Visit from Santa

Tuesday, my mom, Braylee, and I went Christmas shopping. We left at 9am and arrived home at 1am. ;) It's not that we completely shop ourselves to death; it's just we enjoy shopping and making a day of it. We take our time...ate lunch at Los Bravos, let Braylee play in the play area, and still got in some serious shopping. Braylee was the BEST little shopper! I'm not kidding when I say I think I only heard one or two whines from her all day long. She's such a girly girl and enjoys spending time with Mommy and Mamaw. :) Probably one of my favorite memories was watching her while we were in Express. She stood in the 3 way mirror for a good 45 minutes...dancing, singing, posing, and putting on a show for the other shoppers. When Aunt Trista called to check on us, we told her what Braylee was up to and she said, "She's going to be famous one day, I know it!" It is true that Braylee loves to perform! Another highlight of the day was a moment of complete spoil-ment from Mamaw. I was finishing up in one store when Mamaw said they were going over to Build-A-Bear. When I found them, Braylee was standing in line with not one but two new friends to stuff! Holly and Hal Moose are specials right now for the holiday season. We wanted them to both be girly though, so they became Holly and Jingle...one in a girly Santa outfit and another in a girly elf outfit- Jingle for Braylee and Holly (with the antlers) for Brynna. She had so much fun and the nice lady let us each put a heart in...so each of them have lots of loving to give with 3 hearts! They also both play "Jingle Bell Rock." Braylee couldn't wait to tell her sissy about her surprise!

Wednesday, Trista and Brody came over to play while Jenn ran some errands. They were here when Brynna opened her new friend. If it looks like Braylee and Trista have greasy hair, it's because they decided lip gloss can double as hair product...what a mess! :)

Yesterday, Santa came to daycare! The girls were so excited and loved every minute of it. They each received princess doodle pad/book sets and several other goodies. We really like it at the new daycare so far...just wish there were a few more girls to play with...lots of little boys there.


We're finishing up last minute gifts today and making goodies to take to Granny & Pa's house tomorrow. I love Christmas Sunday, so I'm really excited about church tomorrow. It's such a special time. We have so much to be thankful for with God's plan of Salvation and sending His only Son into this world...because He loves us so much! Many blessings to you and your family this Christmas season!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

My friend Mandy designed our Christmas card this year. They turned out soo cute! I had planned to take a picture of the girls in their Christmas dresses for the card...until we were at Wal-Mart one day and I saw the fake snow!! I knew the girls would love it. I put them in the outfits I made (decorated is probably the more appropriate word) and let them enjoy the snow! I love seeing the joy on their faces. They had a blast!

Sickies

Monday night around 8pm, I told Alex I wasn't feeling too well. I'll spare you the details, but the next 24 hours were not pleasant for me...a nasty GI bug had hit. Thankfully, Braylee was a good little mommy and took wonderful care of Brynna and me (even though she herself had been sick during the night). She was such a big helper, coming to check on me and give me some lovin occasionally. She held down the fort all day. For lunch, she fixed turkey and granola bars. ;) At one point in the afternoon, Braylee came to me saying, "Brynna spilled cereal (Fruity Pebbles of all things!) all over the floor!" I told her it was ok and Daddy would clean it up when he got home. Poor Alex did have a mess to clean up...and said he couldn't be upset with the girls since they had tried so hard to clean it up themselves. He said they had gotten out the broom, the swiffer, wipes, papertowel, etc. :) I have a feeling they spent most of the day watching cartoons...and miraculously, the bowl of M&Ms on the bar was still fairly full the next day!

Wednesday, we did a little holiday baking. I bet you can't guess which cookies Mommy decorated?! ;)
Last night, Jamie and her kids came over for pizza and brought the girls a Christmas gift. It's soo cute...an interactive nativity set and storybook. It's barely 9am and Braylee has already had it out again this morning.
I was surprised Brynna wasn't sick earlier this week since she is typically my "puker." Last night, she more than made up for it. :( Poor little thing had a rough night, but as usual, she is sweet even when sick...laughing at the bubbles in the sink as I was washing her up, cheerfully chatting with Leila when she climbed in bed with us, and simply saying, "I'm done, Mommy." when another sicky episode was over. (Jamie, I hope your kids aren't sick!)

