Merry Christmas!

We pray that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and were able to reflect on God's goodness and mercy on us today. As you opened presents, we pray that you remembered God' s most precious gift to us: His Son Jesus Christ.

We were able to celebrate from home this year again - which was such a treat-we cherish every bit of time we get to spend as a family (which hasn't been much lately). Justin and I set everything up last night so that Addie would walk into a Christmas wonderland this morning. We videotaped those first few seconds to share with you:

While Addie played with her kitchen, Justin and I opened our presents for each other - he did great again this year! I have the most thoughtful husband who remembers every little thing I comment on. :) After 30 minutes or so, we pulled Addie away from her kitchen and let her open her other presents. She really got into opening gifts this year and wanted to open EVERYTHING...even gifts that weren't her's.

She loved her stocking! She got some big bows, a puppy coloring book, some dvds, and an apron!

She has recently started liking puzzles, so I thought this one was perfect since she is learning shapes in school.


She really got the hang of opening presents! She is going to do GREAT when we see our families in the coming days!

She has played with her kitchen ALL day long! I am so glad that she is enjoying it....maybe she is a little like her mommy after all! :)

Happy Birthday Aunt Allison (aka: Tata)!

We were so excited to have Aunt Allison (Tata) and Uncle Jeffrey (J.J.) come visit us this weekend so we could celebrate her birthday with her! Jeffrey decided to surprise Allison by bringing her up here this weekend as a special treat! They came up on Friday night, and we had a nice dinner and rode around looking at Christmas lights. Addie just kept saying, "Petty (pretty)! Oooo! Look! Petty!"

Today we went to Bass Pro Shop so the guys could look at some guns they've been wanting. (It's always so interesting when Jeffrey and Justin get together; they are like the brother they never had!) While they were admiring the firearms, Allison and I took Addie to Santa Land where we got to see the choo-choo train, Santa, reindeer, and much more. Here are a few pictures from our day:

Addie just loves looking at the fish when we go to Bass Pro Shop! She has the cutest fish face, but she did it so quickly, I couldn't get the picture taken in time.

Christmas Party

Today Addie's class had a Christmas party. It was so fun being in her class and seeing her interact with her peers. I've always wanted to be a "fly on the wall" to see how she spends her time at school, and I got a glimpse of that today. I am glad to say that she is the same, sweet, little girl that we have at home! Enjoy the snapshots from our fun, festive day!

Addie and her little friends enjoying their snack; don't they just look like big girls sitting there?

Mrs. Susan and Addie enjoying a moment together.

The Jack-in-the-box; an old toy with timeless enjoyment!

We got MANY treats today! Justin will certainly be happy! :) She also got her very first Barbie from one of her little friends!

Addie gave her friend Anna some love before saying goodbye.

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Today was our first weekend home in several weeks, and we took the opportunity to decorate the house for Christmas. Since we've been married, Justin and I always make a big "to do" over this event. We have the Christmas music blaring and the cookies ready for the oven.
In all honesty, I was really dreading this year because I was afraid of all that Addie would get into, but after a few "reminders" about what was okay to touch and what was not, she became the best little helper!

Addie and Daddy dancing to the big band Christmas album.
Our Christmas helper bringing me more branches for the tree.

She laid the branches on the tree to do her part!


She even "helped" me fluff the tree branches.


Daddy showed her how to put the lights on the tree.

As always, Addie got to put the star on the top.

Thanksgiving Part 3

On Friday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. It was so nice to have such a wonderful, restful day! Justin and Jeffrey played golf, Addie and my Dad played on the playground , and us ladies (as always) were in the kitchen. However, it was wonderful to spend time with my sister and mom; it's so very rare we get to talk like we used to without little disturbances. After our meal, we had a Wii tournament and walked across the street to see my parents' neighbors' Christmas decorations. Addie was in awe of all the lights and moving features; she especially liked the choo-choo train.

All in all, Justin, Addie, and I had three wonderful Thanksgivings! We are so thankful for our family and look forward to the Christmas season.

Addie loved playing with her toys at Gigi's house! She even buckled Elmo in his stroller. (Just a note: you might notice her top from last Thanksgiving - see last November's post. I just hemmed it and made some matching pants...Voila...you have another outfit!)

Aunt Allie (Tallie) and Addie. She just loves her Tallie...just like mom but ALL fun!

Addie really enjoys coloring, and she occupied her time by coloring at her table.

Addie and Grandaddy take a stroll through the "Winter Wonderland" across the street from my parents' house.

Thanksgiving Part 2

On Thanksgiving , we spent the day with Justin's Dad and Stephanie. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed playing music together. Addie really liked the drum set...go figure...it's in her blood! She also had a blast listening to Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Harrell sing songs. After dinner, we went outside and Addie got to see the dogs; you could hear her squealing in delight around the neighborhood. She especially liked Gracie, the Dachshund because they are the same size. Enjoy these pics from our day.

Grandma Stephie and Addie enjoyed playing together!

Addie and Daddy played the drums together...this is the first time Justin has been back on the set since we moved, and he still played flawlessly! He's so talented!

Our little family after our Thanksgiving Dinner.
Addie enjoyed Grandpa doing his silly faces!

