a bit of our Christmas day fun

The traditional new PJ's and the reading of Twas the Night before Christmas

and Santa mouse before bed...they were super sleepy, this was taken around 11:30!

John Mark loved his new video camera. He documented everyone's every move all day long! he did a great job keeping his hand steady!

Yep...worth getting up at 3am on the day after T'giving
to get this 'doorbuster'

MaryKyle was completely overwhelmed with her "real sewing machine"she stopped opening presents immediately to call her ReMaw (Who is a talented seamstress)!


It was a good surprise! She had NO idea!

As is tradition (coming from both of our Mom's)we had cinnamon rolls in the shape of aChristmas tree...too bad the tradition isn't also that Mother must wear her PJ's and have no make-up on and her hair not be fixed!

I skipped the details this year...usually I do a star, etc but just wanted to get them in the oven and done since the kids slept so late (I know crazy huh?!) as I knew they'd be

super hungry

They webcam talked to ReMaw and Papa Gene & tried to show them everything they'd gotten!

MaryKyle put on a puppet show with her new theater

ReMaw made her and puppets they sent

John Mark filmed the entire thing

(Which is saying a lot since MK

doesn't do short shows)

and Sydney tried to find a safe place to snuggle,

away from the Christmas chaos (she did get

new treats that are long gone)

Happy 3rd B'day my beautiful angel girl!

a few days after your official 'birth' day

(5 to be exact...this is your first time to worship)

First Birthday

We didn't have much time to pull a celebration off (long story) and MaryKyle, John Mark and you had been so so sick. So Grandmama ran all around town while I nursed everyone and helped me pull off a fun celebration (fortunately on your big day everyone was finally WELL!)!! I even got the cake pulled together in a VERY short amount of time (don't look too close)!! We ate spaghetti for dinner and celebrated you that day and were so so thankful to be spending that special day with you!

Second Birthday

why is 'Bubba' wearing his PJ's??? I can't remember...hmm....he had a shirt that matched your dresses with a puppy dog on it...who knows? We got a call that morning that you weren't going to be at the house with us that day, we had to rearrange plans a bit (the joys of foster parenting). We had cupcakes and pumpkin waffles with cinnamon apples (one of your faves) after church that Sunday night so Grandmama and Papa could be with us! (you've just blown a kiss in the picture...that's your kisses face)!

at two you loved babydolls so this was just the perfect gift from G'mama and Papa...look at that smile!

you loved the steam sound on your iron!! You would push that button over and over (and over and over)

Today we will be thanking God for you once again...Since we aren't able to celebrate your 3rd year with you, we are spending the day together as a family...doing fun things to fill our day with smiles and prayers focused on you! We pray that you are having yet another HAPPY HAPPY b'day filled with smiles, love and laughter...and, of course, CAKE!!!

ready or not....Christmas Time is here

This past weekend we headed to N'ville. We had little battery juice in our camera so didn't take many pictures over the whole weekend, but we did capture this early Christmas present! We surprised the kids and took them to ICE! At Opryland. It's 6 degrees inside and this is the last year for the Grinch theme. The kids still didn't know when we got there what we were doing. So when we walked in they just saw Grinch signs and until we leaned down and pointed out everying was made from Ice they still weren't too sure...above is their first reactions...sitting, touching rubbing, jumping up and down...amazed!! They ran from one thing to the next just AMAZED...We got lots of video footage, but again...dying batteries didn't allow for too many pictures, but we got a few....video to come later hopefully of the ICE slide, etc!! It was a fun night...albeit COLD!! But family and friends had prepared us so we dressed appropriately and the coats they give you helped tons. But then outside in 10 degrees with wind...about froze us walking to the car!

ROAST BEAST!!!

Daddy and the kids modeling the lovely blue coats everyone is given before entering...it's a sea of blue!! And as you enter you are directed to watch your children closely as it's VERY easy to lose them since everyone looks alike. We did see one Daddy who had lost his son and I truly just couldn't imagine the feeling since everyone from behind and with hoods up from the front somewhat...looked just alike! He did find him though!!

Feasting with the Who's!

The End of the Grinch - the kids were so disappointed

it was over.

