Are you ready for some Christmas pictures?

I am usually a good picture taker and like to capture events that are taking place. But I've never been a good photographer at Christmas. I blame that mostly on the fact that I am a spoiled rotten little girl (I admit it) who spends most of Christmas opening presents and don't normally have the time to take the pictures myself. Now ~ that will all change next year as I'm sure I'll be snapping away as Lily Ann opens her presents. But I got to be the spoiled little girl for one last time this year. So mom had to send me all these pics she took from our Christmas events.

The 23rd

My mother's side of the family gathers every year on the 23rd for unbelievably good food and a fun game of (not too) dirty Santa.

Chaos at its best.

Watching people unwrap and steal presents from each other. Fun family times!

I'm pregnant. I finally get a chair!

Granddaddy (or I guess he is Papaw now but he'll always be my Granddaddy) enjoying the game while Jessica and Angie play with Karson

Lucas's drill bits that Dad won but Lucas eventually went home with.... in addition to the man purse. Dad, did you want the man purse?

Lily Ann's future playmates - Mimi, Will, and Karson

My grandmother's tree. I aspire to be her... mostly.

Christmas Morning

Every Christmas morning my Grandparents come over to my parent's house. We all open presents and then my dad makes the best pancakes ever. EVER. Seriously. Those are some good pancakes. I think they're even better on Christmas morning.... just because it's Christmas.

Digging through our stockings :)

Opening the rest of my stocking while wearing my cool new shades. I know. So attractive.

One of Lily's many presents... her bathtub! Yeah. It's super cool. You should get one... you know... if you have a baby. Thanks, Grandma and Granddaddy. :)

Daddy showing off his new Gargoyles... taking him back to his policing days.

One of my favorite presents for Lily Ann: a Cabbage Patch doll. Lily's Mamaw and Papaw 'adopted' her for Lily straight from the Cabbage Patch Hospital, one of our favorite places. Her name is Nicki Lynn (My granddaddy wanted to name me Nicki. Instead he got my middle name: Nicole. Lynn is my mother's middle name.) and she was 'born' on December 25, 2009!

My grandparents got me a Coach purse ~ yes, a real one!! I sort of, kind of already knew about it. But I also got a Coach change purse to go with it that was a complete surprise! I love my Coach purse! I haven't carried it yet, though. I am saving it as an extra special treat for myself once I become a Mommy. :)

A Flip camera from my parents! Believe me ~ once Lily Ann arrives, you will be seeing a lot of videos from this thing! P.S. We got my parents a Flip camera, too. Haha!


Christmas Night

Each year we celebrate Christmas with my dad's side of the family on Christmas night. This year, Lucas and I offered to host at our house. We grilled burgers, ate lots of cheese dip, and munched on some good desserts.

Some of the young ones. And an old one. Sorry, Dale.

Hiding Out Keeping Busy in the Kitchen

Darrell and his daughter, Kortney, playing shuffle board

The Hosts

Yep. That's my dog. I'm such a proud mom.

And yesterday I told you I didn't have a picture of the outside of my house. Well, turns out my mom took one. Not a very good one (sorry, Mom), but a picture none the less. You can see my awesome new reindeer ($5 from a yard sale) but can't really see my door garland, wreaths, or porch decorations. It is something, anyway. And like I said before - it is still up. Yes, now it is January 6th and the decorations are still up. Is it late enough that I can just leave them up until next year now? No? Well, that reasoning seems to work for some people.

SouthMeetsSouth @ Christmas

Remember when I showed you our pretty Christmas decorations this year? Oh.... I still haven't done that? Well, better late than never.

Welcome to our Christmas home -

And what's that in the bottom right corner, you ask?..........



That's just my husband (doing what he does best). Don't mind him!


You are welcome to gasp in awe of our beautiful new fireplace mantle! (Modest, aren't I?) I just love it! It still needs some decorative trim on the face and some stone or tile or something between the fireplace and mantle. It is a work in progress. And I'm not going to worry about those finishing touches for quite some time I can imagine. At least we are miles ahead of what was there before.


