Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Melanie's house to celebrate with the family. We LOVE to get together with family...and this time we had the opportunity to include GINGERBREAD HOUSE BUILDING as one of our activities. (Oh, my!)

The kids did a fabulous job decorating the houses... they had so MUCH FUN!

I think the onlookers got tired of waiting...but in the end it was worth the wait.

Of course, Daddy could not leave the construction to the kids alone - and in jest, I told him I wanted a chalet or a little cabin.

McCaleb said he built an RV for his gingerbread house. It was sure cute! And he did it mostly all by himself.

Rachel really channelled her inner elf... and truly embraced the theory that MORE is MORE. I think she used at least one of everything on the table!

All in all it was a wonderful day with the best part being the time we were able to spend together. Family is so important to us...and we treasure all our time together.

Oh - and naturally... Tim pulled off the best cabin made out of gingerbread ever... and he even threw in the front porch to boot! I love that man!

Christmas with the Combs'

A couple of our favorite things to do....eating and being with friends! Doing them at the same time...is just the icing on the cake! For our Christmas this year we decided to go to Mi Mexico (another favorite) with our friends Kelvin, Donna and RJ Combs. We LOVE the Combs family!! They are the best!

Little RJ is 100% pure sugar. I love that little guy...he is just a doll. And he is soooo funny! I especially like watching him play with McCaleb. McCaleb doesn't get enough "BOY" time...since he is so outnumbered.

These times together are some of the best times of our lives. We don't get to spend the time with them that we would like... but when we do get together it is always a blast!

Boone Tavern and Photo Ops...

On December 5th we headed to Berea to go to lunch at Boone Tavern. Love that place... but without the generosity of my dear friend, Shelli...we probably wouldn't have made this trip! (Thank you Shelli!!) I decided to get the kids all dressed up for the trip - and it was a perfect time to get their photos by the trees at the Tavern.

Since they were all SPIFFED up, I decided to try and get the Christmas card photo. So I lined them up at the fire place... and began shooting.

There were a lot of great shots to choose from. However there were a few that I personally liked...but didn't think we should use for our card this year.

This was one of my favorites that we didn't use....

Aren't they cute?

One with "Santa"...

But this one was my favorite. :) They are a mess...but I sure do love them.

Be Still My Heart

Ali turned nine in December. Seriously - N.I.N.E. I really can't believe that she is growing up so fast. It boggles my mind!


Her little brother loves her so much...but Rachel idolizes her. She wants to include Ali in everything she does and she is so concerned at all times over Ali and her well-being. It's very sweet. They are two peas in a pod.

Sadly...on her birthday, Sara got mad at her and went to her room. I decided not to spend time cajoling her into coming down to be part of the celebration - so I don't have a picture of them together. It was pretty sad... and Ali kept saying she would wait...but I didn't want her to be penalized on her big day. So we have Ali's birthday, sans Sara. (She ate cake the next day...and was a much happier camper once she realized we weren't going to wait on her for the festivities.)

We've come a long way, baby!

Frick and Frack

So grown up!

But never to big to be held by Daddy...

Ali is quite the sweetheart. Each of the kids is special in their own way...but Ali certainly has the sweetness. She is genuine, through and through. She is very much in tune with people's emotions and can tell me when someone is having a bad day.

It's hard to believe that she is nine... and that soon she will be in DOUBLE DIGITS. Yikes. I am so blessed to be her mom...she has taught me so much. Happy Birthday Alejandra! We love you!

Something To Be THANKFUL For

This year for Thanksgiving we had Jamie's family and Jodi's family over to our house. It was such a fun time!

We ate too much, played too long, and laughed waaayyy too hard! But it was so much fun to be together and just to relax and enjoy each other's company.

This is the serious picture of the kids. (As serious as they can be...)

This is the "freestyle" pose of the kids.... this is what we USUALLY deal with...

This is the SERIOUS pose for the sisters.... bah ha ha.

We sure do miss having the whole family together. But it was great to at least have these two with me, even if it was just a couple of days. SO MUCH to be thankful for.

Pop's Big Day

On November 4th, Daddy turned 75 years old! We couldn't be down in Mississippi for his big day - so we traveled down to Nashville on the 13th... and the Southern part of the family traveled up from Mississippi, Alabama and Memphis... and we met for lunch at a steakhouse for a surprise get-together.

Daddy has a BEAUTIFUL family....if I do say so myself! The kids are all so precious!!

Rachel loved giving Jr. a bottle.... she is absolutely a snuggle bug and loves to cuddle.

This is my absolute favorite picture of these three! I LOVE IT. They all look fabulous!!

It was a great day - and such fun to celebrate the MAN in our lives. He is such a joy to be around and is such a great example for all of us of self-less love.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!