Happy Christmas Eve

I love Christmas.  I have so many good memories of being little with my family at Christmastime.  It's so different now, but I love trying to make it magical and exciting for our kiddos like it used to be for me.  

This year I was putting up the nativities on the mantel like I've always done, and I found an olivewood nativity that Marianne and I had bought for a parents a few years ago.  It had gotten water damage this year and it was all warped and moldy and I was so sad to put it up.  Our family is so spread apart and everything is different and sometimes it's really hard to get excited about traditions and holidays.  It's hard to not be with all the people I love and having to divide time and days.  Ethie was gone for Christmas and it's not the same without his energy and excitement.  I love being with Mom in her home, and with Dad and Jeanette in their home, but it's always hard to have to leave them and figure out when we can be together.  I'm getting used to it, but I don't think it will ever get easier.

It was so so so nice to have Nate home for Christmas this year and I guess I should just be thankful that we were able to be in Carrollton with my family.  James' family is far away too, so hopefully we'll get next Christmas with them.  My family has always had a big Christmas Eve dinner and then a Christmas program talent show.  We were at Mom's for Christmas Eve and she made a delish dinner, like usual!  It was pretty casual, but we were happy to be together (and Scotty took some great pictures)!

Instead of the usual Christmas Eve program, we decided to watch The Nativity Story together and it was perfect.  James' mom gave it to us for Christmas and it was so beautiful and well-done and a perfect way to visualize what the Savior's birth might have been like.  I was especially moved by Mary and Joseph's love story, since I have always thought of James as my Joseph.  I was thankful that we were together, even if I was missing some people that I love.  I was thankful that Jesus was born and that we have a holiday to remember Him and love and kindness. 

Some happy Christmas Eve pictures...

Christmas dog!

Like her mama!

16 month girl!

Our Little Lilah turned 16 months old on the 22nd!  I have so many cute pictures of her that I've taken this month.  It seems like I'm always grabbing the camera so I can catch whatever cute thing she's doing at the moment.  She is so full of personality and life and I swear, she just gets cuter and cuter!!!   Here are some examples... :)

1st little ponytail!  Her hair has gotten so long and blond!

This girl is the best sleeper.  She will grab her binkies and an animal and then I rock her and sing to her for a few minutes.  Then she lays right down in her crib and sleeps so well!  She takes a 2-3 hour nap every day and sleeps about 12 hours at night.  When she wakes up, I can hear her talking and playing (never cries) until I go get her.  Then she smiles so big, hands me her animals, and throws her binkies back in the crib.  So sweet!

She has always loved to dress up, but lately she has a thing for Ethie's underwear (clean, of course).  She will go get it out of his drawer and put it right on her head.  So funny!

She LOVES her Ethie!  She loves to play chase with him, loves when he reads to her, loves to lay on his bed at night while I sing songs, and always climbs up on the couch next to him when he sits.  She calls him "Ee-ee" and it's the cutest thing ever!  She even put her head on his shoulder when I told them to smile :)

Again with the undies on her head and she loves Lucy!  Actually, she loves any animal.  She has no fear and loves when they chase her/lick her/play with her at all.  Fortunately, Lucy is a very patient dog!

Haha, I think Lucy just knocked her down

Trying to put a napkin on Lucy's head

Trying to put her beads on Lucy.  Sweet dog!

She loves her accessories :)

Loves Uncle Nate!  (She calls him "Nay")

Uncle Nate's shirt

She loves to dance!  If she hears music, she will stop and then start bopping or twirling.  Cutie!

Again with Lucy :)

She loves her babies!  She usually has some kind of stuffed animal or doll with her always.  She hugs them under her arm and pats them and it's so sweet!

All of a sudden the girl loves baths!  She used to hate them, but now when I ask her if she wants a bath, she says, "Baa!" and runs to the tub.  She loves splashing and bubbles and playing in the tub with Ethie :)

Haha, she will wear anything!  Cutest little gangster ever :)

She loves to feed herself lately and she is good at it!

• The other words she says are: mama, dada, Lilah (when she wants something), Ma-maw (Grandma), more, uh-oh, hi, bye, and I think she says thank-you although I can't be sure :)  She has the cutest little voice, and I love when she says hi and bye to anyone who comes or goes.
• She loves sweets.  It's bad enough that we have to hide anything that looks like cookies/candy/ice cream from her or she will freak out.  I think that is her parents' fault (we also love sugar).
• She stays very busy making messes, especially in the kitchen.
• She loves books and loves to be read to.  She also loves music.
• She wears size 18 month clothes, but she's tall for her age.

Lilah is a sweetheart and we love her!!!

Ethan Christmas

Since Ethie's going to be in Ohio for Christmas, he got to have a special Georgia Christmas all to himself before he left!  We all woke up early so he could open his stocking and presents.  It was so fun, we thought about having a special Christmas day for each of us :) 

I think Ethie was much more awake than the rest of us haha :)

I love this kid!

Haha!  With his growing skeleton.

Thanks for the game, cousin Jared!

Such a cool kid!

Playing his new Tony Hawk Wii game

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Cook!

Legos with Dad

After he had opened his presents, Scotty went out and rang the doorbell.  Ethie went to answer the doorbell and said, "Someone left their bike on our porch."  We told him to read the license plate on the back and he got excited when it said Ethan!  It's bigger than his old one was (which I backed up over and smashed) so he's been practicing.  What a big kid!

We will miss you, Ethie-man!!!