Family

It's not very easy to get a family picture of us all. First of all we don't ALL get together that often, and when we do we often forget to take a group picture. (or the one we take turns out very bad)

When we do remember there always seems to be some one missing... Like this picture, one of my favorite childhood pictures,  but where's Mom? Obviously she's the one taking the picture.

Here's a rare picture of all of us. Seriously, I had to look a long time for this... it's hard to find one with both parents AND all four kids.

Well this Christmas we still had people missing. Amanda and her 4 kids weren't able to make it, but we DID manage to get a group picture with every one who was there actually in the picture.

Thank you William for taking such great pictures of us, I know we were a routy bunch to manage but you did a great job.

Now if we could just get Amanda and the kids to visit. Maybe we can photo shop them in...

Merry Christmas Day!

If you thought the pile of gifts was huge on Christmas Eve you should have seen it on Christmas day. Santa came while we were all sleeping and left some more goodies for us.

Rosie was very excited about all the presents under the tree. Her favorite part of the whole day was being allowed to pass out the gifts. She liked that better than opening them I think.  She was a perfect little Christmas Elf.

I wish I'd taken more pictures of our wonderful day but I guess I was just enjoying it too much to think about my camera.

My mom made her famous breakfast burritos. A Christmas tradition that I think we all look forward to more than the gifts. I of course woke up super early... I've never been able to sleep in on Christmas day... and started examining and shaking the presents before William caught me and scolded me.

We tried a couple new things and learned don't like when every one opens their stockings at the same time (instead of one at a time). We also learned that Lottery tickets make super fun stocking stuffers and we were all impressed that Luke got all the girls smelly lotion and that he even went into the "smelly store" to buy them him self. He must really love us.

Rosie got way too many gifts but was super excited about all of them. She got to open the first gift, a stepping stool from Nana that she now pushes around the kitchen so she can see what we're doing or help with dinner.

I didn't take pictures of all her gifts but she was totally cute opening each one and exclaiming her "ooooo" every time.

She was especially happy to get her very own bath robe ... or as she calls it her "robe bath, like mama's"

But as I said before her favorite part of the whole day was passing out the presents to every one.

The gift of the day was when William open his gift from my dad. William was very surprised and excited to get the gas mask he wanted for Christmas.





None of us really know why William wanted a gas mask... and none of use were brave enough to get it for him. But he sure was happy and excited about it and it does make for some really funny pictures.  Like this one on William's Tumblr.

It took us 4 and half hours, plus another half hour just with William and me and Rosie in our room opening gifts from William's parents. It was wonderful spending time together and eating truffles that Annie made and getting to watch each other open the gifts we'd spent months collecting for each other.

But then it was time for naps and relaxing for every one.

Rosie likes to relax by watching Peep and the Big Wide World with her Nana.


The rest of the day was spent relaxing, napping and hanging out, playing with our new toys and video games. Also, I think some people went out to the back woods for target practice.
One major highlight of the day was when Father Michael came over for Christmas dinner. Again, I wish I taken pictures of our Christmas dinner but I was just enjoying it way too much.

Rosie is such a fan of Father Michael, she was so happy that he came to her house and the rest of us enjoyed his company too. I think we made him laugh, I'm not sure he knew what he was getting him self into when he agreed to come over but I think he had fun. I did warn him that we were crazy... and I think we lived up to that for him.

Video games in the living room and a board game (Settlers of Catan) in the dinning room with lots of Christmas goodies and junk food ended our perfect Christmas day.

It was so nice to spend a day with every one and to share Christmas with my family. Every one was so generous and thoughtful in the gifts they gave and we all enjoyed watching each other opening them. It's really fun that one one minds that it takes us 5 hours to open gifts... plus Mom keeps us all very well fed during the whole day and Annie kept us all sugared up with her truffles and rum balls and peppermint bark.

I'll leave you with a couple pictures William took of Christmas Smiles.

Merry Christmas and may the magic, joy and love of the season stay in your hearts all year long.

Christmas Eve

Now that Christmas is over and we've spent a couple weeks doing absolutely nothing, I'll share some pictures and memories with you about our wonderful Christmas.

On Christmas Eve William and I decided to let Rosie open her gift from her Godmother, Julie.

I'm not sure what the official roll of a Godmother is... but if it's to totally spoil a child then Julie has that completely covered.

