Christmas Fun 2008

These are a few pictures from Christmastime at our house. The picture range from waiting on Daddy to come home from work Christmas Eve, opening gifts from family, to seeing what Santa brought! We had lots of fun! Hope you enjoy as much as we did! Merry Christmas! Love, The Tatums

Baking Cookies for Santa 2008

We spent some time on Christmas Eve baking cookies for Santa. Everyone was given a "job" to do. The kiddos favorite job was being the taste testers. Santa was lucky to find himself some cookies Christmas Eve night. Jackson even ate Santa's leftovers on Christmas morning. Ha! Ha! Guess we did an okay job in the kitchen after all!

Our Unk looked high and low for these special chef hats for our Christmas baking. I think Unk's intentions were for us to make a gingerbread house - sorry Unk! We did good to get some cookies baked for Santa - store bought cookies at that. Oh well - we had good intentions. Thanks Unk for going through so much trouble to make our baking experience extra special. We had lots of fun! Thanks Again - Unk! We love you - The Tatum Chefs

Jackson's Christmas Party @ Granger

Here's me and Jackson at his class Christmas party. We had so much fun! It was really fun to watch him enjoy himself and interact with all of his little friends. He was sad when it was time for me to go to Jase's party. He doesn't want to understand the concept of "splitting time".

Jack Jack and one of his many little friends. So sweet!

Jackson with (as he says) "The bestest teacher in the whole world". He so loves her and she loves him right back!

Jackson was so excited to be having his very first school party!

Jase's Christmas Party @ Granger

Jase ans Mrs. Sheffield. He thinks that she is way cool! She thinks that Jase is way cool too! I am so glad that he is in her class this year.

Kiddos decorating Christmas cookies! They think the more icing - the better! Yummm!

Jase and his friend are in line waiting to make a Christmas craft. Woo!Hoo!

This is Jase and a couple of his friends. They are sitting on the classroom floor eating pizza! YUM-O!

Is Santa Real?

Well - I had to have the talk with Jase this week! He said that in Sunday School last week the kiddos at his table had a discussion about Santa. Jase said "I gave them proof that Santa was real, but Mom, they gave me more proof that he wasn't!". He proceeded to ask "Mom, Tell me the truth! YES or NO - is Santa real?". Hmmm.... What is a mom to say to this million dollar question? Where is Jason when I need him? Ha! Just so happened Jason had to run in to the office for a few hours. How do all the hard questions always come up when he is not home? Well - I knew that it was time for me to let him on Mommy and Daddy's secret about Santa. When I told him that Santa was not real - he was crushed. As we began to talk further and he realized that Santa was actually Mom and Dad, his little heart was filled with such gratitude! He was so amazed that his Daddy and I would "jump through all of the hoops" to make Christmas morning so special for him. He got a real kick out of knowing that his Daddy ate Santa's cookies. He and I also looked at all of the letters that he had written Santa all through the years. At the end of our conversation he said " Mrs. Claus, when do you do all of this shopping?". My response was "I'll never tell. That's part of the Christmas magic.". A real dreaded conversation turned into a wonderful experience for me and for Jase. He is such a humble child. Jason and I are blessed to call him ours.

