Pink Pig

So, I guess I told a story in my last post about it being my last Christmas post.  I just found these pictures and couldn't resist sharing them.

In Atlanta, it is a big tradition to take your little girls to ride the Pink Pig at Christmas time.  Macy's sponsors it at Lenox Mall downtown.  The ride has been around forever so many people my age have memories of riding with their mom's as little girls.  So, Tori and I planned a little trip to take Tessa & Gracie for their very first time.  The girl's loved it!

Waiting in line to buy our tickets.  Thankfully, we got their early so we didn't have to wait too long.

Tori & Tessa

Gracie & I

It's almost time to ride!

Tori & Tessa sitting in their car.

Gracie & I riding in the caboose.

The girl's loved it so much that we road it again (never mind Gracie's sad face)!

Love this face.  She is a silly little girl!

All four of us!

And here are the girl's standing in front of the Pink Pig (this is the front of the train).

Our tickets from the day...

And the ornament Gracie got to hang on her tree in her room.

We had so much fun that day (even though I think Tori & I were both still dealing with a little morning sickness)!  We finished off the morning with lunch at Chick-fil-a.  I can't wait to take Gracie again next year.

Christmas Part 4: Christmas at Home

This will be my final post on Christmas.  I know it has been lengthy but I didn't want to forget any of the fun moments that we've had.

Every year since kids entered our world we've always made sure that we're home for Christmas.  It is so nice to be able to relax at home and enjoy some family time together as we start our own traditions.  This year was no exception.  Christopher Popinkins was a favorite memory for our kids.  They loved waking up and looking for their elf and seeing what kind of mischief he had gotten into the night before.

Christmas Eve morning we made cookies for good Ole' Saint Nick.  

Gracie enjoyed helping me with the eggs.  She really wanted to do it all by herself.

Will was really good at being sweet & helpful.

Along with a little silly at times!

We even got dad in on the action this year because the dough was too thick for me to stir.

That evening daddy read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' before everyone was tucked into bed.

Then Santa came that night and left lots of presents!

And enjoyed the cookies & milk we made for him.

Santa was really kind to Will this year.  Here were a few of his favorite toys: 

Baseball Men... (action figures meets baseball).

His catcher equipment.  He wanted everything he would need to be a real baseball catcher.

Now he is ready to go... glove and all!  Love my little pitcher.

And of course, who can forget Bobby Cox.  Will got a few pictures and posters to hang up in his room.  He loved Bobby Cox!

Gracie also got a lot of neat gifts from Santa.  She loved her princess shoes.

I love this picture of her studying all of them.  I guess she is trying to decide which ones to wear first!

Her piano was a big hit.  She loves the little stool you sit on...

...playing music...

...and of course singing in the microphone!

She also got a Cinderella doll.  Her favorite princess.

Corey and I each got some really great gifts too.

I was surprised to get a pair of Ugg boots.  And Corey was excited to get some Auburn pictures to hang up in the basement.

Then we moved on to lunch prep.  This year we invited all of the family that was in town over to eat.  We had Corey's parents, his Granny from Tennesse along with his Aunt Sarah, Uncle Charlie, and cousins Matt, Jeremy, & Rebecca along with her boyfriend.  We had a full house and a lot of fun!

Here is Gracie & I making sweet potato casserole.  She is also sporting her new apron that she got for Christmas (courtesy of Aunt Amy).

After lunch we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and enjoyed some yummy cake that Papaw made for us.

Granny T gave Will some very special presents.  A Braves t-shirt and a wallet that was his Papaw T's (Will got the name Luke from him).

And then after all of our guests went home and we were about to call it a day we where thrilled to receive one last Christmas gift... snow!  A perfect ending to a great day!

We had a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Part 3: All About the Grandparents

We had a great time on our trip to Mississippi this year to see my family.  We spent some time with my mom...

Here is Mimi & Gracie talking!

Will & Corey loved their new matching AU shirts!

Gracie loved her new bags, stroller & baby she got from Great Grandma Shirley & Mimi.

The big hit was the puppy Gracie got.  You walk it with a leash, it barks, you brush it's hair, etc.  BTW-this is as close to getting a puppy as I want to get for a long time, maybe ever!  

Will loved his new space rocket!  It makes lots of cool sounds and does a lot of neat tricks.

Will & I being reindeer!

Will & Corey with their favorite things... baseball & a guitar (neither of these were gifts but the picture was too cute to pass up sharing).

Gracie enjoyed sitting with her Great Grandpa Willie Joe.  They were pretty cute snuggling, chatting & watching TV.

Then we moved on to my dad's for a little Christmas fun:

Gracie loved her new pink tent that Uncle Jason & Grandpa Penny put together for her.

The Baby Alive is still a favorite around our house.  I'm thinking this is good training for them before the baby comes.

Carolyn & Gracie share a love of Tinkerbell!

And of course, Will was super excited about all of the sports stuff he got.  The Touchdown sign for his room and the Falcon's uniform were so cool!

"Look at me, mom, I'm a Falcon Football player!"  Yes, we are more than Auburn fans these days.

After our trip to Mississippi, we also enjoyed celebrating Christmas with Corey's parents:

Here is a sweet picture of the kids.

And here are a few of the silly ones we got:

They have such a good time playing together.

We also got pictures with Nana & Papaw and the four of us.

Gracie loved her new doll that her Nana made for her.  She came with her own wardrobe and a baby crib built by Papaw.

Will loved the baseball stuff he got and his Cam Newton jersey.

He also loves his new CD player.  He has a CD of the music that Corey recorded for him that he loves to listen to at bedtime.  It takes him so long to fall asleep at night that we thought this might help him settle down a little faster.  It seems to be working!  : ) 

Okay, time for an M&M break with dad.  Have I mentioned that my kids LOVE M&M's!

And, if you haven't already guessed my kids have got a basement full of toys!  Who needs Santa when you have grandparents.  They are blessed...