Tradition

Beginning 3 years ago we started a Christmas Eve tradition with the Finleys which has become a sweet time with them and one I hope we continue over the years. Because we left town before Christmas Eve this year we decided to do our Christmas Eve tradition on Tuesday night. We went way easy this year and just had take-out Chinese food and leftover dessert, it was great! Part of the tradition is doing the felt board Christmas story with the kids, which always proves to be quite entertaining. We did the condensed version this year as the parents were enjoying each others' company so much! We are so thankful for you Jason and Cayce and your precious children! Thank you for your friendship to us! We love you and this fun tradition!

Staff Christmas Party

Monday night was our annual staff Christmas party at Pastor Ken & Robin's house. This is always a fun night of good food and fellowship. These are great people and it is a joy to serve with them at Crosspoint Church. We also played the white elephant gift exchange and people were supposed to bring a gift that was already in their home. This always provides good laughs!

This picture of Amy cracks me up...she is giving instructions for the white elephant game in "Amy style"

Sharon received these antlers in her gift

Jenna (from Maryland) opened this South Carolina flag...appropriate:)

Sam put a little spin on his gift and Jason lucked out big time...he walked away with an envelope with $40 in it!

My crazy husband!

Shannon (below) and her husband Hart are very dear to us. Hart had a huge impact on Jeremy's life when Jeremy was in college at ECU and now they are in Clemson and a part of our church! We love them dearly! Oh, and people are all the time asking if she and I are sisters!

Our Christmas Babies

Children Singing

This past Sunday morning at church the children sang 3 Christmas carols for the church congregation. It was so fun watching them sing and seeing all their little personalities come out. Carson was front left which was perfect for where we were sitting. He really "got into it" as he sung the Christmas carols. Precious!

10 year anniversary trip

After much planning, saving, and anticipation we headed to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic to celebrate 10 years of marriage for a week! We had a great time and would highly recommend this place to anyone! We would go back in a heart beat! It was beautiful, relaxing, and just what we needed. I'm so thankful for Jeremy and his initiating this kind of trip a couple years back so we could begin saving. I love you Jeremy and had a blast with you on our romantic getaway!

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10 years

On December 11th we celebrated 10 years of marriage! We were in Charlotte on the 11th and went to a nice dinner (this picture is taken at the restaurant) before flying out the next morning to the Dominican Republic for a week (pictures to come) to celebrate our anniversary!

It's hard to believe that it's been that long since we became husband and wife. I am blessed beyond words to be married to this man. He challenges me and encourages me and loves me well. I am more like Christ today because of him. I am thankful for his faithfulness, his passion, his energy, his work ethic, his provision, his personality, and his love! Marriage only gets better with time, I truly love him more today then the day we tied the knot! I look forward to 10 more years with you babe! I love you so much!

Generation LINK in Gatlinburg

Part of Jeremy's job as a pastor at Crosspoint Church is overseeing the Generation LINK staff program (one-year & summer internship program). We love the G-linkers and on December 7th through the 10th we got to go to Gatlinburg together for a staff retreat. It was fun for the kids and I to be around them! We enjoyed good restaurants and fun times at the house (kudos to Tara for finding the house) and they each shared about their semesters which was so good to hear!

The whole group outside the Pancake Pantry Restaraunt

at the house

Clemson Christmas Parade

Carson, Bryn and I headed downtown for the annual Clemson Christmas Parade while Jeremy and Lydia stayed home under the weather. We met up with the Finleys there and had a fun time watching the parade. My highlight by far was watching Bryn dance...turn up the volume and enjoy a good laugh! And you will NOT want to miss the last video!

O Christmas Tree

Sunday afternoon we headed out to Merry Christmas Tree Farm to get our Christmas tree. This is our 4th year using this place and it has become a fun tradition for our family.

Michael Batson works there and he was so helpful in getting us the right tree! He also offered to take our family picture.