Thanks to Mom and her after Christmas bargain hunting last year, we got a brand new skinny tree for the family room!


It looks especially nice with all the goodies underneath!


Our front living room gets the big Santa treatment again this year!

They've been stored for two years since we spent Christmas in Colombia last year.

(Isn't a diaper cake part of everyone's Christmas decor?)

I decked out our Colombian chickens in poinsettias so they wouldn't feel left out of the holiday cheer.


And I just like these pictures of Lucas from Christmas Eve so I'm throwing them in here, too.


So excited about his Christmas PJ's


It's the little things.

From our house to yours.....


(I did decorate outside this year but didn't take any photos. I guess since they are all still up I can take pictures tonight. I know, I know. It's January 5th and the outside decorations are still up. I'm awful. But let me tell you ~ windchill this morning was 6 degrees! I'm not a cold weather person, so I'm just biding my time until I get a break from this hell..... or until my water breaks and I run into the lawn picking things up because I refuse to bring my daughter home to a house that still has Christmas decorations up. Yeah. Now that would be a good blog post.)

Week 34 (and 1/2)

Dear Lily Ann,

We have had a crazy couple of weeks, haven't we? I don't even know where to start!

We celebrated your 'first' Christmas. I know there is no other little girl who is yet to be born that received quite so much from Santa! If it wasn't before, your closet is now bursting at the seams with all the goodies packed away. We bought you some storage bins and a bookcase yesterday so I can begin organizing all of your goodies before your arrival.

Speaking of arrival - we had some interesting news from the doctor last week. It seems I am measuring about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. She told me not to read too much into this news and we will know a little more accurately next week..... But I am a little panicked at the thought you could be here in just 3 short weeks!! There is still so much to do!

Your dad and I have been in warp speed since receiving this news. We have finally begun our master bathroom remodel. It is really coming along! We hope to have it completed and ready to go before you come home! Your papaw and granddaddy have been helping us with the transformation. I'm glad we have some knowledgeable men in our family to help us through it all!

Your nursery is almost complete! There are still lots of finishing touches to get done. I'm nervous that it won't be exactly as I want it before you come home. Maybe you can hold on long enough to help me out! (But not too long! We are so ready to meet you!)

We have had a nice break from work over the holidays and have gotten much accomplished. But we are back to work now... all the while planning and thinking of what still needs to be done at home. The stress factor is on the rise but you are keeping me happy and calm (except for this itchy stomach and swolen feet after a long day's work). Your kicks, pokes, prods, and turns make me smile and enjoy these last moments we have together, connected so closely. It is hard to imagine I have a 5 pound baby growing inside me, relying on me for life, and inching closer to arrival. I am so in love.


We Love You,

Mommy

Colombia Celebrates Lily Ann

Not just any baby gets celebrated on two continents. But our little Lily Ann is one spoiled little girl. Lucas's mom, Cleo, is so excited about Lily's arrival. Unfortunately, she was unable to participate in our showers because she is saving her time in America for when Lily is here. And I am definitely in no shape to travel overseas to celebrate at this point. So she gathered up friends and family in Colombia and they had a baby shower in Lily Ann's honor!

This wasn't just any old baby shower. Cleo went all out with a live musician and lots of dancing (as well as drinks flowing well into the night). From what I hear, it was an excellent party. I really hate we missed it!

Here she is leading everyone in dancing.

A pretty cake....

And, of course, a diaper cake...

(donated to a local family)

And gifts galore!

I am so excited to see all the goodies and pass on the Colombian heritage to Lily Ann.

And now, if you'd like to join in....

Song and Dance in Celebration of Lily Ann

Happy Holidays from SouthMeetsSouth

Week 32

Dear Lily Ann,

Another week has passed! It is amazing how much work can get done in just seven days! I am proud to tell you that all of the major woodwork and painting in your room is finished! And new closet doors are hung! And - even better - your crib and dresser are up! We had some minor damage on both pieces but replacement parts are on their way. Your nursery is really coming together! We still have lots to get done: including replacing all the outlets, refurbishing and installing your light fixture, sewing the curtains, making the headboard for the daybed, and staining and recovering cushions for Mamaw's glider (we have been saving it for you since she passed away almost 10 years ago). Whew! Daddy has been doing a lot of the work thus far (with lots of help from your Granddaddy and Papaw), but now all the work is starting to fall on me and your Grandma! We are excited to start sewing for your nursery!

