FEELS LIKE HOME TO ME: December 2009

Picture this...

Christmas Day has come and gone, but I have memories that should last me a long, long time. We had a very busy two days and I was officially exhausted after our last stop late Christmas Day. We ate way too much food and opened way too many presents. It's almost unreal how blessed we are! I'll dedicate another post later on all the things Libby got - it should be illegal for a 20-month-old to have so many nice things. ;)

But this post is about me - or should I say my new camera?! Yes, that's right Santa Drew came through! I am the proud owner of a Cannon Rebel EOS digital camera. What an awesome gift! How did he know?

And if that wasn't enough, he also surprised me with this mac-daddy lens! Wahoo!

He let me open it Christmas Eve so I could take pictures of Libby opening her presents at my parents' house. We took turns playing with it for the next 48 hours. Here are just a few (of the hundreds) of pictures we've taken so far.

Drew's farm dog, Yuchi

A few bird houses

And me and Libby enjoying a beautiful sunset.

I am so excited about my new camera! Thanks, Drew! And trust me, I'll be forcing lots of pictures on you, my faithful blog readers!

3:30 PM
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Merry Christmas!

I hope your Christmas is full of love, joy and presents! Ours is off to a great start! Here a few pictures from Christmas Eve and this morning.

And just in case you were wondering, the swing set was a HUGE hit!

She started laughing when we walked outside

Libby also got a new chair just her size. It's so cute!

We still have three more stops to make today. I'm sure there is lots more fun to come...

Merry Christmas!

10:54 AM
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Drum roll, please

I'm proud to present to you ~~our second child~~ the completed swing set!

Drew put the finishing touches on it yesterday and I love it! I can't wait for Libby to see it and enjoy spending hours playing her little heart out!

9:35 AM
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Some Assembly Required

Our back yard reminded me of Santa's workshop this weekend - minus the elves, plus my husband. Libby's big present from us this Christmas is a swing set. Sounds easy enough, but it's really not. Good thing I have a very patient, hard working husband.

We picked up the swing set last week, then waited for six days for the rain to stop. Thankfully, it was clear this weekend. Drew started the task of assembling this swing set. I must admit, I underestimated him when I saw all the pieces being staged in the yard.

Admit it, you would have been doubtful, too. Especially after you read the instruction manual and learned that there were 19 phases required to assembling this mother!

But Drew didn't seem deterred by my laughter. He {actually} read the instructions and began on his project.

I'm very proud to report that he is over halfway finished. Check back later in the week for pictures of the final product. I hope you don't have to assemble anything bigger than this for Christmas, but if you do, I'm sure it'll be well worth it.

Merry Christmas and happy assembling!

3:30 PM
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December Happenings

It's not December until your calendar is jam-packed and you're stressed, correct? We've certainly stayed busy this month with lots of activities. 'Tis the Season!

Last weekend we celebrated with The Hedges at their annual party.

After dinner with April and Cody Flournoy.

Each year we play Dirty Santa and each year it seems to get more interesting. Several of the presents from last year reappeared and lots of new ones were introduced to the group. Matt scored a Snuggie only to be stolen shortly after. There were some great (and not so great) presents swapped this year!

Group shot of the girls

This week was Christmas Bunco. We mixed things up a bit and dressed up as the Redneck 12 Days of Christmas. You might remember this funny song made popular by Jeff Foxworthy.

Mercer: 5 Flannel Shirts, Amy: 6 cans of Spam and Vonda: 12-pack of Bud!

With Holly and Coop

The group after our ornament swap

Merry Christmas from the Bunco Babes and good luck with your busy Decembers!

7:30 AM
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Dear Santa,

I've been a very good girl this year. I've gotten up (almost) everyday and gone to work, even when I was very, very tired. I've changed an insane amount of diapers and some were pretty yucky! I've been nice, well, tolerable of most people all year long. So, would you please bring me this camera? I've included a photo for your reference.

Thanks, Santa, you're the best!

7:30 AM
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Cookies and Love

I shot this cute video the other night. Yes, this is the same child you see out in public that won't say a word. I've been asked more times than I care to count, "Does she talk at home?" Sometimes I want to say, "No" just to make people feel uncomfortable, however I resist the urge. But, thankfully, she does talk at home...a lot, along with jabbering, screaming, dancing and laughing. She's a one-girl show! Here's a peek of what Libby is up to most days...

7:30 AM
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Hot Mess!

Can you guess what we had for supper the other night? I'll give you three hints...

One

Two

Three

Drew and I enjoyed our spaghetti, too, just not as much as a certain 19-month-old! ;)

11:02 AM
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Tree Farm

Christmas time is here! We made a trip to the Christmas Tree farm last weekend. We started the trip with a hay ride out to the field. Libby enjoyed riding the wagon this year. She sat in our laps the whole time and watched everything around her.

Once the tractor dropped us off, we were off to find the perfect tree. I love the rows and rows of tree. Each tree has its own personality.

Libby had a great time running all around as we scouted out the right tree.

Drew tried to explain to her that we were looking for a tree that was "this high".

After some lifting, I think she understood.

We found one we all liked. Drew and Granddaddy Dave cut it down.

We loaded the tree on the wagon and headed back to the camp. We wrapped up our trip with lunch at the concession stand with friends.

Libby fell asleep on the ride home. During her nap we drug the tree in and put on the lights and ornaments. When she woke up, the tree was waiting for her. She had been crying, but when I carried her through the hall door, her whining stopped. This is her sleepy faced expression while she checked out the tree.

She loves the tree and calls it "Riley". Riley is our cat and spends most of his day hiding, pouncing and napping under the tree. I guess it makes sense to her that it's his tree.

Let the Christmas season begin!

7:30 AM
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Postcards from Pasadena

Gator chop? I don't think so!

Buh Bye Tebow, Urban and the rest of the Florida gang!

Alabama played an awesome game to win the SEC Championship title. Looking forward to January 7, 2010 for the National Championship game! Roll Tide Roll!

9:10 PM
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And to your right...

Meet my friend side bar, she's just to the right of this column. There's a lot going on over there, but I wanted to draw your attention to a few things. First, I hope you'll enjoy the Christmas tunes throughout the month of December. If you have any special request, just let me know and I'll gladly add them to the play list.

Secondly, please take note of the Followers section. If you're not already an official "follower" please consider joining. It only takes a minute. I love when I find out that friends/family are reading the blog. Just when I think my mom is the only one reading this thing (hi Mom!) someone surprises me and tells me they read the blog. It warms my heart so!

Also, anyone can leave a comment. You don't have to have an account. You can click the anonymous option and just include your name in your message.

And since most of you come to the blog to see Libby and not hear about me, here's some pictures to get you in the Christmas spirit! (Okay...and maybe to pump you up for the SEC Championship this weekend. Roll Tide!)

Yep, she's giving the snowman a kiss!