Christmas Wrap-up 2009

Our home computer has been infected and is at the doctor. I know some family members are dying to see Christmas pictures, so, here you go in one long post.

Thursday, December 17 - Parkway Preschool

Karlee enjoyed her birthday party for Jesus at preschool before getting out for a holiday break. Karlee has been singing Jingle Bells at home the entire month so I figured we would see a little performance in the classroom. Well, my sweet child just sat there holding the bells like she had no clue what was going on. But, when we got in the car, she sang it all the way home. What a little stinker!

Sweet teachers Miss Courtney and Mrs. Jill

Sunday, December 20 - Christmas at Mawmaw's

We headed to my Mawmaw's house Sunday afternoon for a meal with my dad's side of the family. It was a special Christmas this year because my aunt Donna, uncle Mac, and cousin Ashton were here from Louisiana. Also, Mawmaw has just endured a major back surgery so we were celebrating her recovery too. Mawmaw made Karlee a few books and a pillow. Her handmade gifts are so special to me. Karlee really enjoyed them too because she instantly put the pillow on the floor and started reading.




This is the point where Karlee really got into opening presents. She helped Mawmaw open all of hers.



Sunday, December 20 - Christmas with Aunt Erin

After leaving Mawmaw's house, we headed to my parents to swap presents with Adam's finance, Erin, before she headed home to Florence. Karlee got a Barbie and a big stand up doll that has clothes and shoes that can be changed. Karlee really loves baby dolls and totes them all over the house.




Wednesday, December 23 - Christmas with Granny

Wednesday night we headed to my aunt Dawn and Uncle Eddie's for Christmas with my mom's side of the family. This is always the big, loud, chaotic, but very fun get-together. My mom's family is huge and we are all really close. I mean a family member can't do anything without another family member finding out about it within 2 hours!! Granny is just like a kid and enjoys opening presents as much as her great grandchildren did.

The little kids draw names but all the aunts and uncles still buy presents for them. Karlee got a swimming baby and an outfit, several books, a camera, and a shopping cart. The shopping cart has been all over our house. If we find something missing, we just look in the shopping cart and usually find it!! Thank you everyone for the wonderful gifts. The adults play dirty Santa and Chip and I came home with great gifts this year.





After opening presents, Karlee decided to check out what everybody else got. Maggie received a stationery set for scrapbooking and Karlee thought it was lipstick! Clete received a cowboy hat and guns and Karlee swiped the hat and wore it for a while. Granny enjoyed watching all the kids open presents and laughed and clapped with joy. Lila enjoyed her first family Christmas but was feeling a little under the weather and had to check out early.






Thursday, December 24 - Christmas Eve early morning at home

Karlee woke to find Mr. Sprinkles sitting by the fireplace waiting on Santa's arrival. He brought a gift from the North Pole and let Karlee know that many more were on their way.




Thursday, December 24 - Christmas at Granna and Granpa's

We all got dressed and headed to my parents house after breakfast. We enjoyed each other's company while waiting on Adam to finally get back from the gym! We then opened more presents. Karlee went around helping everybody and checking out the loot. Her big gift was an art desk with all kinds of drawing supplies, paint, and playdoh. She got a rocking chair and several other toys and games.







My brother gave her a toddler trampoline that has already been bounced on about a gazillion times!! Watching him put it together and then having Chip fix it was hilarious. Karlee had to have her little hands in on the job too!





We made homemade pizzas and watched Karlee play with all her new toys before heading home for a nap.




Thursday, December 24 - Christmas at Grandmomma and Grandaddy's

After a nap, we headed over to Chip's parents for present swapping and dinner with them. Karlee walked in the door and went straight to the presents. She already knew what was about to happen. The Baker's had everything put together in the middle of the living room floor with paper wrapped around it. So, it was just calling Karlee's name!





She got a table and chair set, a tool bench with plastic tools, a new swing, and a few smaller themed toys from all her favorite cartoons. The good thing about all these gifts is they stay at Grandmomma's house since she keeps her during the week!!!!!






Thursday, December 24 - back home to set out milk and cookies

Before heading to bed Thursday night, we set out milk and cookies for Santa. I've had a santa cookie plate since a christmas shower I had before Chip and I were married. I finally got to use it. We didn't bother with cookies last year since Karlee didn't have a clue of what was going on. We bid farewell to Mr. Sprinkles and headed to the rocking chair in Karlee's room for our traditional Christmas book reading.




We started with "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and ended with the story of the birth of Jesus. We sang Silent Night and Away in a Manger like I have all month long. Karlee then patted the Jesus book and said "night night baby Jesus, love you." Tears welled up in my eyes from hearing those precious words. Jesus is the reason for the season and it was nice to hear such gentle words from my 23 month old to remind me of it.

