Friday, January 2, 2009

Christmas with GiGi














Christmas night we headed to my mom's house to visit with that side of the family. It was so nice to have both sisters home! Marcie moved back from Nashville this fall, but Jennifer and her husband are living in Tampa, so we don't get to see them as often. We actually had our big present opening event the day after Christmas and then stayed a couple of days with Mom since Jennifer was in town. The three sisters and our respective dates even got to go to dinner just the 6 of us at Firebirds one night! We all had a great time and can't wait until next year when my step-brother and his wife have a baby boy to add to the brood! They are due around Valentine's Day.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Christmas Morning Excitement


Santa enjoyed his goodies!

Anderson's Big Toy: The train table

Stocking stuffers

Daddy and his little girl on her first Christmas

Anderson calls it a magazine (confuses the word megaphone). He loves it! It makes tons of animal sounds...right up his ally along with the dress up safari suit!

Mommy and Anderson

Pure glee... this was right before he started running around it in circles and screeching! I guess he liked it...

Jump, jump, jump!

The crane is his favorite part. It is big and tall like the one building Daddy's new office building.

Swoosh!

Showing Baby Sister his train. He couldn't wait to tell her all about it. It was so cute!

Lydia's big toy: The jumparoo

Mommy reading Lydia a girlie book

Climbing on Daddy

This thing is fun...even if my feet can't touch the ground just yet!!

My sweet babies!

Lydia's first Christmas! She turned 5 months old on Christmas Day!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

"Twas the night before Christmas...


...and not a creature was stirring, EXCEPT Lydia and she was waaaaayyyyyy louder than a mouse!

Last night will forever hold the record for hopes dashed! We hoped to get the kids settled into bed on time, possibly open a bottle of wine and do a little bonding on the frustrations of putting together a train table complete with about 100 parts for assembly. However, what happened was about the farthest thing from that fantasy scenario that could have happened.

Thus far, Lydia has been the golden child, and angel...you know the good one (of course when you have a two year old there are days when a convicted felon could seem good in comparison). Last night after battling an excited Anderson to get in the bed and stay there, we attempted to put Lydia down. Let's just say she wasn't interested in a long winter's nap. The child screamed from 7 until 2:30 am without much break except to occasionally smile at us for some unknown reason. We expected to be up kind of late with the train table, but we had no idea what was in store for us. We rocked, we sang, we cried, we nursed, we bottle fed, we drove around the area in the car seat twice, we gave mylicon, Tylenol, watched Baby Einstein, you name it we tried it. So one of us would be trying to read ridiculously complicated directions for the track arrangement and the other would hold a screaming baby that refused to sleep. I'm being transparent and honest here when I say it was the most miserable night of my life.

She has had a runny nose, and she has been grabbing at her gums and drooling and we did get her completely off her schedule by going to my Dad's yesterday, but we aren't sure if it is any one of these things or a wicked combination of all of them. However, rest assured Lydia has a new nickname today...The Grinch (you know, as in the one that stole Christmas.)

Now that you know what happened I will attempt to portray our night as warm and fuzzy...even though it wasn't. Anderson did have a grand time sprinkling the reindeer food he made at school and the one bag of it that our neighbors gave us. He kept scattering it and then looking up as if to say..."Ok it's out here so come on reindeer!!". He also left a snack for Santa on the fireplace. Of course, with our night Santa probably needed his milk spiked with hard liquor just to cope. Ho Ho Ho!




Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve Festivities


We have been meeting with my Dad's side on Christmas Eve for longer than I have been alive, and this year was a fun one with lots of kids running around! My Dad and Martha hosted at their house in Moundville, and we all had a great time eating too much and watching the kids enjoy their presents. Lydia slept through all of that. Bless her heart...it's her very first Christmas and she just snoozed through the best part!

My Grandmother with Lydia

All the boys: Cayden, Walt, John and Anderson

My Dad and Martha got these horses for Cayden and Anderson. Lydia's is a sweet little grey elephant with pink ears. Since she slept through the gift opening, so I'll post a pic of her with it later.

Riding the gigantic stuffed horse AND drawing on the magna doodle...now that is talent!

Pop and Lydia

A mixed marriage...

Hot Wheels...can you see the awe on his face?

Kids Table


My Aunt DeLane, Chris and Jeff