Luke's Favorite Book at the Moment

This is by far Luke's favorite book at the moment. He picks this book out above all others and he wants us to read it OVER and OVER and OVER again. He makes the sweetest face when he listens to us read it to him. The words are perfect for this Thanksgiving season:

Thank you for the food we eat.

Thank you for the world so sweet.

Thank you for the birds that sing.

Thank you, God, for everything.

Thank you for my family.

Thank you, God, for loving me.

For each and every child, I pray...

And thank you for this special day.

12-0!!!

WHOOOHOOOO!  Alabama beat Auburn 36-0 in their final game of the season!!! After 6 long years, we were finally able to beat Auburn (sorry any Auburn fans that read this blog), but this game was awesome! Luke loves to shake his shakers and yell at the TV just like his Momma and Daddy! He can even do the sign for touch down! It is so cute! Roll Tide Roll! Ramma Jamma, Yella Hamma!!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

It was a nice quiet Thanksgiving with just the three of us. I am so thankful for my family and friends both near and far and that we could spend this lazy Thanksgiving day at home. We had all the traditional fixin's including, cornbread dressing, turkey, green beans, my mom's sweet poatoes, my grandmother's cranberry relish, rolls, and gravy. (This was my first year making gravy that was edible, normally it is terrible. But, I think I finally figured it out!). This year Luke was actually able to enjoy all of the food and he LOVED the dressing, green beans,  and sweet potatoes (The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Haha. If that is all I had on my plate I would be a happy camper!)  After lunch, we all took the traditional Thanksgiving nap with football playing softly on the TV in the background. What a great day! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

What Happened?

                           Man mommy, what was in that milk? (Just so everyone is aware, my silly husband put this post up late last night.)

Hay Stacks!

Hay Stacks Recipe

12 oz chocolate morsels

12 oz butterscotch morsels

~ 7-8 oz (a can and a half) chow mein noodles

6 oz cocktail peanuts

Heat morsels in microwave for 3.5 minutes at 60% power until melted. Stir until smooth. Stir in noodles and nuts. Drop by the teaspoon onto waxed paper. Thats It!!!

(Jess's notes: This recipe makes enough for an army, so be prepared to share with co-workers, neighbors, family, and friends because let me tell you, if you keep these all in the house it will be sad times when you go to put on your jeans :)  Also, I make my batch with two bags of butterscotch instead of half chocolate and half butterscotch. Even if you don't think you like butterscotch, you MUST try it this way. But, feel free to substitute any combination of morsels that your heart desires. )

(Another Side note: I don't know why but whenever I make these I think of my grandmother Betty. I don't know if it is because she is the last person I remember making these with, or because I remember that she always got the peanut buster parfait at Dairy Queen and this is made with peanuts? But for me, making hay stacks will always remind me of my Grandmother Betty!) 

Bad Hair Day!

The boo boo on my nose has almost healed! Look what Daddy did to my hair... Luckily it was only water and NOT hair gel!

Eating Crayons...

Is ANYONE going to stop me from eating this crayon???....

Help, I think these crayons have gone to my head!!!

The Little Drummer Boy!

Thanks to Mimi and Doc for my new Christmas outfit! (It's called the Little Drummer Boy set.) It fits great and I can't wait to wear it in my portrait pictures. Don't my new shoes go perfectly with it? 

Here is a shot of it without the jacket.

I would not be related to my Daddy or to Doc if I didn't stop to check myself out in my new digs! 

Alabama Football!

We spent last weekend in Birmingham so that we could go to our last Alabama football game in the box. Yes, it was kind of sad that we won't be in the box next year, but I am sure the Murphy's are on to bigger and better things. The box has been wonderful and we were especially glad to be in it for this game since it was a 6:45pm game and quite chilly! We got to Tuscaloosa super early so we could get some pictures around campus and since the box opened at 4:15, we headed straight over to see if we could get Luke in. (Side note: According to stadium rules, EVERY person MUST have a ticket! (even newborns, as silly as that is.) That being said, Luke has been to the box two previous times WITHOUT a ticket. The first time we really didn't know and the second time they let us in after a little bit of begging (I really don't know how we did it the second time, but, hey, it worked!) This time mom was all set to sit at the Tri-delta house until half time and then meet us so she could take Luke back to the hotel. However, I had the bright idea of trying just ONE MORE TIME to get him in without a ticket. We let Dad stroll him in and they let us through without so much as looking at Luke in the stroller. Whew, we were in....or were we???... I got stopped because of my huge camera bag and Dad, Luke and Liz scurried onto the elevator thinking that all was well. While Mom and I were fooling around with the camera, Dad had gotten stopped by the second ticket stampers who give you an arm band. They said that Luke HAD to have a ticket and that they couldn't believe that they had let us through downstairs. Long story short, since they had already gotten that far, they let us in. Yeah! Mom didn't have to camp out at the tri-delta house!  All was well!

No trip to T-town would be complete without going to see the "Bear" statue!

Getting a quick bite to eat at the Tri-delta house before heading to the stadium. Check out my brand new shoes that Mimi bought met! Am I stylin' or what?

I had a great time at the game. After getting a new Alabama hat and bundling up, I was happy to be on the front row cheering the team on with my Alabama shaker! But, my favorite thing was the Million Dollar Band... Our box is just to the left of where the band sits, so I had a great time clapping and dancing to the music.

WHOOO HOOOO......11-0! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

Boys will be Boys!

This is what I came home to one night after work. The boys had been playing in their fort all afternoon. I don't know if you can read the sign but it said "Boys Only. NO girls allowed (except one)." I wonder who the exception was? hahaha!

Have I mentioned?...

Have I mentioned?...

How much joy you have brought to your daddy and me? Sometimes we look over at each other and think,what did we ever do before you were here?  If you cannot already tell, I am crazy about this kid!

Have I mentioned?...

How much fun it is when you bring a book over and crawl into my lap waiting for me to read it to you. It is so exciting to see you little brain working and learning new things every single day! Sometimes we get through the whole book and sometimes just a few pages and then it is on to the next thing, but seeing the wonderment in your eyes and that little moment when you are crawling in my lap is priceless!

Have I mentioned?...

How every cry that you cry whether it is for attention or a boo boo or because you are tired sends a sadness right down to a place in my soul that hurts so badly that I can hardly stand it.

Have I mentioned?...

How happy I am that I have a wonderful husband to share our life with you? I truly do not know how single parents do it. It is such a blessing to have a partner who is just as interested in what new words you learned today, as how many dirty diapers you had. I could not do it without your daddy!

Have I mentioned?...

How in those peaceful moments when you are sleeping, I am overcome with a range of emotions. I look at how sweet and innocent you are and know that you have a full life to lead that will be full of joy, wonder, sadness, and stress. It almost pains me that you will have to feel disappointment and even despair and that I cannot keep you from all of the bad things. However, I am comforted that we are not alone in the life battles that we all have to face.

Have I mentioned?...

How much I love you sweet baby boy!!!