Christmas Morning

Just wanted to share a few of my favorite pics from our Christmas morning. Thanks so much to Lisa for taking these pics for me!

The kids all lined up and ready to go out to see what Santa brought them...

Avery's big gifts were an Ipod shuffle and a new scooter...

Hunter got a big sand table from Santa...

The only thing Meagan asked for was a toy Hamster which she was so excited about!!

Hunte LOVED his new Caterpillar tractor...

Because Avery didn't have enough Pet Shops, now there's 15 more to add to her collection...

Some new American Girl goodies...

Stockings are full of great goodies, too.....

Gus did great with my gifts too. He got me several Gator serving platters, bowls, etc. , several Yankee candles, two charms for my Chamila bracelet, and a new TV for our bedroom!

Hope you all had a great Christmas, too. Wishing you all a Blessed 2010!!

Merry Christmas

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday, dear Jesus.....





Happy Birthday to YOU!!



"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:10-11


Merry Christmas!!!

Cookies!!!

On Monday, we were invited to my friend, Dawn's house for a cookie baking/decorating get together. We had a great time and it was fun to visit with everyone in a non-school environment!

I just simply LOVE this picture of Hunter - he was playing peek-a-boo with me while enjoying a cookie and I snapped the pic at just the right time....

It was great to have Jeanne, Josie, and Jake join us since she was off work!

Avery and Trever getting things started at the cookie table....

On Tuesday we were invited over to Gus's Aunt Marylu's house for more cookie decorating fun with the kids' cousins. She had dozens of cookies baked and everything set up are ready to roll when we got there. The kids had fun - Avery and Katie did the most, but they all enjoyed playing together and taking rides on the four-wheeler with Mimi (Katrina).

Hunter carefully placing the sprinkles on his cookies...

Meagan had fun but got bored pretty quickly...

Cousins Katie and Trinity with Aunt Marylu. Marylu is quite the artist on her cookies - I told her that hers were too pretty to eat!

Can't wait to leave these yummy treats out for Santa tonight! I'm sure he'll love them!

Friends are the Family you choose for yourself.....

Last night we celebrated Christmas with my two closest friends, Hannah and Sabrina, and our families. We had a fabulous time as you'll see from all of the pictures. I know there's alot, but I had a hard time narrowing them down!

Meagan and Dylan playing so great together....

I got Hannah and Sabrina a beautiful ornament that said "A friend loves at all times" (Proverbs) and their names. They LOVED them!!!

John and Whitney had a great time with all of the paper, bags, and bows...

My little Elf! I know she's mine, but dang, she's cute!!

The kids enjoying each other's company. Avery wasn't there because she was at a friend's house who is moving later this week and that was the only time they could get together.

Enjoying some yummy dinner together...

Miss Brina and Meagan...

"I saw Mommy kissing Santa Clause......"

Hunter really enjoyed the train running around the tree. Guess we should get one of those for our house.

After dinner and presents, we headed outside by the fire to hang out and enjoy an outdoor movie. Oh, and of course, we roasted some marshmellows!

The kids loved the outdoor theater and watched Mickey's Very Merry Christmas movie...

Of course, the girls loved dressing up and surprised us with a reindeer and Santa performance!

Some sweet,silly little girls......

We had a delightful time with our dear friends. We're already planning next year's get together which will probably include a ride on the Polar Express train over in Eustis. Should be fun! Hannah and Sabrina - Love you and your families so much! Thanks for a great evening!

Roman "Festivus for the Rest of us"

To finish out our amazing Fall semester of Co-op, we had a Roman Feast. We tried to be as authentic as possible and our menu included lamb, chicken, grapes, artichokes, olives, bread and peppers. We used some of the kids' projects to decorate like their standards and columns.

Our dear friend Miss Jill made my girls stollas to wear. They had so much fun dressing up!

All of the kids loved lounging and eating on pillows and blankets on the floor......

What a good looking group! We even had a gladiator join us (Trever!)

All of the Dads were able to join us which made the night even more special. Can't wait for our Spring co-op of Medieval times!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!!

The Christmas season is in full swing around our house and I just wanted to share a few pics with my loyal blog readers! I am happy that I have my cards mailed out and have a pretty good chunk of my shopping done. It has greatly cut down on my holiday stress level this year!
It is our tradition to bake cookies while we decorate the tree and the girls had a great time doing so. Meagan mixing up her special cookies ....

Avery helping with a batch of peanut butter chocolate chip ones...

Hunter loves playing with (and measuring!) our Little People Nativity set...

The girls love looking through all the ornaments and putting their own on the tree. I have bought ornaments for each of them every year as well as a family one each year too. I don't have a fancy-themed/department store tree, but I LOVE all the memories and wouldn't have it any other way!

Hunter helped with a few of the ornaments but was mostly just content to eat cookies!!

I went ahead and gave the girls their Christmas PJ's (another tradition) so they could enjoy them all month. I found these really sweet gowns with matching doll-sized ones included at Kohl's for half price! They LOVED them and I can't wash them fast enough for them to wear again!

Hope all of you are enjoying your holidays so far and remember the Reason for the Season!!

Thanksgiving Week in GA

We had a great week at my parents' house once again. We ate good food, went shopping, saw New Moon, Gus and I had a date night, and watched a bunch of great movies at home, too.

Nana getting lots of love from Hunter...

Avery and her Great Grandparents on Thanksgiving day...

Gus getting the turkeys prepped for the fryer - OH, YEAH!!...

The kids looked so cute in their matching outfits on Wed - I could hardly stand it!

Our four-legged friend, Roscoe - love that dog!!

Uncle Greg, Gus and I hanging out in the kitchen...

Aunt Toni and Mom catching up...

The girls loved playing with my cousin, Ben. He kept them entertained all day! Meagan said "He's my best friend."

Dig in, Hunter!

We all enjoyed playing with our newest family member - my cousin Jamie's daughter, Mallory...

Of course, it's always hard to say goodbye, but we will look forward to the next time we're all together!