Cotton Field

In October, the cotton fields in our area begin to bloom. They were the perfect backdrop for our family photos. Today, I am sharing some of my favorites from our photo session. 

Some  of these photos eventually made their way onto this year's Christmas card. (I am sorry if you did not receive one. I was slowly gathering addresses, and once I got the flu, all visions of a holly jolly Christmas came to a halt.)

The week leading up to Christmas was a battle, but considering how sick I was, I don't think I could have asked for a better day to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. Chris and I had a quiet day at home with the kids. My mom, bless her soul, stopped by for a few hours and brought us Christmas dinner.  I hope that everyone enjoyed their holiday and had a Very Merry Christmas!!!

2018 Santa Pictures

Lola continued her Christmas tradition and brought the kids to our local mall to have pictures taken with Santa. Here they are!

For nostalgia's sake (because who knows how many years we have left before they refuse), here are some of Chloe and Evan's past pictures with the big man. Lola never forced the littles to sit with Santa, so if they weren't having it, neither was she. My digital Santa pictures only go back to 2011 and you'll notice a few with just Chloe. Evan was there, but wouldn't have anything to do with Santa...Chloe was much too willing to take the spotlight... 

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013 

2012

2011

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season. Merry Christmas!!!

We 💙 Aubie Claus!

Okay, so I'm a total believer in not celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving. You know the whole, "For every Christmas tree lit before December, an elf drowns..." I can't even say it!

However, there is one exception to this rule, and that would be Aubie Claus!!

We missed our annual photos with Aubie Claus last year, but this year I was bound and determined that we would get a date and time slot that worked with our schedule. Seriously, y'all. The site kept crashing and all time slots were filled within 15 minutes of it going live. Aubie has some hardcore fans!:)

I'm so glad I was able to make it work because the pictures turned out so cute.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a War Eagle!

Photo Credits: Village Photographers

Evan's Baptism

Today we celebrated because Evan was baptized!

Praise God! It was such a beautiful sight to witness. We are so excited that Evan took his next step in faith. We hope that he continues to grow in his faith and let his light shine.

After the baptism, we hosted a lunch at our house for the family members that attended. The only thing missing from our table were the lumpia/spring rolls that my mom was frying in kitchen.

I love searching for party ideas online, so I thought I'd share a few detail shots.

Can you believe that Fresh Market had hydrangeas in the fall?! They were the perfect flowers for our party décor!

And of course, we took a few family pictures. (Please ignore, as my husband so lovingly put it, my last of the Mohicans look created by the light coming through the windows of our front door.)

Thank you to the family members that came out to witness this blessed event. We love you and appreciate your support. 

Evan, I hope the Lord continues to guide you as you go out into the world. I pray that you continue to grow in faith and become a mighty warrior for God. After all, when Daddy searched the meaning of the name "Evan" before you were born, and found that it meant "warrior", he knew what the name of his son would be. You are also the son of the most mighty and righteous King. God bless you, Evan.

Girls' Day! {Chloe's 10th Birthday}

Chloe turned the big 1-0 this past Wednesday! Her birthday fell on a school day, so we celebrated with a special pancake breakfast that morning.

I put up some decorations the night before, so that Chloe would wake up to a festive surprise.

Evan was so thoughtful. He worked on a special painting as a gift for his sister He hid his wrapped gift in the closet and asked me to set it out after they went to bed the night before her birthday. He really does love his sister!

Nana stopped by that morning, but I forgot to take a picture. I'll blame it on the fact that I wasn't feeling well. The changes in seasons always hit me hard.

We had a few extra minutes that morning, so I had Chloe take a few more pictures outside with her balloons.

After dinner that night, we sang "Happy Birthday" and ate cake!

Instead of a birthday party, Chloe opted to have a girls' day with her bestie Carly on the following Saturday. Chloe thought of all the activities and I made them happen.

First on the schedule was Launch Trampoline Park.

We even played a game of laser tag while we were there.

Afterwards, we headed to Sweet Frog because when it's your birthday anything goes, even froyo for lunch!

Then, we watched The House with the Clock in Its Walls.

And finally, what girls' day would be complete without a trip to the nail salon for mani-pedi's! I must have grown tired of taking pictures at this point because I realized later that I only took a few pictures, and none of our painted nails...because I know that you were really interested in seeing those.😉

I know that Chloe enjoyed her day and especially enjoyed sharing it with Carly. It's hard to believe that my baby girl is now in the double digits. Time slow down! I am constantly amazed at this self-motivated, beautiful, and brilliant girl! Happy Birthday, Chloe!!!