Bad Blogger!

It's time to play "catch up" again! I'll admit that I don't really think about the blog as much as I used to.....it's usually not until I start getting emails from my mother that I remember to do it! So here are a few updates I forgot about.....better late than never! (Keep scrolling down...this is by far my longest post yet!)



JOLLY'S GRAND FINALE ~



The week leading up to Christmas, Jolly, our ELF, went out with a bang! Good thing He only comes around for a few weeks before Christmas.....I don't think I could handle any more than that! Here are two of His more ambitious pranks ~

Fun with Hair bows!
Anyone who knows Emma, knows that she has way too many hair bows! I've never actually counted them (why would I) but just to put it into perspective, there are 5 "hair bow holders" on the back of her door and they are all full......not to mention 2 whole bathroom drawers designated for hair bows that are full as well! Jolly found them all.....and clipped all He could onto the girls Christmas tree in the playroom!

Then....the night before He left on Christmas Eve, He did this.....

......that's right! He "wrapped" the doorway leading into the playroom (their bedrooms are off of the playroom) with my Christmas paper which read "Merry Christmas Emma and Ella! Love Jolly". When they woke up the next morning, they had to bust through the paper to get to the living room! However, I have to say that Jolly can't take full credit for this one....a friend gave him the idea! Yep.....sure am glad He's not here all year 'round!!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!

Another significant thing I have yet to post is our new puppy...Timber! No, Jeb did not give in and say we could get one.....She found us! I pulled in the driveway one afternoon and she was sitting in our yard, close to the hwy! Since we live off of a 4 lane hwy and have no close neighbors, we knew that she didn't run away from someone! However, Jeb insisted on driving to ALL of the houses within 5 miles just to make sure! They all said the same thing, that someone probably put her out on the hwy in front of our house (apparently it's happened before). She was only 6 weeks old and even Jeb didn't have it in him to take her to the pound! The girls LOVE her and she seems to feel right at home!!

ICE SKATING ANYONE? ~

OK....so chances are it's not thick enough for skating, but it still looks pretty! This is the pond behind our house!

EL'S NEW DO ~

I finally took Ella for a haircut.....just couldn't take the mullet any longer! This was actually her first "real" haircut....other than having the ends trimmed twice. Of course, she screamed through the entire process but the end result was great! Her new "do" fits her perfectly!








STAR STUDENT ~

Em was chosen as "Star Student" of her class last week! She had to make an "All About Me" poster to hang on their classroom door! She did a great job on it! We are so proud of her!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST....

A few more noteworthy pics I thought you might enjoy!

Family Christmas ~ Part 2

On New Years Day, we packed up and headed to Eufaula to have Christmas with the Jones! It was our first trip to Eufaula since we moved in May! We spent Friday night with Jeb's family, opening tons of presents and eating dinner! We all had a great time and got so many nice things (thanks Nana and Poppy)!

Because this was also Jebs first chance to hunt this season, we spent the rest of the weekend at the cabin. Saturday night (despite the cold) he built a camp fire for the girls to roast hotdogs and marshmallows and make s'mores! They loved it! Monday morning, before we left, Jeb and Emma were able to get in a little target practice with Jeb's new gun.......she's a natural!

Family Christmas ~

This was a Christmas full of "firsts"! It was our first Christmas spent in our new house, the first time Lori, Brannon and the girls have been with us on Christmas Day, the first time we've lived in a house big enough to even consider accommodating the whole fam for Christmas.....

Lori, Brannon, Ava, Cakes, Loni and Justin ALL spent the night at our house Christmas Eve.....and Christmas morning Santa delivered Toys x 4 (We were up until 3am)! Not long after Loni set off the alarm and woke the kids up, Mimi, Pop and Nanny arrived! Yes, it was a little chaotic at times, but that's what made it special! It's not often that we get the chance to ALL sit and talk, but when we do it's unforgettable! Thanks (family) for a great Christmas!

Emma's Christmas Party/Sleepover ~

School let out on December 17th (for Christmas break) so we decided to celebrate by having a few of Emma's friends over to play dirty santa, decorate Christmas cookies, and spend the night! Other than the noise level, things went very well for having 6 girls in the house (lucky for Ella, she got to spend the night with Mimi and Pop). After all of the "planned" activities were done, they spent the rest of the night playing Twister (very interesting), Wii Mario Kart, and watching Home Alone!

December 16th ~ Emma's Christmas Play

The day before school let out for Christmas, Emma's class (along with the rest of the third grade) put on their Christmas play........"Twas the Night Before Christmas"! Emma was "Ma" (which couldn't have been more fitting) and she took her part very seriously! Apparently her "husband" (Pa) did as well! She said he kept calling her "Dear" and "Honey" even when they weren't rehearsing! All of their practice paid off........the play was great!

A Country Christmas ~

We made it home safely from Nashville this afternoon! Despite a few setbacks in the beginning, we had a great trip! We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and saw the Rockettes on Sunday! It was amazing......especially the live nativity at the end! Somehow we ended up with front row seats and though the show lasted almost 2 hrs, Ella didn't move! She sat and watched the entire time! Last night we went to Charlie Brown ICE! Once you get past the fact that it's 9 degrees in there it's great! It's hard to believe all that was actually made out of ICE.....like the slide! The Hotel itself had enough to spend several days exploring! You would have to stay for a week to do all they had to offer! I dropped that hint to Jeb but I don't think he caught it!

A Girl's night at the Wynfrey ~

I met my sweet Auburn friend, Katie, at the Wynfrey Tuesday night for a getaway/shopping trip! I haven't seen her since we moved so it was great getting to spend time with her and catch up on things! While I was in Birmingham, Jeb was holding down the fort at home with BOTH girls! Not only did he do homework, bath, and bedtime Tuesday night, but also got them both up and ready for school Wednesday morning......including fixing their hair! I'm lucky to have him! Per Emma's request, he did have a little help! He said her bedtime prayer went something like this.....

"Dear GOD, thank you for letting us have such a fun night and please keep my mom safe on her trip and as she comes home tomorrow....and please, GOD, let my daddy make it through til tomorrow when she gets home! AMEN"

Oh Jolly!

Jolly (our Elf) has certainly been busy......and with more than just watching out for the girls! Every morning He's the first thing on their minds.....they have to find him! Sometimes He's found sitting quietly on a shelf or in the Christmas tree.....and sometimes He's found doing things like.....................

Eating candy out of the dish......

Making a mess with the cereal......

Swinging from the Christmas socks that Nana sent the girls........

What WILL He do Next!!??

A little SNOW.....

We didn't have a ton of snow but it was just enough to make it look pretty this morning! Emma wasted no time getting out in it! She was a little disappointed that she couldn't make a snowman but "hey.....at least we got to see some!"

Athens Christmas Parade ~

This was like no other Christmas parade we've ever been to! It's one of the only night parades in the state.....and it's a HUGE deal in Athens! We had to arrive 2 hours ahead of time to find a place to park and watch from! But it was worth it! The parade lasted for an hour so by the time it was over we were almost frozen! Emma (or Ella for that matter) had never seen anything like it......they had a blast!

Meet Jolly....

....Our Elf! The girls have been EXTRA good since He arrived (since He reports back to Santa)! However, Jolly seems to get into a little mischief himself! They couldn't believe it when they saw him wrapped in toilet paper this morning!! With 20 more days until Christmas, there's no telling what we will find him doing each morning!