We also went to cheer on your Uncle Rookie at the marathon this weekend. I could feel you cheering, too! You are going to love your Uncle Rookie so much! Even though he has a bit of baby-phobia, I know he is going to be in love with you. Next year you will probably be cheering on your Uncle Rookie at the marathon once again! Who knows? Maybe your dad or I will be running, too!

Aunt Aida and Uncle Chris came over with your cousin/friend/future husband Landon. Landon is growing so fast. He is almost four months old! I am anxious for you to arrive and meet him. But I am sad to know you will grow so quickly! Until then, I am cherishing every moment of having you so close! They got to see you moving and kicking around and are so excited to meet you!

This week you and I also went to a Christmas party with my tennis team. We had a great time!! You will meet all of these nice women very soon and may even take your first vacation with them in June to our state tournament!

I finished up school this week, so no more Accounting or Economics for us! I am glad to have the extra time to focus on preparing for you. But soon enough we'll be starting again. I hope you like Statistics!

So much has gone on this week and we are pulling late nights to get things accomplished every day. Thank you for being such a great baby and letting me get everything done! I am feeling amazing! And ~ according to our doctor at this week's appointment ~ you are right on track! 32 weeks down, 8 to go!


We Love You,

Mommy

Team Rookie

If you have been reading for a while, you may remember Team Ashley from last year's marathon. Unfortunately, Team Ashley was disbanded this year because I'm freaking 8 months pregnant and not running any marathon! But our good friend, THE ROOKIE (see him there on the left), decided he would step in and run this year's marathon. Well, to be honest, he has taken this whole running thing very seriously. He trains hard and is actually quite good. He is one of those people I refer to as 'real runners', whereas I am just a 'fake runner'.

So this year, Lucas and I bundled up and hit the road to do a bit of marathon spectating and cheering. I have to tell you: marathon spectating isn't easy. But I think back to my experience from last year and realize it is much easier than putting one foot in front of the other for 26.2 miles. Yes, I prefer to drive.

At the start and Mile 2, Lucas decided to share some inspiration with the runners:
A lot of runners complimented us on the sign but we had a few negative remarks. I don't think they would have been encouraging me to run so much if they would have seen the belly I was hiding behind my sign.

Well, The Rookie enjoyed it and that is all that matters. Here is his smiling face at Mile 2:

Since the "Hurry Up" sign got such rave reviews, Lucas took out his next masterpiece at Mile 6:

Now I think this is absolutely hilarious! Almost There! Only 20 more miles to go! Haha! The traffic guard and most of the runners were laughing along with us.... only a few sarcastic remarks. Oh, well! You can't please everyone! And let me tell you: a good laugh and keeping the spirits up does wonders in the midst of 26 miles. I think we were doing good and spreading cheer..... for the most part.

We got the little rascal out for Mile 15.
He stayed bundled up with his daddy and waited for The Rookie.
I did my part....
And The Rookie's girlfriend and her friend were out to cheer him on at this spot...

Can you tell they are big New Kids on the Block fans?

He was still all smiles at this point! Go Rookie!
We caught up with The Rookie again in our neighborhood at mile 19.

We had an especially encouraging sign at this spot between mile 21 and 22 ~ which will go unpublicized. Funny... I don't remember him smiling at that one. Haha!

Then it was time to load up and meet him at the finish line...


Wow! Can you see that time?
3 hours, 52 minutes. I have to tell you.... this is like an hour and a half faster than me. Told you he was a 'real runner'.


Not sure if he was covering tears or the painful look in his face here....

But the look of agony quickly turned to a smile once he saw us all there to tell him how proud we are of him and what a great job he did! He really did do awesome! I am totally in awe.

Some lovin' from the GF

We love you, Rookie!
Great job!