2nd Annual Chaffins Barn Dinner Christmas Outting.

Mamaw and James
Me and Chris
Me, my sister April and my Mamaw ( I was laughing because Mamaw said she looked like an old hag)



What a better way to bring the in holiday than dinner and a Christmas play at the Barn Theater. Last year was our first year to go with Mamaw and James ( who are regulars) to Chaffins Barn. We had such a wonderful time last year that James took us back again for our Christmas gift. We ate and ate and then ate some more and then enjoyed the play Sorry Wrong Chimney. I am already looking forward to going next year! Oh, and an extra special thank you to my Mom and Dad who took Lyla Brooke with them to the Cheesecake Factory and shopping at the Green Hills Mall so that Chris and I could go. I love you FAMILY!!!

Christmas at Bettye's.

On Dec. 17th we went to my Aunt Bettye's house for our annual Christmas lunch and dirty Santa get together . This was Lyla Brooke's first year to attend ( well in person anyway) and she had such a great time. She got the cutest outfit from her Aunt Pam and Uncle David and a new favorite toy from Aunt Bettye. The food was fabulous and we had such a wonderful time eating, chatting, watching Titans football,and enjoying the holiday cheer!

Baby It 's cold Inside...

Chris and I went to the ICE at Gaylord exhibit a few weekends ago with some of our friends. We had such a great time and it was nice to get out of the house. We all loved the slide , the colors, the parkas ( HA) and the hot chocolate at the end. I loved the exhibit but was very ready to get outside ( which was like 60 that night) so that I could warm up.

I love TV!

Lyla Brooke loves to watch TV. It is funny because she will sit and watch most anything. It does not even have to be baby/kid oriented. She and my mom watch the Todays Show and Regis and Kelly most everyday. She loved TV so much that we bought one for her to watch in the car and strapped it to the back of the seat. I know she is spoiled but it was the best investment that I have made since she was born. She hated her car seat and would scream everywhere we went until now. She just sits in her car seat and watches her movies!

And these little piggies go wee wee wee all the way to my mouth

Lyla Brooke loves her feet. Chris and I were thrilled the day she finally discovered them although it was like a month ago ! I am a bad mom and am just now blogging about it. Now she sticks them in her mouth constantly! It does work nicely when we are changing her diaper though.

Bye Bye Bumbo.

So I found out on Monday, thanks to Carol at work, that the Bumbo Babysitter has been recalled. Lyla Brooke loved it while it lasted but I feel as though a fall and a fractured skull just is not worth keeping it. We will return it this weekend and find a new item that she will love just as much. I was able to get some pictures of her sitting in it before I found out this news.

Black Friday.

This was the second year that my sister and I braved the crowds, got two hours of sleep and shopped until we dropped! We had such a great time and this year we were fortunate enough to have my Dad join us. Our day started at 3:30 am and we were at Walmart by 4:00 am ready to grab those $3.00 movies ( what a steal). Walmart was a little crazy and they would not let anyone grab any of the sale items until 5 am. We waited patiently by the movies as we made a new friend, caught up on some girl talk that even my Dad joined in on, and longed for Starbucks! It was so early! After we left Walmart we were able to grab some Starbucks before we headed to Toys R US. I was going there for a Baby Einstein Christmas DVD that was on sale for Lyla Brooke, but when we got there the line was wrapped all the way to the back of the store. I decided that I would not wait in the line to save six bucks. On our way out I ran into some friends who were shopping for their daughter they were so sweet and bought the DVD for me so that I could still get the good deal without standing in the line! After Toys R US we went to Target, LifeWay, Dick's Sporting Goods, Old Navy, Staples , Academy and were at the mall by 9:30 !I got some good deals and cannot wait until Christmas to give them out!

2 o' clock Thanksgiving at Mamaw and James's house.

My Dad and his Mom
My sister and Chris
Beth, Chuck and Mamaw catching up.
Bunny ears, closed eyes and a laugh added the perfect touch!
I love my sister SO much!
Kiss! Kiss !
The girls
Just Us.
Lyla and her Great Grandma Helen.
Lyla loves her cousin Pam!
April, Mamaw, Chuck , Gary and Me!
Lyla getting ready to punch Pam and Aunt Linda!
My cousin Chuck and his first time seeing Lyla.

After our wonderful morning at Mom and Dad's we went home to get ready for our big family Thanksgiving at Mamaw's house. Chris was looking forward to this the most because he loves her creamed corn, fried okra, macaroni and well .. EVERYTHING! The food was wonderful as usual and we ate until we were sick. We had such a great time being with our family. We were also glad that my sister's friend Chris spent Thanksgiving with us. His family is in California and I know it must be hard to be away from them during the holidays. I always love when we all get together and can sit around and catch up. April and I sifted through all of the sale ads to see where we were going to start shopping on Friday! I was so thankful that Chuck, Beth and Gary were able to come down from Iowa to be with us. I hope that Jen , Mark, Meredith, Madison and Olivia are able to be with us next year! We missed you all SO much! Lyla Brooke had a cute Thanksgiving outfit with am embroidered turkey on the front, but at the last minute Chris and I both decided that it was too scratchy to put on her and too hot to put a shirt on underneath so unfortunately she was wearing a Christmas shirt on Thanksgiving.. HA! We were just trying to get in the spirit early. After our wonderful meal and time with our family we ventured out with the crowds to see a movie. My mom and dad were so awesome and kept the baby so that Chris and I could go have fun. Lance and Jonathan ( friends ) and April, Me and Chris all went to see... YES..... ENCHANTED! It was such a good movie and we all ( even the boys) enjoyed this pick!!!

Thanksgiving 2007. First stop 9 am breakfast with Mom, Dad and April.

Chris taking a nap
Nana with Lyla Brooke
She was over the Bumbo by this point!

Aunt April and screaming Lyla Brooke
Lyla Brooke chewing on her hand in her Bumbo
She had tears in her eyes because she was screaming!
Grandad and Lyla Brooke napping.

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hated to see it come to an end. I had family in town from Iowa whom I only see once a year and every moment with them is precious. We have been so busy that I have not had a lot of extra time to blog and post pictures but I finally had a free moment and hopefully I can catch up. We spent this Thanksgiving with my family because we had Chris's families earlier in the month because some of them live out of town and were in town at that time. I unfortunately did not have my camera at that Thanksgiving feast because I was not feeling so well from my kidney stones.
We started the day off at my Mom and Dad's house for breakfast and the Macey's Day Parade ( which is one of my favorite things on Thanksgiving). Chris, Lyla Brooke and my dad fell asleep during the parade because they are party poopers! We had a wonderful breakfast and were able to spend some time with them before we hit the big Thanksgiving Dinner with the whole family. I was trying not to pig out on breakfast because I knew that a big lunch was coming! I did not succeed in that but I did get some cute pictures. Lyla Brooke was in her PJ's because it was kinda cool that morning. We never go anywhere without our bow so of course we had to stick that in before we left the house.

Riding in the backseat with Daddy.

Chris always rides in the backseat with Lyla Brooke when we are in the car. He finds that it is a wonderful time for a photo session. We were on our way to lunch after church on Sunday when these pictures were taken.

Chew on this!

Lyla Brooke has started chewing on everything !! She loves her hands and finds it convenient that they are always around to stick in her mouth as she pleases. If she cannot find her hands she will chew on whatever she can find. She loves arms, blankets, necks, hands, clothing...whatever is in front of her mouth gets shoved right in!

Daddy's Little Girl.

Lyla Brooke loves Chris so much. It is so funny how she smiles and laughs as soon as she sees him walk in the door when he gets home from work. He really is the love of her life!!