, singing by the Primary children, a visit from Santa, and then some DELICIOUS (and free) dinner which consisted of Red Beans and Rice or Jambalaya, or both, if you prefer. I had never tried Jambalaya, but it was so so so good! Liam was pretty excited to get a candy cane from "Tanta."

Ezra wore his Christmas jammies to dinner because it was past his bedtime.

 The cold weather drove me to lock myself and my children inside for most of the month, but I have gotten very creative with ways to keep Liam occupied.

FINALLY, Jason got on break from school, hurray! So, to celebrate we went to an Ole Miss basketball game and then out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was a blast and we were all very excited to have a few weeks to spend with our "Daddy!"

The boys watching the game.

My goofball at BWW.

Ezra chillaxin in his carseat (for once.)

 I was determined this year to make stockings for our family. I was also determined to teach myself machine embroidery since my mom's talents are no longer readily available to me. So, I worked hard, practiced, ripped lots of seams out, but finally had a finished product that I LOVE!!! Do you love them, too?

We actually didn't have too much of a problem keeping Liam from UNdecorating the tree. He did, however, find creative ways to REdecorate the tree. Whatever keeps him happy, I guess?!

I decided to make sugar cookies for Liam to decorate. I thought it would be a fun activity. Liam thought it would be MORE fun to put frosting on the cookies, lick them off, and then start over. So, then I decided he and I should take most of the cookies to neighbors to prevent future sugar highs! We got them to the neighbors just in time for our very first Tornado watch. It was a very scary storm, but we all cuddled together in Liam's room and got through it.

Mmmmmm, SUGAR!

Liam's decorated cookies.

 The Sunday before Christmas came, and we got our boys all dressed in their Sunday best and enjoyed a beautiful day of church services and a relaxing day at home with our family.

The cutie patootie pantses.

I love these brothers.

 On Christmas Eve, we went over to our friends' house for pizza and then Jason and I put the kids to bed and watched Elf. In the morning we opened presents. We had LOTS thanks to our gracious family who mailed us so many gifts this year! We had some very happy little boys!

Ezra with his stocking.

Liam with his new toys!

New Toy Story sheets for Christmas?! SWEET!

Liam got a kitchen set for Christmas and enjoys making meals for his Mama and Daddy.

We were grateful also for the time we were able to spend celebrating and learning more of our Savior. I spent the month reading the New Testament and gained a better understanding of the life of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for Him and all he has done for me.