Friday, December 25 - Christmas morning

Karlee woke around 7:15 Christmas morning and all the fun started. Chip and I finally had some alone time with Karlee to sit back and let her enjoy things quietly. There was no rushing around and scurring from here to yonder. I had muffins cooking in the oven when Karlee woke and we just put them on a plate and ate in the living room floor while Karlee opened presents. The muffins worked out great with the tea set Karlee received because she passed out tea cups and sat the muffin on the little plates and we all had tea together!

With all the new items littering the living room floor, I find it funny that Karlee's first words when we came downstairs was "uh oh! Gone gone cookies." She was perplexed by the cookies and milk being gone. Santa left a small eaten piece on the plate and Karlee finished it off. Chip was so proud that the first present Karlee went to was the fishing pole. Lord, help me in the later years if I have 2 fishermen in my house!!







She loved the tricycle and dress up clothes. The tutu went on over her pajamas and didn't come off until I made her take it off when we ate lunch. I didn't want corn and black eyed peas stuck in it on the first day! Karlee also received a hand carved rocking horse. I actually had one of these until the summer before Karlee was born. My Mawmaw had saved it for me to give my child one day. Well, someone broke into her storage shed and stole the horse and my great-grandmothers sewing machine. I was broken-hearted after saving it all these years, being pregnant and finally having a child to give it to and some idiot does something stupid. I just hope their child makes memories that were as good as I hoped ours would be.

Karlee got a new book rack for the playroom completely filled with all new books. Mommy is about tired of reading the same ones over and over again! She also got a rocking chair that we will paint to match her big girl room that is coming for her birthday in a month. She received a cute little doll house that has been played with constantly. Watching her little imagination blossom with new words that have become full sentences just makes me so proud. Karlee received new bath toys in her stocking because Santa new the old ones were getting a little nasty.






We cooked a rib roast and black eyed peas and my parents, Adam, and Chip's parents joined us with other sides and desserts for a wonderful afternoon meal. Karlee stayed in her pajamas all day and played till she just dropped late in the afternoon. It was so much fun to watch Karlee actually get what was going on this month. I have vidoes of her singing Christmas carols that I will cherish forever. Frosty the Snowman was by far her favorite and she is still singing it.



I know this was a long post but I just wanted it documented for memories sake. I sure hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Our family is truly blessed with health and happiness and that's all I ever wanted and needed.

Opryland Christmas!

Chip and I went to Nashville to see the lights and decorations at Opryland the first Christmas we dated (1996). It was absolutely beautiful and we said we would come back one day. Well, 13 years later, we finally made it! We made reservations in August for this past weekend and took Chip's parents along with us . To say that Karlee had a ball is an understatement. She was absolutely mesmerized by all the lights and decorations. I was too!!

I thought the trip was going to be cancelled on the day we left though. Karlee got extremely stuffy (snotty) on Wednesday and started coughing (really bad) during the night. I called Dr. Greer and he saw us right when he opened Thursday morning. I got the diagnosis I was expecting, RSV, but was surprised when he said she had an ear infection too because she had shown no signs of that. Dr. Greer told me what to expect with RSV because Karlee has never had it before. He said to go on the trip (one because it was now non-refundable being the day of arrival) and two that the cool night air may help the cough. He gave us some really good cough medicine and off to Nashville we headed. Poor sick Karlee slept the entire 5 hour trip (it was a very quiet ride because no one wanted to wake her up!).

Friday morning Karlee woke with no snot, no cough, no fever. It was like the entire thing just went away (and stayed away the entire weekend). These two people had the best time watching Karlee take it all in. We were so glad she could enjoy everything and not be stuck in the room sick.



Friday, we spent the morning just walking around Opryland and letting Karlee run free and see everything. She road the Delta boats through the hotel with Grandmomma and Grandaddy. We ate lunch at Rainforest Cafe which is a fun place to eat for kids and headed back to the room for a nap.



Friday night we saw the Radio City Rockettes at the Grand Ole Opry House. Too bad we couldn't take pictures during the show because it was amazing. It ended with a live nativity performance with live camels. It was the ultimate way of getting in the Christmas spirit and celebrating the true reason for the season. Karlee must have enjoyed it too because she sat deadly still the entire time and I don't think she even blinked. She ran around during intermission and came right back to sit with me for the rest of the show.



