Christmas Activities!

Whew! We have had a busy and fun-filled Christmas season. As we get ready for Santa to come tonight, I wanted to go ahead and get some pictures up of what we have been doing this December. First, we spent a night with the Pylant's and Jackson's at Calvary Assembly for their annual Christmas show. It is called Christmas Now and Then and the first half was Christmas now and they had all of Caroline's favorite characters including Dora, Barney, Diego, and SANTA! Christmas then was a live nativity. It was a fun night with great family and friends.Then Dan and I snuck away one night for my friend Jenna's annual tacky Christmas party.

Lastly, we went to Granny's this week for our annual cookie making extravaganza.

The participants included:

Caroline "Stink-Eye" Coulter

Virginia "Sprinkle-Swiper" Pylant

Luke "Too-Cool for Cookies" Nail

Mary Bibb "Flour Power" PylantKatie "Killer Kutter" Eyster (and her sister Mary Frances who had to leave before I got my camera out)

The finished products! (Santa is one lucky guy to get to eat these cookies!)

Tree Trimming and Meeting Santa

We had a big "Christmasy" night last week. We got our tree and saw Santa all in the same night! After two years of artificial due to having a one month old and then a one year-old, we went back to having a live tree this year. We went to eat and then picked out our tree. Caroline loved it and ran around like a wild child so we kindof just grabbed one and ran. We stopped by the mall on the way home to let her see Santa and she had been telling us all night that she would sit on his lap. Well, she balked!! But she was perfectly content to sit on my lap and let me sit on Santa's. Santa even talked Dan into sitting on his other knee so we got a pretty funny family picture with Santa. We (mostly me!) decorated the tree when we got home and Caroline LOVES it. She is at such a great age this Christmas and we are loving the season!!Dressed and ready to hunt for the perfect tree!!!
Caroline and Daddy discussing why he had to tie our tree to the top of the car.Just a little excited!Waiting to see Santa...Caroline was trying to smile but she was a little nervous.All I can say is niiiiiiiiiiiiiice.TA DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fall Photo Shoots

Disney On Ice

Mammy recently took us to see Disney On Ice in Birmingham. I was anxious to see how Caroline would do since we have never taken her to any kind of show or movie before and she is not the best at sitting still for very long. Well, she LOVED it!!! Caroline, Virginia, and Mary Bibb were all mesmerized by the characters and songs. I kept getting teared up watching their little face. Mammy did get the stomach bug about half way through, but, other than that, it was a day to be remembered...

Running in, sooooo excited!!

Granny quickly dropped about fifty bucks on two small stuffed Mickeys and a Belle necklace, very pricy but we have slept with Mickey every night since...At the show.....

Parenthood

Can you believe that I waited for half an hour in this line....

With these two jokers............

Who killed time by doing this.........

Just to see her........

And experience this reaction from my child..............AHHHHH.....the joys of parenthood!!

PaRtY pArTy PaRtY

We celebrated Caroline's second birthday with a Dora-themed party! We had a moon bounce (which Dan coincidently won in a golf tourney), riding toys, balls, a pinata, and lots of food and cake. We had a great turnout and loved getting to celebrate with all of our friends and family.The "real" Dora even came. All of the kids seemed mesmerized for just a second but most came around and gave her a hug.
(I loved that Mary Bibb later commented to Ginny that she cant see Dora's braces when she watches her on TV!)

The Dora pinata before.....

And after.......
Caroline was so excited when it was time for her friends to sing Happy Birthday...she had been practicing singing it to herself and blowing out the candles for WEEKS!
We saved the presents for when we got home and Caroline got SOOOOOO MANY nice things. Thanks so much everybody!