Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS

Finger Sucker

I hope that we have a finger/thumb sucker on our hands.  My other 2 boys were not, and I so wanted to have at least one child that sucked either fingers or thumbs.  I think that we may finally have one.  I would much rather have this than an old paci for sure!  I know there are others who disagree for various reasons.  However, I was a die hard thumb sucker and loved every minute of it and sometimes still wish I could suck it!  I know that supposedly it messes up teeth, however we are already saving for orthodontics for our kids anyways.  Most kids end up getting braces when they are teenagers anyways so we are already planning on that!  I just think that it is the cutest, sweetest, thing in this world.

Foster's Dedication December 19, 2010

A very special day for Foster Perry Pangle!  We love you so much little man!

Pastor Mike

Big Brothers

Pop and Gran Jan

Godparents- Auntie Martha Jane and Ben

Grandma and Granddaddy

Uncle Mason, Aunt Kim, Mac and JL

Our Family

Lunch at the Houndstooth

Christmas with Grandma and Granddaddy 2010

Here comes Santa's Elves

Walker reading the poem to Eric and I

We had so much fun celebrating Christmas with Grandma  and Granddaddy.  They came in town last Friday night and spent the weekend.  We were eating dinner Friday night and we heard some jingle bells at the front door.  The boys went to the door and it was Grandma and Granddaddy with lots of presents.  The boys were super excited.  Granddaddy's hat was singing and dancing.  Granddaddy is so good with poems and tends to write them at Christmas and sends us on a chase to find some of our last gifts.  It is always so much fun, and I posted them on here so we can remember years to come.  The boys got to read a poem the night they got here which led to them opening one gift before bed.  They opened a race track and loved it.  They spent an hour playing before bed.  Saturday morning we went to Walker's basketball game and opened the rest of the presents when we got home.  Grandma and Granddaddy got the boys some awesome gifts and mama and daddy also. Eric and I had to search the whole house for our last gifts (money).  It took us a while to figure out where they were hidden.  We always enjoy finding them.  We had a great Christmas with them as we always do!  Thanks Grandma and Granddaddy for such a great weekend!!!!!

Christmas Baking

Ingredients for Coffee Cake

Boys having fun cutting out Christmas Cookies

Last Friday the boys and I stayed in our PJ's all day and baked.  We had so much fun!  I am not sure who was more excited them or me.  We literally baked all day.  We made sugar cookies, pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate, ritz crackers with peanut butter dipped in white chocolate, and 9 coffee cakes.  We made a huge mess but it was fun!  One recipe for coffee cake makes 3 cakes.  I love wrapping them up and delivering them to neighbors.  The neighbors love the cakes and ask for them every year!  That is a tradition that I take from my mom.  We had Christmas music playing in the back ground and it just brought back so many memories.  I enjoyed every minute of it and I know that this time with my kids is so short and in a blink I will wish I had these days back.  They are young for a short time and old for much longer.  I hope that they will carry on these traditions with their kids!

Videos from the Gross Boys at Daddy's Retirement Party

Here are a few videos from daddy's retirement party.  A few of his salesmen have named themselves the Gross Boys.  They tend to write lyrics and sing them from time to time.  They have done this for years now.  They wrote a couple of songs especially for daddy on his retirement.  If you have a minute check these out they are pretty short and are quite funny!

Wordless Wednesday

Daddy's Retirement Party at his Work

Do you think they are happy or what?  This is daddy and Sarah, who have worked together forever.  They both are retiring at the end of this year.  Sarah works at the branch here in Atlanta.

Last Thursday we drove up to Spartanburg for daddy's retirement party given by the people at his office.  We had a great time visiting with those folks that we have grown up knowing.  We had lunch in the office, and then had dinner at a restaurant in Spartanburg.  It was such a great time.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful daddy who has worked so hard to provide for his family.  This is so well deserved.  He is the best, sweetest, hardest worker I know.  It was so good hearing all of the great things that his coworkers had to say about him.  I think the biggest compliment was hearing his salesmen calling him "dad".  That is how he treats everyone!  I am sure they are going to miss working for "dad".  It was such a bittersweet day, but we are sure glad to have him for ourselves now.  Daddy is such a handyman and his first project is building 2 treehouses for the boys.  He is building one here and one at Mason and Kim's.  He has talked about these tree houses forever.  They are going to be the coolest tree houses ever, I am sure.  We are so proud of him and so excited for him!  We love you daddy!

Henry as Joesph

Henry was Joesph in his Preschool's Christmas Program.  He did wonderful and looked adorable standing up there!  He was the cutest Joesph I have ever seen!

Visit with Santa

We had such a wonderful time visiting with Santa last week.  This is our 2nd year going to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa.  It is such a wonderful Santa,  lots of stuff for the kids to do, and  it is totally free!  Santa took so much time talking to the boys about their list and each one of them did wonderful!  They were so cute!