discovering all things christmas

Emma Jane is crazy about our Christmas tree! She likes to take the bell ornaments off the bottom branches and, with our constant reminders, "gently" touch all of the other ornaments that are off limits. She also discovered her stocking and was POSITIVE that there must be something exciting inside! Grandma Jane gave her a cute pair of Christmas pajamas complete with a red tutu. She was thrilled to wear them while I chased her around the house to take pictures. This included chasing her up the stairs. She knows she's not supposed to go up alone, but she tries it every chance she gets! In the last picture you can see her newest attempt at avoiding the trouble she's about to get into. She covers her face with her hands when she knows she's busted. Afterall, if she can't see me, then I must not be able to see her!

oh christmas tree...oh christmas tree

This year we decided to be more adventurous in our quest to find the perfect Christmas tree. Instead of our usual trip to Lowe's or Home Depot for a tree, we went to Taylor's Christmas Tree Farm in Gilbert, SC. There were lots of different trees growing on the lot and Emma Jane had a blast running around them. She ran and giggled and hid behind the trees. Although she really had no interest in helping us pick one out, she was overjoyed when she got to take a ride on the John Deere that the owners use to tote the trees back to the front of the lot. Now, to describe the tree we picked out...."cute" might be the right word for it. We decided to think small this year since most of our ornaments are still in storage back in Panama City. So, the tree is not magnificent or grand, but it is OUR tree and we had a great time making memories in our search today!

Thanksgiving on Signal Mountain

Family Fun







Downtown Chattanooga








Rock City Christmas Lights






Thanksgiving Day





We went to visit Paul's family in Signal Mountain, Tennessee this week. Emma Jane was happy to see her Aunt Stacy and Uncle Paul. She REALLY enjoyed playing with (annoying) her cousins Vincent and Daniel. Grandma Jane, Grandpa Bill, and Great Grandma Nora also came up from Panama City so we had the whole clan with a total of 5 dogs and 3 cats. Needless to say, our little girl was in heaven! She had a great time exploring a new house and getting reacquainted with her family.

Paul and I took Emma Jane to explore downtown Chattanooga Wednesday afternoon. It is a really cool area with lots to see and do. Later that night we went to Rock City to see the Christmas lights with the whole family. It was a cold night, but that didn't bother Emma Jane. She had a ball checking out all the lights and tried her best to wander away every chance she got. Her little fingers were FREEZING at the end of the night, but she didn't seem to mind. She felt like such a big girl as she tried to keep up with Vincent and Daniel.

On Thursday, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast before heading back home. Unfortunately, Emma Jane was so worn out from the day before that she had a major meltdown just as we were sitting down to eat! Oh well, a girl can't be perfect ALL the time, now, can she?

On this Thanksgiving we are grateful for many things. We are so blessed. We are thankful for this special time we were able to spend with the Street family and we are grateful for ALL of our family and friends who enrich our lives. Happy Thanksgiving!

santa visit...take one!

To avoid crowds in the coming weeks, we took Emma Jane to the mall to see Santa today. She liked looking at him from a distance and seemed thrilled to wait in line to see him. But when it was actually time to sit in his lap, she clung to me for dear life! Paul took a few pictures of the confident Emma Jane on her way to see Santa, but in the last picture you can only see a glimpse of her skirt as she decides to hide from him! Shelly, Brad, and Addie were also there to see Santa, but Addie wasn't quite ready for the bearded man either. We decided that the girls will likely change their minds in a year or two when they discover that Santa is the one who delivers the toys! I'll probably take her again in the coming weeks to see if she has changed her mind, but I refuse to torture her. If she doesn't want to sit in a strange man's lap, that is FINE with me!

home is where the fun is...

Emma Jane and I usually go on at least one outing everyday. She is such a busy bee and keeping her entertained at home is a challenge. Yesterday she proved to me that she can find plenty of ways to entertain herself at home. She spent the afternoon coloring (the highchair is the safest place for this right now!), practicing her stair stepping (she can now walk up by herself while holding onto the rail), and finding new ways to play with her toys (she is finally stacking blocks instead of knocking them down!). Never a dull moment at home with Emma Jane!

ps ... She still insists on wearing her boots with EVERYTHING! Don't worry, she didn't wear them out in public with that dress! :)

a better view

While on our usual Riverwalk excursion, Paul put Emma Jane up on his shoulders for the first time. She loved it! She especially liked drumming her fingers on his bald head! Walker wasn't sure what to think about it. We also tried to teach Emma Jane how to blow dandelion seeds into the air, but after trying to blow through her nose without the desired effect, she decided to just eat the dandelion!

monkey in the morning

Most mornings Emma Jane wakes up on the RIGHT side of the bed. When she wakes, she happily plays in her crib waiting patiently for mom and dad to appear. We usually hear her giggling and talking to herself. One of her favorite things to do is grab toys out of the basket next to her crib. She can easily squeeze the soft toys through the bars. I keep her monkey rain hat in that basket and she loves to fish it out and put it on. It's hilarious to walk in the room and see our little girl bouncing up and down in her crib with that monkey hat on. I finally caught it on video and took a few pics. Please excuse the mismatched pjs...it was laundry day!