The Day Of Christmas

The Day of Christmas included:

• The noon Christmas meal
• A Christmas Story all.day.long.
•  family in and out
• girls gift exchange
•  reading of the Christmas Story before the last of the gift giving 
• and getting late so some are in pajamas already.

The parents had their fun helping the little ones open their gifts.

While the others watched and got to play with things as they were opened. 

Girl gift exchange time while the little ones napped and the men napped or was doing something else.

Each adult girl brought a gift and we took turns choosing a gift and then you could take someone else's gift if you wanted it instead. One gift was opened, with ooooing and ahhhing the gift was kissed and was told I love you, before someone would take her gift in trade. FYI, she got to keep her gift thru the whole gift exchange. A zilllion pictures taken until we cold agree on one for public posting. Fun, with a lot of cute good gifts like bubble/bath things, gift certificates, nail polish, all girly things.  The younger girls wouldn't do the picture thing.

When time to leave, one more gift arrived for a dad to assemble. Both were waiting patiently and helping for the final assembly for playing again.

Which took a while. You do know that dads have a hard time with Christmas toy assembly. 

And a good nite to all!

gin

Have Yourself a Merry Christmas

My Christmas wish for you is "May all your days be merry and bright."

A Short Story

Running around playing together .

Time out. Taking a break. Talking. 

Brooklyn says, "I'll kiss you."

Cohen says, "Eww, no!"

Cohen escapes the kiss and sits on her before she can get up. 

Acting out their roles perfectly. 

Gin

Thanksgiving 2013

Giving thanks for blessings we receive all the time.

Hope your day was special in your own way. 

Cinderella

There is a National Cinderella Pageant Program. We entered Brooklyn in it. We meaning her mom. I'm just along for the excitement. 

We are into the pageant scene. Just kinda got hooked on it. Brooklyn is the participant and me and Jennifer are enjoying it. Though we don't always win queen, we have met other sweet mommas and grandmas. And have had some fun times.

The Cinderella Pageant is a 3 decade scholarship pageant and from what I have researched it will be an amazing experience. 

It's a 3 tier program. First a local preliminary competition. Then state competition. Then finals at the national level. 

On November 3, Brooklyn competed at the local level in the baby division. 

Baby division awards are Overall, Beauty, Personality, and Photogenic.  The older divisions also have talent and interviews. 

Our Brooklyn placed Baby Cinderella Beauty.  She is invited to the Louisiana State Cinderella Level. How awesome is that!! 

This is the picture we tried to take as we 

were leaving. She was not having a picture.  Aww, poor Cinderella crying.

And then this is after she got home with no shoes, no bow, banner on wrong, but not crying. 

This was Sunday. Didnt know why she was so unhappy until the next day. Seems she was at the doctor's office bright and early diagnosed with an ear infection. 

Check it out athttp://www.cinderellapageant.com/

Gin

Outside

The weather was fall-ish, which made it a great for being outside. Not hot. Not cold. Perfect temp. leaves floating to the ground as they fell from the trees, crackling and crumbling beneath shoes as we walked, ran and kicked thru the carpet of leaves. 

It was a day of sticks, leaves, and pawpaws big toys.

This could possibly be her very first stick.

Snack and fake food play. 

No one wanted to come inside. 

Let them eat cake

That's just what we did for our October family birthdays. 

Celebrating Trent's 28th and Brooklyn's 1 at a small family dinner. 

We can always find a reason to celebrate and birthdays are one of the special reasons. God gave us the gift of life, it's up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well. 

So we make a big deal of birthdays because God made a big deal of choosing to give us life. 

Happy Birthday Trent and Brooklyn.

Starting Early

You can't keep them babies for ever. 

My 2 little ones have made the 1year mark and it seems they have grown up so much since they made the big 1.

One is 4-wheeler riding already on a power wheel. They teach them early around here. 

After a few lessons, Cohen knows just what to do. 

Where oh where are my little babies? 

They are growing up way too fast.

Fair winning

This is another winning crown post. 

The baby division 12-17 months at the 

Livingston Parish Fair Pageant had 11 participants. 
And little Miss Brooklyn got 1st runner up. 

Of course we wanted queen, but 1st is the next best. 

It's really exciting to win or place.

But like all competitions, 

we may not win or place everytime. 

One must prepare and do your best, 

compete for the right reasons, 

and enjoy it because It's something you want to do. 

We've enjoyed the pageant scene. 

Yayyy Brooklyn 

Happy 1 Year

Happy 1 Year

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

Another little one turned one celebrating with birthday cake, ice cream, food, presents, family and friends. 

Celebrating In a princess sort of way. 

Fun.

Complete with my DIY bday banner. You can see it in the background in the window. 

Festival Life

The best part of fall is the festivals and fairs and the few great holidays. People, food, fun, activities, excitement, and fall 

weather fill the air.

Our festivals begin with Walker Pine Tree

Festival in my home town. Where I grew up, went to school, raised our family, our kids went To school here and still live

In the area. 

Our first attraction was the kiddie rides. 

I watched Brooklyn and her mom ride 

While the others ate peanuts and funnel 

Cake. 

But the best part of my day was the Walker Pine Tree Festival Pageant.  And the Baby Miss Walker Pageant Queen was Brooklyn. She's the big baby being held by Another queen on the right side of  The picture. 

 Sorry you have to read about another

Pageant. But we are on a roll. And we have to get while the gettings good. lol.

The pre-teen and above wore evening gowns. The younger ones were to wear denim attire. She did terrific today. Here she is on stage between sessions holding her Crown. Her dress is hiked up

Above her petti skirt here and kinda unruly. But she looked and did great on stage in front of the judges. 

It was a good day!

The Mawmaw and the Pawpaw

Yayy! We get to pick up both babies from daycare the same day. And treating us all to ice cream.  Just the littles, the Mawmaw, and the Pawpaw. Spoil city here we come. 

With security clearance we have them both checked out and loaded up. 

It seemed like getting a security clearance. After showing my ID, photo copying my ID, signing and initialing forms, and waiting for the buzzer to sound to open the door, I get escorted to their rooms and enter thru the door. 

I hear grand music announcing "Mawmaw is here to pick you up", And I envision my little one running  to me with open arms and I pick him/her up and dance around and hug and kiss. But when the teacher calls my name several times, and I snap back to the real moment, I only hear nursery rhyme songs playing and some cries in the background . I did this twice. You know there are 2 little ones. 

So, pawpaw buckles  them in, and we stop for a NomNom Yogurt treat. 

They sit like two big kids, no longer little babies and listen to pawpaw's instructions. 

Enjoying their yogurt and hoping enjoying 

Their time with the Mawmaw and the 

Pawpaw. 

Fun Fun Fun with a little rivalry. 

I could use more days like this. 

Gin