Christmas 2011

Christmas with a two and a three year old was very fun and exciting this year.   I took the girls to see Santa at the Asheville Mall and they both sat on his lap and both smiled!!!  Addison had said that she wanted to hand Santa a list and not sit on his lap and Kaitlyn said she wanted to sit on Santa’s lap.  But when we got up to him Addison got right on his lap and Kaitlyn held tightly to my neck but then she reluctantly let me put her on his lap.  Addison told Santa she wanted a bike with training wheels and Kaitlyn told Santa she wanted toys.  Kaitlyn had been telling everyone she wanted candy so this was a little different for us to hear. 

Decorating the Christmas tree was a fun experience.  Josh usually puts up our artificial tree and I put the lights on and then we decorate it together.  The girls were very excited about decorating the tree.  They wanted to put the ornaments on by themselves with no help so we ended up with many ornaments at the bottom of the tree and with many branches having three to four ornaments on the same branch.  Josh and I thought it was really sweet and we decided to leave the ornaments just as they were.

I knew it wasn’t going to be easy for Linda to put up her Christmas tree since this is the first Christmas since Frank passed away so we wanted to help her put up her tree also.  I think Linda enjoyed us coming over to help even though with the added help of Addison and Kaitlyn we broke a few of her ornaments.

  Our first family gathering this year was at Aunt Pat’s and Uncle Johnny’s.   It was great getting to see cousins and aunts and uncles.  It took the girls a little bit of time before they relaxed and acted themselves.  Eventually Addison was singing and performing a show for everyone.  We ate really good and it was fun getting to see family we haven’t seen in a while. 

The girls touching Aunt Miranda’s belly.  They are excited about getting to meet Miss Peyton! The girls with their Mimi Addison and her Pappy Ken The only Christmas family portrait we got this year

We did our annual Christmas cookies with icing and sprinkles.  I am not sure if the girls enjoy eating the icing and sprinkles or actually decorating the cookies with the icing and sprinkles.  Nana and uncle Jeff came over and helped us. 

Every Christmas Eve that Josh and I have been married we have gone to Cracker Barrel with the Simpsons’.  Grandmother and Grandaddy Simpson also go with us.  And we always went to Cracker Barrel because this was Pappy Frank’s favorite restaurant.  Every time we traveled with Nana and Pappy Frank we had to map the trip around Cracker Barrel Restaurants.  So this year we were a little hesitant about continuing this tradition because we didn’t know if it would be too hard for us.  But after we all talked about it we decided that we liked this family tradition and Pappy Frank would have wanted us to continue this tradition in his honor.  So on Christmas Eve, Josh and I did our annual workout early in the morning and then headed to Cracker Barrel.  We all had a great time with the family. It is hard to believe that 3 years prior this is the morning we told everyone we were pregnant with Kaitlyn!

Aunt Jenny with her Miss Addison Mama and her girls Another annual tradition includes me getting together with my high school friends on Christmas Eve.  I think it is an awesome tradition we have been able to continue. We catch up with each other and exchange pictures and hear who is pregnant or getting married.  This year we learned that Lauren Cason was pregnant!

Carrie Saucer, Kim Pearson, Lauren Cason, Angela Coachman, Casey Varnadore, Me, Keisha Corn, and Kelly Eckley

I also  have to write about my new appliances that we got the day after Thanksgiving because I am so excited about them.  We got a new refrigerator, microwave, stove and dishwasher.  It ended up costing a lot more for us to install them than we were thinking but that is okay.  We got a refrigerator with an icemaker! I think I was most excited about the icemaker along with the nice large microwave.  These pictures are blurry but I thought they were really sweet. Addison and Kaitlyn are really starting to play together whether it be chasing each other around the house on foot or on their bikes, cooking for each other in there kitchen, reading to each other, playing dolls or dress up.  I love to hear them laughing at each other.  

Now to Christmas morning… I think Josh and I were more excited than the girls.  We got in bed relatively early.  Addison came and got in the bed with us around 4 am and asked if we could see if Santa came.  We explained that it wasn’t light outside yet and that we couldn’t get up yet.  Thank goodness she went back to sleep easily.  I got up about 6 am to cook breakfast and to have the coffee brewed before Nana, Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jeff arrived.  Uncle Jeff was the first to get here.  The girls actually slept till around 7:30 am and here are the pictures to tell of their morning.  I would have to say that Addison’s favorite gift from Santa was her bike with training wheelsA tired Mama and Daddy Addison in her new princess dress with her matching doll Addison’s new twinkle to shoes that she wears almost every day Addison showing off her box of fun dip

One thing sweet that Addison did Christmas morning was that she stopped dead in her tracks after walking out and seeing all of her toys and she said. “Wait mama, I need to get your card and present for you!” She then found the present she had made for me at school out from under the tree and brought it to me. I thought that was very sweet to have stopped and did that before really paying any attention to her gifts. 

After the girls had opened all of their gifts from Santa it was time to open gifts from Nana, Aunt Jenny and uncle Jeff. Addison got the stroller that she had saw at Madeline’s house that she really wanted for her baby dolls Kaitlyn got a big horse to help get out some of her energy Their new kitchen from uncle Jeff

We headed over to the Chockleys’  for a Christmas lunch with extended family Aunt Jenny and Miss Kaitlyn

We then headed down the mountain to get together with my side of the family.  Aunt Amanda and Claire came from Wilmington and Uncle Brock and Aunt Miranda drove in from Virginia from visiting her sister.  We got together about 7:30 and had a blast watching all three girls enjoy themselves.  We made a make shift table for the girls out of their coffee table

The girls had a lot of fun together.  They had a dance party in their princess dresses.  We spent the night at Brock and Miranda’s two nights and had a blast just hanging out with family.  We visited Nannie the day after Christmas since she wasn’t able to make it Christmas night.  Nannie with her three great grandaughters Kaitlyn and I rubbing our noses togetherAunt Amanda with sweet Miss Claire

I really plan on blogging more in the year of 2012 but we shall see.  I stay quite busy with work, the girls, working out, Bible Study…  But I do love being a mother to my sweet two girls and a wife to my wonderful husband.  I am praying that God will help me become a better mother and wife everyday.