Maggie at 4 Weeks

We got some pictures of Maggie this weekend... she is 4 weeks old now, and I am completely smitten. How could you not love those wrinkles?

Meet Maggie

We are in LOVE with her already, and she will be home with us on February 23rd!!







While Jasper was admittedly an impulse buy on a slow summer afternoon, Maggie has been thought of and dreamed of for YEARS. Casey has wanted a bulldog for as long as I have known him, and we have had the name "Maggie" picked out for a long time. We have been on a waiting list with these wonderful breeders (http://www.alabamabullies.com/) and finally got the call on Friday that we could pick from this litter! She is precious, she has completely stolen our hearts, and we can't wait to bring her home next month!

Hog Wild Run & Little Girl Birthdays

We went to Dothan this weekend for the Hog Wild 5K/15K and could not have asked for a more beautiful race day!! We love that our family likes to do this kind of stuff with us, and we are so glad that Katie can join us now!

The girls after the 5K



With Casey after the 15K



We also celebrated Rachel's 6th birthday (Feb 1)... she was wired to say the least! I made her cookie cake with "peace, love, and six" just as requested! She is such a sweet little girl, and we love her so much.







Sarah Ann will also be turning ONE this week (Feb 2), so we loved on her a lot too. She is the happiest baby, and her little personality is sweeter every time we see her. Hard to believe she is growing up so fast!





We love our nieces just like they were our own... we are so blessed to have them close by!!

Wrapping up 2011

Since it is almost February, I think it is time to finish out 2011 on this neglected blog!

We had a going away party / baby shower for our good friends Emily & Nathan who are moving to Florida. These are my girls! It is sad to see Emily go and we will definitely be planning a trip to Florida once little Abigail Brooke is born.



Casey worked this Christmas so I spent Christmas Eve in Brundidge with all of his extended family. We are so blessed to have his granny and granddaddy both healthy and still married after 60+ years together. Most of the grandkids and all four great-grandkids were able to get together for their traditional steak-and-potatoes Christmas Eve lunch. We are all thrilled to have Morgan officially in the family and Amy only a few months away from becoming a Drinkard herself. It was wonderful!











We also went to Dothan for New Years... Katie finished her first 5K, and Sarah Ann met Jasper!













2011 was a year that challenged us and stretched our faith like never before. The Lord has been so faithful and loving to us despite some very difficult days. We know that He is taking us through the fire to teach us to trust in His sovereign plan and rely on Him alone. He has provided our every need and blessed us in abundance. We are undeserving of the grace that He has shown us, and we will continue to give Him all the credit for sustaining us each day. We are very much looking forward to a fresh start in 2012!

Christmas in Blue Ridge

We spent a long weekend in Blue Ridge, Georgia with my family to celebrate an early Christmas together. It was beautiful and so much fun!

Horseback riding with our fearless leader (and his mullet)









Playing in the woods with the dogs



(Tuco does NOT do bridges)





Hiking to this famous suspension bridge









Relaxing in the cabin









Celebrating 34 years!



And 27 years!



It was a wonderful, relaxing getaway. Being with my family always reminds me how much I have to be thankful for! Blue Ridge is a beautiful place - I'd be happy to go back any day!

Thanksgiving, More Cakes, and the big 3-0

I finished out the second course of Wilton Cake Decorating - flowers & cake design - and this was my final exam cake. I was really happy with it!



Unfortunately it was a pretty girly cake and unacceptable for Casey's 30th birthday, so I experimented with this Southern Living Recipe for Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Cake... it was delicious! We were not sure if he was going to survive it (going "over the hill" turning 30), but miraculously he did, and so far this next decade of life has been pretty good to him!



Jasper was not particularly excited about the cake, and instead spent most of the day drifting in and out of nap time...



We also celebrated an early Thanksgiving in Dothan, and I was lucky enough to spend the real Thanksgiving Day with Amanda & Justin, the closest thing I have to family here in Auburn. Here are a few pictures from our afternoon in Dothan... I am so thankful for this wonderful family that I married into!









Casey got me the Kindle Fire for my birthday this year, and I am officially obsessed with it! He was sweet to let me have it a little early so I could enjoy it on my trip to New Orleans last week. I am pretty sure I will be going through a lot more books a lot more quickly now, I absolutely love it and highly recommend it!