January 17 - Snow!

It snowed for a bit today, and even though it didn't last long and really melted about two hours after it fell, it was really pretty there for a while.  We Alabamians will take what we can get and be thankful for that teeny bit!

Charlotte Anne just Hangin' with the Pup

Maybe I should limit Charlotte Anne's time with the puppies, she has started going nuts with her socks.  They say at school she will not keep them on and keeps putting them in her mouth.  This crazy girl thinks she's a puppy!  Who needs a thumb or a paci when you have a sock?!  :)

January 2013 - So Far, So Crazy!

Well, this year was supposed to be a "boring" year for us.  No pregnancies (and scares that come with all of that), no work drama, and therefore no other big craziness - right?!  Well, so far we are cruising along with none of those specific issues, but it has been nutty otherwise.  New Year's day we woke up to Charlotte Anne being sick, the next day one of the dogs got sick, the next day SK wet the bed for the first time EVER, then the next day we found out a "minor" accident I had a few weeks earlier actually totaled my car.  Then right after we get the new car and things are "supposed" to settle down, our small dog ran outside one night and got lost (we got her back the next day), then SK trips and hits herself in the eye (2nd eye injury in just a few months), and then SK gets sick.  Oh me, oh my - 2013 is shaping up to be quite an interesting year.  Maybe we are just getting all this out of our system early - like taking the band aid off quickly?!

Here is SK's latest eye problem.  It is not NEARLY as bad as the last time, but it is of course the same eye. If this kid still has sight by the time she's 16 it will be a miracle.  She inherited my clumsiness and David's inability to do two things at one time - we really should get her a bubble, it's inevitable!

High Tea

While we were off after Christmas we were able to have some of Sarah Katherine's friends over that I have been wanted to come over for ages, but we have been running too much to have time.  Finally I saw a window and jumped on it!  SK was itching to have a tea party, so mommy jumped right in.

First, Camille came over and the girls helped make cookies, got all decked out, and then had tea and sandwiches.  Yes, they actually drank tea!

Oh yeah, mommy even got crafty with the sandwiches!

Next SK's lifelong friend Daniley came over for a tea party.  The girls played upstairs for a while and this time SK was wanting to go a little more casual because I could NOT get that girl in a dress.  That's ok, Daniley classed up the joint!  They also drank for real tea and Daniley told me it was "scrumptious"!  Love that kid!!!

Christmas Pic's from School

Our AMAZING Daycare - Chase Learning Center - has some very talented ladies that work there.  Mom's and Dad's get to reap the benefits of their fabulousness through some of the pictures they take - especially around Christmas.  

First there is our super precious baby girl all sparkly and sweet.  They even got a sweet foot poking out on the bottom - LOVE!!!

Sarah Katherine is now old enough to participate in the Christmas program at her school, and apparently part of it is they dress the kids up in costume and they take pictures that are scenes from the story of the birth of Jesus.  SK and her bestie - Camille - dressed up as the angels.  I was sitting next to Camille's mom at the program where we saw these first and she didn't recognize her kiddo.  I barely realized it was Sarah Katherine, but she had already told me she was an angel and got to wear lipstick.

And of course - Santa.  This is the first year she has been excited to see Santa!  She has come such a long way from having to be green screened into this same picture two years ago!

Christmas 2012

What a blessing to have two precious girls to celebrate Christmas with, and to be able to teach them the true meaning of Christmas.  Sarah Katherine is now old enough that when we talk about Christmas she answers all the questions and really seems to understand what is going on.  It just melts my heart to hear her sing Silent Night and then to look over at Charlotte Anne and know this whole holiday is about a baby - the birth of our Savior!

We kicked off Christmas Eve night going to church and we made through long enough for our family to go take the Lord's Supper, but right after that Charlotte Anne would not be contained any longer.  So we found a place where she could squirm - and in fact we had quite the baby crew hanging out in the foyer!  We snuck back in for the last part - they play the Hallelujah Chorus and everyone lights a candle.  So beautiful!

WE came home to have dinner and open family presents, and poor baby Charlotte Anne was pooped.  We put her down and so it was just the three of us.  David read the Christmas story from Luke and then presents started.  SK was so excited about everything!  She is such a grateful child, even pumped about shirts. :)

Then it was time to get ready for SANTA!  We had made special cookies for Santa the day before and he even has a special plate just for him.  We also had special reindeer food to put in the driveway to be sure they didn't feel left out. Then she couldn't get to bed quick enough - don't want to chance Santa not stopping because she's still awake.

Christmas morning we all got up and SK found the two things she had been talking about for months - Stompeez (slippers) and "Barbie in a married dress with her Eric" (aka - a princess in a wedding dress with her prince).  You would think pure gold was left for her!

Charlotte Anne had to work overtime because she had her stash from family still to open also, so she raked it in Christmas morning.

We checked and sure enough - Santa scarfed down his cookies and milk, and then when we checked to see if the reindeer at their food - we saw they left hoof prints!  Santa and his sleigh were in our driveway for sure!!!

Next we finally looked at the news and saw a nasty storm was on its way, and we are supposed to be going to see my parents in Andalusia (south Alabama), and guess right where the storms are headed?!  So, we rushed and got everyone all packed up and raced down just ahead of all the really bad weather.  We had a good time hanging out with my family and the girls got even more goodies.

During the days after Christmas I got to take Sarah Katherine around my grandparents property (where my parents are living now) and it was so great to play with my daughter in the same places where I played with my grandparents.  She even got to ride on a tractor my grandparents bought me when I was about her age!  I am definitely getting more and more sentimental with age, and I almost lost it just seeing her so happy there.

 

Christmas at Ross Bridge

It was the weekend before Christmas and we were SHOCKED to realize we didn't have anything on the calendar!  So, David heard at work about a cool deal they had at Ross Bridge resort here in town (a Marriott property, so DISCOUNT!) where they act out a book called The Christmas Promise, lots of hot chocolate, have a themed breakfast, and even little souvenirs.  We loaded up and went over for the night and it was super cute!  The book was read in a tent they had set up next to the pool and there was hot chocolate in the back and even big pillows on the floor for the kids to sit and make themselves at home.  SK thought is was great and CA zonked out before they even started reading - not too shabby!  Other than some typical kid catastrophes at each meal - spilling, crying, etc - it was a lot of fun.  If it works out, we may try to make this a yearly thing.