Christmas Recap

We had a fantastic Christmas this year! We were able to spend it with my Dad who is fighting cancer. We almost lost him in November. Being able to do that was such a blessing. Material things aren't important. People are. Relationships. Jesus is the reason for the season.

We spent Christmas Eve with my parents and then had a big Christmas with them on Monday.

We went to a candle light service Christmas Eve also. We traveled to Little Rock Christmas Day to visit my husband's family.

My pictures are really mixed up here, but I will just leave them this way and explain.

We got really practical gifts for Christmas!

Mary-Kate got socks for Christmas.

You can tell she is thrilled. Listen, the child really needed some socks.

My brother Blake and I always got socks for each other for Christmas.

I am missing my Christmas socks.

This game is fantastic for helping Kindergarten kids spell. It has different levels to it.

It is really fun to play. It teaches multiple things at one time.

Yeah, this one is out of order. It was very warm today so they were outside playing with the sand and water table Santa brought them.

Ok, back on track. MK got some puzzles. She loves this.

She has been working puzzles since she was 15 months old.

This is our attempt at using our timer on the camera again.

Such great books!

I couldn't resist posting this picture of the girls together. Mady with paci.

and without

Mary-Kate got a magic set for Christmas.

She loved it. She is pretty good. My parents loved seeing her pretend.

I know it looks like Mady didn't get much because I didn't post a lot of her pictures. This isn't the case. It is just hard these days getting her to stay in one place to snap a picture.

I love this one.

Mady loves to color. My Mom got her a fun set of colors so that she will leave MK's a lone.

She also got a Noah's Ark animal set. She got other things too.

MK was cracking me up with all of the different faces she made when opening presents

My living room Christmas morning.

My Parents with the Grands

I hope you enjoyed spending time with family! I sure did! It was a huge gift to be able to sit and laugh. Things in our life haven't been funny lately.

Side note. On Dec. 16th I took both girls to the doctor. Both girls weren't feeling well. I didn't want them sick at Christmas. MK ended up being pretty sick. Mady just an ear infection. Mady still has it. I took her to the doctor this week because she is coughing and not sleeping and pulling at her ear. Her antibiotic didn't help at all. She is taking something else now. Not seeing much change. This ear thing is miserable.

Puzzle Pieces Christmas

Shop Shutterfly for unique, personalized Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Party Time

Mady wanted to go outside. It was cold so she had to bundle up. You can tell she was thrilled.

MK is a mean bean bag thrower at her school party.

She is that tall. I can't believe it. At 2 they told me she would be 6 '1 give or take an inch.

I would love that for her. I am 5 ft in shoes.

Love seeing her stuff posted around school

Mary-Kate had an awesome Christmas party at her school!

She was glad to see me there.

This is more like it!

Rudolph made an appearance

Just in case you forgot what Santa really looks like, MK knows

I hope you guys are having a wonderful Christmas holiday season! I am enjoying being home with my girls. That's the best present for me!

Are these two not precious sleeping.

I told you Mady wasn't having it...

She is really not liking this.

Honey and Mady at our staff Christmas party for our kids

We are counting down the days to Christmas! I still have a little shopping to do. Trying to figure out how to do this with both kids not feeling well. Mady-ear and MK-sinus infection. At least we caught it before Christmas and are treating it.

We attended our 2nd annual staff Christmas party for our kids! They had ice cream sundaes and made cute ornaments. We had blue ornaments and painted the kids hands in white paint. We had the kids grab the ornaments. We waited for the ornaments to dry and then drew faces, hats, and noses on the snowmen their fingers made. Really cute.

Will post more soon!

UPDATES

Christmas will be here before you know it! We are gearing up for Christmas vacation and I can't wait.

Mary-Kate has been reading! We are so excited! Now it isn't chapter books, but she is still reading and we are so excited for her. She loves reading to Mady. I love it too! Puts Mady right to sleep!

My Dad is doing well. He has had 2 weeks of chemo and seems to be handling it well. This is is 2nd round with having to take this awful stuff! He has been so sick. It is nice to see him up and enjoying his family.

I took the girls to see Santa yesterday. Mary-Kate isn't scared anymore. Mady couldn't stand it! Ya'll it was so funny! I will post the pictures as soon as they come in.

I hope you all are doing well and enjoying this special time of year!

Took this before church this morning! I am working with the settings on my camera.

My Reader Girl

Mary-Kate took this one. Mady wanted the camera

Truly Blessed Today

Getting to have Thanksgiving with my parents at my in laws house was such a treat! They are great friends! It makes it so nice! Having my Dad here is a gift. Every day is a gift! He is so ill and stricken with cancer. Yet, in these photos today, he looks fabulous! He starts chemo Monday. Please pray for my parents as they endure a second round of this.

Thrilled beyond words that I have these pictures from today!

Here we are again!

The grands with their grandkids!

I love that Mady loves on my Dad so much. It is just like she knows that it is super important!

Happy Thanksgiving

So Ready

We are so ready for a Thanksgiving break! MK has a Thanksgiving program at her school! I am really looking forward to that! We have been taking lots of pictures of the girls to decide which one we are using for our Christmas card. I thought these were so sweet! Working on finishing up Christmas shopping. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Finally

Finally my parents got to come home today. My Dad has been so sick. He is fighting the infection well. Unfortunately the cancer has come back in more areas of his bones. I am so proud to have him for a Dad. He is such a fighter. It is just so difficult watching your parent go through this and suffer the way that he has. My mother is a saint. She never left his side! They are quite a pair! So this Thanksgiving means more to me than most! I am soooo Thankful to have my parents home. I know my Dad isn't out of the woods, but he is here and I can talk to him. My Mady can say "PAWPAW!" This helps encourage him. Those words tickle him. And Mary-Kate says, "PawPaw, you are my best buddy. Don't forget it now."

Here are some pictures I wanted to share with you!

My Family 2011

way behind

I am way behind on commenting on blog posts. Maybe I can catch up this weekend! My dad has been in the local hospital for a week. He was released and is still very sick. Now he is in St. Vincent's. He had a procedure today that drained the abscess and hematoma that he has in his stomach. He is feeling a lot better already. It has been really rough.

Happy Halloween