Miss Mouse

Friday night, the girls were decked out in some of their Barr-Reeve gear and anxious to get to the first home game of the year. Brynna liked the game, but the second Dillon would start playing the drums, she'd start shaking her hips and throw her arms in the air! ;)Saturday, Jamie and I made our annual trip to see Miss Mouse. It's a fun morning for the kids. They get to meet Miss Mouse, Santa's helper who promises to pass along messages to her boss. ;) Then, they decorate Christmas cookies, listen to a story, and write a letter to Santa Claus. I think Brynna liked eating the cookie the best. Afterwards, we ate lunch together and then Ava came over to play for the afternoon.

Ready for church

Hmmm, I wonder what Brynna was dreaming about?! ;)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Yesterday was Alex's birthday. Since it seems we are never at home in the evenings, the girls gave him their gift Tuesday night when he got home from his basketball game. He desperately needed a new coffee maker since his was just about ready to die. The girls wrapped and decorated it all by themselves! Can you tell?! :)

Alex is known for being an early riser and yesterday was no exception. He was out of the house before any of us girls were even awake. So, we called him with birthday wishes. I only worked 1/2 day yesterday; and when we arrived home, Alex was there grabbing some lunch. The girls were thrilled and sang Happy Birthday to him. (I wish I would have recorded it...with Brynna's little butt swaying to the music!) Alex doesn't get into all of the hype over birthdays/holidays. So, as much as I wanted to do something special for him, I settled on giving him some new clothes from the Gap (He is my preppy boy!) and I'll treat him to dinner sometime soon. (Two BR games this weekend isn't allowing for any date nights soon.) We are planning a trip for the two of us in February so that will kind-of be like our gifts to each other since my birthday is in March.

Last night, Alex and I went to my office Christmas party. It is always so much fun! We laugh and laugh and always come home with the silliest of gifts (and some good ones too!). They even surprised Alex with a little personal birthday cake!

While Alex doesn't make a big deal out of birthdays, it's hard for me not to want to do something special for such a special guy. Everyday, I thank God for making such a wonderful husband and best friend for me and the perfect daddy for my little girls.

Gingerbread House

Yesterday, I let the girls put together and decorate a gingerbread house. About 5 minutes into the project, I remembered why I had decided to skip the holiday craft last year. It's messy and not all that easy! ;) But of course, the girls loved it, or in Brynna's case...loved the icing! Braylee liked adding all of the last details.

The first picture is Brynna with Bear in her belly! :) I'm sure this is a result of spending extra time lately with Aunt Mandi and her growing baby belly. She looked so sweet when she came to tell me she had a baby in her belly!
Here's a picture from 2006. Baby Brynna was only 2 months old then, and Braylee was the same age as Brynna is now. They just grow up too fast!

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Wednesday evening, we attended the big, annual Barr-Reeve vs. WHS game. It's the best kick off for the basketball season. Unfortunately BR lost in overtime, but considering we were missing two starters, the end result wasn't too bad. Braylee said it was ok for the Hatchets to win since her buddies Sydney and Elle are Hatchets. She's a good friend. ;)

Thursday, we drove up to Travis and Heather's house (my brother and SIL) for Thanksgiving. I love holidays...sitting around with full bellies telling funny and heartwarming stories about our families. And we definitely have a lot to be thankful for!! :) Braylee had taken her fishing pole along. We went out to fish for a little while, but it was too cold. When we left their house, we didn't make it very far...Alex's malibu (which you all know, I just love) broke down. It ended up being the fuel pump, I think. Anyway, while Alex and my brother worked on it, the girls and I stayed at Grammy and Gramps' house. I'm thankful the car broke down b/c it gave us more time to spend with them, including enough time for my mom and I to decorate their house for Christmas while we were there. Grammy ordered pizzas for us. It was so good to see Gramps eating regular food with the rest of us again. It was a long day, and the girls fell asleep on the way home. God has blessed us so richly and I'm thankful for another holiday season with my family.


It looks like Christmas around here. I have all of my trees up & decorated...all 14 of them. ;) I'm a little obsessed with Christmas trees. I have 2 on the front porch, one in each living room, one in each of the girls' rooms, 2 in the kitchen, and then 6 smaller (2', 3', and 4') decorative trees set here and there. Brynna's tree is our newest addition. Braylee's love for the UPS guy started last winter when he delivered her very own pink tree. Well, Brynna is old enough now to realize she didn't have one. Thankfully, I was able to pick up a pink one at WM. (I actually like Brynna's better...it's a softer shade of pink. But when I said something about it today in front of Braylee, she said, "But you still love mine, right?!" Oops!) I tried to convince Brynna to get the purple one since her room is lavender, but alas, pink IS her favorite color. It looks so cute!