Jackson's Scare

Well here we are after a real scary weekend with Jackson. For those of you who don't know - Jackson came home from school on Friday and had to go straight to the potty. All of a sudden, I hear "Mom, Mom, it's spraying red!". I ran to the bathroom as quickly as my legs would carry me. Very frightened, I see blood. I was terrified and Jackson thought it was really cool! I immediately raced to the pediatrician's office with all three kiddos in tow. Dr. Phillip took two urine test and both showed high levels of blood in his urine. The test for a urinary tract infection was negative - so we had to look at other possibilities. She checked his blood pressure and that was good - she was concerned about possible kidney failure. After spending a couple of hours in the doctor's office, Dr. Phillip thought it was safe for us to go home for the night. As my pediatrician, I had to trust her. All the while, I was praying for God to give her wisdom on what we should do next. She had scheduled Jackson for an ultrasound for today (Monday), and she sent us to have labs drawn on Saturday morning. After returning home from the lab on Saturday, the amount of blood was quickly increasing. Meanwhile, Jackson is not having any pain or discomfort. I called Dr. Phillip looking for more answers. She sent us directly to Cook Children's ER. Jason was at work and nowhere to be found. I dropped Jase at Christy's. Gracie, Jackson and I headed to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, they immediately took us back and began running some test. The ER Dr. was very nice, but he told me we could be looking at a blockage, a kidney stone, or a tumor on his little kidney. Wow! My mind was going 90 miles an hour - all the while trying to keep by composure for Jackson. Jason made it to the hospital as soon as he got the word from the plant security guard. I had so many people praying for us - I could honestly feel their prayers. God had given us the peace that passes all understanding. Several test and several hours later - we finally got some good news. His kidneys were normal! Thank you Lord! The lining of his bladder was very thick and that indicated that he had a viral infection in the lining of his bladder. The ER Dr. said that he was going to be okay. The infection could take 4 to 6 weeks to completely heal. So blood is something that we might see for a while. Jackson will see Dr. Phillip on Wednesday to have another urine test. If there are still visible amounts of blood in a few weeks - we will see an Urologist. Jackson is doing fine. Thanks for all of your prayers! Jason and I could really feel them on Saturday! Please continue to keep Jackson in your prayers. Thanks Again!

Fabulous Christmas - Harvest Church

Last night was The Children's Christmas program at church. The children from Kid-U put on the program. It was really cute with an awesome message. Both of the boys were in the program. Jase and Jackson participate in a drum line. It's a really cool way for the kiddos to beat on tables and worship the Lord at the same time. It's really something to see! The boys love it! After the program, there was a cookie reception. It was lots of fun too! I didn't get very good pictures of the program, but I guess they're better than none at all! Enjoy! Hope you have a Fabulous Christmas!

Jackson's Birthday Cake

Jackson is waiting for Daddy to bring the birthday cake. Can you tell he is SO excited? He could hardly wait! What a precious little boy!

Mommy, Daddy , Jase and Gracie are singing Happy Birthday to Jackson! He has come a long way. Do you remember Jackson's 3rd Birthday? He cried as we sang Happy Birthday. I guess he thought, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!". Ha! Ha!

Jackson made his wish - actually he said that he had several wishes, and now he's blowing out the candles. It turned out to be a great day! Our little family had so much fun celebrating Jack Jack's birthday!

Happy Birthday to Jackson!

Jackson wanted to go to Build-A-Bear this year for his birthday. Of course Gracie was all for it - Jase was not quite sure. He is getting to the age that "coolness" is an unspoken issue. He thought that he might be too old to participate. You will see in the pictures that he got over that very quickly. Once he saw what fun Jackson and Gracie were having, he decided to join in on the fun! Jackson chose a Siberian Husky for his animal. He and Daddy named him Spike. Gracie decided on a pink leopard that she named Raisen - all on her own. Jase just picked out some new clothes and shoes for Rocky, a Build-A-Bear that he got on his sixth birthday. The kiddos had so much fun stuffing, bathing, brushing and dressing their animals. It was a really fun afternoon for our family.

Thoughts from My Thankful Heart

Here I sit, the day before Thanksgiving thinking of so many things that I have to be thankful for. The Lord has blessed me with far more than I deserve. As I reflect on these things, I have a few that I would love to share with you.

First - My Heavenly Father, who died on the cross so that I may live. The same one who loves me unconditionally regardless of all of my short comings. The one that sustains me and meets my every need. I'm thankful for you Lord.

I am thankful for the people that the Lord has placed in my life. Where do I begin? My Jason - The love of my life! God must have saved His very best for me! Jason is the most unselfish and giving person I know. He works so hard to provide for our family so that I can be a stay at home mom to our three wonderful children. Jason loves me still, even after he knows every little flaw and every big mistake that I have ever made in my entire life. He gets me. We are forever soul mates. I love the way that he loves our children. He is so gentle as he guides and directs them throughout their daily lives. He loves Jesus and he sets a great example for our children. Thank you Lord for my Jason.

