Got the camera back!

Santa's Arrival

I can't really describe the happiness my children had this Christmas, especially Mary Mack. It's easier to understand in pictures!

Santa delivered the goods by 9:00 pm.







This one says it best!


Ready for battle




She was amazed he ate every bite of cookie & left only a drop of milk.


Fortunately Santa knew to bring two harmonicas


For a while, MM & John were missing & there were two strangers in the house


John's favorite was the mailbox



A violin was the only thing she asked for this Christmas & Santa delivered.



New Gymnastics gear



Trying out the goggles & John Deere power tools



MORE arts & crafts


Putting on a serious face for a serious game of baseball


Playing the new Leapster

Christmas Day at Birdie & Papa's

I like this picture because of John laughing but I didn't want to crop it for A) the pretty Christmas decor & B) where Dad is standing to watch TV!


John was done with pictures before they ever started




A new dinosaur hat picked out by Uncle Bud...


Who was very sleepy...

Still No Good Camera but More Pics Regardless

Freshly bathed & ready for dinner out with the Underwoods




Off to work with Dad

Camera-less

Well, I haven't been able to post my Santa or Christmas day pics because I left my camera at my parent's house. It has been crippling for me but I did manage to locate my little old digital camera. It made me laugh to realize that I take pictures every single day because I have reached for my camera a million times since December 25th only to realize it's not here. Hopefully I will get it back soon & get the Christmas pictures downloaded. These are a few funnies from the last few days that I have taken with my old camera.

I was attempting to get my kids to eat mixed steamed veggies. MM was NOT into the asparagus so when I hid a piece in a bite of corn, she started screaming. I told her I could immediately tell how strong it was making her & how AMAZED I was by her muscles. She started making faces that reminded me of the Incredible Hulk so I had to snap a few pictures.




Playing Catch-up
Christmas was exhausting for all of us so we spent the first few days after the holidays crashing. John woke up with this special combover one day after nap.

Christmas Eve

We started the morning with a fun trip to Aliceville. Great food, great family & great presents!












Sprinkling the reindeer food before bath time


Enjoying new Legos from Tappie & Bert


Baths & TRYING to calm down enough for bed



Snacks for Santa



Christmas Eve Eve

We gave the kids one gift each from us & opened their gifts to us! MM had been begging for a Snuggie & John loves his Curious George pail!




We made cupcakes & while they baked, MM asked if she could unload the dishwasher. A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. No, you cannot borrow her!

Prisoner Of My Own House

Today's story is that I cannot get to my mailbox to check for new Christmas cards. I was in my bedroom folding clothes which is the furthest room from the front door when I heard someone at my front door. I was frantically trying to think if I still had something coming from UPS, but instead this is what I found. He is still there & despite banging on the door, he isn't moving so neither am I. I'm pretty sure I don't want rabies for Christmas?!?

He is so close here that the camera won't even focus on him!!

Christmas in Carrollton

We had a great visit with John's grandparents on Sunday!









The one upside to constantly traveling during the holidays..

Preschool Christmas Program

I have to admit when Mary Mack came home from school saying she signed up for an animal part in the nativity scene this year, I was a little concerned. After all, to be an angel, you only have to wear a white dress & we have a beautiful one that would be perfect. It's kind of like when your child signs you up for cupcakes when you could have signed up for napkins.

Luckily, all types of animals were welcome at the school manger & our neighbor offered up her horse costume (Thanks Martha Ann!) Mary Mack was one cute little horse!

Scanned Pics

The color on digital pictures is so weird sometimes but I thought these were cute nonetheless.

One child was in a very happy place, the other not so much



School picture ~ 4 years old

Let the Festivities Begin

Christmas at Grandma Bull's















And to all, a good night!

The Nutcracker

We went to the Nutcracker today at Samford. Mary Mack said it was the BEST show ever!





She got to meet two ballerinas & have a picture at the tea party prior to the show.

As always, doing a few moves of her own.