Saturday was a full day too. We went to see ICE: A Charlie Brown Christmas. Everything in the building was made of ice. I can't put into words how cold it was in there. I heard someone say 9 degrees. I just know it was damn cold! They handed out jackets for everyone to wear (which was kind of gross because I don't know how often they wash them!). Karlee loved touching the ice sculptures and running her hand down the ice. But, not as much as she liked the slide made of ice. She went down it twice (and wanted to go more but the line got long) and I went down 3 times. No one else was brave enough to go!











Karlee ran and found her a warm place to snuggle when I removed her jacket to turn it back in. I thought we were going to have to bring one of these penguins home with us until I saw the $85 price tag. I told Karlee she didn't need a penguin in Alabama!!



We went downtown to see what was going on down there and toured the Country Music Hall of Fame. I have no pictures from that trip because Karlee had her one fit of the weekend and made sure everyone knew she didn't want to be there. She and I spent the time in the lobby and outside while daddy, grandmomma, and grandaddy took the tour.

Saturday night, we attended a dinner show featuring Louise Mandrelle (Barbara's sister). To my surprise, Karlee sat still and quiet (besides her joining Louise in singing) through that show too. Per Chip's mom request, we waited to meet Louise Mandrelle and get her autograph at the end of the show. Karlee was covered in candy cane by the time it was our turn!





We headed to see Santa afterwards and Karlee loved it as usual. They wouldn't let me use my flash to take a picture (their way of trying to get us to buy one!). Karlee was loving on him and he returned the love. She enjoyed being able to touch some ornaments too since that is forbidden at our house.




We then headed outside to check out the outdoor lights since it was the "warmest" night we had been there. The nativity scene outside was 60 pieces and absolutely gorgeous. It was really nice to see the world's largest non-gambling resort show the true meaning of Christmas. No one said "Happy Holidays" it was always "Merry Christmas". Nativity scenes and the birth of Jesus was represented in everything we saw and did.






We had a marvelous trip and hope to do it again one day when Karlee is older. Chip's parents got to enjoy some fun time with Karlee too. Even though they keep her on the days I work, they are actually working too. Stanley is Chip's job supervisor and stays on the road and Linda is his bookkeeper. She's busy answering the phone, paying bills, and running errands all while keeping Karlee. It was nice to let them enjoy some relaxing time with Karlee.

Fun filled Sunday

What a busy 2 weeks the Baker household has had. I can't believe I'm so behind on posting. The first weekend of December we had Brunch with Santa at Moores Mill. I told Karlee when we were leaving church that we were headed to eat lunch with Santa. Well, when Santa didn't sit down and eat with us, this is the face I saw.

I guess she was really expecting Santa to sit down and eat beside her. When the man in red finally showed, it was all smiles from then on.





We finished lunch and headed down to take pictures with Santa. Karlee has become a pro at this by now. She absolutely loves Santa!!




Karlee was given a cute Rudolph nose when the picture session was over. She was checking out Nathan and Wilson's noses too.

We all headed home to rest for a little while before heading to Callaway for our annual Fantasy in Lights trip. Karlee fell asleep on the trolley last year but I knew that would not happen this year. We purchased the normal hot chocolate and cookies and decided it was way too cold to ride the trolley this year with Dilworth and Henthorne newborns. So, to the car line we went. An attempt at a group picture of the kids was made but not successful. Karlee tried to show the boys where to stand but ended up just taking Barrett's hand and leading him off on her own!

Boy, it was cold that night!

Karlee enjoyed helping daddy drive through the lights. She would come over and sit with me for a while and then hop back over to the steering wheel. I think she enjoyed seeing everything sparkle because she had a huge smile the entire night. She didn't fall asleep on the way home because she was telling us all about the "pretty lights".

I'm so glad we have this tradition with the Dilworth's, Galimore's, and Henthorne's. We started this before any of us had kids. The kids have definitely grown in number but the fun is still the same!

Hey Santa!!!

Karlee has to see Santa every time we go to the mall. She starts calling his name as soon as we pull in the parking lot. (We've been shopping a lot lately!). I've been waiting for Chip to be with us before I had Karlee's picture made. Well, last night, we made a special trip to the mall with daddy to have Karlee's annual picture with Santa. Chip was shocked that Karlee was so excited to see Santa and that she went right to him. She told him she wanted a candy cane and held out her hand. I told her she had to wait until the end for a candy cane and she replied "I finished!" and held her hand out again. It was really funny and made the workers laugh.

The purchased photo turned out a lot better than the one Chip took since he couldn't get very close. She actually has a big smile on her face (I know Brooke you won't believe she smiled for a camera!).



We have brunch with Santa this weekend and I can't imagine what Karlee is going to do when Santa walks around and stops at our table with Mrs. Claus. Stay tuned.....

More holiday appliques

I stayed busy during Karlee's naps over the weekend. I managed to get a few more shirts done between shopping, football, and wrapping presents.