But then we walked out the door and into another area where there was a nativity scene all in ice.





Instead of "whoville music" there was a recording telling the story of the birth of Jesus...to which MK was sure to tell the employee who collected our coats as we exited "um...your Jesus story is not quite right, it says the wisemen followed the star to the stable and saw the baby Jesus in swaddling clothes, but he was in a house and around two years old when the wisemen finally got to him according to the Bible" hee hee!! The lady kind of looked at her a bit baffled at first and said "well you are exactly right!"

It was pretty, even if it wasn't Biblically accurate, we could certainly appreciate the work put into making the ice look so beautiful! That's not us by the way in front, just another Mom and kids sporting lovely blue coats!

MaryKyle proclaimed the surprise the "BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER" granted she makes proclamations like that quite easily! But we did all have a wonderful evening together as a family laughing and enjoying Whoville!!

My parents. They live just a few miles away and for some reason I'm the world's worst at having them over. I know crazy huh..? Why...no good reason!! Not a single one. I adore my parents, I think they are the best ever and I love having them so close and a big part of our lives. My husband adores them they adore him...no friction there...we just rarely have them over...stinky I know. And I am wanting to do better!! I think it has something to do with some crazy mindset that when they come over my house should be perfect (and when my Mother reads that she will either cringe or exclaim outloud how unnecessary that is! hee hee!) - nope, they don't expect that...just some silly notion in my head.
So when the kids suggested we have them over for dinner so they could read them their stories they wrote this week. Hubby and I thought that was a SUPER idea and called them immediately!


While on the phone inviting MaryKyle informed me to tell them to 'dress up'
Of course GrandMama and GrandPapa obliged. We ate on our Christmas china, used the crystal, had candles as the kids proclaimed they wanted it to be a "fancy dinner"

The dinner menu they selected was:

Appetizers

shrimp bites

(MaryKyle made them)

brie fondue

(everyone agreed it was better with the apples then the bread, since I can't eat apples, I have no clue, but this was john Mark's menu request)

Main Course

Grilled marinated pork tenderloin

steamed sugar snap peas (kids favorite)

twice baked potatoes

homemade yeast rolls

Dessert

Christmas tree brownies

with whipped cream and sprinkles

(we just made them and lined the pan with parchment paper, lifted it out and cut the brownies with a cookie cutter in the shape of Christmas trees. MK made the brownies, John Mark did the cutting. We hadn't planned a dessert at all actually til about an hour before they were to arrive the kids decided we needed a dessert)

I didn't get a single picture...arrgghh!! Daddy did get a picture of MK with one of her shrimp appetizers she made...this was was done quickly so she could eat it (the kid could eat pounds and pounds of shrimp)...the ones she served, she put two shrimp on to form a heart and then green onions were added for

"Christmas colors"

We had a nice visit and enjoyed so much having Grandmama and Papa over.

and you know what?? I didn't even dust!!

winter wonderland...minus the snow!

Part of Christmas Tradition has been that my sister and her family comes in town the first Friday in Dec. That's our little town's Christmas celebration and very own Santa Lamar (from previous post) makes his appearance there. My niece had her first Santa picture at the first Christmas celebration 'downtown' and has now come back each year. This was a quick trip. but we squeezed in some memories to last a lifetime...isn't it wonderful you don't need long to create wonderful memories!

Greeley's first Christmas!! Oh how adorable he is, I mean who could ever resist that bundle of chubby preciousness?!

And he was loving ever magical moment of it!

yes, we're related

....by blood...now

WHERE ARE MY CURLS???!!!

no flat-iron involved...

no perm involved for her this is us in our natural state....

arrgghh!

sweet cousins...they love being together!!

John Mark, like his Daddy, likes 'colored lights' and said his house was covered in them. Hee hee...when Hubby and I first got married that was a big point of discussion colored or white lights on the tree....we settled for white that have a zillion settings of different things they do...and now he doesn't care as long as I do the work....DEAL!!!

Holland just a bit proud and excited and so adorably cute I think I'll just skip the gingerbread and gobble her up instead!!

MaryKyle...she had a flower garden in the back 'yard' of her house!