Kind of hard to tell here, but it snowed in the auditorium during intermisson.

Christmas Pictures

Quite the challenge with two! They were really funny & we need to get them back to the Botanical Gardens because they had the best time there!.

Choosing a tree













Mary Mack is very into the Nativity scene. Some new things show up every day in our various scenes around the house.





Watching the SEC Championship

I walked into the den to find Mary Mack "playing Baby Jesus". She was in the manger with all the animals set up. She said I would be Mary & John would be Joseph!



A few more funny randoms...

Employee of the Month

I was on the computer when a little voice trying to sound deep & gruff said "I'm ready for work." FYI, that is not the belt John wears with that suit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This was a pretty lame attempt by me to capture the fun of the day. I usually take ten times more pictures but I got involved in the fun & didn't take that many. Besides, I always get to open my birthday gifts on Thanksgiving so it's kind of hard to do both!


For the little turkeys



The master carver


Being a turkey with Uncle Bud



Playing the Picnic Game


Best Buds



Also, on a more serious note, please take a minute to scroll through this blog & pray for this little guy & family. This is an amazingly tough time for this family. http://prayfornoah.weebly.com/

A Few New Ones

A new night-time ritual...throwing the diaper in the trash before bath. I guess I have instilled my OCD in my children because they love a good routine!

Good Times!

You can't beat the construction of a candy-covered gingerbread house on a cold Sunday afternoon with cousins!

Rooooooll Tide Roll!

Thanks to Birdie & Papa for giving us their Zone tickets for today's game!

Jamming out on the way with the new CD player from Tappie & Bert



Taking full advantage of the ice cream.....and popcorn...and chips...and brownies...and cookies...and pretzels...





Touchdown Bama!


If you forget your sunglasses, they sell lovely ones in the Zone. :)





Even Santa is a Bama fan!

Happy Birthday Mary Mack!

I can't believe tomorrow I will have a FOUR year old!

Snuggle time

Pump It Up!

We had a blast today at the combined party for Mary Mack & Harper! Thanks to all the family, classmates & neighbors who made the trek to Pump It Up.













Modeling some of the lovely makeup she received as a gift!

Fallin' Back

To no one's surprise, a three year old & a one year old have no concept of falling back for Daylight Savings Time. Since everyone was up with the sun at 6:00 am, we thought early church would be a lovely choice. This is SO hard to do because who likes running around like the house is on fire to be somewhere by 8:00 am? We did it anyway only to cruise in & realize.....there was no early church today as was announced for two months now. There was only one combined service celebrating a special day at church. It's just a day in the life!

A Happy Happy Halloween

No matter how happy you are about Halloween, it cannot exceed the excitement of an almost four year old! She would stop halfway back, hold the treat up & scream "Look what they gave me!!!!"



My favorite picture!



The difference in first child vs. second child...MM has not had a Blow Pop in its entirety to this day. She didn't have candy for a looong time & certainly not gum. To keep him happy, we let him have a Blow Pop at house #2.



One of our favorite costumes! The weenie dog...

Neighborhood Halloween Party at the Park

Litte Miss Muffett & her spider


John's costume was so puffy that he could not sit back in his car seat!




Peek a Boo around the trees...John's favorite game





Group pic although we weren't able to get everyone away from the playground


Matthew, Nathan & Mary Mack

Happy Faces

A few new ones

Yard work...We raked the first million leaves that have fallen. John had a love-hate relationship with the leaf blower!






I washed the new Christmas pj's from Birdie today & Mary Mack insisted they make their debut tonight!

Sunday Soccer & Boo at the Zoo

These two activities have something in common....I am always so happy to see them start....and even happier when they are both over. But our children love them so that's why you'll see us doing both year after year after year after year...


John cheering for his sister




Charles started holding Mary Mack's hand running down the field. She loved it of course...until he wasn't going to let go! Worth zooming in on the second picture to see their expressions!



John finally gets a turn to touch the goal.



