Christmas 2009

Warning: there are a lot of pictures!

Daniel (5) and Claire (20 mos)
Playing at Green Valley Elementary School

PePaw and Claire waiting to ride the carousel at the Galleria

Claire didn't want to get off

Christmas Eve

Bucky and his cousins; Alison and Melanie

Aunt Brendan holding Berkley and Grandma holding Claire. Can you tell they are sisters?
Italian in fact and holding their blond hair/blue eyed granddaughters.

Claire, Callan, and Berkley

Me, Claire, and Aunt Mindy

Daddy's Girl

Look what Santa brought!

Claire was definitely on the good list

Notice Miss Priss's pointed toes

She looked over the clothes and went straight for the jewelry. She is definitely paying attention to Mommy.

Well, we had the best Christmas yet. Bucky and I have celebrated a lot of Christmases together over the years. But this one definitely takes the cake. There is something magical about seeing it through a child's eyes. Claire and I spent the whole week in Birmingham. We were able to visit with my family during the first of the week. Then, we joined Bucky at his parents' house. We are so blessed to have two wonderful families that love us, and especially Claire. Claire was beyond good. She was so sweet (minus a few moments) and really made everything special. I am thankful for such a great week with both sides of my family.

Callaway Gardens Light Show

Notice Claire's new cowboy boots. We stopped on the way and got her a pair of Justin boots.
All bundled up to see the lights.

Watching the train

Claire really like Rudolph

Tinkerbell was probably Claire's favorite.

Visiting the butterfly exhibit.

Bucky planned a fun weekend for Claire and I. We debated over what to do for our 6th anniversary. We decided to take a family trip to Callaway Gardens to see the light show. Sweet Bucky planned everything and we had a ball. We went over Saturday after lunch. We checked in and got settled. We rested in the room for a little while. We tried to go eat dinner at the Country Store but the wait was an hour and a half. So we came back to our hotel and ate at the restaurant there. Claire insisted on sitting in a big chair. She ate all of nothing until I came back the some fettucini alfredo. Then she ate more than I have ever seen her eat. Thank goodness!

We went back to room and got bundled up. It was probably between 35-40 but the wind didn't help. We rode a bus from our hotel to the gardens. They had a huge set up with crafts and food. We looked around for a while. Then we rode the trolley through the lights at 9:00pm (8:00pm our time). I was worried because that is Claire's bedtime. But, she did great! She sat on the end seat so she could see everything. She was so still probably because she was tired and cold. But, she did wonderfully! She talked about every light. It was really great to see everything through her eyes.

We got up this morning and ate breakfast. We attempted to see a Birds of Prey show but it was cold and Claire wouldn't sit still. So, we went over to the butterfly exhibit. There weren't many butterflies compared to the last time we went. Claire liked it anyways.

Overall, it was a great trip. Thank you Bucky for planning it. We had no idea what a fun time we would have! Happy 6th Anniversary to my very sweet husband.

Christmas Playgroup

This past Thursday we had our playgroup over for a Christmas party. Claire was less than cooperative. She really 'needed' to be held which doesn't work out too good when you are trying to cook/host. Thankfully, Carla came to the rescue and helped me out. We had a great turn out and a great time. Everyone enjoyed brunch, crafts, and playing with different toys. Thanks for coming moms and babies. Here are a few shots I was able to get of a small group of the toddlers.

O' Christmas Tree

Picking out the tree.

Decorating the tree.

Admiring the tree.

This year was more fun than ever to decorate the tree. I was afraid Claire might be too rough to actually 'help'. But once she got the hang of it, we had a little elf. Claire took each and every ornament out of the box, looked at it, talked about it, and then handed it off to be hung. She was so sweet and patient. I think she did a great job!

Santa Baby

Look back at our visit with Santa last year....

And to our visit this year!

It is amazing how Claire has grown and changed over this past year. Here is a perfect example. We took Claire to see Santa last night at our mall. She was pretty excited but did get a little nervous when it was time to sit in his lap. She was quickly convinced with candy. She sat very still, but she did great! We got some cute pictures and she has been talking about it ever since! Hope she is a good girl so he comes to see her...

Blast from the Past

Claire is wearing a Christmas dress my Mom made for me when I was about Claire's age. She wore this past Sunday to church. She was more excited about wearing the dress than going to Sunday school (to say the least). Doesn't she look big?

Dedicated to Gran, even though she doesn't read the blog!

Thanksgiving at the Street's

Looks a little something like this...Lots of good food prepared with love.Tables set for 8 adults and 5 children.Time with cousins And friends!

Time to cheer on the Auburn Tigers!And, of course, time by the campfire!


We were lucky enough to welcome both sides of our families into our home this week. We are so thankful for so much. Just to list a few; family, friends, health, happiness, our jobs, our homes, and most importantly, our God.