Family fun in February!

We are excited about February being here! January was a rough month for the Tyson family. As the weather kept changing, it seemed that we caught a lot of what went around this year. Because of this, our family is working hard to stay active, eat healthier, and get plenty of sleep. We are not used to getting sick very often, and it definitely throws our family off. Since we had to cancel some fun things we had planned in January, we rescheduled some for this month. We are all excited to enjoy time together as a family.
I am constantly reminded by my kids that it's the simple stuff that matters. Memories don't have to be elaborate or even planned. We try to keep Sundays as relaxed as possible since we have corporate worship in the mornings with our church family and life group in the evenings. When we got home today and changed into what Aubrey calls our "comfy clothes," we all piled in the bed for a little while. All of us got so tickled as the kids wiggled, squirmed, jumped up and down, and fell all over the place. Then, we had a picnic lunch in the middle of our living room floor. Aubrey and Hunter were so sweet to share with one another.
We are excited about the month ahead and all it brings, and most excited that we can just enjoy time together as a family.

sickness

This past week has been a crazy one with kids being sick and adults experiencing a lack of sleep. Tuesday would have been Lauren's first day back at work, but instead was spent taking Aubrey to the doctor. She ended up having strep throat. This was the sickest she has ever been. Aubrey didn't even go to school at all this past week. Brett took off Wednesday to stay with the kids. Today, Lauren took Hunter to the doctor, and he has a double ear infection.

All this sickness has made us really reflect on spiritual sickness and the effect sin has on our lives. Each night before Aubrey goes to bed, we pray together. Tonight she prayed, "God, thank you for loving us and sending Jesus. Help us remember Jesus died for our sins, and help us be saved." Tonight we read Isaiah 53. Verse 5 says, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that has brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." We are healed from the sickness of sin through Jesus Christ's death on the cross.

We are praying that our children will realize the effect sin has on their lives, and their need for a Savior.

Goodbye, 2011! Hello, 2012!

2011 was a great but very busy year for our family. Here is a quick review of the year:

January

As winter break drew to a close, we did a lot of snuggling and built forts with blankets. We all got back into our routine and welcomed 2011.

February

We enjoyed visiting family a lot during the month of February. Hunter started inch worm crawling at 8 months. Aubrey celebrated Valentine's Day with her friends at school, and also enjoyed a visit from the Cat in the Hat at her school. Hunter's first word was truck (pronounced more like "cuk"), a result of sitting on the front porch with G-Dat watching all the cars and trucks drive by.

March

The weather warmed up, and we played outside a lot! Aubrey showed Hunter how to slide down her slide. He would do it some with Mommy's help, but was more content to sit on a blanket and play with his cars and trucks while Aubrey played. Over spring break, we went to Montgomery and visited the art museum with MaMa and Granddaddy. It was a huge hit with both kids! Aubrey's favorite part was trying on all the different masks.

April

Hunter's first tooth came in! We also celebrated Easter at our church and went to a staff kids' Easter egg hunt at Mommy's school. Gigi came along to help with Hunter.

May

Hunter started crawling right before he turned 10 months old. Aubrey's school year came to an end, and her class celebrated with a party complete with snow cones! Daddy was able to attend her end of the year party to make it extra special. We said goodbye to Uncle Alan as he left for his deployment in June.

June

Hunter turned one, and we celebrated with a family party. Brett and Lauren also celebrated their five year anniversary. Right after this, we traveled to the beach with Mampy and G-Dat. Aubrey loved playing in the water and swimming underwater all over the place! Hunter enjoyed being held in the pool and did not appreciate the waves crashing on the beach. Aubrey flew a kite for the first time, and Hunter played under the umbrella with his toys.

July

We celebrated the Fourth of July with Brett's family. Aubrey said the pledge of allegiance for everyone. In mid-July Aubrey went to art camp with some of her friends from preschool. Hunter enjoyed strolling with Lauren and the other moms while the older kids made their art projects. Then, we went to the beach with Gigi and Pop. The kids again had a good time, although Hunter will probably enjoy the beach more in 2012. While at the beach, we celebrated Lauren's birthday.

August

August brought the start of Lauren's seventh year of teaching. The kids went back to Mampy and G-Dat's house each day and enjoyed their time with their grandparents. Our family also visited the art museum again, this time with some of our friends.

September

Aubrey went back to preschool, this year three days a week. We are blessed that she has the same teachers and many of the same friends in her class again. Aubrey turned four, and we celebrated with a Super Why party at the kids' gym at Daddy's work. The kids had a ball playing together. Hunter started walking while holding on to someone's hand or an object. We also started tailgating with friends this season, and Aubrey went to her first ever Tiger Walk! Our church merged with another, and we got to meet a lot of new friends. The best part is now we have a small group that meets on our side of town!