Julie remembered, from her visit this past summer, that Rosie loves to sit at the vanity table and "put on her make up." So being the wonderful Godmother that she is, she sent Rosie her very own make up.

As you can imagine Rosie was very very excited about it. She spent hours putting on her make up. She'd even be playing with something else and remember her make up and run away saying "Rosie's make up" and go back to put some one. She carried it around the house and put it on while we watched a Christmas movie.

And in case you're wondering, it is special mineral make up made especially for delicate children's skin.

Another fun thing that we all really enjoyed was being visited by Christmas Carolers. I can't remember the last time I've been Caroled to. Not only were they friendly and festive but they could all sing really well too.

Last year we all went to a midnight Mass. But we were all so tired the next day that we decided it was better for every one if we went to an earlier service this year.

William and I have been attending the local Catholic church so every one agreed to go with us to the 5:00 mass.  Look how adorable Rosie and my dad look on their way to church.

Father Michael gives some of the best sermons I've ever heard. He also does the best Christmas services than any one I've ever encountered. It was really special that my family was willing to try something a little different and go to a Catholic Mass with us. It was also really fun that we got to take up a whole row in our little sanctuary.  It reminded me of when we were kids and took up most of an a row.

At the end of the Mass Father Michael called all the children up to the front to sing "Away in a Manger" to the baby Jesus while Father Michael played the guitar. You can see Rosie at Father Michael's feet watching him play.  She always loves it when he sings and plays his guitar.

I wanted to take a picture of Rosie in her pretty dress in front of the huge pile of presents we had before she went to bed. The pictures are a little dark but you can see how tall the pile was... it got taller by Christmas morning. Santa was very generous this year... we must have all been very very good.

Rosie LOVED having all the presents under the tree. She loved looking at them all and asking who they were for.  Annie went around and told her who each gift was for and then Rosie would remember it hours later and tell me "Nana's pesant" or "mama's pesant" she is so so smart.
She especially loved the gifts wrapped in shiny paper and the poky-dots paper.

Before we went to bed we asked Rosie if she wanted to leave some cookies and milk out for Santa. She said she did and she took it very very seriously.

Aunt Annie told her she should leave a carrot for Rudolf too so Rosie asked for a carrot and left that with the cookies.
Since Mass was so early we had time to watch a Christmas movie together before we all fell into bed. We watched "The Santa Clause."

I didn't even know Rosie was paying attention to the movie.. she was playing the whole time. But when we were putting out the cookies and milk Rosie insisted on Soy milk! (there's a scene in the movie where Santa tells a girl he's lactose intolerant so she gives him soy milk).

We couldn't believe that's what she was saying at first but she kept shouting "soy mirk" so we all had a great laugh and decided that if she wanted Santa to have soy milk than that was what he was going to get.






In the end I think Santa was pretty pleased with his cookies and soy milk and the thoughtful remembering of his reign deer because our stockings were all over flowing. 

I'm really glad I started decorating and celebrating Christmas well before Thanksgiving. I felt like, even though I'd gotten a head start on thing, the last few weeks before Christmas really flew by and Christmas snuck up on me.  It was really a wonderful Christmas season though and a very happy and memorable time with my family. We all managed to get our gifts wrapped before Christmas Eve so we were able to spend a relaxing time together.

I'd added a white candle to the center of our advent wreath and lighted it on Christmas Eve.  It was really fun to make and light the wreath and I think it's a tradition we might keep up. Here's a picture of our wreath all burned down to the very last bits of candle stubs. Remember when they were all tall and new?

Christmas at the Gaylord Hotel

I know my mom already posted about the great day we had on her birthday, if you haven't read it you should check it out HERE,  But I wanted to post a few more pictures of our fun Christmasy day in Nashville...

William took Rosie on a Christmas Carrousel, TWICE. Both times she insisted on riding the Moose.

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like "Check your weapons at the door." We're not in California any more Toto.
(This was at the Bass Pro shop next to the Gaylord)

Rosie really enjoyed the Christmas decorations at the Gaylord Hotel.

Ok. Rosie wasn't the only one who enjoyed the decorations.

We got lucky enough to show up just before closing time for their Christmas tree land so we didn't have to pay to get in... We all enjoyed walking through and admiring their Christmas tree collection. I got so many ideas for next year.

