??

Daddy: "Brodey, why don't you go run around outside with Sadie and burn off some energy."

Brodey: (gasp) "You want me to go build up some injuries??"

It's a good thing I'm around to clear up all this miscommunication.

Christmas 2008

Two very excited little boys and one baby girl for me to snuggle, what more could I ask for on Christmas??

Our Christmas started earlier than ever this year. Our normally excellent sleepers were just too excited to wait for the morning.... we were up at 2am, 4am and finally at 6am we gave in to the madness and got up for good. (Jeff and I drank lots and lots of coffee yesterday!) We opened presents at home, had breakfast, played for awhile and then headed to gramma and grampa's for Christmas with the family. All three were totally spoiled... we had to take two cars to bring all their new toys home and my fingers are now raw from getting the toys out of the steel traps they come in.

The middle of the day was spent kicking field goals on Harrison High Schools football field and then back to the Grandparents house for a Christmas feast. We ended the day back at home playing board games with the boys... I forgot how fun Mouse Trap and Candy Land are! So fun to see how exciting it all was for them.

With all of the excitement we didn't forget who we were celebrating and are more thankful for Jesus than for anything else this Christmas season.

He gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant.

Philippians 2:7

I tried something new with my pictures... I had some really good Christmas music I was going to set it to but for the life of me couldn't figure out how to do it. So that's why it's the odd blues music. It was either that or Zac Brown's "Chicken Fried". I don't know why those are my only two options!

Other fun things:

Brock's favorite gifts: a candy cane and tootsie rolls. Also the moon. (He actually got he moon! Lyndsay and Travis AND Myles and Kali got him light up moons for his room.. they have remotes so he can change the shape from full to crescent and more.. so cute!)

Brodey's favorite gifts: Wall-E jammies, batman and all his board games.

Lyla's favorite: A quilt made by her great-grandmother.

Birthday Cake for Jesus

Look at that boy with the mixer! He makes me so proud!

Oh the Christmas Trees...

We went around the house taking pictures with a few of our Christmas trees this morning... this first one the boys decorated themselves. You can't really tell in the picture but it has LOTS of colored lights, a very colorful paper chain, and at least 50 matchbox cars. (It was Brock's idea to decorate it with the cars... crafty little boy he is!)This one, obviously, is Lyla's tree. (That's Lyla in the red... I say that for my dad who may not recognize her in a color other than pink. ;)
This is our main tree... it's starting to lean a little and everyday I wonder if it's going to fall down (like last year), but so far so good!

And finally our kitchen tree.

And a little Christmas message from the kids. Lyla just didn't know what to think!

Pre-Game Nap

Lyla and Grampa watched the Falcons/Vikings game together. This is how they prepared themselves.

Bass Pro Shop Santa

We took the boys on their first ever trip to Bass Pro Shops yesterday and there was a Santa there! The boys have never showed any interest in visiting Santa before and I don't push it because Santa's kind of weird me out. So this was also their first visit with Santa Claus. Turns out Bass Pro Santa is a pretty crabby old man. Brodey was so excited to tell him what he wanted for Christmas and Santa didn't even talk to him! Not a single word. I thought about kicking him in the shin. (Notice Brock's face.. he wasn't a fan either.)

Oh well... we still had fun decorating cookies, seeing the "big fish", watching the trains and shooting the guns (toy guns)!

Lyla meets Great-Grandpa

My grandfather is in town for Christmas, Lyla was so excited to meet "Big-Grampa", it was love at first sight! Lyla is his 13th great-grandchild.

Preschool Christmas

Today was Brodey's Christmas party at school... at his school only the 4's and up do a Christmas Program, but their little parties are still fun! Brock especially enjoys them. Brodey was so excited to see us when we got there, he loves to show off his sister. After the kids ate they sat on the floor and said their Bible verse for us parents and sang some songs. Brock jumped right in with them and acted like he had been rehearsing with them all month. There is not a shy bone in that boy. The Bible verse was "Jesus was born in Bethlehem." Matthew 2:1. As the kids were saying it Brock is shouting over everyone, "Jesus is FOUR in Bef wa hem" and doing the hand motions like he knew what he was talking about.

