something to talk about

So, she did it.
She officially said her first word.

Now, she's been babbling for a long time.
Even making sounds that sound like words - ie. dada

But it wasn't until last week that she said her first word with meaning behind it.

What was this word you ask?
Mama?
Dada?

No, it was.....


Jack

The dogs name, really?

Why in the world would I hope that Mama would be her first word?

I mean I only gained A LOT of weight, got stretch marks, was miserable with acid reflux for 8 MONTHS, AND had my stomach sliced open for her.

Jack - really?

If I'm being honest though, she's always loved Jack.

And now that she can actually play, he is too much fun!

So while I might be a little bitter that Mama wasn't her first word, I know that her & Jack will be the best of friends!

our blood runneth garnet & black

this little girl spent last night cheering on the gamecocks!



she was happy...



even though the game wasn't our best of the season!




but despite our loss, becca still had fun because she got to play with hayes!
of course we had to get a picture of the two of them together in their USC clothes:)
but that is easier said than done!

so, we tried,



and tried,

and tried (do you think the flash is too bright?),

and tried (with the help of the daddies),

until we finally got them both to smile - kind of!

we were disappointed with the outcome of the game, but we are gamecocks til the end!

our blood will always runneth garnet & black!

thanksgiving

we had so much to be thankful for this thanksgiving.
we had our sweet girl here to celebrate with us
AND
JP was home - for the 1st time in 3 years:)


becca had a lot of fun playing with her cousins.



we got to celebrate with my mom & brother...





and with all of jp's family!



on saturday, we went to lancaster to celebrate with the rest of my family.
becca got to meet my cousins for the first time.
kerri & dave made the trip home all the way from england.
it was great to see them - especially since they're expecting their own little girl in april:)

becca especially loved dave:)




here she is playing with uncle jimmy!

it was great to have everyone together for the holidays.

here is grandma with her grandkids and great-granddaughter:)

actually, both of her great-granddaughters:)

and thanksgiving break isn't complete without the carolina/clemson game.
this little girl was all ready to cheer on her gamecocks:)

while they might not cheer for the same team...

their love for each other is undeniable:)

and now that's it's officially christmas season, we decided to put up our christmas tree sunday afternoon.

here is sweet becca watching from the laundry basket.

she really didn't mind....

in fact, she can't wait for christmas to get here!

Happy Thanksgiving

from our family

to yours!

the stockings were hung

by the chimney with care!

Here's another great deal I just had to share.
For anyone who is need of stockings, Pottery Barn has their traditional red and white stockings on sale for $15 with FREE monogramming and FREE shipping until Monday, November 29th.

The smaller stockings are $9 for anyone who's curious.



You absolutely cannot beat this deal.
I just ordered our new stockings and can't wait to get them in.
I'll be sure to post pictures of all THREE stockings:)

What mom loves a great deal?
Actually, what mom loves getting stuff for free?
I'm sure every mom, so here's a great deal from Hallmark.
When you spend $10 in a Hallmark store between now and December 24th, you can get $10 off. Yes you read that correctly.
By going here, you can spend about a minute filling out a little information, and then you can print your $10 off coupon.
How easy is that?

A big thanks to Confessions of a Couponaholic for sharing this great deal!

shutterfly

I don't know anyone who's not familiar with this site.
I've been using them for years to store, share, & order my photos.


But are you aware of all that can be done at their website?
Other than the basic photo uploading & ordering, you can also make photo books, create personalized stationary, make custom calendars, and create your own mugs, ornaments, mouse pads, and wall decals, just to name a few.

One of my FAVORITE things on the Shutterfly website are their Christmas cards.
There are so many to choose from, and their selection is unbeatable!

Here are a few that I absolutely love:)

If you'd like to check out all of their photo Christmas cards, just go here.

And for all you bloggers out there, go here to find out how you can receive 50 free Christmas cards!

Oh, how I love the sound of 'free' and 'Christmas cards' in the same sentence:)

Ahhhh! It's the simple things.