Christmas 2009

We had a nice Christmas at our house again this year. On Christmas morning we woke up to a Santa Wonderland as our living room was filled with stockings for Emily, Aiden, Abi, Kelli, Randy, CC, Cappy, Jon and myself. So many toys in one room! Santa brought Aiden a Cozy Coupe, Emily an easel, a swing set for both Aiden and Emily, and a Pottery Barn kitchen for Abigail. As we opened the presents under the tree, the girls decided it was much more fun to play with the 'old' toys that were already out and available for easy access. Poor Aiden had all of his presents claimed by Emily and Abi and only got to play with them when the girls were not around. Just wait for another year or two...I bet that won't continue to happen! Here are a few pictures of our Christmas for you to enjoy.

Our Little Lilly Belle

On Christmas morning, around 10:45 am, our little Lilly Belle went to tell Jesus Happy Birthday face to face. It was such an unexpected and quick event that it left us with our heads spinning, our hearts breaking, and a hole in our family. Yes, she was our dog, but she was such an important family member, who died at the young age of 4 years old. Lilly loved to cuddle with anyone, anytime. At bedtime, she would sleep under our sheets at the foot of the bed, where she didn't move until it was time to get up. She was known for her crooked little nose, stinky breath and running on 3 legs. Lilly had a special place in her heart for Aiden and would let him do whatever he wanted to her - pet her, pull her ears, kiss her. When Aiden was an infant, she would often be found cuddling with him while he slept, almost as if she was watching over him. Emily loved to try and hold Lilly, as she was "Emmy sized", and would try and push her around in her shopping cart. Lilly endured a lot of love from Emmy and Aiden, and never once fought back with a bite or a growl. She was a lover, not a fighter. Toby, her doggy brother, misses her terribly. They shared a kennel, would pal around together all day, play chase, and Toby made it his mission to make sure Lilly's ears were always clean. Lilly was a great dog and will always be remembered as the best little cuddler we ever knew. We love you and miss you, Lilly.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Christmas PJs

Emily and Aiden have a matching set of pajamas that say, "What Santa doesn't bring me, Grandma will!" that their CC bought for them. One night after bath time, the kids started playing by the Christmas tree together so I took that moment to try and capture their adorable pjs! Here are a few of my favorite photos from that evening.

A Polar Express Party

Aiden will turn 1 on December 30th, but due to the time of year, we decided to celebrate his birthday early with a Polar Express Party! Aunt Kelli and I transformed Memaw's house into the North Pole complete with homemade snowflakes and fake snowballs. Comet's Cinema featured The Polar Express, Blitzen's Bakery had Christmas sugar cookies ready for decoration, Santa's Workshop had elves making Christmas ornaments, Dasher's Diner served chili, hot dogs, snowball puffs (white Cheetos), and cake, while Santa's Hideout (a tent and tunnel we gave Aiden for his birthday) was a hit with all the kids dressed up in their pajamas. To top off the night, we took two truck loads of party guests around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights then came home to hot chocolate and birthday cake! Aiden loved having his own personal cake and looked like a smurf when he was done with it! What an evening! It was so much fun to see all of our friends and family gather together to celebrate Aiden's first birthday. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy of Aiden's first journey on The Polar Express!

Snow Day!

Houston experienced a Christmas miracle today as we had snow! It snowed all day and provided enough snow to make little snowmen, to have a snowball fight, and for Emily and Aiden to have a taste. The kids LOVED playing in the snow! Aiden was mesmerized watching it fall from the sky while Emily continually made rounds in the backyard wiping the snow off the fences. When it was finally time to come in, Emmy through a fit and then tried to get the door open to go out for more fun. Aiden was happy to be inside as he warmed himself up by the fire! Here are a few pictures of us enjoying the historic snow in Houston!