I missed most of the song in this clip... but I still love it.

They've grown!

Lyla, Luke and Maddy: September 9

Maddy, Luke and Lyla: December 15

They are growing soooo fast! (Especially baby Luke... I can't get over those cheeks!!)
Mama Gann with the girls dressed alike.. probably the only time they won't be upset about this! (Lyla looks like she may already be upset about it!)

Look Daddy!

We made you a Birthday cake! Isn't it pretty???

Happy Birthday!

Another Graduation!

My dad earned his Bachelor's Degree from Shorter College this year and we got to see him graduate Cum Laude in Rome, GA Saturday afternoon.

It was an eventful day, as all days are when we Culp's go out in public. It started in the parking lot as we were all rushing to get into the building. Brodey accidentally tripped up Cooper who went flying onto his forehead, feet going over his head... in front of the all the graduates none-the-less. Then in the middle of the ceremony I went to pass Lyla over Myles to Lyndsay when we noticed the poo-poo all the way up the back of her dress. Lyndsay and I rushed her to the bathroom to try and clean her up with NO CHANGING TABLE and ended up running back out there with Lyla in a diaper wrapped in Cooper's blue blanket to watch dad get his diploma. (no worries... she had her back-up outfit on shortly there after.) AND THEN we went back to mom and dad's for his celebration dinner and Brock (who has apparently forgotten how to swallow) gagged on his dinner and ended up throwing up all over himself and all over me. So in just a few short hours we bled, we poo-pooed AND we vomited.

Congratulations dad! We are very proud of you!! Sorry we caused such a ruckus!

Here is Lyla getting ready for the big event...

Gramma and Grampa with the grandkids

When Brock grows up

Me: "Brocky, what are you going to be when you grow up?"

Brock: "I grow Christmas Trees on the beach."

Me: "Are you going to have a wife?"

Brock: "No. I will have a truck."

Memories

I was almost 5 years old when my brother was born. I only remember two things from that day... there was a lady I didn't know sleeping on the couch when Lyndsay and I got up that morning... and our dad took us to Taco Bell and accidentally locked the keys in the car. I don't remember anything about the hospital.

Last week I was giving Brodey a bath and out of the blue he says, "Remember when Lyla came out of your belly and we went to the hos-ti-bul?" Yes Brodey. "And Winsey (Lyndsay) brought me and Brock to the hos-ti-bul?" Yes Brodey. "Windsey had a lot of toys and a lot of trash in her car. But no dirt and no ants."

I wonder if that's all he's going to remember about the day his sister was born???

3 Months!!

Lyla woke up with the boys nasty cold this morning. Of course, because it's 3 month picture day! I should have rescheduled but we put our party dress on and went for it anyway.

Our normally smiley smiley baby was a hard sell for a smile today. But she did pretty well regardless. I think she's the cutest thing I've ever seen even with tired droopy eyes!

I think she looks just like Brodey in these.

These past three months have been FANTASTIC. What more could I possibly ask for?

Next up... pediatrician. Brock will be so excited.

Coker Tree Farm 2008

This is the second time we got our Christmas Tree from Coker Tree Farm... the boys love going here because they get to pick it out AND help daddy cut it down.

Brodey's first choice....

It's funny to think that last year I carried Brock because he wasn't walking yet and this year he carried the saw!

Only our second ever picture as a family of five... too bad Lyla covered her face.

Coker Tree's 2007

Lyla's first Thanksgiving

Unfortunately this is the only picture I took on Thanksgiving! Oops. We had such a full day I forgot all about my camera. We spent the day playing games and enjoying the great weather. Gramma made a feast and we literally ate all day long. Lyla was, as usual, a perfect baby smiling and sleeping and smiling and sleeping. The boys had a blast at the park with daddy, Uncle Myles, Grampa, and Aunt Lee in the morning and playing trucks and going on "nature walks" with Cooper in the afternoon.

