On the 2nd Day of Christmas...

Another original by Tata (my sister Allison)! Isn't it darling?! She does great work and always puts her love into her stitches. Addie loves to wear whatever her Tata has made for her, and she tells everyone about it!

We were blessed to be able to spend today with Justin's Mom and Stepdad - otherwise known as Mimi and Papa. They braved the snow and icy roads, and drove down to our house. As you can see, Addie was waiting with anticipation. I was able to host, and I had the best time cooking, decorating, and setting the table - things I don't always get to do for the holidays since we've moved.

It didn't take long for Addie to ask if we could open presents, so we let her go first! (Not like we really had a choice in that..haha!) She got this adorable Pillow Pet Puppy

Next she opened her V-Tech book; it is amazing and will be great as we continue to learn our alphabet!

I simply LOVE this tea set! It is so sweet and it brought back fond memories of my tea set that I used to play with when I was little.


After a big lunch and hours of playing with our new goodies that we got, it was time for Papa and Mimi to head back to Cedartown before the roads were closed. We put Addie down for a late nap, and as you can tell, she was simply exhausted!

Thank you Papa and Mimi for spending the day with us and making our Christmas even more special!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Mann family!

We were able to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at home this year; our parents are so gracious in allowing us to do that! We have been all over the place (from Texas to South Carolina) since late July, and really wanted a few days of rest at home! For Christmas Eve, we made all kinds of wonderful treats and finished up wrapping some presents. I made a special dinner, and we even got to use our fine china - I don't think I've gotten that out since Addie's been born!

When I got Addie up this morning, I told her that it was finally Christmas - Jesus' birthday! She rubbed her eyes tiredly, then asked, "Can we open the presents now?!" She has been waiting for days to open those presents, but she did wonderfully waiting until today! Our sweet and excited girl before the festivities....

One of her first presents was a princess dress and shoes! She has played with that all morning! She especially loves it since she can get "dressed" by herself. Later in the afternoon, we watched the Disney Christmas parade, she ran and got her dress and shoes from her room, put them on, and waved like she was one of the princesses in the parade! Too cute!

Justin opening one of his presents - some odds and ends from a Science store. He got everything from a gyroscope to a miniature vise. He played all morning just like Addie!

Addie's "big present" was a baby doll that cries, talks, crawls, fusses, and lots more! They have been inseparable! (We already found the "off" switch when baby is too loud for Mommy and Daddy.)

We got Addie a keyboard - Justin wants to begin honing her musical interest. She has cracked us up with her "singing and playing".

I got Justin a waffle maker; it is actually for all of us, but he loves kitchen gadgets. Maybe now I can have breakfast in bed?!

He also got a new PS3 game and has played it nonstop! He should finish it by tomorrow! (I don't mind him playing - it is his way of unwinding after his test this week. He had studied for 8 hours plus since Thanksgiving for it, so I think he deserves a break!)

Each year, Justin gets me a Byer's Choice caroler - a tradition he started our first Christmas. This year's was a Salvation Army woman. I made it a point this season to stress to Addie the importance of charity. I had her help pick out and donate presents to boys and girls for our local Christian radio station (http://www.myflr.org/). Thus, the caroler represents my efforts in teaching Addie the importance of giving, especially during Christmas.


My big present as an iPod nano! I love it and have to mention that the iTunes store is VERY addictive and it is easy to spend LOTs of money downloading songs!

We have really enjoyed our day together and look forward to seeing the rest of our family in the next few days.

Christmas Program

Tonight was the first night of the Christmas program at our church. Don't you just love Justin's bow tie - all the men in the choir and orchestra had to wear them! I think he is so cute in it...hmmm...he might be getting one for Christmas! My sister made Addie's corduroy jumper and had it monogrammed! She did such a great job and Addie received lots of complements! Thanks Tata!

Critical Thinking...

Lately, Addie has amazed us what she does during her play time. She is learning so much at school, like the Pledge of Allegiance, days of the week, and more. However, I have been more impressed with what she comes up with on her own: her critical thinking skills. For example, on the way home from school one day, Addie asked me to turn around and look at how well she had written her name. Usually, it is just a bunch of lines, but this time, it looked pretty close!


Then a few days later, during snack time, she sorted her cereal by color! I wasn't even talking to her about colors! I tried to get a quick picture before she ate the evidence.

It's moments like these I get glimpses into her little brain. It is amazing to remember that God has uniquely formed Addie, and is shaping her to become whatever He desires.

Fun at Chick-fil-A

Justin has been extremely busy lately with studying for his 2nd medical licensing exam, but tonight, he treated Addie and I to a surprise. He took us to Chick-fil-A for dinner and a show! Our local Chick-fil-A puts up over 40,000 lights in sync with music to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. We went last year, but knew Addie would really enjoy it this year! As you enter the parking lot, you are asked to tune into an FM radio station where you can hear the music the lights are programmed to. The neatest thing is that they present the Biblical account of the Christmas story in addition to other holiday songs.

She looks happy doesn't she?

Her dancing with glee at the sight of the moving Christmas lights...notice the waffle fry that manages to make its way to her mouth! Haha!

When they played a slow song, this was her interpretive dance...

Christmas Party

Today Addie's class had a Christmas party to celebrate Jesus' birthday. The kids were instructed to bring snacks and a present to exchange. I wasn't able to be there for the gift swap, but her teachers assured me she said, "thank you" after receiving her gift...that's my thoughtful girl! When I arrived, this is what awaited me - all smiles and waves.

Sorry it is fuzzy, but she was so proud that I was there. She told all of her friends, "that's MY Mommy!"

After the snacks, Mrs. Wendy reviewed the Christmas story with the children. (Addie was looking where I went.)

The kids that stayed in their seats got a lollipop - like she really needed more sugar! Oh boy! At least she stayed in her chair during Bible story time!

Being so attentive to the story.


Anna Kate and Addie posing by the nativity scene. The girls just loved that Mary and Joseph were their size. Addie did pick up baby Jesus and pet the sheep before I could get to her. We will learn about reverence another day! Haha!

Gingerbread Men Crayons

Today, Addie and I made these adorable crayons for her friends at school! I had gotten the idea back around Valentine's Day from Meredith (Bechtel Family), and forgotten about it, but when I saw a gingerbread muffin pan - I HAD to make them! They turned out really cute and will make great gifts for her Christmas party! Just wanted to share since they were too cute!