Christmas 2008

Whew! We had a whirlwind Christmas!!!! I can't even begin to tell you all about it, nor do I have time thanks to our impending move, just a few weeks away! So just enjoy the pics... they kind of speak for themselves!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandad's

Every Year we get together with Daren's mom's family at his Grandparent's house for a little Christmas Celebration.

There are now, 9 great granchildren under the age of 5. It is so crazy, but so fun! I always look so forward to it. They all just crack me up.

Mc is the oldest girl, but she spends most of her time rough housing with the boys... I know you all find that had to believe. This year though, she did find a pretty good friend in cousin Harbie and they followed each other around like little puppies all night!

It was fun as always, and you can see how much they've all changed here!

ICE!

Last Monday, Mc and I, my Nan, mom, aunt, and cousin had a girl's day and went to see ICE at Opryland. It was freezing the day we went and Mc was pretty foul. Once we got inside however, she forgot all about her bad mood and had a blast!

It was even colder inside than out, but it was worth it. The things they can do with ice... it's amazing! Mc's favorite thing, by far, was the ice slide. She had everyone there take her down it! By the time we were through, she was ready to go, but she didn't get away without a treat in the girft shop, courtsey of Nan, and lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.

It was really fun.. in fact, we might have to make our "girls' day" and yearly tradition!

Breakfast with Santa

Every year, a group of us go to Breakfast with Santa. It's all of our old friends from before marriage days... we all have kids now, and they love being together as well! The breakfast is fabulous. It is the calmest b-fast in the city. Super laid back, serve yourself, let your kids run wild, easy pleasy!

This year, they even had little crafts setup for the kids to do while they waited to see Santa. It is always a fun time and we all love getting together one last time before Christmas.

We can't wait until next year!!!!

Our First Gingerbread House

This year, I made my first Gingerbread House. Gimmy invited us over to make one with her and she's an old pro! It was fun although, I spent 4 hours doing it! I was happy with the final results and plan to make another one next year.

Here's to hoping that my assistant (aka McHaney) will refrain from eating all the candy and help a little more the next time around!

Christmas with the Bushes

Every year, we have Christmas with Adam and Jac. This year our party had a new member... anyone want to guess who??? That's right, Miss Mary Michael!

At last year's Christmas Dinner, Jac announced she was pregnant, but only 4 weeks. We stayed hush hush about the whole thing for what seemed like months and prayed that all would be well. Then word got out and we, along with everyone else, prayed Jac right thru her pregnancy!

What a blessing to see this precious gift grace our table this year. We couldn't have asked for anything more!

Mc is growing quite partial to MM. (I think she's taking on a big sister role.) They gave her a little cloth house from Pottery Barn for Christmas and Mc knows exactly where it came from. If you ask her she'll say "michael", her new nickname for MM and one of our favorite words to here her say.

All in all we had a great Christmas together, with the exception of my overcooked prime rib which I am bound and determined to master, and I look forward to many more!

Why?

Why can't my child lay still in bed? I mean seriously... anyone think this hair is normal? I'll tell you one thing... it is NO FUN to brush out in the mornings!

I've been tagged.

Caroline and Anna both tagged me to do this fun little thing. You are supposed to go into your photo album and pick the 4th album and the 4th pic in the album and post it. This was mine. Do I even need to explain it? Can I even explain it? No. But, I can tell you who and where. This is DP, and two of his college friends in Jamaica a few years ago when their friend Jason Searcy was getting married. So cheesy, isn't it?

One fun note abotu this pic. I was pregnant at the time I was taking it and had no idea!!!!

Now, I tag Leigh Ann, Betsy and Carrie to do the same!!!

Playgroup Christmas Party

Last night we had our annual Playgroup Christmas Party. It was fun and the kids had a blast. Below is a picture of the whole group. You can see how much Mc, Ava, Ethan, and Brooks have changed in the last year (and, how we've "expanded") by clicking here!

Christmas Cousins

Mc & her cousins having a few pics taken for Christmas!

Thanksgiving

I've taken so long to write about Thanksgiving because I literally just recovered... seriously! :)

But really, it was a busy week and weekend from Wed-Sun. My extended family from Georgia came in town and we spent almost every day with them. Wednesday night we al went to my Nan's for happy hour, Thanksgiving Day we went to Daren's aunts and them my parents. Friday DP played golf al day and Mc and I shopped with my family. Friday night, Lauren and Andrew, mom and Dad came over and we celebrated Andrew's Bday, at which point Mc had a fever/cold that gave her the chills and lasted until Sunday!

Other than the cold, it was a great holiday. One of the best Thanksgivings I can remember. Here are a few pics. The cute little boy with Mc is my dad's cousin's son. Crazy huh!??!?