O Christmas Tree...

O Christmas tree...Oh, has this been a tree! We bought this tree the year we moved in. We were very excited about it since it is prelit. That has been a great thing - until this year. We noticed a section of lights were out last year, but due to the new baby and our lives being hectic, we just dealt with it.

This year we realized the situation was worse. More than 3/4 of the trees lights were out. This meant one of two things, buy a new one or restring the whole tree. First we priced a new tree and then quickly (I mean VERY quickly) we decided to restring the tree. When I say "we", I mean "Bruce". He sat in the garage for several hours cutting the old lights away from the branches. The lights were attached with mini zip ties. Once again, a great idea knowing the tree was well put together when we bought it, but no so much fun removing them years later!



After several hours and many happy thoughts, the tree was ready to have new lights. We bought ten packages of lights (100 lights each) and Bruce busily went to getting this done. Trust me at $2.97 per box - this was way cheaper than a new tree!!

What does one do while the tree is being prepared you're wondering...well, Madison did homework, Emmalene played with her toys and I ...stayed out of the way! The tree is done (THANK YOU BRUCE) and it's all decorated now. It looks beautiful!

Emmalene tasted a burgundy glitter ball, but hasn't done that since. She's stayed away from the tree. We're pretty surprised considering the night it went up, she was wanting to touch it.
Another year, another memory made, and photos to document it!

Tis the season!

After Thanksgiving dinner, we rested and then made plans to shop a little at Wal-Mart's midnight sale. When I say "we", I mean mom and I. Bruce stayed home with the girls and I left around 11:00 P.M to pick up mom. We were mainly going for the Shark Steam Mop. We weren't planning to "Christmas shop". We got our item when the store allowed the Black Friday items to be opened. We grabbed them and headed to check out shortly after. We got in line some time around 1:00 A.M. We didn't reach the check-our register until a few minutes after 3:00 A.M.

We had a good time. So much that we decided to head to Orlando on Saturday. We did a little more Christmas shopping. I prepared myself for crazy, but it wasn't at all. We were able to walk through the mall without any problems. We got checked out without any issues. The lines were pretty short. We had a great day. It was fun to see the mall decorated for the holidays - it gets you in the Christmas spirit. I can't wait to get my tree up. Bruce says he can wait!

Christmas decorating will be a little more adventurous this year. Emmalene will want to help. I'm sure those little hands will want to touch everything bright and shiny!

Madison wants us to decorate our front yard with junk, I mean yard art. I'm not a fan of yard art. Never have been! We'll be on the look out for tasteful items, I'll keep you posted on what "treasures" she finds!

Christmas is on the way. Our goal is to constantly remind ourselves what Christmas is really about. Just like everyone else, the commercial side of it tries to sneak into our home, but we'll keep pushing ourselves to see Christmas for what it really is about - JESUS - the best Christmas present EVER!!

Gobble Gobble

Our Thansgiving was wonderful! We stayed at home and invited Grandma, Grandpa and Mrs. Pemberton over for lunch. Our extended families were spending Thanksgiving with other family members and we decided to enjoy our feast at home.

Bruce's client, Mrs. Pemberton, was free this Thanksgiving and Bruce asked her to join us. She came over for lunch and seemed to enjoy herself.

We had way more food that we could ever eat! I cooked a turkey breast that had been soaked in a brine. It was fantastic!! I made it last year and this year Madison requested it. My dad grilled a turkey and we had lots of sides...Sweet Potato Souffle, greens, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, squash casserole, rolls, gravy, deviled eggs, relish tray, etc. Lots and lots of food! Emmalene dined on Stage 2 Gerber turkey, carrots and corn casserole. She isn't ready for table food yet. So, she had her own feast - jar style!

After lunch we sat down in the living for a long visit. Mrs. Pemberton headed home around 4:00 P.M. Grandma and Grandpa left around 5:00 P.M. Tjey helped us clean up the kitchen. We took the kids outside for a little bit to play. It was a great day!

Emmalene wore her "Gobble Gobble" onesie for Thanksgiving. She won't wear a bib. Everytime you slip one on her, she pulls it right off. I tried the ones with snaps, but she pulled so hard on it that she actually brought blood to the skin around her neck. So, no bibs for us. We just try to be extra careful not to get it on her clothes. We've got lots of oxi-clean!

You are...

Some time ago, I heard Joel Osteen (a television pastor and author) talking about speaking positive words over your children. He shared a story about his sister-in-law who everynight when she tucked her son into bed, spoke words of encouragement over her son. She would start by saying you are my superhero, you are my Buzz Light Year... Anyway, I thought that was really neat. So, I started it with Madison.

At first, I thought she'd think it was silly, but she didn't. She loved it! So, every night when I go to her room to tuck her in (you're never to old to be tucked in!), I start out by saying You are... One example of that is last night I said the following: You are going to be used by God in an amazing way. He's going to use your gift of words to bless people and encourage them possibly by writing cards or praying for them. You are the brightest star in the sky. You are the prettiest tulip in the garden. You are the smartest girl in your school. You are my sunshine. You are the face that I want to see as soon as I wake up every morning. And so on.

Well, one night I kissed her goodnight after prayers and walked out. She yelled out "Mom, you forgot to tell me who I am". So, I headed back in there to do what I started. It's become one of our nightly rituals and I'm so glad I started it. Everyone needs to know who they are!

Emmalene's First Car

Emmalene got this car for her birthday from Grandma & Grandpa. At first, she didn't know what to think about it. She soon realized how fun it was and relaxed and enjoyed the ride. One time we even saw her with her elbow propped on the door and her other hand on the wheel. We all took turns pushing her down the street. She didn't care who was in charge - she just wanted to keep moving!

Look at those eyes peering over the wheel!

Emmalene's 1st Birthday Cake

Emmalene's party was at our home. It was originally scheduled to be at Highlands Hammock. We booked a pavilion, but the cool weather changed our plans. We were afraid the wind was going to be too much. We moved it to our home and served chili. Our family and a couple close friends came by to join us in celebrating Emmalene's special day.

First Birthday Present Time

Emmalene was sitting on Daddy's lap and watched my every move. She's not "unwrapping" presents on her own, but the ones with tissue paper she could pull on a little bit. She needed pajamas and regular clothes, and she got them! She got a few cozy ones and dressy ones as well. When I would hold up the clothes, she would take them out of my hand and touch them. She loves clothes/laundry. One of her favorite things is to pull the laundry out of the basket as I unload the dryer.