Rewind!

I have to go back and post about my Thanksgiving!  In the rush of the holidays and all that was going on with my family, I failed to show some pictures of our wonderful Thanksgiving meal with my husband's family!

We decided two years ago to alternate holidays between my family and his.  Jemma wants to be in her bed on Christmas and we want that too.  It was just too much to drive to Tennessee and visit two families in a week, get back and have any down time before school and work started back.  It was a hard decision to make, but it is best for our family for now!

This year was Thanksgiving at my mother-in-law's.  She loves Thanksgiving and every year she makes the turkey (who is always named George!) and the italian dressing from my husband's grandmother.  It is made with italian sausage, mushrooms, oregano, poultry seasoning, and breadcrumbs with a few other things thrown in!  Oh my goodness, but is it ever so yummy!  She sets a beautiful table and is always so proud to use the Waterford Crystal collection that we started for her on her first trip to Ireland.  It is so beautiful!  I hope to collect it myself one day!  I love it that much!!!!

We got there on Tuesday night and my SIL and her boyfriend came on Wednesday.  My BIL and his family decided to go to the beach this year so it was a smaller group, but wonderful all the same!

This year was the big year when Jemma really wanted to help Nana with the turkey and all the cooking.    My SIL, Vicki, came up with the great idea to get them matching aprons!  How cute are these???

The girls are ready and everyone is excited!

Check out Jemma's face... it is all fine and dandy to talk about helping with the turkey and another to rub butter on a slimy turkey!  She doesn't really like to get her hands dirty so this didn't last too long!  At least she looked super cute in her apron!!

Gorgeous Waterford crystal from Ireland

Horrible lighting, but would you look at the cuteness of this shirt!  The same lady who did the aprons made this shirt.  It is a turkey applique with ribbons folded over and stitched for the feathers.  It is the cutest thing and it is pretty big so she can wear it for several years!

Ready for the feast!

George... oh George... how good you were this year!

The BHW carving the turkey

This was our Christmas too so we exchanged gifts that night.  Some short person was ready to open gifts!

I used photoshop to add a prayer that my SIL fell in love with to a picture of the cross from Ireland.  I think she liked it!

My MIL loved this coat in Ireland but didn't get it because she didn't want to have to pack it and lug it back home, so we bought it, hid it and surprised her with it for Christmas!

All four Barbie sisters singing Christmas carols.  I take that back... singing one Christmas carol.  Only one song...
It is cool though.  They each have their own voice and can sing alone or with the others.  It would just be nice if they had a couple of songs to sing!

Aunt Vickie got her roller skates!  She was so excited!  She put them on, stood up and both feet flew out from under her and she landed right on her tail without ever actually moving!  She was a bit timid from then on, but determined to do it as long as she could hold on to her dad!

Practicing the next day.  She found her groove by hanging on to his back pockets.  He would walk around the patio dragging her behind, stop, hitch up his pants, and keep on going!  He is a good daddy!

The next night we went to the Bristol Speedway to see the lights.  If you haven't done this and you live anywhere near east Tennessee, I highly recommend it!  The lights are absolutely incredible!  

Waiting to get in...

Still waiting...
I promise this is not child neglect without her seatbelt on!  It took us about an hour of creeping along until we got in!  

Finally!!!!!

The next day Jemma played in Nana's front yard before we left and I just sat and took some pictures of her with the lovely light.

One last hug before saying good bye and heading home.  It was a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Christmas 2011

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!!!!  We just got home from spending a week in Tennessee with my family for Christmas after Christmas morning in our own house.  It was such a treat to NOT have to drive anywhere, go anywhere or be anywhere!  I was sick as a dog with bronchitis, but loved watching Jemma play with all her new toys, snuggling on the couch and watching t.v. with the hubs.  It was a lovely holiday!  I am so thankful to my wonderful husband who works so hard to make the holidays special.  We are making memories that will last a lifetime!

Getting ready for our third annual trip to see the Nutcracker.  I thought I would be all cool like the soap stars and do a middle part.  NOTE TO SELF... don't do that again!  

Love that you can see Jemma's lights around her canopy and I love the fact that I have a palm tree in my yard that I can wrap with Christmas lights!!!

The new tree did pretty well!  I missed my old one, but this one is growing on me!

Fred made a snow angel!  

I love the tree lit up at night

Some serious cookie decorating with my sweet neighbor and her son

Every year we go to the James Island Festival of Lights and visit Santa with some of the neighbors.  It was so warm and wonderful this year!

They thought is was a blast to ride in the back of the truck to look at lights.  Ok... they don't look super excited, but they really were!

Jemma doing some demolition work.  Not really!  Just crushing up some goodies for reindeer food

What reindeer wouldn't love this?