We have so much to be thankful for this year!

Thanksgiving is also when we draw names for Christmas... I asked the boys what they want this year, here is Brock's list:

The moon

A Christmas tree

Go to the pediatrician

We got the Christmas tree, can pretty much guarantee we'll be going to the pediatrician about this nasty cold he can't shake.. but I don't know how we are going to get him the moon!

Preschool Thanksgiving

Brock, Lyla and I got to go to Brodey's school again for their Thanksgiving party. So cute. First they had a "feast" and then they sang some songs for us parents and then we all did a craft together. Brock was so excited... he kept pointing to Brodey saying "This ones ours. This is our Brodey!" They even pulled up a little chair for him to sit with Brodey at the table.

Brock also invited himself to join the singing. That's him in the middle. Not shy, that one.Brodey did so well! He has been saying his memory verse all weekend... Give Thanks to the Lord.

Lyla's favorite toy

"Share" Day

Once a month Brodey brings snack for his preschool class... his snack day is also the day he gets to bring something from home to show everyone AND he gets to be the line leader (I didn't know that... he told me that this morning.) Today he chose to bring his camera. I LOVED looking through the pictures he took at school. Unfortunately for me he snuck a picture of me breastfeeding Lyla this morning before he left. I'm hoping he didn't share that at school today!

He must have had someone else take this last picture since that is him in the middle covering his face. If I had to guess, I think that boy next to him is "Hudson"... he talks about Hudson a lot so I'm thinking they must be buds.

Baby Dedication

Baby Dedication: A commitment to raise a child in a Christian home in which they would be taught about Jesus and His love so that one day they will come to receive Him as their Lord and Savior.

Yesterday, November 16th 2008, Jeff and I dedicated Brock and Lyla at our Church (along with 12 (I think) other babies!) Brodey was dedicated in November of 2004... I looked for a picture and couldn't find one.

Two of our favorite babies were cut out of this group picture.. baby Luke O'Kelley and Avery Thaxton. They were at the end of the line and looking as cute as ever. (It's okay Travis, I know it's hard when you are sitting on the front row!)

We had lots of support on this special day, both mine and Jeff's parents came along with Aunt Lyndsay, Uncle Travis, Cooper, Uncle Myles and Aunt Kali. Our very special friends Clint and Kristin and baby Maddy also made the trip out to our Church to show their love and support. Brodey, Brock and Lyla are so blessed to have so many people who love them so much.

4 Year Well check

Keep forgetting to get this on here!

Brodey went in for his 4 year well check at the doctor. He did very well... answered all the pediatricians questions, stood on the scale like a big boy, got three shots, a finger prick and even successfully peed in a cup! He did all the developmental things he needed to do: drew a picture of daddy (with a very large head... he told the doc "my daddy has a big head." I didn't know he felt that way!), counted, pointed out all the colors, knew that he and Brock are boys and mommy and Lyla are girls, and that he eats when he's hungry and sleeps when he's tired. Not even the shots were bad.. he laughed when he got his finger pricked (???) and was only upset that the shots had to go in his leg and not in his arm like he wanted.

Here are his stats:
Weight: 38 lbs (75th %tile)
Height: 41.5 inches (75th %tile)
Blood Pressure: 90/52

Saturday Morning Fun

2 Months!

Lyla had her two month well check today. She is doing all kinds of fun things now, staring at her hands, reaching for things, smiling at everyone, SLEEPING. She had her first round of immunizations... three shots and one oral. She was a trooper... fast asleep before the nurse even had all her sparkly band-aids on.

Here she is when we got home... back to smiling!

Here are her stats:

Weight: 12 lbs (90th %tile)

Height: 23 1/4 inches (90th %tile)

Brodey at 2 months:

Weight: 14 lbs 1 oz (95th %tile)

Height: 23 1/2 in (75th %tile)

Brock at 2 months:

Weight: 13 lbs 12 oz (92 %tile)

Height: 24 in (90 %tile)