Getting Ready

We've had alot of fun these last few weeks doing some different things in anticipation of Christmas.

AG and LL helped make these cinnamon applesauce ornaments a few weeks ago. They had fun doing it, but then had to be so patient for the next week while they dried! LL kept asking "When will the cookies be ready?" Even though I explained what they were, I think she was convinced they were to eat!


We haven't been walking much lately since it gets dark so early, but one day we ventured out. AG wanted to model the cat hat that SJ refused to wear!


The annual "Breakfast with Santa" event at T's work was the first Saturday of the month. Even though we don't do "Santa" at our house, this is the one Santa-themed activity we take part in. This year LL was happy to visit with Santa but the only thing she'd say she wanted, despite our prepping her for his question, was a candy cane...just what she'd told us, too. Easy to please, that girl! That was one wish he was able to fulfill on the spot! AG had asked me if she could tell him two things, and she said she wanted a robe and some clip earrings. SJ was the crier this year, so she stayed with me!


AG and LL decorating our tree...


SJ "helped" a little, too! Actually, her main contribution to the tree has been not touching it very much at all, which has surprised and pleased me!


Our church Christmas party was last Sunday afternoon at a family's house in the country. T went along with some of the kids (AG and LL included)on a Kubota ride!


We constructed our first gingerbread house on Monday. It was so much fun!


The girls loved decorating it extravagantly with the candy.


By the time we were done, LL was practically giddy. She kept kissing the candy on the roof and when I asked why, she said, "Because I love it so much!"


Not surprisingly, more than a few candies are disappearing each day!


Hope your holiday preparations, of home and heart, are enjoyable in these special days of anticipation!

SJ is Blooming!

Our little SJ is showing us more of her little personality everyday. She has really taken off within the last month on her walking, and now toddles around all over the place, often holding toys in both hands. She's also been talking alot, trying to imitate many of the words we say. For months her favorite has been book, or "buuuhhh"...this is often the first thing she says when I get her out of bed, as she points to the stack of books on her dresser. Other favorite words are duck/"duh", cat/"caaa", nose/"noh", necklace/"nehhh", light/"liiii", Laura/"LaLa", lovie/"luh", cup/"cuuuh", Daddy/"DaDa", Mama, and purse/"puuuhhh". We are still working on a sayable name for AG! AG is not worried about it...she continues to play affectionately with SJ and told me the other day, "I like how SJ looks when she smiles!" One of the things all three girls like to do together is get behind furniture...sometimes things get quiet and I find them all squeezed into the space behind the rocker or crib, smiling and giggling like it's the best secret!

Here are just a few newer views of SJ. Think she's learning a thing or two about accessories from her sisters? They put all three headbands on her, of course.


This is one of her favorite tricks!


Sometimes she doesn't want to put down her purse, even to go to bed.

SNOW!!!

We woke up to snow falling this morning...a very rare thing in this part of the world! We hadn't seen a weather forecast, so it completely surprised us. We got AG up (LL was already awake) so they could see it and then T went on to work. An hour later, it was only coming down harder and we decided to head outside and play! We built a "snowgirl" in our backyard (she had a carrot nose, acorn cap eyes, a magnolia leaf mouth, and a camelia for a bow...as Southern as a snow creation can be!). When we went out front, where we found our neighbors across the street outside. They have a son AG's age, so we ended up spending the next few hours alternately playing outside and warming up inside at their house before heading home for hot cocoa. It was such a fun morning!

Here are some of the best pics I could snap in the snow. And yes, those are socks on the girls hands(all the mittens were in sleeping SJ's room when we first went out!) We will have to be better prepared next time :)

The Day After Thanksgiving & The Day After That

"Black Friday" was my birthday! Nana and I went out to do a tiny bit of shopping early and when we got home, the girls had been in the kitchen with T and Grandpa, whipping up some birthday muffins!



Fresh apples muffins...delicious! But not quite as sweet as the girls who helped make them :)



SJ discovered the fun of sunshades...


On the way back to our house we stopped again at Gran and PopPop's house and got to visit with "Aunt Jess". We loved hanging out with her and wish her well in her new job endeavor! You go, Aunt Jess!


Once again, LL was exhausted at naptime. She was swinging with Gran and basically fell asleep in the middle of a conversation! Gran got her settled in with a blanket and her lovies and she snoozed on the swing and couch for hours!

Thanksgiving Day

We spent Thanksgiving Day at T's parents' house and the girls had lots of fun playing and helping get ready for a big Thanksgiving meal. Nana and Grandpa invited Gran and PopPop up to join us, so the girls had all their grandparents in one place for the special day!

AG was happy to help by writing everyone's name on a placecard, then she and LL decorated them with stickers.


Nana helped keep SJ happy during lunch, which is not too hard as long as you have plenty of food for the little gobbler!


After lots of yummy food and a good visit, Grandpa, Gran, PopPop, and Nana posed with the girls before Gran and PopPop departed.


A sleepy SJ relaxed with Grandpa later that afternoon.


LL was SO exhausted that afternoon! She took a long nap in bed, then we got her up and she just kept sleeping on T. No complaints from him!

The Day Before Thanksgiving

Boy, the days are flying by! Here we are just a few weeks from Christmas and I am just now posting about Thanksgiving! I am hoping that throughout the afternoon I can catch up and end by sharing the fun morning we had...so let the marathon begin!

We went to MS for Christmas, stopping first at Gran and PopPop's. Here's a sweet photo of PopPop with the girls. They were all looking at a big poster of animals on the wall.


A highlight of our visit there was a ride in a horse-drawn wagon or "buckboard". My parents' neighbor has horses and offered to take the girls on a ride, so one morning we went over and T, AG, and LL went along. But first, the girls made friends with the horse by feeding it a carrot. (Actually, they held it out, but as soon as the horse got close, they dropped the carrot! A little scary to have a horse's teeth that close to little fingers!)


All loaded up and ready to go!


Starting out...slowly! The horse didn't want to pull at first because the wagon was so heavy. Good thing I didn't go along!


Once they got going it was smooth rolling and they went out on the streets, which were basically carless that morning, for a good long ride. Not quite as long or bumpy as "Little House..." but probably the closest we'll get! Here I am welcoming them back at the starting point.

The week before Thanksgiving

Seems like we've been busy here lately, and the last month has passed in a flash! Here are a few peeks at some of the things we've been up to.

The Friday before Thanksgiving, we all went to LL's Thanksgiving Feast. The kids sit in a circle with their class in the gym, some dressed as Indians and others Pilgrims, and do a little program of songs they've learned. LL has been singing lots of them at home for weeks already! Here she is with some of her friends.


T came from work and the girls were glad to see him!


Our little Indian with her feathered headband. (Didn't little Indian girls wear bows?)


The Friday night before Thanksgiving, we got to go to a very special event: the "Sweet 16" party of a friend from church. K is one of the girls' favorite babysitters, and we'd been looking forward to her party. The girls got dressed up and we stayed out waaaay past their bedtimes (even SJ hung in there with us!). I didn't get very many photos, unfortunately. To sum it up it was a really fun night for us all, and the girls felt very special, getting to dance with their Daddy and hang out with lots of "big girls" and some their age, too!

Here's LL sitting with one of her other favorite older friends, BK, completely surrounded by teenage girls. At the end of the night I asked her what her favorite thing had been, and she said, "Dancing with BK...she shared her sandwich with me."


T and AG took a spin around the dance floor.


I'll post more about our Thansgiving trip soon.