A Very Merry Christmas!

I would say that Christmas was a success at our house! Despite Blair's dislike of Santa, he was still pretty good to her with hopes that she will come around next year ;) We stayed in Atlanta for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and it was SO nice to not have anywhere to be and just enjoy our home and family. We started Christmas Eve off with making cookies for Santa. Blair insisted on leaving them outside so he wouldn't come in the house!

After we made cookies, it was then time to head off to the Christmas Eve church service. They always have live animals on the lawn prior to the service. Blair loved the animals and she was REALLY into the performances by the choir. I swear I'm going to have a little singer one day! Christmas Eve service is such a wonderful tradition for our little family. It helps keep us in check for the real reason for the season!

We had to hurry and get home after church so we could get ready for Santa! I could tell Blair's anxiety was really starting to build up at this point about Santa entering our home. I think she would have preferred a trip to Toys R Us and Target with Daddy's credit card ;) We laid our cookies out, hopped into bed, and Santa and his elves went to work!

We woke Blair up at 7:45 Christmas morning, because her Daddy and I couldn't stand it any longer. After convincing her that Santa had left the building, and only left behind a ton of toys, she finally agreed to come downstairs. There is nothing like the eyes of a child when they come into that room on Christmas morning. It's one of my favorite memories that I will always cherish.

Later that day, Pop and Mimi showed up with another load of presents and a cooler full of food. It was time to do it all over again! We had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our Savior.

And across the state line in Tennessee, another family that is dear to me had a very special Christmas as well. They recently had two new little miracle babies come into their lives, and I'm sure there were many thanks and praises given this Christmas for these beauties. After a day or so of cleaning up the wrapping paper, I had to see them for myself. This is Price and Palmer Sloan. I don't think their parents could have received any better gifts this Christmas.

So, that is where we are as of now. But, it's about to get good again, because tomorrow we head to Baton Rouge for round 2. We have a sleigh full of gifts in the driveway, and our curiosity is building about who will be the mystery Santa tomorrow night at Verdigets' Christmas. Will it be Katrina Claus, Redneck Claus, or Santino Clausisi? Only time will tell, but I promise to report in when we return. So now I have your curiosity building as well!

Hustle and Bustle

We have been right up in the middle of the hustle and bustle around here getting ready for Christmas. It seems like every day of the past 2 weeks has consisted of parties, plays, and gift exchanging. However, we would not have it any other way! We started our festivities off with a trip to see Babes in Toyland. Blair's ballet studio promoted the show, and it was very good. My appetite actually ran us out of there a few minutes early; not my 2 year old who loved it!

And speaking of ballet, we had a little party to end the season. The girls got to wear their princess costumes, and had a blast. There is nothing like having cupcakes and sugar cookies right before lunch time ;)

But, let's not get too carried away with all the Christmas talk. I wasn't going to let anything stop me from getting my hands on this little dream come true before the holidays hit. I could have worn my Canon slap out on her. This is little miss Libby Crowe. Isn't she the daintiest and prettiest little thing you have ever laid your eyes on?!?!?

The timing could have not worked out any better for our visit, because Blair and Katherine have had a date to the North Pole Express planned since June. And their mama's have had planned out what they would wear since May ;) It's always an adventure when you are in Calera, AL! We checked out the trains, had a hot dog snack, saw Santa and Mrs Claus (well some of us did), and had milk and cookies on the train ride. Next year, I think they should serve the adults Red bull (and a splash of vodka) instead of milk ;)

And last, but certainly not least, the Driskell's came over this week for jambalaya and a gift exchange. We were so sad that the McGrath's fell to the seasonal crud. I think the girls could have used a little more testosterone in the room ;) Felix cooked up a mean pot of jambalaya and afterwards we opened gifts and indulged in pie, cookies, and fudge (yes Megan, I ate all three that night). I do think I burned it off while attempting to get three children to pose for a photo!

So, here we are. It is the night before Christmas Eve, and the festivities have really not even begun! We are snuggled up in our Christmas pajamas anticipating one last visit from the elf. We have some cookies to decorate, church services to attend, and 4 grandparents all coming within the next 48 hours! As long as there is a lot of carbs and sweets around, I think I will be fine ;) Merry Christmas!!

Third time...

is NOT a charm ;)

Merry Christmas!!!!

Thanksgiving Festivities

We have been SO busy around here with the holidays creeping upon us. Between eating, shopping, eating, decorating, eating, and eating, it's amazing I can even find time to create a blog post! We kicked off the Thanksgiving festivities with a feast at Blair's school. We had a small intimate gathering with her class, and it was so much fun. I think the apple cider had something to do with the lack of cooperation for a class picture!

On Thanksgiving Day, Mimi and Pop came to Atlanta to spend the holiday with us. We decided to keep the kitchen clean this year and went to the Ritz Carlton for lunch. It was wonderful as always, and Blair loved every minute of it. I think she took as many trips to the buffet as her mama did;) I was so thankful that no one slung me up on the carving table. I somewhat resemble a turkey, and there is a chance that from here on out you will only find me behind the camera.

After Thanksgiving, we sent Mimi and Pop off to the Iron Bowl so we could get our Christmas decorating done. We got up bright and early Friday morning to go pick out the perfect tree.

But, just kidding! They weren't open yet. After walking around, measuring, and taking pictures, we finally realized there was no one there to help us :) So, we gave it another shot on Saturday morning. Blair thought the whole ordeal was hilarious.

But this time we were in luck. Blair and her Daddy picked out the perfect tree, and it was delivered right after lunch in true Verdigets' fashion.

We let Blair help with the decorating this year. She was given her designated spot with her own little set of non-breakable ornaments. And poor thing, she is going to be just like her mama. She couldn't wait to pull out the vacuum to clean up all the pine needles when we were done.

I was excited to add some new ornaments to my tree this year in Blair's honor. Here are a few of our favorites.

And last, this guy made an appearance at our house this week. Blair named him Chris. I guess that's kind of appropriate for the time of year. She's not buying it though and could care less. When I bring him up, she almost looks at me like I've lost my mind. But, we will keep trying. I don't think we will be able to keep the secret of Santa from this one very long ;) So, that's what we've been up to. And since Blair is on the 99th version of "Santa Claus is coming to town" in her bed, I guess I should run!