Merry Christmas

This Christmas, Anna entered the stage of being excited/impatient to get downstairs Christmas morning to see what surprises cropped up.

On normal mornings she she wakes up around 6:45-7 and comes bounding into our room. Christmas morning, however, I heard her door open and little padding feet at 5:45 a.m....However, instead of heading to our room, I heard her burst into James's room, flip on his light, and exclaim, "James, are you ready to get up yet?!?"

While I found her excitement and eagerness to include her brother endearing, I (and he) would have preferred a few more minutes of sleep. But, you give slack on Christmas, right? We were able to hold her off from going downstairs until 7 a.m. with some shows, in order to spare the grandparents and Aunt Maddie from a pre-dawn wake up.

And the wait was well worth it because Santa really worked his magic this year, setting up a princess castle, keyboard, pirate ship, AND installing two "big girl" swings. Anna was ecstatic and James fed off of her excitement. Although he did have to pause in the midst of his gift opening for a nap - I think the hullabaloo was too much.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Tope was waiting in this spot when we came
down the stairs.  She's no dumb kitty!



Wow!



Loving his keyboard from Santa



Tinta apparently helped set up the princess castle.



Trying out the big girl swing - and Santa brought one for a friend, too!

Paper crowns from the poppers at dinner.

King James



Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is quickly becoming one of my favorite times with the kids. The air just sparks with anticipation, excitement and that Christmas M-word, magic. This year we were joined by Gramma, Papa Odie, Grandma Dody and Aunt Maddie, for several fun-filled days.

Typically getting Anna to bathtime and in PJs is a process she prefers to drag out. But, on Christmas Eve she was more than willing to hop in the tub and don her PJs so she could put out cookies for Santa. Before putting out the grub, we sang several Christmas carols, accompanied by jingle bells Anna passed out. This is a new tradition we started last year and it is a very happy, loud time.

Finally it was time to put out the cookies and milk for Santa and veggies and water for the reindeer. This year they got asparagus and radishes...I believe this was James's favorite part of the evening because he got to partake in a cookie - on the floor! Finally, we started another new tradition, thanks to Tinta the elf. He gave Anna and James their own copy of The Night Before Christmas with instructions that we have to read it on Christmas Eve. Papa Odie did the honors this year. Next up, the main event!

James was a pro at eating the bells.



Grandma Dody sings Jingle Bells!

Maddie and Anna a'caroling!

Snuggles with daddy.



The Night Before Christmas

James only has eyes for the cookie...

This cookie thing is pretty cool, don't you think?



Waiting...

'Tis the Season

Christmas is in full swing around here. We've trimmed the perfect tree, put up the lights, and visited Santa. Next up, the big day!

Anna's note to the big guy: Santa I want a castle & big girl swing!

Everyone was all smiles with Santa this year.  A 180 degree improvement for Anna!

Anna's tree

Picking the perfect tree.

O, Christmas Tree!

Anna was so eager and excited to help decorate!

One ornament casualty...Jason was very sad.

A Texas Wedding

December has been a busy, fun-filled month. In addition to the normal craziness of the month (Anna's birthday, the holidays, etc.), we had the pleasure of traveling to Austin to celebrate my cousin Jamie's wedding. It was a fantastic time to reunite with aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

Before the wedding we hit the town for some fun that included a train ride in Zilker Park and enjoying some awesome TexMex. There's just nothing like that good, cheesy, cuisine. We also hit the infamous 6th street - in the daytime hours, though.

Anna was quite excited about the wedding (or "big fun party" as she called it). Since he's not much of a nightowl yet, James hung back in the hotel room with awesome Aunt Dee Ann. We donned our party-best and headed down to the wedding. Anna insited on brining her Beauty and the Beast dolls to the fete.

A great time was had by all at the wedding - we danced late into the night. We are so happy for Jamie and Adam and wish them a long, happy life together.

Train ride at Zilker park

The grand finale of the train ride

All dolled up



Daddy, Anna, Beauty & the Beast

We tried to get a picture of the three of us...Anna did not cooperate

Anna, Papa Odie and Grandma Dody

The happy newlyweds

Anna tore up the dance floor



Awesome to catch up with good friends!

Look Who's Four

Happy birthday, my sweet Anna.  I cannot believe you are four years old.  During the last year we've been so caught up in cataloguing a certain baby's developments and milestones, but don't think I haven't been watching you, too.  During this last year you have learned to write and count to 30 (sure, 12-15 give you some problems, but, hey, who's counting...).  You can skip and gallop and hop on one foot.  You love gymnastics and of course, dancing.  You sing loudly and with abandon.  You have perfected whining.  You have a vivid imagination.  You can pump your legs while you swing.  In fact, you have probably set a Guiness record for time spent in a "big girl" swing. You love princesses.  You push scissors, tape, glue and glitter to their utmost limits in your desire to "do crafts".  Bunny and bear remain your closest confidants.  You talk in your sleep.  You like to have your hair braided and "beautiful".  You are wary of babysitters.  You refer to every sport as football.  You are a pro on your scooter, often scaring the bejesus out of me.  You want to see your friends everyday.  You like doing homework.  You want mommy to put you to bed every night(!).  You say, "Are you kidding me?!?" and roll your eyes whenever something strikes you as odd or silly.  You sometimes call your dad "Jason" or "Jace", which cracks me up.  You can chew the heck out of a piece of bubblegum (girl after my own heart).  You adore your brother.  You are a bright, funny, entertaining, challenging, spirited little girl.  Over the last year your world was turned upside down with the entry of one little guy and you have weathered the "James storm" with flying colors.  I love you my sweet girl (even when you demostrate your perfect whining).

The big four year old

Flash back to Anna at two months

Tinta the Elf rallied the gang to surprise Anna on her birthday!

This was her reaction to their gathering :)!!

Princess cake!

The calm before the birthday party storm...

...& the aftermath.

James at 9 months

Well nine months have come and gone - I can feel the big one year mark looming right around the corner. Unbelievable! This month waas a big one for James. He got his two front teeth (just in time for Christmas!), perfected his speed-crawling (he's fast!), and learned how to open cabinets. He is a curious boy who is starting to figure out the world around him. At his nine month check up he didn't quite tip the scales like he has in the past, having gained only half a pound in the last three months. He made up for it in height, growing almost three inches. Here are a few shots from the last month:

I'm still a very happy guy...even in this penguin hat my mom makes me wear.

I got my two front teeth!

I'm  on the move...

...& I get into EVERYTHING.

Me & my pal Emma - the cutest Pats fans around

Ok, I get upset sometimes, too...especially about being in my carseat too long!

I have much more hair than my sister did at this age!  I like mohawks.

Thankful Times

This Thanksgiving found us packing our bags and heading to Boston.  We spent a few fun days in the city, traipsing around our old stomping grounds, dragging the kids to Fenway Park, Boston Common and Copley Square.  We also subjected them to a drive through the town we lived in before moving to Atlanta, and pointed out our old house, restaurants we frequented, and even the grocery store!  As you can imagine, Anna was less than thrilled.

After reminiscing over old times, we headed to see Grammy, FaFa, Aunt Kirsten and the cousins.  We spent three great days together, filled with food, games and laughs.  As always, we left feeling happy and thankful to have spent time and celebrated the holiday together, yet sad that the time together went by so fast.

The whole family

The boys

The girls

Much ping pong was played - James desparately wanted to get in on the action

Making duct tape jewelry was all the rage

Ty & Anna playing memory

Playing some tunes

Hallowed ground

First cap from Fenway!

Make Way for Anna & James!

Sleepy fliers...