dressed for the holidays

I took Emma Jane for a Christmas card photo shoot in the adorable Christmas dress her Grandma Jane gave her. We went to our favorite park on the only warm day we had last week and I chased her around with the camera like a madwoman. This little girl will NOT stay still for two seconds! Although I was able to take a few cute shots that you see here, none of them were quite what we wanted for our Christmas cards. An impromptu photo shoot in our front yard finally got us the shot we wanted, but you'll have to wait until the mailman brings that one to you!

sugar and spice and everything nice....

Emma Jane helped us make Christmas sugar cookies today. Grandma Jane made matching aprons for the girls, but Paul decided he would wear mine for awhile so as not to feel left out (afterall, he IS the cook most of the time). Emma Jane had fun "rolling" some dough, pushing the cookie cutters in the dough, and making a giant mess with the sprinkles! She really thought it was cool to watch the cookies baking in the oven. Walker made sure he was behind us every step of the way just in case we decided to give him a cookie too. Thanks for the recipe, Grandma Jane. The cookies turned out yummy!

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!