Our special little snowman!

Last but certainly not least was our final endeavor before heading indoors! As you can see, we made a snowman. He is currently residing in our freezer...for how long I don't know. Blakely worked quickly to create the little guy, and then ran to the yard to find some sticks for his arms. Once she figured out that wasn't going to work, she came up with a clever idea. Our eyes are raisin halves, his nose is a baby carrot, and his arms are grape vines! Blakely is proudly showing off her finished project, before drifting off to sleep in Daddy's chair...tiara, sparkly shoes, Christmas socks & all! What a day!!!!

Day 2 of the snow!

Blakely couldn't believe it when she awoke to find it had snowed...ever so lightly, again, overnight. It was quite a bit colder, but on this day we found a neighbor-friend out playing too. Blakely decided it was now or never; if she was going to make a snow angel...the time was now! She and Mac did their very best. If you look closely, you will see that they are on the driveway. Blakely's snow angel wasn't complete until she defined her head, and added a crown! We had a lot of fun this day too, but the bitterly cold wind sent us in after about 45min.!

A few snapshots!

I kept snapping pictures of Blakely as we played...these are just some of my favorites. I love the 2 where she isn't looking at the camera, but is observing the snow as it falls! I love watching things through her eyes sometimes!

Blakely loves to have snowball fights!

Here is another thing Blakely had on her list...snowball fights! She wasn't worried that the snow wasn't up to her waist...where there's a will, there's a way! She scooped snow off of every surface she could find! My only request was that she not throw it in my face! We were giggling and having a good time when Daddy came home to find us covered in snow!

Yeah! It finally snowed!!!!!

Blakely finally got her wish! Earlier this winter we had what we count as a snowfall...a.k.a. a dusting. Much to Blakely's dismay the first time this happened, she had to go to school. However, this time it was not a school day. She had a long list of activities she wanted to complete...the first of which was catching snowflakes on her tongue. Being the little comedian that she is, after doing so...she smacked her lips and said, "huh, needs a little salt!" Anyway, I enjoyed being home with her and getting to play outside until we were frozen!

Dance with me Daddy!

As you can see, it was Daddy's turn to join Blakely at dance. They didn't waste anytime...Ms. Sheena put them to work at the barre, and then had them crossing the floor too! You can see the concentration on Billy's face as he and Dennis(Abi's daddy in the blue shirt & khakis) observe what they are to do next! I wish the lighting would have been better...I really didn't get a great shot! It probably didn't help that all the Mommy's were cracking up at the Daddy's doing barre work...you should have seen their faces when it was time for the grande plie!!! Priceless! We are so proud of our little dancer!!! She is really excited about the upcoming recital in May...she gets to have 2 costumes this year. She is a toy soldier for her tap number, and a fish for her ballet! We can't wait!

Patrick's 5th Birthday!

Here are some pictures of Blakely from her friend's 5th b-day party! As you can see, she had lots of fun! Patrick's Granny teaches P.E., so they took over her gym and had a party. It was the perfect location for a winter b-day. The kids had a blast climbing the rock wall, riding roller-racer scooters, maneuvering the obstacle course, and just playing chase. Blakely caught up with Patrick & Nolan...two of her friends from birth! As you can see from the picture, Blakely is one of the tallest in this group! Lucky for us, she does have some other tall friends in her class at school...of course she likes be the tallest! Thanks for having us!

A Very Special Visit!

Here is a very special collage of pictures! Blakely is one very lucky little girl...those are her great-grandparents...Billy's grandparents. We love MawMaw & PawPaw!!! It always takes Blakely a little bit to warm up to them when we first arrive at their home, but once she gets comfortable...she really enjoys herself! She talks about them all the time when we are at home. This trip was even more fun because PawPaw took her to his orange tree and let her help him pick some oranges! They were the juciest, most fragrant, delicious oranges I have ever eaten! I think I enjoy our visits as much as she does. I love listening to MawMaw & PawPaw tell us stories while we are looking at all of their photo albums. MawMaw & PawPaw are always so welcoming! It is truly the highlight of our trip to have the opportunity to visit them at their home!

Cute & Comfy!

Here is our little Pumpkin Pie on the return trip home! I have to say she is the best little traveler ever! She does a wonderful job of entertaining herself either drawing, playing her leapster, or just enjoying the view out the window from her new perch...a new booster seat by the window! She really enjoys having the window seat! I couldn't resist snapping a couple of shots of her on the way home! She really does love to travel!

What a Fun Visit!

