Focus On Family

With the holiday season upon us, I have been thinking a lot about family and what it means to me. I've been so incredibly blessed with a loving husband and a cutie-pie of a son. They bring so much joy to me life. It's amazing how much those two can make me laugh. I recently read a quote from Marjorie Pay Hinckley that really got me thinking. It says, "We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at the right pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are." Lately, I've been feeling the need to simplify my own life. Too often, I find myself worrying and stressing over things that don't really matter. What matters most is family. I've decided (starting today) that I am going to make sure family comes first. A big step for me is deleting my facebook account. With it's easy accessibility, I find myself taking a few minutes here and there to peruse facebook when really I should be spending those precious few minutes playing on the floor with Sam, hugging Jimmy or doing something productive for myself like reading or sewing. So, these are my random thoughts. Bet you're glad you read this, huh? Just joking. I hope that someone got something from this. I definitely did.

Until next time,

Kyrstie

November 2014 Update on the Gillie Family

Hi to all of our friends and family! Life is good here in Little Rock. We've been here for two months now and are really enjoying it. The ward here is super friendly...always a plus! We really feel like we fit in and are needed/appreciated. Which is important after feeling very isolated in our last ward. The weather here is getting cold, which is fun and awful at the same time. I really hate fighting Sam into a coat every time we go out. Oh, well. So...now that I've had random ramblings about Arkansas, I will update you on all the family members and happenings.

Sam:

Sam is now (almost) 17 months old and huge. He is currently 28 lbs and I can't believe my arms aren't more toned. Seriously. He's so heavy. At his last appointment, he was in the 90-96% for height, weight, and head circumference. Our pediatrician didn't believe me when I told her that Jimmy is "normal" sized. Haha. We're definitely seeing changes in independence lately. He loves to do the things we do....sitting on the couch, "helping" mom cook, running, dancing, and playing peek-a-boo. It's so fun to see him learning and growing. We really love it. And him. Seriously, he's the cutest. His little smile melts our hearts.

Jimmy is doing well in navigator training with the C-130s here at Little Rock AFB. The training here is so much more relaxed than it was while we were in Florida. It's amazing. We actually get to spend time together! We're loving it! Jimmy is really enjoying the work he's doing and, honestly, he's awesome at it. Not that he will tell you that himself. He has five more months left of training here and then he will be with his reserve unit at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery. We're looking forward to living somewhere for more than a few months! (We've moved five times in the last two years!)

There's not much to update people on about me. I recently decided to learn how to sew. It's going well (I think)...youtube has been a great resource! I haven't been sewing for more than a week and already Sam has PJ bottoms out the wazoo. But, hey, every toddler should have a nice array of pjs to choose from, right?

And now for everyone's favorite part....Pictures!

Jimmy, Kyrstiegillie and Sam at the cornbread festival in downtown Little Rock. We had a blast!

Gail and Doran (Jimmy's parents) came for a visit last weekend and Sam loved getting some grandparent time in. 

Going on a family walk. 

We also got a visit from Nicole and her kiddos, Lily and Simon (Nicole is Jimmy's younger sister). This photo is one of the only times when Sam wasn't trying to smack Lily. Apparently we need to spend more time around other kids. 

This is a more accurate photo of how the week went for us. 

I don't actually remember taking this photo, but it must have been to prove that they can be nice. 

We found this awesome hat when we took Nicole to our favorite thrift store. Sam seemed to really like it. 

 We took Nicole to downtown little rock and had a blast. Even though it was so cold! This is Nicole and Lily and Simon in front of "Little Rock". 

This is a pig statue that you're supposed to touch for good luck. 

An empty random phone booth that we like for some reason that can't really be explained. 

It took a ridiculously long time to get Sam to cooperate for this picture with Simon. But it was worth it! By the way, they are wearing diapers. I promise. 

This is a photo we took after Sam "helped" me bread some chicken. We took the two chicken breasts he was holding before the picture. What a mess!

Until next time,

Kyrstie and Fam

Moving Craziness!

I'm ashamed at how long it's been since I last posted! But, I have semi-good excuses. We've done tons of traveling this summer and are in the middle of a move. Literally. We move in a mere five days, will spend four days in Montgomery and will arrive at our new home on Sept. 2nd. Wish us luck! We will be in Little Rock for about seven months, so our plan is to leave most of our belongings in storage and only take to Arkansas what we can fit in the van. It's been insane trying to get everything packed. Jimmy has been very busy at work, so he hasn't had a lot of opportunities to do packing. But, when he is home, he gets so much done! I wish I could be that productive!

We're very excited to be moving to a new city. One of our favorite things to do is explore a new place and try new things. Especially trying new restaurants. And there are lots of those in Little Rock. We've decided to live on base and are feeling very good about our choice. We don't really feel that we fit in with the military culture, but we are looking forward to Jimmy being able to ride his bike to work, being around other families that are similar to ours, and being close to shopping.

So, as always, we have tons of pictures to share. Hopefully next time we won't go as long between blog posts, but if we do....please don't judge.

Kyrstie

Our new house!

Sam: "we're moving?!" Just kidding. He was yawning. But seriously, isn't this far the cutest?! 

We had to eat at McGuire's Itish Pub before leaving Pensacola. It's a classic. 

Our big walker! Also, pretty sure he's rocking the skinny jeans. 

Photos galore

It's been so long! So long in fact that I have no desire to sit down and write out everything. So instead I'm just going to post tons of pictures. So if that's not your thing feel free to move along :)

The mardi gras museum

Christmas time with aunt Erin 

Lunch at Peg Leg Pete's 

Goofing during general conference

Me and my niece Lily trying on hats 

At the highest point in Florida!

Family hike

A day at the beach

Sam's first hockey game...he loved it. 

Poor Nicole 

That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Red Fish Blue Fish and Baby Jesus

This is going to be a pretty quick post. My Uncle Andy is currently doing some military training in Alabama and came down for a quick visit this Saturday! It was so great to see him and for him and Jimmy to finally meet! He took usout to a great new restaurant called Red Fish Blue Fish (like the Dr. Seuss book). It was great food and a fun atmosphere. We'll definitely be returning. An now for some pictures. 

Our awesome magnet...Hitchhikers Guide anyone?? 

The view from our table. Yes, they have beach side seating, fire pits and couches. 

Best buds!

Good times! 

Later in the evening we had a ward Chirstmas Party. Sam played Jesus and acted like an absolute angel. 

Well that's it for now. Next blog post....Christmas Festivities!

A Weekend With the Gillie's

This weekend we headed over to the gorgeous Eden State Park near Washington Point, FL. We decided go here because of the 1970s horror film Frogs (starring Sam Elliott). It's so horrible it's hilarious and it was filmed at this state park. It was pretty fun to see where certain scenes were taken. We even did our best to dress like characters from te film and we dressed Sam as a frog. It's also just a really beautiful area. 

If you haven't seen frogs....it's on Netflix. Watch it! 

After the state park we headed over to a restaurant called Fudpuckers. So good! And so fun! They have good southern food for a great price. They also have a gator pit! They have over 80 gators in their pit and they even have a rare albino gator named Pearl. There are only forty in the world! Now for the pics. 

Well that's it for now. Hopeywe'll have another awesome adventure this weekend to post about soon!