This is my own modification of a single ornament design. I can remove the hook, sew a ribbon on the shirt and make this a string of lights. I can do either initials or a name if the name isn't too long to fit across the shirt.

Thanksgiving Festivities

It's so hard to believe November has come and gone. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with family. Karlee especially enjoyed making cookies with mommy. I looked down one time to see her eating the dough. She obviously didn't want to wait for them to cook!





My mom's side of the family is always fun to be around. Good food, good laughs, and plenty of good memories. Karlee and Lila had a great time playing together. I managed to get my camera out just before leaving to snap a few pictures of these two telling each other bye. It's hard to believe that this time next year, Lila will be Karlee's age and Raleigh James Durham will be here and will be Lila's age. Three little ones with one year stair step age differences. Look out!!





I hope everyone enjoyed a great Thanksgiving and took time to reflect on what you are thankful for. I sure did and wouldn't take anything in the world for anything different (except for a husband that stayed home instead of duck hunting!!).

New Traditions

Preface to this post: This is the earliest I have ever put up a tree and started the Christmas activities. Chip is leaving Thanksgiving afternoon to hunt ducks in Mississippi. So, I decided to be a loving wife and do everything a weekend early so he wouldn't miss any traditions and Karlee's reactions. I sure hope this tree is still alive by Christmas Day!

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Chip, Karlee, and I beat the rain on Saturday and picked out our Christmas tree. (We decided to go a little smaller rather than our usual Big Bertha in case Karlee wouldn't leave it alone and knocked it over!) We brought it home and pulled out the lights to make sure they all still worked. After much contemplation about glass ornaments and an almost two year old, I headed to purchase shatterproof ornaments to replace our glass ones. Later in the day, we started to string the lights, and it came to an abrupt stop. Karlee was picking up the entire bundle of lights and trying to put them on the tree herself. We hid the lights in our bedroom and continued the tree decorating after she was tucked in bed for the night!!

Karlee woke Sunday morning to find a tree full of lights and shiny balls. When we cut the lights on, her face was as bright as the tree. What joy it was to see a beautiful Christmas tree through a child's eyes! We then sat down by the tree and read our first Christmas book of the season.





Later in the day after Karlee had been really good with not bothering the tree, we brought out her 2009 ornament. She helped me hang it and even pointed to where she wanted it to go! She kept saying "Karlee's" and pointing to it.





We had dinner with the Spratlin's Sunday night and came home to find a visitor and more surprises for Karlee. Santa Claus had sent his elf to bring Karlee pretty ornaments for her tree.



Chip read the book that was left by the tree and we were told the elf's name was Mr. Sprinkles. Karlee looked all through the boxes and picked out which ornaments she wanted to hang. We all had so much fun putting the finishing touches on the tree.







I was so glad that we shared these moments as a family and started new traditions with Karlee that she can pass along to her children one day. Mr. Sprinkles has brought lots of laughter so far and I can't wait to see what all he does in the next few weeks! Karlee was so excited to look for him this morning we she woke and has constantly gone to make sure he is still "sleeping" in the same place! I just love to hear her say Sprinkles too!!!!!

A girl and her dog!!

Trying to climb in the window seal where Sable sits to watch us eat at the kitchen table!!

Sunday at the Park

Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day. We spent the day as a family shopping, playing outside, and soaking up the sunshine. What better way to spend such a beautiful day than playing at the park followed by Mellow Mushroom pizza!! We let Karlee loose at Town Creek Park and let her run wild. She had a blast. She would take off, stop, turn around and say "mone Mommy, mone Daddy" then take off again.

I've been busy....

with lots of little projects.

I've appliqued several holiday shirts for friends, made hooded towels, and took sewing classes to learn to construct garments. These are a few of my latest projects. The A-line jumper and pants with ruffle were made in class. I hope to have time this weekend to sit down and see if I can remember how to make them without guided instructions!!

Karlee woke up from her nap just before I was finished with one of the towels yesterday so she joined me in the playroom. I turned around to see why she was so quiet and here is where I found her.





She is such a joy to be around all the time. Her ever expanding vocabulary still amazes me. We went to Auburn Oyster Bar for dinner last week and she pointed to the sign and said "2 A's". I was totally floored by her putting all this together. Her gentle little voice is so sweet to hear. Books are by far her most favorite thing ever. We read 5 a night before bed and I can't skip pages because she knows and makes me go back! She knows what comes next in the book and starts telling me about it before we turn the page. She then points and says "see." Just like she is saying "I told you this was next." What a little stinker! I just love her so much and have no idea what my life would be like without her as a part of it. Thank you Lord for such an amazing child.