A Merry Little Christmas!

Wow! What a great Christmas...our first as a family of four! We were very fortunate to spend 5 terrific days together (with Freddy at home!), making some wonderful memories.

We spent Friday and Saturday here in Bluffton. Gracen enjoyed a trip to see Santa, where she very directly asked for "princess stuff". This was a stark contrast from last year's clinging and crying. Pavin slept through the whole experience, so Mommy gave the elves his list. :)

On Sunday we traveled to Jacksonville for dinner and family time at Nannie's. Monday was spent celebrating M's birthday and opening gifts at Grandma Debbie and Paw's house. Gracen was a blast this year and everyone really enjoyed watching her open presents. By the time we left, our car looked like a mobile Disney store...jam packed with princess paraphernalia. The following would be our daughter in a Belle dress, Snow White wig and Alabama football Crocs (which you can't see) flying a Superman action figure. Hey, at least she's well rounded...



We headed home Monday afternoon, just in time for a wonderful Christmas Eve service at church and a quick dinner. After putting out cookies (Omega 3s for Santa's heart health), Gracen happily went to bed with anxious anticipation. Pavin finished off his 8th meal of the day and settled in as well. Freddy and I enjoyed a quite evening with hot chocolate, a good movie and a tool box...while we "waited for Santa".

Christmas morning was a delightful whirlwind! Gracen really enjoyed the opening element of everything this year and especially liked helping her baby brother with his gifts. During our dinner prayer, Gracen said a super sweet "Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus" and we thanked God for His amazing blessings this year. We had a fabulous day together and topped it all off with a fun holiday "fiesta" with the Ussery Family and friends. (Ole'!)

Please enjoy the slide show below for the highlights...



We pray Christmas was as joyous for all of you as it was for us. Only 364 days 'til next year! :)

The Big Dance...

or more appropriately, the Big Stand. Curtains opened, lights came up and six 2 and 3 year old ballerinas stood starry-eyed and transfixed by the ginormous crowd of people before them. There was very little dance involved, but in my completely unbiased opinion, they stole the show. I must admit, I burst into tears at the mere thought of my baby girl dancing in her first recital.

Those tears soon turned to laughter as Gracen stood in her sparkling white tu-tu, moving her tongue from side to side in what I can only assume was an attempt to lick off her lip gloss. Regardless, she was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have been prouder. Below are some of the pre-performance pictures, including the hair and make-up session. :)

She had quite a showing in the audience, including Mommy, Daddy, baby brother Pavin (who slept through the entire show), Aunt M and Richard, as well as Grandma Melody and Grandpa Fred.

In addition to attending the big performance, Grandma and Grandpa also ushered in the arrival of Snow White. We already had daily appearances of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. We now have a third to add to the mix. Something tells me that Santa (or one of his helpers) might be waiting in the wings with yet another fair maiden to expand an already exploding imagination.

We finally have some good snuggling weather! For our two little ones (especially Pavin), this is a welcomed comfort.

Here's hoping the cooler temperatures stick around for at least another few weeks...and that the desire to cuddle never goes away.

Speaking of the little snuggle bug...he's getting big! He's 6 weeks old today and seems super tall...or long, I guess you'd say at this stage. He's already in 3-6 month onsies due to the length. He is such a terrific little guy. He's so sweet and has slept through the night twice in the last week, which of course only makes me love him more because I am viewing him through well rested eyes. He smiles, appears to recognize my voice and lets out an audible sigh of relief/security when he nuzzles in close. What more could a mother want?

Baby Prince Charming

The obsession with all things princess continues...Gracen has renamed Pavin, Baby Prince Charming. She puts on her blue dress and holds his little hands, swaying to "So this is Love." Pavin has no clue what's going on, but shoots her a smile now and again regardless.

Pavin LOVES to stare at the Christmas lights (which are out of sight in this picture). His big sister just loves to stares at him, singing, "Cue-y, Cute-y, Cue-y, McCute-y!" :)

Pavin met his new buddy, Max this week. Aunt Stacey and I are looking to lots of years ahead with our giggling boys in the back seat.