Counting down to Christmas!

It is the week before Christmas and it really feels like Christmas here in Bristol. We have had cold weather for quite a while now and snow off and on for the last couple of weeks. I was glad to see the sunshine today. We have had such a good time doing the nativity advent calendar with Braelyn. I can tell she is learning a lot from it and from her PraiseBaby Christmas DVD too. I think our family Christmas "theme song" this year is "Joy to the World". Aaron started singing it in the car one afternoon and now Braelyn can sing the first few lines :)....I love it.

I am now 36.3 weeks along!! Wow, hard to believe that I was only 37 and a half weeks along when I was induced with Braelyn....We are hoping and praying that she hangs in there until at least after Christmas :) and hopefully even longer than that. I'm feeling good still and have a check up Wed. I think we might have a name for this baby girl!! The name that I thought we had, I changed my mind about...so we have been searching still until just a few days ago. It has exactly the meaning that I was hoping to find and it is simple, yet not common. Now I just have to decide on what middle name to put with it. I put all three pics up of my belly because I feel like they all look a little different. And they might be the last ones you see of me pregnant :)

I gave Braelyn her first haircut a little over a week ago. She did really well and I think it looks pretty good. Thankfully her hair has some wave in it, so I don't have to do a perfect job. I mainly just trimmed the back because it was quite uneven.

I was also blessed to have a baby shower at our church here in Bristol about a week ago. It was so much fun and exciting to get new things for this new baby. We are so thankful for our church family here. They are so kind and gracious. It was a true time of blessing.

I can't remember if I shared this or not already...but I am proud to say that Aaron was voted the Chief Resident for this year and will start carrying out those responsibilities in January. I am so proud of him and we give God all the glory for all that he is teaching him and how He is using him in his residency program.
Also, Aaron's Granddaddy passed away last Sunday morning. He had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and alzheimers. We can see the blessing in the Lord taking him home now, before he had to go through chemotherapy and any other suffering that comes with those diseases. He always loved to see Braelyn when we were there. We are so thankful for the legacy he left behind and the clear testimony he gave of knowing the Lord. We know he is in the best place he could be now....in the presence of the Lord and with his wife. Below is a picture of Aaron and all of his brothers and sisters (Aaron, Sarah, Clint, Laura, and Daniel). It was so nice to see all of them and be together for a little while.

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! May we all praise God for the precious gift of Jesus He gave us, the hope of salvation! May He be your most treasured gift this year.