This is for my friend Rose. Look at the socks...You think we have another Hannah on our hands?! :)

Williamsburg Vacation

Last week, we traveled to Williamsburg, VA with Alex's family. We had planned to go in July but decided to push it back after the big wreck in June. We had been told the weather would still be nice in November...and typically it is, but we experienced an unexpected cold front while we were there. :( It was 70 degrees the day we arrived and in the low 60s all this coming week...but somehow we landed there the week it averaged about 45. :( Regardless, we bundled up and had a good time.

Unfortunately, the girls were also both a little under the weather while we were gone. The first night there, Braylee woke up in the middle of the night crying that her ear hurt. I typically would have tried to wait it out, but I hated for Braylee's trip to be ruined. So, my friend kindly called in an antibiotic for us on Monday...good thing too since she ran a fever of 102.5 off and on the next few days. Brynna had a GI bug. It actually started before we left...I think she had a mild form of rotovirus. After she had stuff oozing down her leg one day, we started using diapers when we were out to prevent any embarrassing messes! ;) To top it off, they both had nasty coughs that woke them frequently. :( They were troopers and acted quite well all week even though they were sicky.

Sunday, we let the kids swim. Then we went to Jumping Joey's in the evening. It's a play area for kids with inflatables. The big kids had fun too. ;) Brynna was hesitant at first, but once she figured it out, she amazed us with her monkey skills. Braylee loved having Uncle Andre' and Uncle Adam hide in the mazes for her to find them.
Monday, the guys went golfing while the girls went shopping. Gramma took the kids back early, while Mandi and I did some power shopping! We found some great deals. Then we went out for dinner.
Tuesday, we went the Yankee Candle store. What a fun place for the kids! They sat on Santa's lap (Braylee asked for a Barbie. Brynna asked for candy!), petted the reindeer, watched the magical snow villages, danced in the snow, watched a giant clock come to life, and then dipped their own candles. Braylee loved it so much she made two...a Santa and a Christmas tree. Brynna made a pink pony.
Wednesday morning, we went to the Jamestown Settlement. The kids enjoyed the Indian village where you can walk into the houses (forget what they called them) and see how they lived...lots of furs, baskets, spears, etc. Braylee still says seeing the Indians was one of her favorite parts, but she was too shy to get her picture with them. (BTW, Braylee says she's glad the Indians do not live near us b/c she likes the deer in our woods and doesn't want them to kill them!) Then, we headed down to the bay to board a ship, very cool. (Did I mention it was cold?!) From the ships, we walked up to the fort. Alex did some preaching in the village church, and we watched a musket presentation. The kiddos were ready for naps, so a quick stop for lunch and then back to the condo we went. While the guys stayed with the kids, the moms did more shopping. :) For dinner, we went to a hibachi grill...a first time experience for the girls & Gabe. I loved watching Brynna with her chopsticks!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thursday, we spent the entire day in downtown Colonial Williamsburg. It's such a cool experience. Colonial townspeople could be seen walking around or going about their daily lives. Live dramas occurred throughout the day with the town as the stage. I loved walking in the old buildings and trying to imagine what life was really like back then. Several of the buildings we went in were original and had been used/stayed in by historic figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Friday, we went back to Williamsburg. Lou and I took the girls to the Governor's Palace, the church, and Merchant's Square. The guys went to the museum and more re-enactments. Mandi and Gabe stayed home to recuperate from our busy day on Thursday.


Now that we've been home a couple of days, my house is pretty much a disaster zone! ;) I was so anxious to start decorating for Christmas that I've been doing a little decorating while I've also been unpacking, catching up on laundry, visiting my family, etc. My Gramps came home from the hospital on Thursday!!! So, of course we had to go visit him yesterday! We also stopped by Aunt Trista's new place since we hadn't seen it yet. She has it decorated so cute. Braylee already asked when she can have a sleepover there.
Mandi watched my girls yesterday morning when I went to the orthodontist. They put on my bottom braces yesterday...my smile keeps looking worse instead of better! I'm hoping my teeth are feeling better by Thursday so I can enjoy some of the Thanksgiving feast at my brother's house. My mouth is hurting today. :(


Hope you enjoyed all of the pictures!