My next three blessing are the little people in my life. My little angels - Jase, Jackson and Gracie. Wow - three close to perfect,(in mom's eyes) healthy children. I am thankful for the pure joy that they bring into my life everyday. I "at-door" (as Jackson says) each of them. They each add something special to my life. I love them dearly. They know that I am their biggest fan and they are mine! Thank you Father, for their little lives.

My parents - Oh my - I am thankful for how much they love me. My Daddy used to tell me as a child that I would never know much he and Mom loved me until I had children of my own. I never could really understand what he was talking about until now. Today, I am sure of what he was referring to all those years ago. My parents are two of my Thanksgiving blessings.

Friends - What would I do without friends? I have been blessed with a few really dear friends. These are the people who come to my rescue when I need to be rescued. A few are near - one far away, but all are close to my heart. Thanks Lord for these special people.

Next, I am so thankful for our home. The Lord blessed us this year with a new home. So much more than I deserve. Yet, it was still provided. Not only were we blessed with a new home, but some new furniture too! I heart my home and I am so grateful.

Lastly, my health. I have struggled this year with some health issues, but I remain thankful that the Lord provides me with what I need to get through each day. I have constant discomfort in my foot but things could be so much worse. Over the past few weeks, I have experienced God's perfect grace. Things are not at 100%, but there is definite improvement. I am so thankful for relief from some of the pain.

I could go on and on, but I will stop here. I have so much to be thankful for.
The following is my personal Thanksgiving prayer.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for all of my blessings. I have more blessings than I could possibly list. So many of which I don't even deserve. But because you love me, you have given to and provided for me. Please bless all of the special people in my life during this Thanksgiving holiday. I love them all, but you love them more. I pray protection over their lives. Keep them all safe so they may continue to be a part of my life. Thank you for giving your perfect life for my imperfect one. I will be forever grateful.

Amen

Thanksgiving Feast @ Granger Elementary

This past Friday, Granger hosted a Thanksgiving Feast for the students and their families. Jason, Gracie and I went to "the brudders' school" (as Gracie calls it) and enjoyed lunch with them. The tables in the cafeteria were nicely decorated with tablecloths, fall leaves and confetti. It was very festive. And the food was good too! We shared a table with our dear friends Miss Christy and Katie. We had lots of fun! This is our little family minus one. Jackson had already gone back to his classroom. Christy saw me across the cafeteria trying to take pics of everyone and she came and offered to take a picture of us together. Thanks Christy! Gracie had already put her sweater on - she was done with Thanksgiving dinner! She was ready to go home!

Jase is getting down to business. Yum-O! Gracie is tearing up the table decorations! OOPS! Gracie had already eaten. She ate during Jackson's lunch time -which happens to be @ 10:15! No wonder Jack Jack is starving when he gets home from school everyday!

This is our little friend Katie. She is in Kindergarten with Jackson. However, she is in a different class. Her class made Indian hats to wear to the Thanksgiving Feast! Katie is one of Grace Girl's most favorite people. Jackson thinks she's cool too!

A Proud Mom and her Granger Wrangler! Sister is trying to sneak herself in the picture too! She LOVES the camera! I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Ha! She's always welcome in my pictures!

Here is Gracie and silly Jackson. He will hardly sit still long enough for me to take a picture of him. When I do catch him being still - he is being silly! Ha! I love his silliness! Gracie is eating her turkey and dressing. Guess what Jackson chose for his Thanksgiving meal? A State Fair corn dog! Ha! I guess he is trying to support his Daddy!

Here's Jase and his Dad. I love this picture! Aren't they handsome? Jase always loves it when his Mom and Dad come to his school for special events and/or activities. I wonder how much longer it will be that way? He is almost ten! WOW! That's so hard for me to believe. At what age is it no longer cool for your Mom and Dad to be seen? Oh how I dread that day! So I'll just enjoy being seen as long as he lets me. Then I'll just hide behind some other kid's mom. Ha! Ha! Just kidding!

