she's four!!

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!! I can't believe what a difference a year makes.....last year, when everyone sang Happy Birthday to her, she put her head down and refused to blow out the candles because she was so overwhelmed and embarrassed. This year, she had the biggest grin on her face, she blew out the candle with no prompting from me, and she just soaked up all the attention!! She loved opening up all her presents, playing with her friends and family, and chowing down on yummy cupcakes...it was a wonderful day filled with rainbows, unicorns, Barbies and more :)

THE PARTY FAVORS!! These turned out so cute, thanks to a tip from my good friend Wendy. I ordered jumbo iced cookies from Kroger and then simply wrapped them in clear treat bags and tied them with all different colors of tulle....so festive and so much better than a bag full of plastic junk :)

THE CUPCAKES!! These were so yummy....cute rainbow-themed cupcakes in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry with cream cheese frosting......HEAVEN!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Sienna!!

the afterglow

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone!! I say that every single year, but it really does blow my mind how quickly it seems to rush by....there is so much build-up, so much wonderful anticipation, and then we are on the other side, looking back through all the sweet photographs.

This year was special for us, because Sienna was so excited about Santa coming to town, and she was equally excited about singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blowing out the candles (and of course Grant is just excited to follow along behind big sister and do whatever she is doing). The kids got a TON of gifts as usual, but this year, it did not feel overwhelming or excessive. I like that we opened gifts from the grandparents on Christmas Eve before the big party, and I like that we saved Christmas morning for Santa gifts only.....that made a big difference in my stress level :)

So now, our family is on to getting the house ready for Sienna's birthday party. Nothing like a house full of little ones to motivate you to take down the tree and all the Christmas decorations!!

cookie baking extravaganza

Last night, we headed to GaGa's house for our annual cookie baking, gingerbread house making extravaganza!! This was the first year Grant was really able to participate, and he had a blast!! There is nothing that he loves more than being around friends and family....he is a social butterfly just like his daddy :)

Sienna had been looking forward to this for days, and she consumed enough icing for 10 people!!

Such a fun night...I love this little tradition of ours!!

2009 favorites (part 1)

I've been looking back through some of our photos from the past year, and thought I would share a few of my favorites:

Our trip to Seaside in May was a blast, and this photo melts my heart!!

Our annual photo shoot in the Texas bluebonnets...the flowers were a little scarce, but I still love this photo and the memory.

The Daddy-Daughter dance in February was one of the sweetest moments of our year. Johnny putting the corsage on Sienna......adorable!!

Grant's first birthday...I can't believe he will be 2 next month!!

And my other little sweetie turns 4 this month...last year was an Art Party, this year she told me she wanted the theme to be "Rainbows, Unicorns and Barbies"...Gee, is that all??? :)

getting closer

The BIG DAY is almost here, and I am trying to go with the flow and not get caught up in the last minute frenzy. This year, I have tried to focus more on family activities (crafts, story time, baking, singing, talking about the nativity) and less on the gifts. Last year, on Christmas morning, after the presents had been opened and the wrapping paper covered the entire living room floor, I looked around and instead of feeling joy, I felt sadness....it was all simply too much. We had gone way overboard on the presents, and I swear, towards the end, Sienna was complaining about having to open yet another gift!! And the whole thing only lasted about 45 minutes!!

This year, we are doing things differently. Our plan is to have the kiddos open all the gifts from their grandparents on Christmas Eve before our annual Christmas party at our house. That way, they can really savor the presents, and actually remember who gave them what. Of course, there will be lots of gifts from Santa waiting for them on Christmas morning, but there will only be 1 or 2 gifts from Mommy and Daddy :)

There is a part of me that LOVES the excess of Christmas, and I want my own children to have that sense of excitement and anticipation....I want them to look forward to this time of year as much as I always have, BUT there is definitely a balance that needs to be sought. My goal is to go to sleep on Christmas night feeling warm, cozy, and grateful for all the wonderful blessings we have been given...BUT most importantly, to wish our Savior a Happy, Happy Birthday!!

We're getting crafty at our house this year :)

Sienna loved chatting with Santa Claus this year. Grant....not so much!!
He did, however, find a few things at Bass Pro Shop that he enjoyed :)

our home for the holidays

I started decorating for Christmas the Monday after Thanksgiving, but I have been adding things here and there ever since. I have also been cruising the internet looking at how other people decorate for the holidays, and have had to fight back several urges to chuck everything I own and simply start from scratch :)

Here is a peek into our home for the holidays....hope you enjoy!!

