Merry Christmas

The three (actually four, or five if you include Reese) of us celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve morning since we were going to Stephen's parents to spend the rest of the holiday.

Lily Kate is really into Christmas this year. She loves helping everyone open their gifts. Her favorite toys from the big day were:

Abby Cadabby Doll and an Elmo microwave- she microwaves everything

Doctors kit, she enjoys giving people shots and bandaids. I thought she might change this behavior after she got part 2 of her H1N1 vaccine yesterday, but it didn't phase her.

Making a gingerbread train with Rachie.

The finished product...minus a few candies, once Lily Kate discovered they were edible she was done decorating and ready to eat it!

We are truly blessed this holiday season! We had such a great time with family and ate way too many cookies! Thankfully I can get away with it...since I'm pregnant. We are due July 5th!

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We have had a crazy week, but crazy in a wonderful way. It started off with not one but two cookie exchanges (one with my playgroup and one with Stephen's co-workers). So it doesn't need to be said that we have entirely too many cookies in our household right now. Which if you ask Lily Kate is definitely not a problem :)

This is one of the cutest cookies we got...It is a nutter butter dipped in white chocolate...too cute!

Tuesday JaJa, Lily Kate and I adventured uptown to see the Leonard Bearstein orchestra at Founders Hall. Stephen's grandmother used to take him to see the bears in Fayetteville, so this is a Christmas Tradition we want to continue.

More than anything, Lily Kate loved all the other children.

Checking out the bears up close with JaJa.

Lily Kate one of her Christmas dresses.

Ho Ho Ho

It is so much fun to take in the joy that Lily Kate has this holiday season. Friday night we went to the mall to see Santa. She has been talking about him quite a bit and loves to see him in people's yards, on cards and ornaments. She always says "Ho Ho Ho" when she sees him. When it was our turn to visit with Santa she cautiously walked up to him. Stephen asked her to give him a hug and she did and then let him pull her right up into his lap. It was so precious. And this is the picture we have to remember it by:

I highly recommend the Santa at Carolina Place Mall- he is great! Merry Christmas!

Baby Jesus

Tuesday, Lily Kate and I went to my Bible study small group leaders home to make Oreo Truffles. They are scrumptious and Lily Kate loved playing with her children while we crushed, mixed and dipped the truffles. While there I found out about a Drive Thru Living Nativity that a local presbyterian church does. We went that night and it was amazing! There was quite a wait to get to the actual nativity so we sang every Christmas carol we could think of to keep Lily Kate occupied in her car seat. Stephen sat with Lily Kate in his lap to help direct her attention to the different scenes (we were going maybe 2 mph!) Her favorite parts were

1. the animals: a llama named Barbara, donkeys, and sheep

2. she thought Mary and the Angel were celebrities - she hung out the window shouting their names and waving to them (thankfully they broke character and waved back)

3. baby Jesus sleeping, he was night night in the manger.

This is definitely a holiday tradition we will continue.

Where Did the Weekend Go?

Saturday night was the Resident's Christmas Party, Stephen was on call but was able to leave for the evening to attend. We had a blast dancing and hanging out with his co-workers, but like cinderella I had to have him back at the hospital before the clock struck midnight.
Rachie and Unca were in town visiting this weekend. Lily Kate loves them. She had fun playing with them Saturday night and all day on Sunday.

Oh Christmas Tree

A friend of mine hosted a playdate in which they made cinnamon applesauce ornaments. Lily Kate had a nasty cold that day, so we didn't get to go. Thankfully, Emily shared the recipe (equal parts cinnamon and applesauce) so today we made a "craft."

Kneading the dough in a baggie.
The finished product- can you guess which cookie cutter was Lily Kate's favorite? She wanted to make Candy Canes for daddy. They smell fabulous, I can't wait to thread them with ribbons and put them on the tree.

Nerd Alert..as Stephen puts it

Okay, so I must admit I am a nerd. Yesterday was my birthday...which was wonderful from start to finish! Playgroup had some birthday cheesecake complete with a candle- (THANKS, Cheryl!) and Lily Kate took a great nap yesterday afternoon while I finished reading The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (great book- although I love all of his books). We met Stephen's parents at Firebirds for dinner. Dinner was fabulous. Lily Kate's favorite part was the birthday cake (note the frosting evident in this picture). Now for the nerdy part...

Yes, I am now the proud owner of a Snuggie. Reese and I curled up in it while we watched TV last night. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

I know lots of people dread Mondays, but I love them because Monday's mean playgroup. Last summer several of us got together to start a regular playgroup for our kids. The kids love seeing each other every week, but I have to admit the mom's probably love it more :)
Today the girls all decided to sit in the same chair at the same time and it was just too cute for words!
Cheryl, Jenna and I all attend Carmel Baptist Mothers of Preschoolers. We had our Christmas party last week. I tried unsuccessfully to win a prize for the craziest Christmas sweater.

Whirlwind Weekend

Stephen had to work a 30 hour shift on Friday night, so Lily Kate and I went to Gastonia to spend some time with Stephen's parents. The extra sets of hands are so helpful when he is working long shifts. Lily Kate eats up the extra attention! Saturday afternoon we attended two Christmas parties. One with our playgroup...Lily Kate loved it! They made ornaments and she is so proud of hers. The second party was with our Sunday school class. It was a great time of fellowship. Sunday afternoon the Panthers beat the Buccaneers. Stephen and Zach attended the game while Casey, Noah, Lily Kate and I watched from the comfort of our own home. We did see the guys on FOX when the Buccs missed a field goal...The guys had great seats right behind the goal post.

Casey and Noah enjoying the Panther's win.

Lily Kate showing Noah how this thing works :) She loves Noah.

Her Inner Princess

Lily Kate seems to find joy in all situations. She is just such a blessing to our lives.

Her favorite past time is reading with Daddy.

We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner one night last week and they gave her a crown. She absolutely loves to wear it...she also loved the crane toy game as well...no quarters necessary.

Family Togetherness

Stephen was on call on Friday so my dad stayed home to watch Lily Kate and my mom and I hit the Black Friday sales. It was a little crazy out there, but we got some good deals and even got to meet Stephen for lunch.

I have started to decorate for Christmas. We didn't put our tree up yet, but I did get the mantle decorated how I wanted it. I got the idea from a Pottery Barn magazine- all of my good ideas are always "borrowed".
Stephen bought the Holiday Tappers from Hallmark last year. We got them out and Lily Kate loves them. I have to limit her time (since it is a little overwhelming when she has 3 of them tap dancing to different tunes at once!)
My parents are always such a huge help when they come to visit. They raked leaves, helped me keep the house in order and we even cleaned out the garage one morning...I now know where everything is and can park my car in there. THANKS MOM & DAD!

A Wonderful Thanksgiving

I just loved having my parents in town for the holiday. It was a sad morning yesterday taking them back to the airport.
The Thanksgiving meal turned out well for my first time cooking it solo! Stephen was a huge help- he even stayed home while I went to the airport so he could take the turkey out of the oven. We all ate until our tummies hurt...well everyone but Lily Kate. She only ate some turkey, a roll and lots of pumpkin pie.
We had a wonderful visit and Lily Kate is officially and totally spoiled...although I knew that would happen.