The Gingerbread House Machine!!!

Earlier tonight we completed our annual Gingerbread House Project. It was lots of fun! As we started, Blakely announced that she could do it all by herself this year; all while nicknaming herself (by song) the "gingerbread machine!" I was rolling! It didn't take long for her to discover that this was a sticky job, and it took a little persuasion on my part to keep her working solo! In the end, she made all the decisions...one of which was that all four sides must not be identical! She also assigned us new names and jobs to complete as her assistants...things like making sure the extra heavy candies didn't slide from their assigned spots! She was very proud of her final product; as shown in the last photo where the gingerbread house now rests! As you can see in the 4th picture, she was singing along to the Christmas music playing in the background as she worked! Also, I'm sure she would want everyone to know...the background shot was hers! She asked for the camera so she could photograph her favorite candy! It actually came in handy! Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Blakely's "Aunt Lynn Dress"

Ever since the package arrived, Blakely couldn't wait to see what was inside. As you can see, the package held a beautiful Christmas dress. Blakely immediately asked to try it on, and then every morning thereafter requested to wear it to school. I tried to dissuade her, but she was relentless. Finally on Monday of this week, it was rainy enough that I felt like it was safe to send her to school wearing the dress. Much to my surprise, it stopped raining in time for recess...not to mention they painted that day too! Luckily for me, and the dress, Blakely is a very neat child! As always, she came home as neat and clean as I dropped her off that morning! As you can see it has a manger scene smocked on it, and it has been another way to continue talking about why we celebrate Christmas. It's been nice to hear Blakely asking questions and realizing that Christmas is about baby Jesus...not getting presents. Her favorite song from her Christmas program is "Little Drummer Boy." Now every time she hears it, she says,"Mommy that song is really about Jesus." It is amazing how much they can learn at such a young age. This year, we get to talk more about the true meaning of Christmas! Thank you Aunt Lynn for such a beautiful dress and helping us to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas!

Blakely Believes!!!

It has taken 4 years...but Blakely finally believes that Santa is safe! It has been a long process to reach the point that we could even discuss taking a picture with Santa. I am still pleasantly surprised to see how all those tears and screams of terror could turn into the beautiful and serene photos seen above! I don't know what happened over the last year, but it truly was magical! Blakely was so excited to see Santa this year. I didn't have to make any promises, or outlandish offers of treats. She was more than willing to visit the big guy this year. These are just a few of the shots of her time with Santa! I loved watching them spend time together talking and reading...two of her favorite things! He was so sweet! Now she can't wait to see what he leaves on Christmas Eve!

PS- I apologize for the quality of the pictures...but seeing as they are pictures of pictures(thanks to copyright laws), they are not all that bad! You do what you have to some times :)

Christmas in Pink!

Not that long ago, I was out shopping with a friend and we stumbled across this treasure...the perfect tree for our little princesses! Blakely loves pink, her room is pink & green, and she has lots of pink ornaments. That's all we needed for this cute little tree to find its way into her room. It is her nightlight for the month. She just happened to be wearing her cute pink Christmas dress the day we decided to let her decorate her tree. Thanksgiving had come and gone, we went to Chili's for dinner...we had eaten enough leftovers from Thanksgiving, then we came home and began this little project. She was excited because this was the first tree to go up this year...we now have three! As you can see, she is very proud of it. We have added a few more ornaments since then, but you get the idea! Pink is the new red!!!!

We Love Christmas!

Over the weekend, we packed up the car and headed out West...to Watt Rd. that is! On Friday, Billy saw an article in the paper...no, it wasn't in the Sports Page! Anyway, it was a story on a West Knoxville business that was doing their part this holiday season to help raise money for those that are in need. We weren't sure what we were going to find, but we were more than satisfied with our $10 investment. It was "Disney-esk!" It was a drive-through display of lights set to music. We drove through, following the path, until we could find a spot to stop where we weren't a hazard. We even braved the cold in order to get a better view. In the end, our second stop provided the best vantage point. I'd say before Santa arrives, we will be going back to enjoy the light show again! Blakely loved it as much as we did! We finished off the night with some yummy hot chocolate! Happy Holidays!!!

Oh My!!!

After we subjected Blakely to the Christmas Card photo shoot, she decided to direct a photo shoot of her own. It started with her taking random pictures of us, then it progressed to what you see above. As you can imagine, we laughed so hard we cried when we saw what we looked like! We added the last one, just to prove that our faces weren't broken! We actually coordinated our silly faces pretty well...you see, we couldn't say what face we planned on doing. Billy just counted to 3 and then we waited for the result. The only other rule was that you had to make a different face each time! What would we do without digital cameras! Enjoy!

Christmas Card Photo Shoot 2008

Recently, Blakely was playing with our little Santa and letting him know her deepest wishes! Being the opportunist that I am, I decided it was past time to get that annual Christmas Card picture out of the way! Here are a few of the shots that I took...if you know me, then you know there were many more that did not make this post! Even though these didn't make the card, I thought they were blog worthy! You'll have to wait for your card to see the winning pose! If I get brave, I will post the "silly face" shots we wound up taking after we finished taking all of these! From our family to yours...Merry Christmas!

My Baby Is Growing Up!

Year after year, Blakely and I head to the mall to make our annual Christmas Ornament. Some years we go with a friend; this year the Solomons joined us. I usually spend several nights prior to our trip trying to decide on a new handprint incorporated design. However, this year, I wasn't really an active participant...none of that was necessary. For the first time, Blakely was able to complete the project on her own! I helped her decide on the Christmas tree, but that's where it ended. She chose her colors, and decided to add the brown "stems." I was very proud to watch her hang her first solo ornament on our tree this year! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next year! My baby is growing up!!!! Sniff! Sniff!

Family Fun at Fantasy of Trees

This year, Daddy joined us for some family fun at the Fantasy of Trees. We had lots of fun looking at all the pretty decorations and watching Blakely work on her many art projects...one of which she consumed as soon as it was completed!!! My favorite part was when she decided to brave it on the "bucket of fun." Before we boarded our tub, she was adamant that we not spin around at all, but just as soon as she settled in, she found some extra courage. As you can see from the blurry photo, we were whirling around pretty fast!!!! Now I think it's time for roller coasters! You will also notice a picture of Blakely with 2 boys holding back curtains...all my training came into play as she went on her first "Secret Santa" shopping trip all by herself. She made Daddy proud when she returned with change...something I don't often have when I return from shopping! Hee hee hee! Before we left, we had her face painted (she chose the penguin which represented the theme this year: "Penguins on Parade"), braved the line to see the gingerbread houses, and posed for just a couple more pictures before calling it a night! We had lots of fun...especially since Daddy came with us!

Having Fun with Friends at Sprout!

Just before Thanksgiving Break we headed to Sprout to play with Abby and her little sis Natalie! We had lots of fun playing in the market, dressing up, and creating a little art! Blakely couldn't resist showing off her kangaroo puppet! There is always lots of fun to be had whenever we go to Sprout with friends!!!

Parent Observation Day at Dance!

It's hard to believe that this is Blakely's third year in dance! She has moved her way up into the combo class a year early, but you would never know it to watch her in class...she keeps up with the big girls just fine! Ms. Sheena likes to send the class home with homework, but Blakey never seems to mind; since she is always dancing around the house anyway!!! She is really learning a lot this year from Ms. Sheena. Luckily (for all the parents)she goes over the skills and steps that they cover in class so that we know what they are doing. We can't wait for the recital!!!