Christmas - Part Two & Three

We are having a wonderful time with my family in North Alabama!  The only problem I've had is the time...and how quickly it flies by!  Here are a few snapshots of our continued Christmas celebrations.

Austin & Katie opening gifts from Mimi & Papa Ricky

Katie and "If you give a Pig a Party" book and stuffed animal {her favorite} book series!

Austin enjoying his new big boy cup from Mimi & Papa Ricky!

And his new car ball pit! {This has been a hit for all of the little ones}

Sunday evening, we were able to celebrate with our extended family.  It was a little crazy with the number of people, but none of us complained.  We had lots of fun spending time together...ending it, of course, with a not-so-nice game of Dirty Santa! :-)

Here's a picture attempt of the Great-Grandparents and all of the little ones {minus one, who was sick...we missed you, Cameron!}

Austin found a little doll curling iron, and it quickly became his new favorite toy...

Papa Rikard and Katie :-)

Austin sharing a few "high fives" with Coty

Uncle Gabe & Aunt Megan - We have really enjoyed our time with them, as we don't often get to see them...especially Gabe, who lives wayyy up north! :-)

Austin and Sydney enjoying a little playtime together!

I have no idea what my little ones are doing with Papa here, but it was too funny not to post...We'll just say they were working on their basketball skills :-)

Christmas - Part One

We started our Christmas celebration with Mark's family on the eve of Christmas Eve, and we all had a wonderful time!  We enjoyed some nice hot Taco Soup and lots of laughs!  The kids came home with so many great surprises, they didn't know what to play with first.  Mark and I were also given several really nice gifts to enjoy.  Here are a couple of snapshots from our evening:

Uncle Myles & Angela surprised Austin with a Tonka truck set.  As soon as Austin opened them, he immediately sat in the back of the dump truck.  He loves them both...even if he can't figure out how to fit inside the tractor... ;-)

Here is Katie opening one of her surprises...The Little Mermaid Trilogy! 

There aren't many pictures of Katie "enjoying" her presents...much of the evening, she was glued to Nana & Pawpaw's TV, watching a movie.  She didn't even want to open presents...she just wanted to watch a movie.  Who is this kid??

Here is Austin enjoying his little truck from his great-grandparents!

And our "family gift" this year...a Wii for our family to enjoy!  Katie had so much fun playing this (when we finally talked her into turning off her movie)...and so did everyone else...even Great-Grandma Evans!!  I think we're in for lots of family fun with this...

I'll try to post a little more of our Christmas as I can...but you must be patient, for I am packing us up to leave early tomorrow morning for a week of more Christmas with my family!  I hope your Christmas was as special as our's has been!

Magic Christmas in Lights

Last night, Mark and I took the kids to Bellingrath Gardens to see their "Magic Christmas in Lights".  It was quite chilly {especially for Mobile}, but we had a wonderful time!  Here are a few *favorites* from our night...

Katie and Snowball  :-)

Christmas trees & snowflakes

Swans on Mirror Lake

Katie's favorite ~ Under the Sea

Austin was a little tired of his stroller,

so I surprised him with a lollipop...

and it worked like a charm!  See?  ;-)

Another of Katie's favorites...

The choo-choo train

And, of course, their beautiful Nativity...

Katie loved seeing the lights and looking for Baby Jesus.

Our family Christmas celebrations with Mark's begin tomorrow evening and continue through Friday.  Then we'll be on our way Saturday morning to visit my family in North Alabama and celebrate Christ's birth with them.  We'll be very busy, but we are all so excited for this time to finally be here!  Plenty of Christmas pictures will come, as soon as I find the time :-)  Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

Bliss.

My little ones aren't perfect...

and neither are these quick snapshots

taken before leaving for our Christmas program yesterday...

but having them in my life is nothing short

of {pure} BLISS!

Christmas time's a comin'...

Katie and Austin received a {quite large} Christmas present a little early from their aunt and uncle this week.  I assembled it while they were napping, and when they awoke, I sent them on a "treasure hunt" to find the *new* surprise....and OH! Were they surprised!!

Katie's first comment was, "Look, Mommy! There are enough chairs for my Kitty, too!!" Yes, Sweetie, that's wonderful...I'm so glad she can finally join the family at the table :-)

Austin was funny, too. Every time it is time to eat now, he runs to the "new" table, as if to say, "I'm a big boy now, Mommy...see??  I don't need my highchair." Indeed you are, my precious boy...Indeed, you are.

Christmas time's a comin'....Christmas time's a comin'....  :-) 

Have I mentioned that I {love} this time of year??  I can't wait for next week!

Not Me/My Child! Monday

Katie has not been asking for apologies to everyone who has something other than a star on the top of their Christmas tree.  So, if you aren't "politically Katie correct" this year, be forewarned...

I did not finally sit down to try to finish up my quilting project {you thought I forgot, didn't you??}, only to find out 10 minutes into it that I had ran out of thread!  Maybe one day I will finish it...

The kids and I did not spend over an hour of our time looking for a lost milk sippy cup this last week...which left me thinking that I needed to invent a tracking device for cups that will beep when lost, so you can find them!  I need one...how about you?? 

I did not find a few pictures that Mark snapped of our little music director.  Isn't he cute?  He even found a stepstool to use as his platform :-)

And even better...I did not finally upload two new videos for you to enjoy...

First, here is my little choir director/singer practicing before we left for church service...{note how well Katie can tune out her brother when watching cartoons}.

And second, here is Katie preforming her puppet show.  {It was a story, but when she saw the camera, it quickly turned to songs...songs completely intermixed with her sillyness!} 

We are not enjoying our calendar countdowns to Christmas...even though it's really hard to help Katie understand that waking up from nap doesn't begin a new day {aka - a new calendar surprise}.

This is not our last week of "normality" {if there is such a thing in our household}, before the Christmas celebrations begin.  We hope YOU are having a great Christmas season, too...let us not forget the whole Reason for the Season!

Happy Birthday!

On December 9, 2004, our "first child" {or at least the closest resemblance to a child in the Barton household at the time} was born in Shreveport, Louisiana.  We had been waiting for our little Westie for several months.  It was love at first sight for us when we received our first picture of little Meeko.

And, our life as "parents" began...potty training, teething {aka chewing on Mommy's kitchen chair}, obedience classes, kennel training, barking, trick teaching, leash walking, chasing, agility classes, travelling, and loads of fun memories.

Here are a few glances back over the last 5 years...{it was hard to choose just a *few* pictures...we have so many.  But I hope you enjoy, as I enjoyed "digging" them us.}

This is our first day with Meeko...we drove a {very} long way to get him!

 He was so tiny...and oh, so cute!

His favorite places to sleep...

perched on the top of our couch or stretched out on our bed!

Our first "family picture" - Spring 2005

Getting into mischief at our old apartment.

Fall 2005

Being a sweet "big brother" to baby Katie ~ 2006

Our birthday boy ~ Fall 2009

Meeko-Chico, we've definitely had our differences {a lot of them lately...revolving mostly around that obnoxious bark that God created you with}, but our family wouldn't be the same without you.  You're a great dog that we would all miss {especially the kids} if you weren't here.  Happy birthday, buddy!  We hope you have a wonderful day at the pet store with us...I know the kids will pick the perfect surprise for you.  We're all looking forward to even more years with you.  HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY!!