Christmas in Dixie

Hi Everyone, We're Back (and almost caught up on sleep)!

Silly faces and all!

Before Christmas we spent over a week in Alabama and had a blast! We kicked off our time there by visiting the North Pole ;)

Judah had a ball riding the big train in his PJs; can you tell??

And who wouldn't love a train ride with chocolate?!

Yes, I'm aware that both the muffin and the hot chocolate were as big as Judah's head but hey, it's Christmas right? This was Judah's first ever taste of hot chocolate. He really can't stop talking about how much he loves it now. I'm afraid his drink requests (and his chocolate-stained PJs) will never be the same :-)

In addition to the train ride, Christmas songs, stories, yummy treats, lights of the North Pole, and gifts from the elves~we got to meet Santa and the lovely Mrs. Claus! This was a double thumbs-up for Mommy and Daddy because we're counting this as our 2012 Santa Photo-op...no waiting in long lines only to be followed by screams of fear this year! But as you can see, Judah still wasn't so sure of Santa's abrupt hug, but lucky for us he went with it (I think because his big cousins were all smiles).

Next on the agenda was the McWane Science Center in Birmingham...one of Judah's favorite places when we visit. This trip, we enjoyed the "Winter Wonderland" exhibit, where we played with Frosty (who says you need real snow?!) Judah's obsession with Frosty truly deserves another post. The song, the movie, the book, the stuffed toy...his fav of the season for sure. So of course it was big hugs for the 'jolly happy soul. '

My brave little man also zip-lined through the Wonderland! The 8 year-olds around us, who were hesitant themselves, were stunned....as were we. Judah loved it, of course. Here he is about to take off from the platform.

We then learned some new skills at a Family Fun Place, like bowling...

And (pretend) hunting...

In keeping with the hunting theme, Judah was reminded that Uncle Wes is the coolest. Because he teaches us how to fish...

and drive diggers....

We also received some awesome gifts...like sunglasses and saxophones!

And a TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD with the whole fam....thank you, KK & Pop! They managed to surprise the kiddos with "We're going to Disney World/2013" shirts!

Judah didn't totally "get it" but jumping in excitement with his cousins was pretty fun anyways! (Now he continuously asks when we are going to "Micky Mouse house.")

Overall it was a very very Merry Christmas in Dixie! Loved the extended time we had to spend with family and friends. Stay tuned for the next post...we celebrated quite a bit in DC, too!

Faux Christmas Tree, Faux Christmas Tree

Big farms. Sticky needles. Scraping of the saw. Ever so green. Fragrant pine. I LOVE everything about a true Christmas tree trek. As you may remember I was in absolute heaven last year...

Well, our "tree trek" this year simply included a trip to Target. (gasp) Yes, we are rockin' a fake tree this year. ..complete with the longest plastic "trunk" ever...and don't forget the box.

We're out of town for several days this year in December, and I just couldn't ask my neighbors to come water a real tree every day that we're gone. So, "faux" be it :-)

I was grieving the Christmas tree farm experience with Judah at first, but it turns out Target is just as fun for a 2 year-old. And he couldn't have been more excited to decorate this beauty.

Oh and he has quite the decorating style. He likes to stick to the same side ;)

When I encouraged him to place some on the other side, he said "No Mommy, they need to stay with their friends." Love him! And "stay with their friends" they did!

My semi-type-A-brain initially thought I'd "fix" it when he went to bed, but I quickly realized that I did not want to get rid of this "preciousness." Not to mention that he would have asked why I moved things around the following morning.

Okay, so I did add a few more ornaments later (without changing any of Judah's creative design) and our little Charlie Brown tree didn't turn out quite so badly after all. We just need a topper that hopefully Judah and I will "craft" soon.

Our little tree has certainly added to our Christmas fun!

Enjoying the Christmas Carousel with Sasha

Sidewalk chalk because it's 70 degrees! Making artificial snow :-)

A little Christmas tree finger-painting with Daddy

We've got the (Christmas) spirit, yes we do; we've got the spirit, how 'bout you?! 

Another Month

I must improve my electronic life-documenting skills. You'd think I'd have all the time in the world to blog since I'm a stay-at-home mommy with uno kiddo. I probably do, but I can't seem to find it. Let's face it, I'm not the most efficient person in the world (there is a reason my friends call me "Speedy" :-), so that's more than likely the problem.

I can't believe the month is coming to an end. November gave us school days for Judah; T-ball practice; music class; Thanksgiving meal planning and grocery shopping; remembrance of a difficult anniversary of my grandfather's passing; cheering for the Crimson Tide (through a big win and a big loss); many more hours of having Jeff home thanks to a change in his work schedule; and lots of (much-needed) rest at the Nix house after the traveling and visitors from the two previous months.

