A White Christmas

What a busy Christmas we have had! We have been so fortunate to see many of our friends and family this holiday season. If we didn't get to you, then maybe the Verdi Train will be coming soon to a town near you!

The festivities started last Wednesday when the Driskells and the McGraths came over to have Christmas jambalaya. It is tradition that we get together a few nights before Christmas every year. This year we were blessed with two new additions; Kathryn and Gavin got christened into the bunch, and we are so excited for many more play dates and vacations to come! Blair is really into holding babies, and I think she wants to adopt Kathryn as her baby sister. Quinn may put up a good fight for her.

Nonna and Pappy came into town on Christmas Eve just in time for things to get really geared up. We started the day off with making some cookies for Santa. Blair wasn't really getting the point that we have to "bake" them before eating them, but she quickly recovered when I let her toss sprinkles all over the floor. You all know I'm not really big into messes ;)

Christmas Eve night we went to church to hear the story of Jesus and for the candle lighting ceremony. Blair was so entertained by all the live animals that marched through the sanctuary. She kept asking "where'd that donkey go?". It was so cute the way she said it. You could feel the Christmas spirit in the room, and I always love a good lighting of the candles.

Blair got home and got into bed pretty early so Santa could come visit our house. We had been telling her quite some time that he was coming and even asked her what she wanted. She had been telling us all month that she wanted macaroni and avocado. Finally, she changed her mind that kitchens were cool after visiting her cousin Harper. I woke Blair up at 7:45 on Christmas morning and she looked at me and said "Did Santa bring my kitchen?" Thank God he did!

Next up was the drive to Alabama to visit with more family. Just as we crossed the state line it started to snow. It really was a Christmas dream come true. I just kept humming the song "Christmas in Dixie." Felix loves it when I do that ;) We arrived just in time to Aunt June and Uncle Mack's house. It was beautifully decorated and all the family was there waiting on us. We had some good fixings, good beverages, and Blair got some great presents. There was also a lot of Auburn gifts to be opened since this was the magical season. We didn't hear much trash talking this year out of Uncle Mack and Uncle Johnny. There wasn't much to say.

And last but certainly not least, we headed to Pop and Mimi's house for a relaxing night of soup, snacks, and champagne. Blair had the hang of opening presents at that point, so she dove right in. Leave it to that Mimi to buy Blair the princess costume apparel that makes my skin crawl. Pardon my French, but if I farted anywhere near it, it would burst into flames. God, I hate that stuff. We will just hide the trunk until Mimi comes to visit next time ;) However, Felix and I got tickets to the BCS Championship game from Pop for Christmas, so I really can't do much complaining. I even got some great miniatures as an extra treat. They will fit great in my tall boots :)

So, that was the end of our Christmas extravaganza! We drove home Sunday in the snow, and it was a beautiful drive if I must say so myself. We have had some visitors this week, so stay tuned to more blog posts! I hope everyone had Merry Christmas and has a wonderful New Year!

Round One

We had round one of Christmas this past weekend with Felix's family. We drove in Thursday night so we could have all day Friday and Saturday to visit. Blair couldn't have been any better in the car. Thank goodness for portable dvd players! Before I get started, I do realize that every celebration is centered around a meal. That's just how we roll.

We met Blair's Paw Paw and Gigi for lunch on Friday at Mr. Ed's. I had the stuffed bell peppers and turtle soup. YUM!

Friday night, we got all dressed up and went out to have a big Italian-style family dinner at Gino's. The kids aren't too big into taking pictures these days. I was able to snap a few in their Christmas dresses.

Felix is all about doing fun things with Blair and taking her to new places. So, he had the great idea of taking us to the Teddy Bear Tea at The Roosevelt Hotel in the French Quarter. We got all dressed up again, and took Paw Paw and Gina with us. They were ON TIME, and we were so proud of them! When we got to our table, Blair had her very own tea cup waiting at her seat. It was adorable!

Santa made an appearance with all his sidekicks. Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, the Toy Soldier, and the Snow Princess were all there. Blair wasn't really digging any of them, but we did manage to snag a picture with the big guy.

One of my favorite parts of the tea was seeing how beautifully decorated the hotel was for Christmas. The lobby literally took my breath away.

While we were away, Jason and Melissa were at home cooking up a feast for Christmas dinner. Melissa made crawfish and shrimp dressing, eggplant casserole, and peanut butter fudge. Jason even managed to catch the wax paper on fire while making his chocolate chip cookies that were to die for. Before stuffing our faces, we let the kids dive into their Christmas presents. They had waited long enough ; )

Harper and Harrison were so sweet to Baby Buh-lair, and they were total champs at sharing their toys with her and being patient. We completely took over their house, and it just never phased them. They are going to be a great big brother and big sister to baby Jose who is arriving in June! LOL! JK on the name! We are looking forward to our next visit this Spring!

Merry Christmas!!!

1st Haircut

Oh, it pained me so, but it had to be done. Daddy and I have been on the same page about haircuts. Blair wasn't getting one. Period. End of Story. Well, we caved at 23 months old. It was getting harder and harder to get the comb through and after many of bath time tantrums, we gave in. Blair was a pro though and totally surprised me. Nothing a little sucker won't cure.

Blair checked out the results and seemed to like them. Ms Molly totally hooked us up and did a great job. Maybe it will be another 2 years before we have to go back ;)

We Are Thankful

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday at our house. We are reminded each and every day how blessed we are to have our jobs, our home, our health, and most importantly, our precious child. It was so nice to just lay low, and not be rushed for once. We started the week off with a Thanksgiving play at Blair's school. Why must I cry at every event?

Blair was more interested in showing her sucker off than performing. Oh well, whatever works!

We had a laid back day on Wednesday. Blair and I headed outside for a little fall photo shoot. She wanted to show off her Iron Bowl shirt that Aunt TT made her. It was definitely a hit!

Pop and Mimi came into town just in time for the festivities to crank up. Pop treated us to Thanksgiving lunch at the Ritz Carlton on Thursday. It was something different that he had not done before, and it was SUCH a treat. Blair liked it so much, she waived her hands in the air from side to side!

Felix was extra excited on Thursday night because not only was his belly full, but his Saints also won their Thanksgiving Day game against the Cowboys. But little did we know what excitement we had in store for Friday!!

Felix, Blair, and I got up early Friday morning to run an errand, and only Pop would have this set-up waiting on us when we got home...

We let it slide since the majority of the decor was orange and blue. And I will say, I think this Trooper Towel is what got it done for the Tigers on Friday night. That's one decent Bama fan to buy that for his Auburn daughter ;)

It is always Verdigets' tradition to get the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving weekend. We got up bright and early on Saturday morning to bring the perfect tree home. Unfortunately, it was freezing outside and Blair wasn't digging the "tree patch" as she called it.

We eventually got home and warmed up and spent the rest of the day learning about the Christmas tree and about Santa Clause. I am looking so forward to this holiday season with Blair. I think she is going to be at such a fun age, and I can't wait to teach her the true meaning of Christmas. She is only going to be a baby for so long, and I want to cherish every minute of it.

We hope that your Thanksgiving was as special as ours was, and we hope that your bellies are as full as ours STILL are. We are truly blessed in every way possible, and we have so many wonderful reasons to celebrate this holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving, War Eagle, and Merry Christmas!

The Verdigets