My annual Christmas eve by the tree shot

New Christmas jammies from Fred, the elf

Leaving reindeer food

Can't forget Santa's cookies and milk in a fancy glass

When I walked in, she was having a heartfelt talk with Fred and telling him thank you for the jammies and how much she would miss him.  It was the sweetest thing.

The real reason for the season.  Jemma added Christ to the nativity scene.  

I bought this golden book, Twas the Night Before Christmas, before Jemma was born and we read it every Christmas eve.  Please ignore my horrible appearance.  I was one sick girl.  I went to the doctor that day and found out I had bronchitis.  It was a rough few days, but after a shot, antibiotics, and a narcotic for coughing... I got better!

and to all a good night!

A bit o' Christmas

First off, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has written such thoughtful and kind comments after my stepbrother's passing.  It has been a hard time for my family and your words and thoughts meant more to me than you will ever know.  

I have been keeping my spirits up by throwing myself into the Christmas activities that Jemma loves and celebrating a sweet birthday.  We have decorated some but not as much.  I just couldn't pull it all together this year.  My friends would tell you it is all decorated, but I know the truth!  I have more stuff!  I thought I would share a few shots with you.  I have to do my nighttime shots soon.  I just can't believe that Christmas is almost here!

Singing her sweet heart out at the Christmas program

Birthday party at the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry.  It was a princesses and noblemen theme.  It was so much fun and included a scavenger hunt to help Princess Jemma find her royal things!
Can you say smocked birthday cakes on her shirt?  Looooove it!!!

The girls made crowns and the boys made shields.  Here they are on the scavenger hunt!  So much fun!

Some decorating!

This is Jemma's room.  I don't know if I have shown it before.  She picked out her canopy when we moved to Charleston.  The bed is super high and she can now get in without the step stool, but it is awfully cute there!  I still put the rails up at night as it is so far for her to fall off and she has done it once!  Ouch!  We just use a soft blanket with the quilt at the foot as she gets so hot at night.  She loves when I put up the garland!

This is her PB bookcase that she got when she was born.  I love this thing and fill it with seasonal books.  She has about 2 more shelves of just winter books.  My name is Kathryn and I am a children's book addict.  As a teacher for 10 years, I collected a lot and then I buy more all the time for her!  I actually have tubs for each season and we rotate books!  

I got my craft on once and made a hair bow holder!  

These shelves hold her collections... smoking men, Eiffel Towers and snowglobes.  The blue tin cup was my dad's.  It has always been in her room.

Oh yes... she has a purple Christmas tree that she decorates all by herself!  She loves it and so do I !

THIS is what Christmas is all about and we try very hard to teach Jemma the real reason for the season.  One of our favorite traditions is her advent nativity scene.  Each night we read the nativity story and add a piece to the scene.  On the 24th, we add the most important part... baby Jesus.  Jemma says that this is one of her most favorite traditions we do.  She read the story to us last night as she has memorized it.  There is nothing sweeter than her sweet voice telling the story of the birth of our Savior.

We bought this little music box thing two years ago and she loves it.  When we first got it, she would make us all lay in the bed, turn out all the light (this thing lights up), and play the songs.  We still do and the other night she was propped up on her Daddy's leg singing along with it and the glow of the lights just lit up her sweet face.  I will never forget that moment.

Just a few of the stuffed animals that inhabit the bed.  Fuzzy is always there along with pinky poodle the dog.  There are always a few pillow pets.  We have more...  Her irish dancer has been a favorite lately so she gets top privileges.

A peek of our new tree

Henry VIII and all his wives are back in our room!

I made a simple centerpiece this year as I was having all my sorority sisters to the house and needed something quick.  My mom always had a hurricane vase nestled in a wreath on our table so I created my own with clippings from the box they have at Lowes!  The berries came from my parents house and the candles are the flameless.  I love them!  This is a simple centerpiece, but I absolutely love it!

Letter to Santa.  She thinks she is fancy this year with her curly a's!   I also love her snowflake!  When she started it, I wasn't sure what it was.  When she said a snowflake, I wasn't really seeing it, but when she was done... I thought it was brilliant!

This is Fred our elf.  He missed the North Pole so much that he was in the freezer one morning!  Jemma gave her letter to him to take back to Santa.  We love Fred!

Fred's snowball fight with Rudolph and the gang!  

I love this picture.   We talk all the time about Jesus's birth and she knows that THAT is the true meaning of Christmas, but oh how I love all the magical excitement of Santa Claus!

I will take some more pictures and post them.  We have just got so much to do with so little time left.  Thank goodness that my shopping is pretty much done except for a few small things!
3 more days to go!