Visit to Aiken - December 2009

We were so blessed to be able to spend a couple of days in Aiken visiting wonderful friends! We drove to Atlanta and spent one night then went on to Aiken for 2 nights and are now back in Atlanta. It was such a fun time!

We stayed with our good friends, the Bryan's, and spent lots of time with them and the Laird's, as well as a few other families. It was wonderful!

Katie & "T" are only 5 weeks apart in age and have been friends since birth!

Ellie loved the Bryan's dog, Noelle.

"B" was born just about a week before we moved. He is a beautiful little boy, and he was really checking Ellie out! It was so cute!

A group of us went to eat after church. It was nice to visit with so many.

Ellie, true to form, was more drawn to the men than the girls! She loved "Mr. Brett" & "Mr. Shawn" especially (much to the dismay of "Mrs. Beth" & "Mrs. Melissa" who tried & tried to get her to pay more attention to them.)

The kids all had so much fun playing together. Gracie was especially thrilled that her Aiken BFF, LA, was able to come over & have a sleepover one night! It was so fun to see Gracie run down the porch steps to throw herself at LA when they arrived that night. It had been about 20 months since they'd seen each other!


Katie & "Mrs. Mary Beth" have always had a special relationship. MB appreciates Katie's craziness! :)

We are thankful for the blessing of having this wonderful time with our Aiken friends for life!

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day 2009

I got pj's for the girls that represented their year. Gracie got "Peace" pj's, Katie got gingerbread ones, and Ellie got puppy ones.

Katie was so excited when we went outside for her to leave out the reindeer food.

She also wrote this note for Santa. It says, "Eat the gingerbread house."

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Gramps & Gramme (Chris' parents) were in Houston the week OF Christmas, then we left Christmas Day to head to Atlanta where we are now. We spent a couple of days in Aiken too...visiting with wonderful friends! My brother & his family will arrive here in Atlanta tomorrow, so we will get to have some fun cousin time!

Here are the girls' stockings, filled with treasures and ready to be opened Christmas morning.

'Santa' left Ellie a Little People set. He left Katie 'Woody' from Toy Story, and he left Gracie the vanity for Molly, her American Girl doll who she got from Santa a few years ago. Gracie knows all about 'Santa,' but she's great about going along with it all!

Ellie enjoyed checking out her stocking Christmas morning!

Katie loves organic milk, so she was very excited when Santa left some for her in the refrigerator!

Gracie was excited to open her blanket I made for her.


Ellie liked her baby doll carriage her sisters got for her!

Gracie made me this sweet bracelet out of buttons. Very sweet!!!!!

Gramps & Gramme left Christmas Day to head back to New Mexico while we headed East to Atlanta.

Glimpes of our Christmas/New Year's Trip 2009!

More Christmas Fun

Last night, I (along with Gramps & Gramme) took the girls down to The Galleria to meet Chris after work and we took the girls ice skating for the first time! Chris was the only one of us adults to actually get ice skates on, and of course, Gracie & Katie joined him. Katie...well, let's just say that she's not asking for ice skates from Santa! LOL Gracie did pretty well but was really soaked by the time she got finished. I think Chris was pretty worn out from dragging Katie around! It was an experience for sure!


Poor Ellie had a hard time understanding why Daddy & her sissies were down there behind that glass without her.
After ice skating, we went to The Rainforest Cafe for dinner. Ellie was amazed, and a bit intimidated, at the lights & sounds (the fake thunder & animals roaring). She made the funniest faces! We worked to get her to recreate a couple for the camera (encouraging her to do them again). We were cracking up at her!

It was such a neat thing that when we first got to the mall, we saw this Santa standing outside one of the stores. It was "The Picture People," so I think he was working for them, but he was just standing there and little children were going up to him and talking to him. He was so sweet to each one who came to talk to him. Of course, Katie was in awe. I thought it was so neat how he was "just there" in the mall. She probably thought he was shopping for her gift!

Yesterday morning, I took Gracie & Katie to a friend's house to decorate cookies while Ellie stayed with Gramps & Gramme. Of course, fun was had by all!




This afternoon, we made our gingerbread house! It was lovely! LOL I told Katie I would get her her own house next year, poor thing. Katie is a free spirit and had much different ideas of how to decorate than her prim & proper older sister. Kinda funny!

Gracie & Katie each decorated a gingerbread while Ellie 'decorated' a Christmas tree...with a little help.


Daddy even got home in time to help decorate!

Voila!