Our new Little People nativity set that sits on the kid's craft table in the kitchen

The hutch in our kitchen that holds some of my brown and white tansferware collection...decked out for the holidays very simply

Here is a shot of the little glittery city I set up on the hutch in our living room....I told my husband the other night that I wish we could move there :)

Giant glittery snowflakes tied with tulle to the chandelier in the dining room

Our mantle.....newly decked out with "rainbow lights" to please my daughter

My mom's vintage egg nogg bowl sits on the kitchen island with fresh oranges

Our Christmas card bulletin board in the kitchen....the actual board has already filled up, so I have started placing the cards all around it....makes me happy every single day!!

So that's it for now....if you are stopping by to take a peek, please leave me a comment or become a "follower" so I can come visit your blog as well.

more merry

Since my last post was such a downer, I thought I would re-focus my attention on all the wonderful blessings this December has brought my way so far:

(1) I LOVE the cold weather....I will take a bitter cold, windy day over a sweltering hot Summer day every single time!!

(2) There is something so magical about our house at night with the tree lit and a fire burning in the fireplace

(3) Elf on the Shelf.....a great new tradition we added to our family this year, and "George" is working like a charm :)

(4) Seeing my kiddos dig into the basket of Christmas books almost every night

(5) Santa Buddies = such a cute movie and one that I don't mind watching with Sienna

(6) Creating a meaningful gift for my family that I really hope they are going to cherish

(7) I look forward to checking the mail every afternoon and seeing the Christmas cards that have arrived....this is one of my very favorite parts of the season

(8) Singing Christmas carols in church

(9) Going to look at Christmas lights......they are absolutely magical to Sienna this year!

(10) Reading books with Grant and having him point out baby Jesus

reality

So here's the truth: the month of December is a magical time filled with family, friends, Christmas lights, music, magic, glitter, snow, presents, togetherness, tinsel, bows, and at our house, a lot of talk about the baby Jesus and the true meaning behind the holidays. BUT, with all of the magic, often comes a lot of pressure......a sense that it is my responsibility to make this a magical, memorable time for my family....they are only young once, it's the most wonderful time of the year, etc..., etc....

And sometimes, that pressure is enough to make me feel a tad bit anxious, stressed, tired.

Which is why, for example, I cried twice yesterday.

Once, at church during "The First Noel." There was a young man sitting in front of us that reminded me of my brother, and when we started singing, I began to cry....just remembering how much we loved this time of year together, and re-realizing that we won't ever spend another Christmas together.

Then, yesterday afternoon, I took Christmas pictures of our nanny and her family. I was nervous, they were nervous, and the entire session was really a disaster. When I pulled the photos up on my computer, I saw how bad it really was. The lighting was way off, I didn't take enough shots, I didn't have them change positions enough, etc... And I sat there and cried. I felt so bad because I knew how badly she had wanted great photos of her family all together, and I had failed her. The self-talk in my head was not pretty! I began wondering why I had ever agreed to do this in the first place, I began telling myself that I am not cut out for photography, and that no matter how much I love it, maybe it just isn't my thing.

My bad attitude changed the entire mood of our home. Everyone could tell how upset and disappointed I was, and it really affected everyone around me.

So I went to bed feeling guilty and thinking about how I could have done things differently.

But today is a new day....and all I can do is re-focus my priorities, give some apologies where needed, and move forward. Thank you Lord for that gift!

thanksgiving recap

December is already here, and the snow is already falling, but the memories of our Thanksgiving in Mississippi are still close to my heart. Let's just say the drive there was something I would like to forget, but the rest of the weekend was filled with food, family and football.....just as it should be!! Sienna and Grant got to play with some of their cousins that they usually only see once a year, and they had a blast. I loved seeing them all playing so well together, and having so much fun. We stayed at John-John and Su-Su's house, and had a wonderful time (minus a few meltdowns from the kiddos being out of their routine).

Some highlights:

(1) Taking pictures at the Mississippi River bridge.....Johnny loves to do this every time we come to Mississippi, and it is turning out to be a fun little family tradition

(2) An unfortunate deer incident that I'm sure will land Sienna in therapy someday

(3) Seeing Mississippi State beat Ole' Miss

(4) Watching movies with Sienna in bed each night

(5) Taking pictures of Sienna and Grant throwing leaves at each other

(6) Watching Grant and Mary Cille sitting in their booster seats at the dinner table.....and watching Mary Cille try to pull Grant's hair and get a hold of him so she could pinch him :)

(7) Seeing Sienna paint pictures to hang on John-John and Su-Su's fridge (she is turning into quite the little artist!!)