Thanksgiving Part 1

This Saturday (the 21st) we went to Cedartown to visit Alice and Jerry for Thanksgiving. It is always such a beautiful drive up, and this trip was no exception! When we arrived, we were delighted to see that Justin's Granny and his Aunt DeDe had made the long trip from Valdosta to join us for Thanksgiving. What a wonderful surprise! They haven't seen Addie since she was three months old!

We had a wonderful time of eating and fellowship and were able to get outside and enjoy the cool, fall weather! We even ventured down to the neighborhood park for Addie to run some of that energy off....needless to say, she slept most of the way home and is still sleepy today! I couldn't help but think of how much she had grown in just one short year; my little baby that could only swing in the baby swings to the nearly 2-year old that was a blur from one end of the playground to the other. It is so true...they really do grow up so quickly!

She found a jingle bell in "Mimi's" den and loved it!! Also, her outfit was my first attempt on adding ruffles to jeans...except I added snaps so I could change the ruffle out in the future.

Three generations: Justin, his Granny, and Addie

She loved crawling through this tunnel; she didn't even mind getting sand on her hands!

She would run so quickly over this bouncy bridge! You could tell she felt like a big girl.

I just LOVE this picture. She really enjoyed swinging with her Daddy.

"Wee!" Addie and Mimi had a good time going down the slide.

Our tired little girl traveling back to Macon...don't you wish you could sleep like that?!

A truly Southern girl!

This morning, Addie was enjoying her banana and cheerios while I fixed myself a bowl of grits. She immediately began to point and ask for "gits" while nodding her head in the "yes" position. I've tried giving her grits on several occasions, but she was not interested in them; however, now she is really into eating whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating and is willing try different things. So I used this opportunity to have her practice with the spoon. We have pretty-much mastered the fork (as much as 21 month old can), but the spoon is a brand new adventure. I thought grits would be good since they were a bit cold and stuck together for the most part. Check out the video to see how our Grits Girl did!

Addie's Fall Party as School

Today, Addie's preschool had a fall party and asked all the kids to wear a costume!! (Needless to say, Justin and I put in a lot of effort to get just the right one.) As most of you know, her room is done in ladybugs, and that is what we called her when I was pregnant since she was due on Valentine's Day, so obviously she had to be one for her party! She was so cute and really didn't mind wearing the outfit all day (except for the headband antennae)! She would point to herself and say "bug", and I couldn't help but think that she must think this whole ordeal strange since we say bugs are "gross" and have to squish them when we see them! Oh well, thank goodness she's little!

For the party, her teacher had all kinds of fall festival games for them to play. They had "Pin the Pumpkin on the Scarecrow", "Go Fish", "Catch the Butterflies", and several more. They also had time to do the cutest little crafts...it's amazing to me what Mrs. Susan can do in 3 hours with 1 year olds! Addie's classmates (there are only 2) were dressed as Snow White and a Mary's Little lamb. They were so cute!

Enjoy the pictures of our little ladybug and her exciting day! (More pictures will be posted later.)

Fabulous Fall Day!

This was such a spectacular Saturday!! We were all home today and didn't really have any other commitments. We slept in (as much as we could), and Justin took Addie to the park and store while I cleaned the house. I can't tell you how nice it was to have the house all to myself and clean without having to keep Addie occupied!! I finished in 2 hours what it would typically take me all day to get to!

When Justin and Addie returned from the store, they had a surprise with them: a large pumpkin!!! We decided we would make it a thoroughly fall day by carving it, roasting its seeds, and having pumpkin soup for dinner! Justin and I discussed what should be carved in it, and all I asked for was a fall scene so I could display it on the kitchen table. Well, as you know, when Justin takes on a challenge, he sees it to perfection!!

The pumpkin before ...

Justin drawing out his design....

The carving magic begins... (Good thing he kept his pottery carving kit from high school!)

After Addie got up from her nap, she HAD to investigate what Daddy was doing to her "pumpa".

The finished product at dusk!

I used a Southern Living Recipe for roasting the seeds, and they turned out pretty good!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Thanks to so many of you that called or sent a card to me on my birthday! I truly had a fabulous day! I spent the morning working, but did take some time off to go get a coffee with Justin while Addie was at school. I just love my husband and cherish the small moments we get to spend with each other. He was so sweet in getting several surprises together to make my day extra special. Perhaps the most cherished surprise is this video that he put together for me...I hope you enjoy it...I certainly did!!!


And no...there's no little brother on the way! :) Just part of the song.

Georgia Apple Festival

Addie and I went on a road trip to the Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay on Saturday. We were able to meet Mimi and Papa (Alice and Jerry) there, since that is their "neck of the woods". Despite the scattered showers, we had a fantastic time! The terrain there is beautiful, you can see beginnings of the Appalachian mountains, and the air is cool and crisp...exactly what fall should feel like! There was plenty to do there: crafts, pony rides, inflatables, and apples, apples, and more apples!! Needless to say, I've been researching some apple recipes! :) Thanks Mimi for the pictures so we could post them on our blog!

Addie was really excited to be there...but she was just so busy looking at everyone and everything she didn't have time to pose!

Addie loved this pony!! She wasn't scared at all to ride! She loves animals!

Mimi was so sweet to hold Addie as we walked from booth to booth! There was so much to see there, and if we had put her down, she would have been gone!

Isn't the scenery beautiful? We had such a nice trip and now have some yummy apples to eat!