A morning at home

Christmas Pictures

We had several days of Christmas celebration. All weekend long actually. Dad, Nat, Justin, and Easton came over yesterday and we had lunch and lots of desserts. Daddy brought some yummy apple dumplins. We had a very nice day just relaxin. The boys did get up and go hunting in the afternoon while the rest of us napped.

Nana's house was on Saturday and she fixed a wonderful brunch spread. Easton got a slide!

Claire wanting to open the present Aunt Sherri and Uncle Mike sent Addie.

Addie and Claire got Easton Flicker the Handy Manny flashlight and he kept flashing it at himself.

Claire and Addie on Christmas morning. Uncle Trey sent them a blow up tunnel thingee with balls in it and they had a blast with it.

Santa was good to Daddy and brought him a Miter Saw. I can't wait for all the furniture to fill up our home that he keeps talking about making : )

Santa brought Addie and Claire a table and chairs!! Addie woke up Christmas morning and we heard the pitter patter of her feet at 7am. She started running towards our bedroom and we heard her stop about the dining room where she discovered the table and chairs. She then proceeded to our bedroom to tell us with very large eyes that Santa had come and he had eaten all the cookies and drank all the milk and that she had a table and chairs. Chris and I decided that made our Christmas.

The joy of being in Stewart County this year for our first Christmas in our new home was being able to get a visit from Pap and Nanny Christmas morning.

Addie with her Loving Family Dollhouse from Santa

Kristin and Richard sent Addie a plastic crossbow for Christmas after her crossbow incident when they came to visit us. She and her daddy love to shoot it in the house.

Claire always wants Addie's baby dolls so she got her very own this Christmas from Santa.

She loves her some Yo Gabba Gabba and here is Foofa.

Chris reading the nativity story out of Luke on Christmas eve night before Addie went to bed. Claire was already snoozing.

Reading the Night Before Christmas

Claire on Christmas Eve at Pap and Nanny's house. She is playing with Addie's present from Pap and Nanny. She was singing her heart out.

Clay turned 10 on Christmas Eve and Nanny made him a snowman cake.

We got a wonderful surprise when Rhonda and Jim called us on Tuesday and said that they wanted to come over for a visit Wednesday afternoon. Addie and Claire got to have Christmas time with them. We love and miss them soo much!!

Christmas Memories

My prayer is that I reflect this Christmas on what this holiday truly means. God sent his Son to this earth to live among us, to be born in the flesh, and to die. Die a mean and cruel death for my sins and yours. Praise be to our God that he loves us that much!!!! Merry Christmas to you all.

I do have to take a moment to address an issue that has "bothered" me this season. I am a HUGE believer in Santa Claus : ) and though I know what December 25th means to me, the day we celebrate Christ's birth. I truly pray that I celebrate Christ's birth daily and that I am raising 2 girls with Chris and that we teach them to celebrate Christ's birth daily. The "bothered" issue is that I do believe I had an awesome and amazing childhood at Christmas time because I believed in Santa. I guess I have felt bothered by the fact that some of my Christian friends might think that having your children believe in Santa is wrong. I have to disagree with that. I have VERY vivid memories as a child on Christmas morning about what Santa brought me and what an amazing time I had with family back then. Christmas Eve having Granny and Grandaddy Naron come over and celebrate Christmas with us with Walt, Amanda, Greer, and Howard. Those were the days for me!! (and mom's homemade rolls were great too!) We were very blessed to have a Santa that always came thru for us. Thanks mom and dad. I will never forget those Reebok BRIGHT blue high tops, or the hippo plastic sink!! For a moment this holiday season I wondered if there was something wrong in having my kids believe in Santa. I tell you tonight I am proud that they believe. Proud that my husband and I want them to believe in the "magic" of Santa. I nor my 3 siblings were ever conflicted as a child between Santa and Christ's birth. Never thought, "wow, my parents lied to me about Santa, so I guess Jesus doesn't exist either." Do I think that society today is completely misguided about Christmas and have TOTALLY turned it into a marketing holiday? YES!!

In NO way am I trying to step on anyone's toes, I just have been on FB these past few weeks and read different comments from people about how they can't believe people at church are coming up to their kids and asking them what Santa is going to bring them. I don't think it is so bad to believe. I am proud to be a part of Hilldale Baptist Church in Clarksville that has a Christmas store every year that we provide Christmas to some 140+ families. We provide for them so that they can have Christmas/Santa for their own kids and in so doing we are showing Christ's love. There, now I will get off of my soapbox!!

Merry Christmas!! May you have a blessed one and an awesome 2010!!

December pictures

Merry Christmas to all of you. May you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with your families: The birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I sat the girls in front of the tree this morning before church to take their picture. Claire doesn't usually want to cooperate!! The dress Claire has on mom made for either me or Sherri and I am sure we both wore it. I loved being able to dress my baby girl in it.

(wow, the Christmas lights make my floor look really shiny and clean, which it is not. Maybe I should leave the tree up and lights on year round)

Claire looks more and more everyday like a Naron baby. She cracks me up with her facial expressions. Here she is with her little snowman buddy.

In her Christmas pjs

Christmas Crafts

Staying at home with the girls 3 days a week made me want to make some Christmas crafts, so we made/painted some ornaments. Addie was so excited about doing it and hers turned out nicely.

Addie and I used my scrapbook tools and we cut out Addie and Claire's names in pink vinyl and put their names on an ornament.

Addie making her gingerbread house. Now I know why we didn't do this growing up. What a mess :)

Addie wanted to paint a frame and add some ribbon to it.

Happy Birthday Sisterhood

One of my dearest friends: Sisterhood, aka Dwinna and I met for lunch in Franklin on Monday. Her birthday was Tuesday the 15th and I wanted to take her to experience a Gigi's cupcake after we ate lunch!! Dwinna loves red velvet and so she got a red velvet cupcake and I got a Winter Wonderland cupcake. Yummy!

We decorated Christmas cookies with Aunt Nat at Nana's house. Claire was sort of a bystander/taste tester.