Sleeping Beauty

Shhh... Sleeping Beauty is dreaming! Daytime naps are such a rarity around our house. Naps are so rare, I thought I would grab some snapshots of what taking a nap actually looks like. Ha! Ha! I guess Gracie is "resting up" for when Jase and Jackson get home from school.

Look at Gracie's little hiney in the air. She still sleeps just like she did as an infant. As I wipe away tears - I can whole-heartedly say that I miss those days. Where has time gone?

Christine Fox Photography

We went to Bear Creek Park a few weeks ago hoping to capture some pictures of our family and kiddos. Thank goodness our photographer (a close friend) had SO much patience with our Jackson. Ha! As you all know Jackson, he marches to the beat of his own drum. I love him for that! Of course Jase was so cooperative and Gracie was really into the "photo shoot"! She loves to have her picture taken. It was a windy afternoon - but somehow Christy (the photographer) captured some wonderful pictures of our family. Thank you, Christy! I made this slide show with a few of my favorites! Aren't our children growing? Jason and I are so proud of them! Hope you enjoy seeing the pictures as much as we did!

Our First Halloween in Saratoga

These are our little trick or treaters! Of course, Jase was a baseball player, Jackson was Superman and Grace girl was Snow White. This year was Gracie's first year to trick or treat. We have always gone to our church for their Annual Light up the Night. This year we decided to do something a little different. We all had a blast and it gave us an opportunity to meet some of our new neighbors.

Our friends - Jack, Patrick and Katie

These are some of our special friends. Jack (Indiana Jones) is one of Jase's best friends. Jackson likes him a lot too! Jackson is also friends with Jack's brother Patrick (the astronaut). And Little Sister Katie is one of Gracie's most favorite people. We have awesome friends! We also like them because their last name is Fox! (my maiden name and Jackson's middle name)

Is that you Ms. Ethreidge?

We think that this is Ms. Ethridge. She is the principal at Granger Elementary. Granger is where the boys attend school. Ms. Ethridge is our neighbor. The boys usually freak when they see her at our house. They (mostly Jackson) think that they must be in some sort of trouble. They can't imagine Ms. Ethridge having a life outside of school!

Daddy's Little Princess

Please let me introduce to you to our Little Princess! This year for Halloween all she really cared about was being a princess. She LOVES all of the princess, but as of late Snow White is her very favorite! Instead of having 7 dwarfs that care for her, she has 2 brothers and a Daddy that adore her.

Tag You're It!

I've been tagged by Amy at
http://www.danandamymccollum.blogspot.com/ .

7 Weird or Random Facts about Me

1.I have two nicknames given to me by my Jason. Drum Roll......

They are Angel Bangel and Boo! Ha!

2. I am still my Daddy's Little Girl.

3. I love the smell of gasoline! A safe amount - if there is such a thing.

4. Believe it or not - But I'm a Southern Belle from Mississippi and

I'm related to ELVIS!

5. I LOVE salsa! I could eat it alone with a spoon.

6. I still love to have a load of warm towels dumped on me.

7 . There are some things that I CANNOT STAND to touch! Chalk, stoneware, knives with metal handles, SOS pads, some drinking glasses - just to name a few.

...as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

There's no place like home! Our family feels so blessed to call this our home. When Jason and I told Jase that we were going to buy/build a home he was so sad! He was afraid that he would have to leave Granger Elementary (he loves his school). He begged us not to move. He was perfectly content in the home that we were living in. Jason and I decided to pray and wait for the Lord's direction. Within several weeks, it was a done deal - all orchestrated by God. We were able to build the home that we wanted and guess what? The neighborhood school is Granger Elementary. YeeHaw!

We HEART our home! OOPS! Please ignore the garbage cans!

Jackson learned to ride his bike!

This past weekend Jason taught Jackson how to ride his bike without training wheels. They have been working on this for a few days, but Jackson had decided to give up. He said "I quit, nobody ever tells you that this is hard to do! I quit. I'll just ride my scooter!". After some encouragement from Daddy he decided to try again. Guess what? He succeeded! Yeah Jackson!