This year Blakely really enjoyed spending time with her cousins. They graciously played chase, kitchen, dolls, and a few other games they created as they went along. Now that she is getting older, she can keep up with them a lot easier. She especially enjoyed jumping on the trampoline with the girls and playing Power Rangers with Austin. She doesn't get to see her cousins very often, so it is truly a treat for her to get to spend time with them! The last shot is of Bailyn, Blakely, & Austin enjoying a movie...their last outing before we had to pack up and head back home!

Happy New Year!

We were lucky enough to ring in the New Year with Lynn, Jimmy, & Austin at their beautiful lake house. This was our first trip to their home since Katrina caused so much damage and destruction...so that was nice to see. Mimi & Pops joined us as we headed across the lake to our destination to enjoy some yummy food, fireworks, and fun! As you can see, Blakely & Austin really enjoyed playing together. It was fun to watch two "only children" play together...let's just say they are much more independent when playing together! They busied themselves playing and running around all night long! There was a lot of fun had by all!

Hungry Anyone?

On this day we started with a fun lunch. This was our second time to visit this little shop...it is a cute little pizza shop where the kids get to make their own pizza. While the pizza bakes, the kids get to make another dough creation to take home with them. Blakely made a caterpillar, which was actually eaten for "dessert!" After lunch we headed to the mall to a very busy Build-A-Bear where Blakely made an adorable little pink monkey she named Millie! Austin (cousin) & Pops were brave enough to join us...hats and all!

Fun Times in New Orleans!

Over the holiday break, we headed to Louisiana to spend time with our family there. Here are a few snapshots of Blakely with two of her cousins(Breah & Bailyn), and Mimi & Pops(Billy's parents)! We had lots of fun on this day playing in Storybook Land, riding amusement rides, and enjoying the holiday lights! Blakely was excited to ride the Ferris Wheel for the first time...she thought it was definitely worth the 45 minute wait! I also snuck in a picture of her with her Mia doll and matching pajamas that Mimi got her for Christmas! Lots of great memories!

What A Christmas!

After we went to the Candlelight Service at our church on Christmas Eve, we headed to Nana's house for a delicious dinner and to exchange some presents! Blakely made out like a bandit, but I didn't manage to get too many pictures of her opening them all! She was very proud of her gifts...you see a small sampling above. The Easy Bake oven came from Aunt Suzi & Uncle Chad, and on Christmas it was high on Blakely's list of what to do first!!! She loves globes, and Nana found a musical one that had a manger scene...you see her with it in the bottom corner. One of my favorite pictures from this Christmas is the one of her in her white dress holding her Nellie doll that Nana got for her! The other shots are of the girls(minus Rachael) on Christmas Eve, Blakely with some of her goodies from Santa on Christmas Morning, and the boys doing what they did ALL DAY on Christmas Day...playing Rock Band 2 for our enjoyment! We had a very nice holiday! I hope you and your family did the same!!!

Christmas Traditions!

We have several Christmas Traditions, some that are carried on from when I was growing up, and some we have started new with our family. If you look carefully next to Blakely's elbow, you will spy a little elf...one of our newer traditions. His name is Elfie...named by Blakely when he arrived in 2007. Every night he flies to the North Pole to report to Santa and deliver any messages Blakely might want to share with him during the day. Then every morning he returns and is hiding in a new spot! He comes to our house after Thanksgiving, and then leaves for the season on Christmas Eve. Blakely really enjoyed finding the "tricky" spots Elfie chose now that she is 4. There was no time for going to the bathroom and brushing her teeth...her first mission of the morning was always to find Elfie! She took great pleasure in showing everyone where he was if they came to our house. We love Elfie!

Blakely's Christmas Program

Here are a few snapshots I took after Blakely's school Christmas Program. Everyone was there, but they were hungry and didn't want to pose for a snapshot...well, except for Nana and Aunt Suzi. Blakely and her friend Abby had fun dancing on stage and giving hugs after the performance...unfortunately none of the pics I captured had Abby looking at the camera. We were very proud of Blakely, and pleased that she attends a school that celebrates the real meaning of Christmas!

Family Fun At Dollywood

You will have to forgive me, as I am just now posting the rest of our Christmas fun! We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year(which was spent in LA with Billy's family...I will post some pics from that trip too!)This was our one and only trip to Dollywood this Winter. We were joined by Nana, Aunt Laura, Uncle Drew & Lori, and Uncle Matt & Rachel...Rachel's sister was there too, but I never got her picture! Anyway, as you can tell from the pictures we had lots of fun. Blakely really liked riding rides with Uncle Drew...she even let him spin her around as fast as he wanted on the Lemon Twist! It was a nice time...and Blakely made it home with several new treats...including her very own Grinch thanks to Uncle Drew! Hopefully next year we will make it to the park more than once!