Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating just a tiny bit with the whole "July" part of that title. Doesn't it feel like Christmas was an eternity ago? Well, since my sister recently posted her Christmas update, I figured that it wasn't too late for mine. We had SUCH an amazing time in Memphis. We were able to be there for an entire week and it was pretty close to perfect. We also had the opportunity to see several of the wonderfully generous people who support us financially for Young Life. Seeing that we have donors spread across the US, it's always great to see some as often as possible.
Anyhow, brace yourself for the photo deluge. Between Nancy B. and myself, the photo madness can be overwhelming. It was such a joyous holiday season and it filled my heart to be with my family and friends. Here's the evidence of my filled heart.
A Saturday tradition at Nan and Pops's house- DONUTS! Gibson's, we love you and miss you already.
Harper and Reese were so happy to meet cute little Addie Wingo. Those eyes will melt your heart!
Cash and his buddy Rivers Glass were happy to just share bottle time together
Best Friends for LIFE! They look pretty excited about it, right?
Reese was making her move on Rivers. She loves a little baby.
I was so happy that Natalie (whom I have known since 1987ish) and Mali (whom I have known since 1995ish) were able to come over and bring their tots. Notice how I (the mother of 3) am quite a bit more disheveled than these two lovely ladies. Imagine that.
Nan had the lovely idea of buying the "Little People" nativity set. She had grand visions of the little grandchildren gathering around pops as he told the story of Jesus, Mary, and Jo (as Harper calls him).
Those visions quickly faded as the frenzy of little fingers couldn't wait to get their hands on the little people. Seriously, what did she expect?
Of course our children ate such healthy foods over the holiday. No, their Nan DEFINITELY didn't offer them ice cream sundaes every single night. Nope, that wasn't her.
Mmmmmmm.
More chocolate? Why not!
Cheers!
After everyone was hopped up on sugary goodness, it was bath and jommy time. Sarah Ann and Thomas LOVED baby Cash.
I LOVE this picture of the whole rowdy gang. They really played so well together (as long as everyone kept their hands off of Thomas's trains) and loved on each other the entire week. LOVED that.
Harper was involved in a SARS outbreak . . . oh wait, no she wasn't. Chad and Pops attempted to take her to the VA hospital to deliver treats with all of the people that work with Pops. Unfortunately, no tiny tots were allowed on the hospital floor because of the swine flu. She was a trooper.
Our annual trip to the Enchanted Forest at the Pink Palace was SUCH a success. No tears were shed, nothing was broken, and no children decided to wander off down the escalators. That = success.
Does it get any cuter? These two were joined at the hip.
Thomas found the trains. Happiness ensued.
I mean, really? Is there seriously anything cuter than this?
Harper was straining to get a good look at the trains. . .
. . . and Liz snapped this cute shot of her tippy-toe stance.
Team Green
To everyone's surprise, Reese did not cry when faced with the big man in the red suit. She surely wasn't going to sit on his lap, but she was quite happy to sit on that little horse.
Team Cameron/Green
The whole happy crew and our FAVORITE Santa. Seriously, I'm about 97% sure that this is the real Santa. Why he chose Memphis as his holiday photo post, I'll never know.
Do these two look proud, or what?
Do these two look sneaky, or what?
We were SO happy to catch a brief little hug and hello with Hannah Harlow Stephenson. This was literally on the side of Poplar Ave. We didn't care- we were just happy to see this girl!
We also made our traditional Christmas Eve outing to see Grandma Shaw and go eat Mexican food. LOVE the traditions.
Grandma's first encounter with Smiley Man Cash
One of the highlights of my week was seeing my wonderful high school friends. We (strangely enough) still keep in touch and try to see each other as much as possible. We enjoyed lots of fellowship, Chex mix, and a photo shoot. Perfect evening, if you ask me.
The expressions shown here pretty much define each of these guys.
Little did we know that Jenn was getting some practice for the debut of Baby Maddox in August!
If only you could see the huge grin plastered on Cash's face. He loved meeting the Langstons!
Eleanor and Rachael- my high school BFF's
I was a tiny bit worried that we might not leave the Ennis house with Cash. He's definitely a big hit among friends.
On Christmas Eve, Harper helped Pops hang the stockings in preparation for Santa. Nan, did you really think you could get away with NOT having stockings? How dare you!
Yay! You finally made it to Christmas morning. (I promise this post will end soon.)
While three happy tots awaited their destiny . . .
. . . Santa (err, Nan) had strategically wrapped their gifts in monogrammed blankets. That Santa sure knows what I like!
The moment arrived at last!
The girls received some serious dress up gear.
Can you tell that this child is happy?
Can you tell that I love to squeeze this child's cheeks?
While awaiting the arrival of Team Cameron, we had a little snack and called Gram and Papa.
Sarah Ann and Harper were very helpful when it came to opening gifts.
All of the little ones received house shoes- even Cash!
So maybe I got a little bit crafty for Christmas. If you want one of these, let me know and I can match it to your nursery. Ok, enough of my personal business plug.
Oh wait, I can also make you a cute little birdy painting too. These went to Nan and Gram.
Well, I will leave you with these scary looking ponies (they were the "IT" gift of 2009 at our house).
We had an AMAZING holiday season and we are thankful that our Christ was born. If, by chance, you made it to the end of this post, well then congrats to you. We hope all of your Christmas dreams came true. I had no intention of making that rhyme, it just seems to happen sometimes. Oops, there I go again.
I'll stop now.
Merry Christmas!
