Drew's Singing Debut

Drew made his singing debut at church for Christmas. I have to say, this was one of the most entertaining things I have seen. Knowing Drew, I had NO expectations as to how it was going to to go. He started on the third riser and eventually worked his way down to the first riser. Once he got to the front, he got right into the microphone and coughed...it echoed right through the entire church. As the singing progressed, Drew decided he was tired and laid down on the first riser...but he continued to do the hand motions from his spot. I am sure that all of the angels in Heaven were getting a big kick out of his performance!!

Gingerbread Houses

We made our annual gingerbread houses at Grammie and Granddaddy's house. This year we made one instead of two. Drew tends to lose interest and drift off. Anna Caitlin and Drew had a great time decorating and eating the candy and icing!!

The Elves Are At It Again!!

Those silly elves, Brittany and Bailey came back to wreak havoc around the Hayworth house the month of Christmas. They have their hands full this year watching over THREE muchkins. They arrived the weekend after Thanksgiving and brought the kids a very special present...the Little People Nativity. What a great gift to remind us the reason we celebrate Christmas. Joshua thoroughly enjoyed chewing on the Little People all month long!! They got into all kinds of mischief. They made there own paper sailing boat, got into a marshmellow throwing war, and even climbed all the way up our fireplace. We can't wait to see what they will get into next Christmas!!

Thanksgiving Fun

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with Grammie, Granddaddy, and the Poythresses the Sunday before. Grammie cooked up lots of yummy Thanksgiving food...especially the dressing!! We celebrated with the Hayworth clan on Thanksgiving Day. We went over to Aunt Kay's house where we got to play with all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins. It is so much fun having a big family to get together with! Joshua got to sample his first Thanksgiving meal...he has been hooked on table food ever since that day :) Grammie and Granddaddy came and spent the night with us and we built a fire and watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The next day, me and Mom were off at 5 AM for our annual shopping trip!! Daddy and Granddaddy spent the day with the kiddos.

Santa and the Pink Pig

We made our annual trip to Phipps to see Santa and ride the Pink Pig the weekend before Thanksgiving. The kids did SO good with Santa!! Anna Caitlin actually sat in his lap for the FIRST time since she was 10 months old!! Drew stood beside him and Joshua sat in his lap. Joshua LOVED Santa. He was completely intrigued with his beard. And I did not have to be in the picture!! Yay!! That is two years in a row :)




After we went to see Santa, we went over to Lennox to ride the Pink Pig. This is Anna Caitlin's very favorite part about Christmas. The kids had a great time, although Drew was very upset that he did not get to ride in the front car. Even Joshua loved all of the lights as we went through. What a fun day!

Anna Caitlin's Thanksgiving Celebrations

Anna Caitlin had lots of Thanksgiving celebrations at school. Grammie and Granddaddy came to eat with her for her Thanksgiving feast. (Check out poor Granddaddy's face. That is the result of a wheelchair accident in Athens :) He looks much better now!) Her class looked so cute in their Indian outfits that they made!

The Kindergarten classes also put on a Thanksgiving play for all the parents. It was too cute. Anna Caitlin was one of the puritan women. They sang songs and even had speaking parts. They did a great job!! Mama Judi, Papa Johnny, and Daddy got to come see it too!

Weekend in the Mountains

We took a family trip to the mountains with Mama Judi, Papa Johnny, Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Randy, Raylie, Aunt Kim, Uncle Roger, and Hayden. We spent the weekend in Ellijay right on the river. Jonathan, Uncle Randy, and Papa Johnny took to kiddos on a bear hunt, which they loved. They did not find a bear, but had lots of fun playing with their sticks!!

Daddy and Aunt Kim also let them play down by the river. They had lots of fun "fishing" and throwing in rocks and leaves. We went to Amicalola Falls on Saturday afternoon where the kiddos took off their shoes and played in the creek. It was freezing!! We even hiked down the stairs to the falls. What a fun weekend!!

Halloween

Halloween is always such a fun time of year. The kids love to pick out their Halloween costumes. I was a little bit sad this year because it is the first time my baby girl has not been a princess. I can't believe that she is already outgrowing that stage...she is getting so big so fast! She is a big fan of High School Musical, so Anna Caitlin decided to be Gabriella. Drew is very much into the superheroes these days. He went back and forth between Batman, Spiderman, and then finally settled on Superman. (I think it was because it was the only one without a mask!) And our sweet Baby Joshua was Superbaby. I may be a little bit biased, but they were the cutest three trick or treaters ever!!



This year we had Tales and Treats at our chuch the Wednesday before Halloween. The kids had a great time looking at the characters dressed up as Biblical figures. Our favorites were Adam and Eve!! They got to play with their friends on the jumpies after we went through the tales part. We had a great time!!



On Halloween, we had our annual neighborhood hayride with the Riveras and Poythresses. Mr. James and Anderson joined us for the fun this year. Grammie and Granddaddy went along for the ride also. We were not sure if the weather was going to hold out, but the rain cleared out right about the time we left to go trick or treating. As always, there were tons of kids out in the neighborhood and we got lots of great candy. It was a very fun night!

Bonfire Fun

This year we decided to have our friends over for a bonfire night. We had such a great time with the McLendons, Wallaces, Poythresses, and Frachiseurs. Anna Caitlin and Drew worked so hard getting together all of our Halloween treats and decorations. We made spider cookies and graveyard cake. It all turned out so cute!!



We started the night roasting our hot dogs over the fire. The kiddos thought that was SO cool. Drew roasted his for about 2 minutes and then ate it cold straight off the stick. Next, we roasted marshmellows and made smores. You can never go wrong with those!! We ended the night making Halloween cookies.



It was SO cold that night that we were all bundled up. We had such a great time that we may have to make it an annual party!!

Fun Times in the Fall

We had such a great time this fall!! It is one of our very favorite times of the year. We did not make our annual trip to Burt's this year because the weekends were so full. We did go to Petit Creek Petting Farms one weekend. The kids had a great time playing in the jumpies and petting the animals (at least Drew liked that part). The highlight of the trip was the hayride where we got to feed...CAMELS!! Anna Caitlin and Drew both loved the camels! We had fun, but nothing compares to Burt's. We will have to go back there again next year.


We also went to Cagles Corn maze with Ms. Mandy and Chappy. It was raining and freezing cold, but SO much fun!! Anna Cailtin loved the corn maze. She was the one who led us through to the end. There were biblical questions that helped you find your way, and the kiddos did great!! Ms. Carol teaches them so much!! After the corn maze, we went on the hayride. It dropped us off at the bonfire where we got to roast marshmellows. Drew loved the marshmellows, but he did not care to roast them before eating them. Anna Caitlin wanted to roast them and them give them away...she does not like to eat them :) We ended the night at The Varsity!! Can't ask for a better ending to a fun day!

Joshua's Dedication

Joshua was dedicated on October 4. We were so excited to present him to God in front of all of our family, friends, and church family. A long time friend, Lee, performed the ceremony. He asked us to pick a verse that we would like to dedicate to Joshua. We chose the following :

"Raise up a child in the way of the Lord and even when he is older, he will not turn from it."



We hope to raise all of our children to know the love of their heavenly Father. We have so many wonderful people in our lives who are such great examples of His love.

After the dedication, we went to Aspens for lunch with Mama Judi, Papa Johnny, and the Rivera family. What a wonderful and special day for our family!