Christmas

So I finally am getting around to blogging about Christmas. We did have a blessed time together spending time with my family in Houston and then with Jim's parents for New Year's Eve. Grant wasn't loving Santa this year!! We didn't make him stay too long in his lap. Laura had written her letter and hand delivered it to Santa. We took our annual trip to see the Nutcracker. After the show, Laura danced all the way to the car. I love this tradition we started two years ago!
Christmas morning was full of surprises. Santa brought Laura an American Girl and lots of trucks for Grant.

Meme bought the cousins matching sweaters! We had our first annual cousin sleepover at Meme and Don Don's house. It was fun for everyone. The kids played great together and the adults were ready to hit the hay around 10.

A Few Pictures

Grant checking out the tree. The boy LOVES his paci (he calls it a baba). Laura has now lost her two front bottom teeth. She looks like a different child!!! (sniff sniff)

Decorating snowman cookies

Carriage ride at Harding among all the white twinkling lights

Christmas Wrap Up

Finally after two weeks of Christmas, I am able to sit down and recap the events.

We spent Christmas in St. Louis with Jim's family (aka Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Jeanne and Truman the dog). Laura especially loved following Jeanne everywhere. If you know Laura, she usually attaches to someone. In St. Louis, Aunt Jeanne was her pick and it was pretty constant.

We spent one afternoon at the Arch. Laura loved it! I am quite impressed that I went up in the small elevator since I am not a fan of small enclosed spaces. But, I wanted to watch Laura experience the fun, so I had to make myself do it. We had a great time together!

Christmas morning was filled with squeals, bright eyes and smiles. Laura loved her dress up, vanity table and cute little fluffy stuffed white dog!
On our return to Searcy, Jim had a cold and Grant had another ear infection. Two boys who weren't feeling too well didn't make for a real happy household. I won't share who is the worse at being sick!!

Thankfully by Monday, everyone was feeling better for my parents arrival. We had another fun week with my parents. My mom helped me finish up decorating the house. Jim organized the garage. Dad fixed our printer. Laura and Grant enjoyed their new toys. It was a good time and it was over way too fast.

Now, it is 2009. One of our goals is to embrace Searcy this year. (Did I just say that?) We are going to place membership at church and try to be involved. I also am gonna hit the gym again after a LONG hiatus. Two goals is enough for me!

I'd love to hear your 2009 goals if you have made any.....

Pictures with Santa

We visited the "Santa Hut" on Friday. It was a warm day, so Santa ditched the red coat and was sporting the Hawaiian shirt. Laura quietly asked for Tinkerbell, a mirror (vanity table), dress-up (like she needs anymore of this!!!) and a sleeping bag. Grant was at first enthralled with Santa's beard, but later changed his mind that he didn't look so jolly! Laura thought it was pretty cool that Santa knew that her last name was Miller (one small perk of living in a small town).

Impressed

Take note..I'm impressed by an event we went to in Searcy on Sunday night. Yes, right here in my home town, I have finally been impressed.

The First Assembly of God puts on a Live Nativity (check out the link) where you actually drive your car through Bethlehem. It is soooooo cool! While we waited in our warm car to proceed through, we ate a pizza and watched some Christmas movie clips they had projected on big screens. We were then given hot chocolate and CD to listen to as we drove through Bethlehem. There were real animals (horses, camels, sheep). It was awesome. Laura was sitting on my lap and the wonder and excitement in her eyes was priceless.

Holiday Wrap-Up

Christmas has come and gone, and Laura is still talking about Santa. He made a big impression on her this year, which made it fun for all of us.

We celebrated Christmas Day in Houston with my family. The highlights include taking Laura to "The Nutcracker" with Meme and making our annual gingerbread house. Laura is into ballet so she loved "The Nutcracker," and it brought back great memories of when I went as a young girl.

Of course Christmas morning was filled with squeals and surprises. Jim gave Laura and me matching necklaces, which we will always treasure. My brother and his family of five arrived Christmas afternoon, so the house was filled to capacity. It was a joy to watch the cousins play together. It was naturally fairly chaotic with four children and six adults in one house, but that is what the holidays are all about.

Jim's folks spent New Year's with us in Knoxville. We had our annual game night, and Jim got intensely into Scrabble. I lost both rounds! We were thrilled that Jeanne (Jim's sister) was able to come as well for a few days. Laura LOVED all the attention and especially enjoyed playing with Jeanne's dog, Truman. He's a fluffball and was tolerant of all the chasing.

