Here are some of our special Christmas moments from 2008!

Pajama day at school with Mrs. Laura! She loved it, talked about it, and made us read the Polar Express over and over and over!

she stacked and played with the gifts all week

checking out the stash

MY DAD AT CHURCH! CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

New Christmas Eve PJs

Marley's cup runneth over

Oh look! the obnoxious instruments Marley received from Nana and Papaw!

Nana and Papaw

they are the stars of our citcom life

I love how she is looking at Uncle Kyle

If you ask her what Santa got her for Christmas she will say, " a sucker and a coloring book". She also told me today that Santa was tired and asleep at the mall.

On our way to see Santa (and no that is not a real baby...just Marley's Baby Louie)

It's Christmas Eve!

Today is the day that I freak out on every year. Brent always has to work bc that's just what pastors do I guess. He has to set up church for the Bereavement Service, and prepare for the Candlelight Service. I am left to watch Marley while trying to wrap last minute gifts, cook, and clean the house before the festivities begin tonight. We go to the Candlelight Service and from there we go to Brent's Nana's house. We will get home late as always and then wake up to go to three more houses on Christmas day!!! I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas Eve. It is 8:35am so let's see if I can get started and not freak out. Oh, and I have (or the baby) has screwed up my back. My walk is now officially a waddle. nice.

Here is another annoying pregnancy comment that my hubby keeps saying,

"Amanda, just drop that baby like it's hot."

He thinks that is so hilarious. Poor fella. If he pulls that one out in the delivery room he will have a hand print on his little head.

I like big butts....and bellies

Annoying things people say to you when your pregnant:

You haven't had that baby yet?

My birthday is on the ____ can you have it then?

I'll just sling you on my four wheeler and take you for a bumpy ride. That'll get it out.

You don't look THAT big.

When are you having this thing so I can make plans?

You're pregnant! Eat whatever you want. (that's their way of saying please stay bigger than me)

Not much longer! (When you're forty pounds over weight, every moment is an eternity)

Wow! She's about to Pop!

I received a phone call Wednesday around 8:30 am from my best friend Tessa. She was upset and delivered the horrible news that one of our childhood friends, Charity Worley, was found dead in her drive way around 6 am. Charity has a little boy that is 16 months old. She is married to Jake Worley who is serving in Iraq. Jake and I also went to school together. Charity used to come over to my house and we would get ready for dances together (we did this often:). We would exchange clothes and do each others makeup. Not too many clothes thought bc she was very tiny. I remember when I got my license Tessa, Charity, and I drove to Hendersonville to see Tom Cruise in the first Mission Impossible. It was my first time driving myself and my friends to a movie. I felt so grown up that night. Charity had a rough life, and I regret not spending more time with her since she moved back to Brevard. Her and Jake visited our church several times. I hope that the police find whoever did this to her (foul play is suspected). Please continue to pray for her husband Jake and son Jayden. 

Give the kid a marker and poster board.....you'll be friends for life.

Our Little Stinker

Housing Woes

So, as most of you know we will not be buying the house in Williamson Creek. Things just didn't work out. We are hoping that they are still interested in our house, but if not we are just going to go ahead and list it. The funny thing is that our friends The Snipes, The Burgess, and The Walinski's are all hunting for houses in the same price range. Since I have already lived in a house with built in book shelves (the guys are making fun of us for loving them) I will gladly give up those houses to Laura. I don't care about an open floor plan, so I will give all those houses to Brooke. I just want a house that has a place for a dishwasher:) Buying and selling houses can be a whirlwind of emotions. I just want to make sure that our friends know that they come first and I would pass up any house for them! My prayer is that all of us are faithful with our finances and that we would be joyful no matter where God asks us to lay our heads. I also think that Brooke, Laura, and myself should go on a house hunting date. Let's just map out this little town and find houses and buyers for all of us:)

Well, I got a very disappointing call from the doctor's office today. They said that the hospital is booked up because of Christmas, and that they will induce on the 29th of December. I'm a little annoyed bc the docs keep saying that I need to go a week early, but I just need to stop worrying about what happened before and trust that this is best.  Any way I am a little nervous so say a prayer for me and for Brent bc he has to put up with me:)

Hey Brad! Just wanted to see if you were reading:)

Christmas Parade

I have a little obsession since I have had Marley. It is my goal to make sure she has a crazy amount of life experiences, especially things my parents didn't do with me. With that said, they never really took me to Christmas Parades. Of course that meant that on Saturday Marley had to experience her first Brevard Christmas Parade. We bundled up in the flipping cold weather and waited hours to see this thing. As we watched we saw old cars, skateboarders, fire trucks, rednecks on their tractors, sweet wrinkled old veterans, the BHS band, and Santa poking his head out of a chimney. As we sat there I wondered why I would put my pregnant self through this torture, but after we came home I was reminded. Marley has had a gleam in her eye about seeing the trumpets, tubas, horses, santa, and the candy canes that were chucked at us:) She has talked all about it. I love her. She is worth every freezing minute. Her eyes and expressions are the reason I do all of this crap:)

So, I posted a little joke about selling our house to get out of debt, right?

Well, guess what? The past week has been a surprise and we had someone approach us about buying our house!  Weird! Even better, they are selling a brand spanking new house that is in our price range and has way more square footage! So, we should have a show called House Swap. I'm not hanging the drapes in the new house yet, because our house has to appraise for a certain amount before the deal is done. This move, if it happens, will be incredibly sad and happy. Sad, because East French Broad Street is home to us. We love this house, yard, neighborhood, and especially the memories. Summers are the best at this house. We walk to town, run around in the huge yard and catch lightening bugs with Marley, and swing on the front porch (these are the things lacking at the other house:). It would be a happy time because we would save money every month not having to pay city taxes, it has a big kitchen, and huge basement! We'll see what God brings our way this week. It may happen, it may not (the process of buying a house is always up in the air). All I know is that having a baby and moving at the same time will bring joyful chaos to the Metcalf household. So say a little prayer for us:)