Wreath Making

Welcome to wreath-making 101.  As usual my computer is not allowing me to choose in what order I put these pictures... so I'll give general instructions, then you can look at the pictures.

1.  Invite some friends over... they will get you in the Christmas spirit if you weren't already!

2.  Gather supplies:  Foam wreaths, greening pins, treats!  And keep the bottom branches of your Christmas tree.

3.  Cut up the branches into smaller, more manageable pieces.

4.  Take several small branch pieces in hand and pin them onto your wreath.

5.  Take another handful of branch pieces in hand, tuck a little bit under the previous bunch, and pin to the wreath.  (Try to cover up the pin with the greenery.)

6.  Continue around the wreath.  I usually start on the front surface of the wreath, go all the way around, then add pieces to the outside and inside edges of the wreath (that may not make sense, but keep going until you can't see any white foam).  At this point, I usually stick it on the door (or here we put it up on our fence) to make sure you've covered up all of the foam.  If you can still see foam or pins, add some more greenery!

7.  Finally add the "extras", securing with a greening pin.  If you need some berries, we have a big bush in our yard.  My mom found sweet Cardinals for $2 each at Hobby Lobby.  And if you know Mrs. Rosa or my friend Allison, you are in luck because they can make BOWS!

Why Matthew?

We're often asked how we chose Matthew's name, so I thought that would make a good blog post.

So... Why Matthew?

Is it a family name?

Well, no, but kind of, I guess.

Springer's great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather was Matthew Battle, but all we know about him is that he was the first member of his family to be born in the United States and that in the 1600's he lived in Surrey County, Virginia.

Also my dear cousin April married an awesome man named Matthew, one we would love our Matthew to be like, so it's neat that they share a name too.

So where really did Matthew come from?

I'm not sure when or how it started, but probably about 5 years ago, whenever we would talk about our son one day, we would call him Matthew... it just stuck. There are a couple of reasons we like this name so much!

1. What it means...

Matthew comes from a Hebrew word that means "gift of God". We waited and prayed for a little one for a long time, so Matthew truly is God's gift to Springer and me! (And Jasper... he just doesn't fully appreciate the gift yet!)

Children are a gift from the LORD. Psalm 127:3

2. We love the apostle Matthew and especially his story of meeting Jesus.

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
Matthew 9:9

We pray that our Matthew, like the Matthew of the Bible, will hear the voice of Jesus, respond with immediate obedience, and follow Jesus all the days of his life.

In other news, our super-talented friend and photographer, Neely Ker-Fox has posted a blog of our maternity and newborn pictures. Enjoy!

A Mobile... Quite Possibly the Best Purchase We Have Ever Made

Matthew loves his mobile. If he's crying and we put him under the mobile, it's like magic... frown turns into a smile, teary eyes become wide with delight. I think these pictures capture his feelings about his favorite toy. (And yes, we still swaddle him. If we don't, his flailing arms wake him up!)

It's Saturday in Athens!

We took Matthew to Athens for the first time this past weekend. He loved it! Tailgating, eating Barberitos, chilling with the Slaten's... made for a great day!

Happy

Happy Reformation Day and Happy Halloween!

Enjoy the pictures from a happy weekend...

 We started off Friday afternoon with the CB&T Fall Festival...

 then dressed up as farmers to take our little Chili Pepper to the Freund's Halloween Party. 

 Saturday we celebrated a big Bulldog victory over those stinky Gators.  I was excited that Matthew finally fits into these cute overalls from Aunt CC and Uncle B!

 Today Matthew's sporting his monster costume (thanks, Aunt Tippi).  I think he's the friendliest monster I've ever seen. 

Finally, Jasper's ready to hand out candy, so Trick-or-Treaters, come on over!

Recent grilling experiments

We have tried some new food on the grill lately: nachos and pizza. Not what you would usually find on the grill, but they were both great. The nachos are pretty simple. We have a nacho plate that we just pile up with chips and cheese. Get your charcoal grill (the only way to grill) set up with the coals on one side. Put the nachos on the opposite side (indirect) and grill your meat over the coals. Close the lid and let the grill act like an oven. Once your meat is cooked, cut it up and add to the nachos along with more cheese, jalapeños, and whatever else you want. Close the lid again and let them cook until the cheese is melted and the chips start browning a bit.

For the pizza, set up your grill the same way. Cook your dough directly on top of the coals. Make sure to put olive oil on the dough so it won't stick. Cook about 2 min and then flip. Once you flip add sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you want. We used pepperoni, fresh garlic and green peppers. After 2 min move to the indirect side of the grill and close. Let the pizza cook until the cheese starts to brown a bit. This was probably one of the best pizzas I've ever had. Give it a try!
(I now know what Laura Susan means about posting pics on here. There is no way to put them in the order you want!)

Best 6 Weeks Ever

Our little man is growing up before our eyes!