Christmas on the Road

We hit the dusty trail the Thursday night before Christmas and drove to my parents' house to stay before heading the rest of the way to Nashville Friday morning.  The drive was nothing short of torturous.  Let's just say Maclain didn't like being confined to her carseat.  Awful. 

We enjoyed spending several days with family in Nashville and then stopped back in Opelika Christmas Eve and had Christmas day with my family.  Daniel had to be back at work the next day but the kids and I stayed until Friday morning. My parents drove us back, and Tucker even got to come to our house for the first time.  We enjoyed our time with family and are so thankful to get to see them as often as we do!  It was a great Christmas!

Making a handprint ornament

Snack Time

Lolli and G with the Grandkids

 

Maclain loved her baby doll :)

 

Maclain wanted Aunt Carrie to take her outside

 

She would have stayed in Owen Kate's rocking chair all day!

Lincoln Log Fun!

 

Preschool Christmas Party

Wednesday morning was Maddox's preschool Christmas party.  Since I am his room mom I got to hang out up there for a while today getting everything ready for the party.  The kids sang several Christmas songs they had been working on and did such a great job!  Maddox stood up there with the best of 'em and sang his heart out to Jingle Bells (his favorite).  I was so proud of him!

We can't wait to hang out with family over this next week!

Santa!

Santa made an early visit to our house on Saturday morning.  We have been looking forward to his visit for quite a while now!  For several months, every time I have asked Maddox what he would like for Christmas, he has always said the same two things... Koko (a Chuggington train) and Buzz Lightyear.  He was sooooo excited when he started opening his presents and he was so sweet to help Maclain with hers.  They took turns and seemed pretty excited about their gifts. 

Speaking of Santa, he made a special visit to our church Christmas party last night.  I don't know if Maddox could love Santa any more than he already does.  He was a sobbing mess when Santa left the church.  It took him the entire ride home to calm down and I assured him he would see Santa again soon (He is going to be at his preschool party).  All he wanted to do was thank Santa for his presents and give him a hug.  Bless his sweet heart. 

We knew Maclain would not want to have a thing to do with Santa this year, so we didn't even try with her. Maybe she will be over the fear next year!

 We are thankful for so much this Christmas season... especially the blessing of our two babies!

Christmas Cuties

We are starting to get ready for Christmas around here.  I am (almost) done shopping, decorations are up (our tree fell over last weekend and several ornaments broke... sad day!), and I am attempting to try and teach Maddox the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  I have a few sewing orders to get finished this week, and then we will finally be ready!

I bought the kids Christmas jammies back in October and I totally forgot they were still hanging in their closets.  Last night I finally remembered to get them out and after baths we had a mini photo shoot.  I love my Christmas cuties!

We are having our own family's Christmas this weekend so we are getting super excited about that!

The Beach

The kids and I drove over to Panama City and met my parents for a couple of nights on Thursday.  Maddox was so excited about going to the "sandy beach" and could not wait to get there.  The weather on Friday was supposed to be perfect... sunny and warm.  It actually ended up much cooler and overcast than we expected but we made the most of it anyway.  We shopped in Destin Thursday night and then drove back to Pier Park for dinner.  On Friday we hung out on the beach for a little while in the morning then went over to Zoo World to see some animals.  That evening we went down to the pier and looked over at all the fish, sting rays, and jellyfish.  We had a great time and I am so glad we get to take advantage of being so close to the beach...

The Yuckies

The kids have been a little yucky today... nothing too serious, just not up to par.  We stayed cooped up in the house this morning but decided to take lunch to the park this afternoon before nap time to get some fresh air.  The weather has been nice and warm, perfect for playing outside.  I don't have the kind of kids who want to snuggle on the couch when they don't feel good.  They don't want to miss anything and still go strong!  We were the only ones there so it was perfect! 

Mommy and Maddox

He loves his water best from a Chick-fil-A cup :)

So handsome!

Poor thing... still wants to be outside even when she doesn't feel good. :(

Here's to hoping everyone feels better after nap time b/c we have some exciting last minute plans that we are supposed to take part in tomorrow.

My Two Cuties

Sunday morning I was in the nursery so I let Maddox stay in there with me until it was time for children's church.  He and Maclain were the only two in there for a while so I used it as an opportunity to try and get a picture of both of them all dressed up.  I rarely take pictures of them when they are all dolled up because we are usually rushing out the door trying not to be late. After several attempts, I captured this one...

They were both unusually cooperative and I am happy I have a good one of them together!  I can't believe how big they both look in this picture!

12 Months Old

Here is our sweet girl at 12 months old...

My, how fast her first year has come and gone!  Maclain is such a great baby and we are blessed by her so much!  Here are some things about her at this stage:

Weight: 21 lbs
Height: 28.25 inches
Head: 44.5 cm

-Sleeps great at night... usually about 8:15-8:00
-Still has stranger anxiety and prefers to be with me or Daniel
-Says "Mama" pretty well and we are working on a few other words that she is starting to get
-Loves to climb and be outside
-Likes bathtime, although we have been told to cut her baths to only 3 per week because of eczema
-Is not all that interested in books but we try reading to her as often as we can anyway.  As soon as we open the book she tries to shut it.
-Likes to dance to music
-Only takes a sippy cup now... we cut all of her bottles a week or so before she turned 1.
-Will try pretty much any table food but does not like anything much at the moment other than crackers
-Will walk holding only one of your hands or fingers.  She is really close to walking alone and has tried taking steps on her own.
-Naps really well.  If we are home in the mornings she takes about an hour and a half nap, then about a 3 hour nap in the afternoons.  She loves her bed and reaches for it.
-We moved her forward facing last week and she is MUCH happier in the car than she has been lately!
-Loves playing peek-a-boo

We are in love with our little girl and love watching her personality come out even more with each new month!

Happy 1st Birthday Maclain!

November 25th was Maclain's actual first birthday, but we celebrated on the day before with my family and Daniel's parents.  It was a nice, low-key party that was not stressful since we kept it small.  It was exactly how I imagined we would celebrate her birthday and I am so thankful for her sweet little life!  It's been a crazy year and I look forward to what the next one brings!