The medal is worth the $65!


MM & Clyde compare notes


The theme at the zoo this year was Star Wars so MM thought Princess Leia was pretty cool. MM loved being Little Miss Muffet but her spider (John) didn't make the zoo trip due to his early bedtime.


MM, Caroline, Ella, Campbell & Hudson

The Pumpkin Patch....that felt like the North Pole

Columbus Day O' Fun

By 1:00 pm, we had toured the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, done a little shopping, eaten lunch at Lloyd's, gotten two haircuts & two pedicures.




Our favorite exhibit was listening to the Bear Bryant statue talk!




John staked out the only animal in the entire museum.




A surprise pic by Mary Mack


First but won't be the last pedicure for MM! (And don't worry Birdie, I didn't let them use the tools on her feet; it was just a "polish change") :)

These Boots Were Made For Walkin'

Happy Birthday Clyde

Mary Mack loves Clyde!


Abigail, Mary Mack, Harper & Charles


The man room at I-Jump; the guys were so happy!


Check out the one year molars on the bottom coming through-Wow!


Poor little John longingly dreams of being out of the room for the kids under 3.


Harper & Mary Mack


Clyde & Mary Mack










THE SQUIRRELS

No one believed me that I keep seeing squirrels carrying babies through our front yard. I finally got one on camera after it almost attacked me on a trip to the mailbox.

Fore!

A good one to look back on one day...

A Few New Ones

The arrival of the ball pit....John's favorite.








The arrival of new slippers....Mary Mack's favorite.

Naps

Since school began three weeks ago, Mary Mack has taken 3-4 naps total. She was napping two hours every day & suddenly stopped. She will stay in her bed for about 30minutes & then tell me that her "eyes won't close." I had just said how well she had done because I expected her to be whiny at dinner time but she has been awesome. I guess it's starting to catch up with her though. She was having a campout in her room with all of her friends while I cooked dinner. John kept invading the campout so she closed her door. When dinner was ready, I called her about three times to come to the table. She never came & I started to get worried. This is what I found...
Note all the "friends" covered up & tucked under the rug.

School Carnival

The Annual Preschool Carnival is always a huge hit with the children!


MM & her sweet teacher



The children sang a few songs from music class. Unfortunately she was behind one of her friends who is the same height as me.


After some time, we can began to pick up on signals that it was time to go.

Some more obvious than others.

The grumpy eyebrow face she has made since she was tiny! She was not happy to leave the jumpy.

Jenny's Baby Shower

Congrats to Jenny & Ryan on the upcoming bebe!

Splish Splash

The latest nighttime ritual...

Sunday Soccer Kicks Off

So excited to see Charles on her team. For you Jasper people, this is Jason Woodard's son!

Way down the field, the boys congregated to keep John from storming the field. He is the tiny white spot rolling in the grass while Johh, Martin & Buddy visit.

Caroline showing off a few tricks

Game faces on

The Hair Fairy Strikes Again

Always a sign of good sleep!

Rooooooooll Tide Roll!

Everyone was fed & bathed prior to kick off. That deserves an RTR!

Happy Birthday Francie!

The boys waited at home since John was still not feeling well.

Guess What Is New?

I told her she was a cute cowgirl & she informed me that she was not a cowgirl but a "boot princess."

Get Well Soon...PLEASE

I don't know why anyone says "When Momma ain't happy, nobody is happy" because clearly Momma's happiness is based on if everyone else is happy! Poor John John has been sick & so fusy so we've been on lockdown. He is on the mend now but we're still stuck inside so the house seems to be taking the brunt of it all. I had to take these pictures because those who know me well, know this drives me insane for my house to look like this but...what are you going to do?? Mary Mack put all her animals in the den to play school. The funny part is that she put some in basket & told them they had to stay in there because they had the flu. It's pretty bad when kids play school & even have sick kids in their class!



