Ever wonder how many shots it takes to get a photograph of my two girls, happy and smiling, at the same time? Apparently more than eleven, since I didn't get a single one where they are both looking at the camera! ...
Christmas
White Christmas
Who would've thought we could EVER have a white Christmas in Alabama? I am thirty-one years old and we've never even come close. My pastor and I were discussing this past Sunday how completely unfair it is that Sophie managed to pull it off her very first year! Sit back, relax and enjoy a big cup of coffee, because this post is full of photos from our merry, white day. I woke up bright and early to find that Santa Claus had definitely been by for a visit. I also have it on good authority, that he had a helper run to the gas station in the middle of the night to inflate some Barbie bicycle tires. It seems that Santa forgot they weren't fully aired when he made his delivery! I had almost an hour to myself to make breakfast, set the cameras up and get Sophie up and changed. When Ella still ...
Twas the Night Before Christmas
The morning of Christmas Eve, Ella wandered in our room about 7 o'clock {despite our admonition to SLEEP LATE} and was already talking about Scout and where we might find him. I sent her back out with some instructions that were quickly followed by a squeal. It seems Scout was strung upside down in the living room. Not only did he steal some green yarn from our gift-wrapping stash, he somehow managed to string it from the entertainment center to the ceiling fan and was dangling with the grace of a trapeze artist. As excited as Ella was to see him, she was even more excited that he left a message. We made her wait in suspense all day and finally as the sun was setting, we grabbed a stool and plucked it down. Scout thanked her for her hospitality and for being such a good girl. He ...
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from our princesses to yours! {Christmas card front, 2010} {Christmas card back, 2010} ...
The Reason for Christmas
Ella might talk about the Bible and Jesus more than anyone I know. She asks wonderful questions and wants to know all about heaven and when we're going to get to go there. I knew that this was the perfect year to begin learning the Christmas story from memory and we've been working on it for several weeks. Keep in mind, this is the Ella Dean translation, but it pricks my heart every time I hear her recite it. "And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be registered. The census first took place when Quirinius was governing Syria. So everyone went to be registered; everyone to his own city... Now in this same country, there were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And behold the angel ...
Scout
Aside from the fact that I've been terrible at documenting Scout's adventures this year, he has made quite the impact on our mornings. Each day when Ella gets up, the first thing she does is look to see where he's hiding. If it weren't for the panic it causes at 4 am when I realize he hasn't moved yet, I might let him stick around all year. She is up with such gusto, getting dressed and getting her teeth brushed so she can embark on her morning search and rescue mission. There have been a few mornings when he wasn't found before we left for the day and she was heartbroken. She worried all day that she had done something to speed up his departure. This year, we've seen scout hide in lots of interesting places. our family Christmas tree, Ella's decorated branch above her bed, the ...
Christmas Tree 2.0
After the disastrous tree of 2010, I was at my wits end about what to do. We couldn't skip out on a tree this year... with two little girls at home we needed one for Christmas morning. I couldn't stomach paying for another tree, so we borrowed an artificial one from my parents. I never thought I'd be okay with this, but it really turned out very pretty. I used twice as many lights, tons of ornaments and filled in with gold mesh. I was hoping that if it the branches were full it might could pass as a real tree! The other problem we had was making it tall enough for our house. We have tall ceilings and this shorty looked a little silly. We decided to get it up off the ground by securing it in a large planter and I wrapped the trunk with some silk sari table runners. We hung a metal star ...
St. Nick
Guess who we saw at the gas station, the toy store, and eventually his workshop on Sunday? Ella, Sophie & Santa 2010 And for posterity, a solo photo with Santa to commemorate her first Christmas! Sophie & Santa 2010 ...