Road Trip! - Tennessee

Our next stop was Tennessee! We stayed in Columbia the first night and went to see David's grandfather in Columbia and had church at the assistive living where he lives. It was an interesting experience, especially for the boys. I think Cooper and Mattox now hold the world record for having their cheeks pinched by the most little old ladies within an hour! It was great to see Grandaddy and he really seemed to enjoy seeing Cooper and meeting Mattox for the first time

The second night in Tennessee, we stopped in Pigeon Forge and stayed at a hotel in the parking lot of a HUGE Bass Pro Shops. To Cooper, Bass Pro Shops is the next best thing to a John Deere dealership! He LOVES it. We saw four-wheelers, boats, monster trucks, played in tents, animals, fish, waterfalls, guns...AND Santa Claus!

Cooper and PopPop playing with an RC Monster Truck.

"PopPop, is this your boat?"

The Bass Pro Santa, was probably the best Santa I have ever seen. Cooper, who is an old pro with Santa by now, knew just what to do when he got to see him, Mattox was another story. Cooper ran right up to Santa and told him all about the John Deere Tractor that he wanted for Christmas. Mattox..well he screamed. I started to take Mattox off his lap and Santa actually told me to wait and he would try to calm him down. It didn't work, but I was impressed he was willing to try!

Road Trip! - Tulsa, OK

For Christmas this year, we decided to take a family road trip. We left Lubbock with our final destination being Raleigh, NC, where David's family lives. I was a little anxious about driving 3000 miles with a 2 year old and an 8 month old, but it really went pretty well. We were blessed to be able to take my parent's SUV which had a lot more room than my little car and we made several stops along the way to see family. Our first stop was in Tulsa, OK to spend the night with Aunt Erin, Uncle Brandon and baby Anya. We were doubly excited because Aunt Lauren, Uncle Josh and Aria were there too!

Cooper and Aria posing by the Christmas tree.

We really miss Aria and were happy we got to spend some time with her. While we were loading the car to get ready for our second leg of the journey, Cooper, Aria and Aunt Erin played "Pretty pretty Princess." (Mattox watched and teethed on a water bottle. This was just the first of many signs that he was going to get 4 teeth before the trip was over.)

Cooper WON! Imagine the shock when we was declared "Princess!"

Happy 8 months Mattox!

While we were on vacation in North Carolina, Mattox turned 8 months old! His personality shines through more and more everyday! He is such a fun baby! New for this month include pulling himself to standing in his crib and 6 teeth! Yes I said 6! His four top front teeth broke through while we were traveling. He is also trying really hard to crawl. He likes to get up on all fours and rock back and forth, then launch himself forward. We love you Matty Bumps! Can't wait to see what you have in store for us next month!