This one was Rosie's favorite. It had neon lights that would flash and it rotated. It was very bright and colorful.

Rosie got to play on the peddle cars. She thought the fire truck one was the best and kept talking about how "Rosie did it. [in a] circle" afterwards.

She also got to ride a Christmas train with her Nana. Rosie loves trains.

Rosie wrote a letter to Santa.

And then mailed it to him.

The rest of the hotel was decorated in amazing Christmas lights.

Rosie loved walking through them and looking at everything...

Even if she was a little tired.

We ended our super fun, but long day, at the Irish Pub in the Gaylord Hotel.  This is one of our favorite places to just sit and talk, have some nice snacks and fun drinks and listen to live music.

This time they had a special Christmas drink on the menu that was divine. I tasted like you were drinking a candy cane.

Rosie stuck with her favorite drink, Apple Juice. That seemed to perk her right up and then she was energetic again and danced and got really huggy with every one. Yeah, we take our baby to the Irish Pub and get her drunk on apple juice.

The first time we went here Rosie was just 5 months old and William danced with her.(my mom blogged about Rosie's good Irish upbringing back then.)

This time they danced again to the live music.

Every one in the pub enjoyed watching Rosie dance. She's such a good little dancer and I think it's one of her favorite things to do. Especially to good Irish music.

So that was our fun day at the Gaylord. If you've never been and you ever find your self in the Nashville area I would totally recommend checking this place out. Especially at Christmas time. They have wonderful decorations and fun things for the whole family. Including shows, live music, and pictures with Santa.
The only place I've seen that does a better job at Christmas time is Disneyland.

Franklin Dickens Festival

 Ever year the city of Franklin, TN has a street festival in honor of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

I read about it this summer and I've been looking forward to it and counting the months, weeks and days to it since then.

FINALLY, this weekend was the weekend to get bundled up and wander the historic streets of downtown Franklin in search of Father Christmas, Tiny Tim, Scrooge, roasted chestnuts and apple cider.

(Rosie and her Nana are like two peas in a pod, bundled up and ready to be festive)

 The day did not disappoint. People of all ages we dressed up in costumes from the 1800's. Some were actors with specific rolls to play, like Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the ghosts, and others were just people who decided to get into the spirit of things and dress up.

There were street performers all over the place. I really liked this girl who played and sang songs from the 1800's.  There was also a group of kids who did scenes from Oliver, as well as a stage where an Irish Dance School really captivated Rosie's attention.

Besides street performers there was lots of great food, including hot chocolate, chestnuts, apple cider and meat on a stick. And to top it all off there were booths and booths of artisans and crafts people selling unique Christmas gifts.

There was also a horse drawn carriage that I was very excited about.  Every time the carriage stopped to pick up and drop off passengers this dog would climb out and stand on the horse. It was very funny and very cute.

Even the Police officers on duty got into the spirit of things and were dressed in Victorian inspired uniforms. 

AND we met Father Christmas! He was very nice and actually got Rosie to talk to him and smile at him.

Here's a random family that decided to come dressed up. Aren't they cute!  

We also found a stand that was selling Sugar Plums!  We each had one and yes.... they've been dancing in my dreams ever since. Even Rosie liked them. 

Rosie is such a cool baby in her sunglasses. She loves wearing them.
She also really loves to watch people dance. Here she's mesmerized by all the dickens characters dancing 300 year old dances in the street.

 Our favorite part of the whole day was when all the Dickens Characters got together in the street and danced traditional dances for the 1800's. It was so much fun to watch them.  Even Rosie couldn't take her eyes off them.  You can even see the Ghost of Christmas Past (in the white dress) dancing with The Ghost of Christmas Present. (the Ghost of Christmas yet to come isn't much of a dancer apparently.)
It made me want to learn how to dance all those all dances... and dress up as a Dickens character.

It was a wonderful day with yummy food and fun things to look at. A lot of the churches had performances in them too but there was so much to see we couldn't do it all in one day. With a toddler and a pregnant lady in tow we were pretty tired and had to go home to sleep. But I'm very much looking forward to going again next year, and hopefully next year we can go both days of the festival and attend the Christmas All Sing in the town square.

For information about next years event and other Festivals check out www.historicfranklin.com