Flu-ridden students

Ballet Lessons

Ballet lessons began so I thought I would take a few pictures of Mary Mack the ballerina. Of course I meant just standing there in her leotard but as always, she turned it into a photo shoot.

I Tried

The kids looked so cute for church Sunday but I made the fatal mistake of trying to take pictures after we got home. No one would be still & everyone had food on his/her clothes. Oh well!

The Lemonade Stand

With more contributions than actual sales, Mary Mack earned a whopping $16. She is saving for a trip to Disney World. That should buy 1.5 lunches at the airport.



I helped with the spelling but she made this sign all by herself!


Some of our best customers....Caroline & Hudson

These are a few days old....John actually did not make the lemonade stand.

Pictures From Grace's Wedding

I had to wake her from nap two days in a row. Hilarious!


She was so proud to have James to walk with her!


During the rehearsal the night before...although the thumbs up appeared at the wedding as well!


Two pretty girls


A few dance moves at the reception

Our Final Beach Hurrah

Note the cart in the background. MM managed this getup within seconds of unlocking the condo door.


We have furniture but somehow we always ended up reading books in the floor.

We were watching America's Got Talent or something like that when MM decided she could top them all. You can't even get how funny her moves were by the pictures. Her finale was a "tuck & roll".





Tea Party at the beach




MM had been going under water before our trip but she really started swimming under water this trip!








Fresh from the showers!



Always always on the run!


A new obsession: walking around with a peeled apple bigger than he is.




Where's Waldo? John was always running away so it was hard to get pics. He spent most of his time climbing the steps around the pool.











Mary Mack made a new friend each day.

We were so happy to see Stacey, Harper & Ken this trip!

Watching Wiggles & feeling free

I love this little face!







Seconds before John managed to find the only mud puddle at the Wharf.

Everyone had a favorite moment this trip.

Dress-up Day Crosses a Line

The pictures speak for themselves...

Gymnastics Camp

Camp was a blast! Mary Mack showed us a few moves she learned & of course John had to join in the fun. She is turning into a tall skinny girl!

A Few New Ones

Obession Dujour: Headbands
While my mom was cleaing out closets, she stumbled across a box of 1980's headbands, which now get to reside at my house. Thanks Birdie! MM has been sleeping with them on her pillow & adorns one the minute she wakes up.



Why bath is after dinner no matter what.

Loungewear

My nanny made the cutest matching pj pants recently for the kids & I had to snap a few pics. John's are so funny because they are almost as wide as they are long.

The Big Event

Mary Mack did so well in Ms. Grace's wedding last weekend. She stood (somewhat still) throughout the entire ceremony which lasted 50 minutes. That is a long time for three year old legs. (And a long time for Mom to sweat through it!) The best part was that after she found her spot at the altar, she found me in the crowd & gave me a huge "thumbs up" sign. Good stuff!

I don't have pics from the event but here are a few from the Bridesmaid's Luncheon at Birmingham Country Club.

Roll Tide!

John was 25 lbs & 30.5 inches at his doctor appt. today!

Happy 1st Birthday John John!

We were lucky to have a great day with a great family!

McWane Center

Of course we have to allow trampoline time before we leave


Petting the Cows

I wouldn't trust the driver!

Petting the sharks & stingrays

John's first walking trip to McWane

Trying to Clean Out the Closets....

So the music was on while I was trying to clean out the coat closet. What else to do but grab your gloves & break it down? Her expressions never end. This is the same child who says every day during the Today Show "Not Michael Jackson AGAIN?!"

Discovery Week Part 1: The Trampoline

Scroll down & mute the blog music before opening (scroll down the screen on your right) so that you can hear the video.

Discovery Week Part 2: The tongue

An Update On the Tent

A Camp In

Mary Mack is currently obsessed with campouts & has been begging for one. I decided we would set the tent up in the den after baths since it is a thousand degrees outside.
Good Housekeeping Tip: It also serves the purpose of enlarging your home. If you leave it up for a few days & then take it down, it's almost like you've added on to your house at zero cost.