Now, the families are gone, the presents are unpacked, the sweets are eaten, and it is back to the routine. I'm glad. It was a wonderful 12 days of fun, but it nice to return to a schedule.

As Jim posted in a previous blog, 2008 is full of many changes for our family. We pray all will go smoothly as each event approaches.

I'd love to hear any special memories of your Christmas and hopes for the new year.

On hold for another couple days

New Year's resolution: Eat healthy and exercise; display self-control in eating

Start date: Wednesday, Jan. 3

Arrival of six pints of Graeter's ice cream as a Christmas gift from Jim's sister, Jeanne: Friday, Jan. 6

Flavors included: Chocolate, strawberry, coffee, cookie dough chip, mint cookies & cream, Buckeye blitz

Pints remaining as of 9:20 tonight: 2 1/2

New start date for resolution: When the 2 1/2 pints are gone (probably tomorrow)

If you know Jim and me, you know we love ice cream; this was a great gift. Thanks, Jeanne, for the treat - and calories!

Having a holy, jolly Christmas

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying the warmth of family and friends. Our family enjoyed an exciting Christmas with MeMe and Don-Don:

On Friday night we took Laura to a children's Christmas program at a large Baptist church in Houston (see photo 1). Laura even was invited to join two teenage girls on stage after the production (see photo 2); she loved the entire evening.

Although I prefer to worship a cappella and disagree with the Baptists on some doctrinal points, I am impressed with their professionalism. Their programs and services are incredibly organized; they use well the talents God gave them; and they don't seem to do anything half-heartedly.

On Sunday morning (Christmas Eve) we attended a local church of Christ, where the message partially emphasized the Christmas story. Did your church do anything special on Christmas Eve?

Laura, Sara and MeMe made a gingerbread house on Friday (see photos 3 and 4). Laura is not a fan of candy (other than chocolate), but she loved the icing.

Laura was Don-Don's helper on Christmas morning as he distributed gifts to the family (see photo 5). Among other presents, Laura enjoyed the ballerina skirt and crown that mommy gave her (see photo 6), the necklace that daddy gave her (see photo 7), and the tent that MeMe and Don-Don gave her (see photo 8).

We'll head back to Knoxville on Saturday, where my parents will meet us.

How holly and/or jolly was your Christmas?

Miscellaneous mentions: Barney, "Babes in Toyland" and the in-laws (by Jim)

Sara, Laura and I flew into Houston today to spend a week with the Looney family. Yes, that's right, my in-laws are Looneys. (Insert obvious jokes here.)

Thankfully, I love and appreciate Sara's parents a lot. Many married couples experience tense relationships with their in-laws, but that has not been the case with Sara and me. Our families always have been supportive, generous and (believe it or not) full of advice.

Although the weather outside is less than frightful - it was a sunny 62 degrees when we landed in Houston - Sara and I are looking forward to spending Christmas with the Looneys. We also are excited about my parent's visit to Knoxville over New Year's weekend.
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Sara and I took Laura to see an abbreviated production of "Babes in Toyland" at Dollywood on Monday. She loved it; her eyes were glued to the stage, and she was not ready to leave when the show ended.

One funny aside: The villain in the musical is a man named Silas Barnaby. Every time the characters spoke of Mr. Barnaby, Laura squealed loudly and with great delight, "Barney!" Everyone around us got a good chuckle out of that. Laura was convinced the big purple dinosaur was going to make an appearance on stage.

Maybe that's why she liked the production so much...
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This will probably be our last post until after Christmas. We'll upload a couple photos of our Christmas experiences in a few days.

We are so thankful for you, our friends and family.

We sincerely hope you have a wonderful Christmas - it truly is a special time of year. May it be an occasion for you to feel God's unwavering love and be reminded of the incredible blessings we have in Jesus Christ.

First Impressions of Santa in 2006

Santa visited our church's annual Christmas brunch on Sunday. When he walked into the room, Laura spotted the jolly old elf, and her first words were, "ready to go."

I figured she would not sit in his plump lap and share with him her Christmas wishes. However, I eventually coaxed her onto his lap, where she stared at him in wonder.

Later that day, Jim asked her about Santa.

She said, "beard," in reference to his white whiskers. Then she said, "hat," referring to his red Santa cap.

And then she said "boobies."

This particular Santa's costume was more like an extremely tight-fitting Superman suit. Hence, she noticed his...well...pectorals.

She also now believes Santa will always be at church. I told her we were going to church tonight, and she immediately said, "SANTA!"

Not sure that is the message we want her to hear. Oh well, she is only 2.

Share your funny Santa Claus experiences.