They have free hot chocolate for their customers

putting our tree on the van

decorating the tree

Thanksgiving in Durham

We went up to Durham last Tuesday evening and came home Saturday evening to spend Thanksgiving with the Chasteen clan! We had a great time being together!

Wednesday afternoon we went to have our picture made for Christmas cards. Here is the whole clan.

Lydia and I

Papa carving the turkey

the spread

the kids table

Lydia enjoying her meal!

a highlight at papa & nana's house...the hot tub!


Thank you Don & Scarlet for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Praying Mantis

So this will seem like a very random, and possibly weird, post but around here...we love this type of thing. When I was a kid I loved bugs, I was so intrigued by them and would search for them and collect them. I remember getting the baby pool out in the backyard as a kid and filling it with all the creepy crawly things I could find. So it's no surprise that I now love doing that type of thing with my kids. This week we found this praying mantis hanging upside down on our hammock in the backyard. We had so much fun watching him and, of course, putting him in the bug catcher. At the bottom of the post there is a little write-up about a praying mantis...if you're interested in bugs like us;)

The praying mantis is named for its prominent front legs, which are bent and held together at an angle that suggests the position of prayer. The larger group of these insects is more properly called the praying mantids. Mantis refers to the genus mantis, to which only some praying mantids belong.

By any name, these fascinating insects are formidable predators. They have triangular heads poised on a long "neck," or elongated thorax. Mantids can turn their heads 180 degrees to scan their surroundings with two large compound eyes and three other simple eyes located between them.

Typically green or brown and well camouflaged on the plants among which they live, mantis lie in ambush or patiently stalk their quarry. They use their front legs to snare their prey with reflexes so quick that they are difficult to see with the naked eye. Their legs are further equipped with spikes for snaring prey and pinning it in place.

Moths, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, and other insects are usually the unfortunate recipients of unwanted mantid attention. However, the insects will also eat others of their own kind. The most famous example of this is the notorious mating behavior of the adult female, who sometimes eats her mate just after—or even during—mating. Yet this behavior seems not to deter males from reproduction.

Females regularly lay hundreds of eggs in a small case, and nymphs hatch looking much like tiny versions of their parents.

The Field

Next door to our house is a beautiful field. It has provided a fun place for the kids to run around in and a fun place to take pictures. We enjoy watching the grass grow and then it's always good entertainment went the farmer comes on his tractor to cut the grass and roll the hay into big round bails. I'm thankful for the beautiful nature and scenery that surrounds our house. I love that our kids are growing up in a place like this. Here are some recent pictures from the field...

This picture was taken back in September to remember our sweet time in Clemson with the Gainor family.

The farmer on his tractor cutting the grass

Chasteen Girls Getaway

This past Wednesday I had the privilege of going on a 3 night girls getaway to Myrtle Beach with my mother-in-law and 3 sister-in-laws. This was the first time all 5 of us have gone away together and I hope it's not the last. It was so nice to have time to relax and talk and play together without the distraction of all the (8) kids. Thank you Scarlet for this gift!

Visit with the Clarke Family

My sister and her family drove down from Virginia on Saturday to spend 3 nights with us. We had a great time together. I am so thankful that they are willing to make the drive down to see us! We made some new and fun memories together.

Ainsley & Bryn

Lydia

Taking turns on the tree swing

All dressed up to go trick-or-treating

Sunday afternoon we took a little hike that is near our house.

Monday we went to the Botanical Gardens and let the kids ride their bikes. The boys did great riding their bikes. The girls had a harder time being content (no matter what they were doing)...oh the joys of 2 year olds! This picture of my sister says a lot...in theory 2 little girls should have been riding the toys she is carrying:)

Bryan did a lot this weekend for the "team" to help with the kids and allow Andrea and I to go out shopping and spend time together. Thank you Bryan!

Ethan, Owen & Carson on their bikes. They had so much fun together!

The Clarke family...we love you!

Cousins

This is us heading out to trick-or-treat...oh the things we do for "fun"