We have so much to be thankful for this season and always. This year, we celebrated our season of gratitude with the Nix family in Cincinnati. Judah had a blast making memories with his cousins. I think he's counting down the days until they meet again.

Putting around on the backyard green. (Can you tell cousin Carly is a princess?!)

Trampoline before Turkey ;-)

Not sure how we got all of them to sit and smile. 

Seeing the nation's largest train display at Entertrainment Junction

Another miracle that they're all looking. 

Ready for Christmas!

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving with your family! T-minus 3 days until the BEST month of the year!

~Give thanks to the Lord; for He is good.

His love endures forever.~

"Happy Halloweeeeeeen!"

That's what we've been hearing first thing in the morning coming through the monitor in Judah's room as soon as he wakes up for the past month or so. Seriously. He has been so excited about "the day he gets candy." It was so cute how he got the concept this year as opposed to last. And we were fortunate enough to not receive much damage from Hurricane Sandy and keep our power. Thus, Trick-or-Treating was a go in our neighborhood and thankfully, I think the day lived up to its expectations.

Since September, Judah has been saying he wants to be a "super hero." Because he doesn't really know any specific super heroes (I know his affinity for Batman, Spiderman, and Superman is fast approaching), we went pretty generic. So without further ado, I give you my favorite super hero of all....Super J!

As you can see, he's really been practicing his moves :-)

And he totally remembered the most important phrases of the night..."Trick-or-Treat" and "thank you." He thought it was the greatest.

Knocking with one of his best girls, Sophia. Apparently, Judah did not heed the "No Soliciting" sign at the door :-)

Once home, it was time to take inventory.

He was allowed two pieces and he could not have been happier.

He was made just as happy at his school Halloween party because he received an iced sugar cookie. And don't you just love the hats and shirts they made?!

So here's just one last "Happy Halloweeeeeen" from our little pumpkin! We're ready for Turkeys now.

Down on the Farm

I think Judah is a country boy at heart. Endless pastures evoke hours of running. Farm animals bring out his sensitive side. And let's face it, what little boy doesn't love a tractor?! We were able to find such a place just outside of DC in Maryland a few weeks ago. While the main goal was pumpkin & apple picking, Judah made lots of new friends...

And never wanted to leave this wonderland of hay and tires...

His best buddies, Sasha and Marilyn, joined in on the fun, too!

Thumbs up for hay!

After a little apple picking....

It was time to board the tractor out to the pumpkin patch. Apparently Marilyn thought it was romantic;) Oh how these two love each other!

The race is on!

Happy with their choice.

A Perfect Pumpkin Patch Day down on the farm!

Now we're off to hunker down for Sandy. It's inevitable that we'll lose power eventually. Hope it'll be back in time for me to show you the cutest super hero ever on the 31st :-)

Visitors and Visits

Hopefully, this post will explain my absence of late? We've been busy this past month~mostly entertaining visitors and doing a little visiting of our own.

Grandma came for a visit a few weekends ago. We had a wonderful time enjoying the city, as Fall made its grand entrance. And what better place to celebrate than here?!

Mount Vernon, September 2012

With a picnic, enjoying this view of the Potomac.

It was a beautiful day to enjoy our first President's home.

The very next weekend, Jeff's friend "Uncle Drew" came for a visit and met Judah for the first time. It's safe to say they hit it off right away :-)  Judah kept referring to Drew as "Daddy's best friend." It was so sweet.

It was another beautiful weekend, so we spent a lot of time outdoors...and eating...and cheering for the Tide.

Jeff army crawling with Judah and a friend.

We ended the weekend by taking Uncle Drew to an Ethiopian restaurant in the city....his first experience with wat and injera :-) It was all rave reviews for Drew's first Ethiopian dining experience!

Several days later, we had the BEST unexpected visitor...my mom (aka, KK)! During her business travels, her connecting DC flight was delayed, so she stayed overnight with us. Sadly, I have no pictures of her 18-hour visit, but it was such a great surprise and gift.

Finally, it was our turn to travel. Someone is a pro at flying these days :-)

While it was wonderful to spend time with Jeff's family in Kentucky for almost a week, it was a sad time for all of us as Jeff's Granddaddy Cunningham went Home to be with Jesus and his bride last Friday. He was an incredible man...husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather....a humble servant to his family, his country, and his Lord for 90 years.  We will miss him so.

We're finally home and resting for a bit...in between all of the Fall fun that I'll try to share with you next time. Until then...