October

We visited the pumpkin patch with Mampy. Aubrey dressed up as Princess Aurora from "Sleeping Beauty" for her class's trunk or treat. Then, the kids dressed up as doctors for downtown trick or treat.

November

Gigi was able to attend Aubrey's Thanksgiving Feast and take Hunter with her. Aubrey's class dressed up as pilgrims this year. Then, we all traveled to MaMa's house for Thanksgiving. One of our good friends, Brandon, came to visit and then went to the Iron Bowl with Brett. He also help us put up our Christmas decorations while he was visiting. Hunter also started walking!

December

Brett celebrated his birthday, and we were blessed to be with his family on that day. We celebrated Christmas numerous times with family this month. The kids had a great time seeing their grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Aubrey was able to participate in "Journey to Bethlehem" at her preschool. It was a musical program the children shared and then rotations the children could participate in with their families. Hunter enjoyed seeing Aubrey dressed as a donkey and singing "Away in a Manger" with her class. Aubrey loved making ornaments, decorating cookies, and hearing the Christmas story during the rotations. Lauren and the kids also went with friends to Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens for the first time. This will definitely be added to our Christmas traditions each year. Everyone loved it! On Christmas Eve, we attended the service at our church and came home to play with the Little People nativity set and Veggie Tales nativity set as we recreated the Christmas story. Then, we read it from the Bible. We are excited to instill the true meaning of Christmas to our children.

Now, we're ready for 2012! To celebrate New Year's Day, we had a relaxing morning and then went to the pool at Daddy's work this afternoon! Swimming was a fun way to start the new year! We can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2012!

goodbye, summer!

Although fall has not officially started, it definitely feels like summer is over. Yesterday was my first day back at work. It was a bittersweet moment yesterday dropping the kids back off at my in-laws. We are so fortunate to have family that will look after our precious babies each day. Aubrey got a little upset, which definitely didn't make things any easier. However, once I got to school, I had plenty to do to keep my mind focused on getting my classroom ready and plans for next week.
We have had an incredible summer, full of trips, swimming, and spending time with friends. We have gone to the pool so much with family and friends, at my parents' house, at Health Plus, and some neighborhood pools. Hunter enjoys snuggling while in the pool and has even fallen asleep occasionally while in the pool. Aubrey's swimming has really taken off, and she has learned to come up for a breath as needed. While at the beach the last week of July, Aubrey swam across the width of the pool by herself.
One week in July, Aubrey participated in art camp with some of her friends from preschool. She had a fantastic time painting, drawing, and exploring various types of art. Several of those days, Hunter and I had fun walking with some of the other moms. He especially appreciated getting to rest while being pushed in the stroller.
The kids have really grown up this summer. Hunter is pulling up and walking behind toys. He also likes getting into cabinets as much as possible. The first thing he does every day is crawl to the bookshelf and pull all his books off. He also has been teething a lot lately and soon will have eight teeth. Brett and I have been amazed in the growth in Aubrey's vocabulary and articulation. She is forming much more complex sentences now, and she loves making words with her alphabet blocks. Last week, she even read a word off a shopping bag. Needless to say, Brett and I were very surprised and proud of her.
As summer comes to a close and the school year begins, I am reminded of how blessed I am that I get to spend time with them in the summer. God's blessings on our lives never cease to amaze me!
-Lauren

Memories!

Today we went with grandparents and some friends to a local blueberry farm. Although it was very hot, we had a great time picking blueberries. Hunter mainly enjoyed being held by his grandfather and eating the blueberries! Aubrey had a great time picking and sampling the berries, and at one point, throwing them on the ground. However, we managed to come away with 2 gallons of blueberries and some great memories! This is a perfect example of why summer is my favorite time of the year: I love spending fun, quality time with my amazing family!

-Lauren

Beach trip

We took a beach trip not long ago to Panama City with Brett's parents. The kids had a great time, and all of us came back more tan than when we started. Aubrey had a wonderful time flying kites, swimming in the pool, and riding the waves in the ocean. Hunter had fun in the pool once it had warmed up in the afternoon. However, it was great to get away and relax. June has been and is still very busy, so this vacation was great! We can't wait for our next trip!

-Lauren

weekend fun!

Yesterday, we had Hunter's first birthday party. We had a wonderful time celebrating with family. Hunter somewhat enjoyed his birthday cake, but especially liked the ice cream! We cannot believe that he is a year old already. It seems like yesterday that we were headed to the hospital.
We also had a great message at church this morning, and afterwards we enjoyed grilling out with some of our friends. Aubrey had a wonderful time playing in the sprinkler and on the slip and slide with her friends. We absolutely love summer for all the water fun! Now, we just can't wait for our beach trip!

-Lauren