The Pink Pig & Santa Claus!

Yesterday we took the girls out to Atlanta to ride the Pink Pig at Macy's and to see Santa Claus!  The Santa part we didn't mention ahead of time because I knew Cohen wouldn't be too excited about seeing him.  She had already asked that I just mail her letter to him instead of seeing him :)  We did the Pink Pig first because she had been so excited about that.  Cohen had asked several times if we could please go back to ride it like we did last year.  She thoroughly enjoyed all 3 of her rides :)  Two when we first got there and one right before we left.  Kate was very excited when she saw the signs with Priscilla the pigs picture on them but seeing Priscilla herself when we walked in was not as exciting to her.  Her grip tightened up on me!  Cohen ran right up and hopped in her lap for a picture but Kate wanted to be held and be kept at a little distance.   I rode with Kate on the ride and I could tell she wasn't too sure of it.  It goes around twice and the first time she did ok, but by that second go round she was trying to climb in my lap.  That would be fine only you cannot hold children in your lap so I had to try to halfway hold her and then put her in the seat as we came into sight :).  Cohen wanted to ride in the back and the front so on our first ride we were in the back and the second time Bebe rode with her in the front.  She did want to ride in a seat to herself though.  Kelly rode with both girls on the last ride as we left the mall and again Kate did fine the first lap but was over it on the second one.  

As for our Santa visit, it went much better than I thought it might.  At first when we got to Santa and Cohen realized what was going on, she ran in the other direction.  It took a few minutes of Kelly & I talking to her and me bribing her with getting a cookie after she had finished.  We walked in and Kelly sat her on his lap and she did great!  She just talked to him and was so excited that he told her she had been good this year!  She wouldn't tell us what she told him she wanted though.  I don't know if she wanted to keep it a secret or what.  Each day her list grows though!  Kate did great too.   Santa was less scary than Priscilla I guess.  She sat on his other knee and found him fascinating.  She would barely look at the camera because she was too busy looking at him.  We will see him one more time next week so I hope it goes as smoothly.  It was a great way to start some fun Christmas festivities!  

I had to laugh at Kate climbing hard on me!

Riding with Bebe

Last ride with daddy...this is end of lap 1 so Kate is starting to climb again :)

Showing off all the stickers

In deep conversation with Santa...Kate just checking him out some more

Thanksgiving 2012

We had a great Thanksgiving this year and really enjoyed the time we got to spend with all of our family members.  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because you get to spend time with family and the food is out of this world!  At my family's lunch we always take so many pictures at Thanksgiving so I apologize ahead of time for the picture overload!  I think the weather is always so nice and we get together at lunch so its day light outside too.  We joked that we were having our annual picture session and these pictures have taken the place of what used to be a big kickball game when I was little.  We had our share of "funny/silly" pictures though so there were plenty of laughs to be had!  We really have so much to be thankful for and have really been blessed.  I am very thankful for my entire family and I love getting to spend these holidays with them!

Kate really loves the trampoline.  She loves to just sit on it even if someone else is on it bouncing away.  She just laughs when she gets bounced around.  Taylor found it very entertaining to bounce her and was more than happy to do it.  Kate LOVED it and would just flop around laughing every time he would make her go up in the air.  I'm telling you, this child has very little fear!

Tampoline hair!   Sticking straight out on both sides.

Paula & her boys

Our family with my Nanny

Mama with all her grandchildren 

A picture with Auntie P

Gavin, Kate, Cohen, and Taylor.  Gavin really enjoyed those leaves:)

Always a silly one for Nanny.  She has so many talents!

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We can always give Mama a good laugh!

Got to have the gangster picture with Eric

Proud Aunt!  I don't know when but these boys have just grown up way too fast!

This years joke was everyone would need to bring a rake...this is the only person who was a taker.

Kate had more fun playing in the leaves than raking...

Thanksgiving night we go to Athens to Nana's house.  We spend the night there and then join the madness out shopping!  Suzy and I have always gone and we didn't stop this year either.  Hubby and I even went out Thursday night since everything was opening so early.  We really never have a certain thing we have to have but its fun to just be out.  Crazy aren't we?!?

Ready for bed at Nana's
 

Saturday we headed back to Athens for the Georgia/Georgia Tech game.  We had decided we would take Cohen back to this game earlier in the season.  She had been asking to go back so we took her.  She really did great again!  Before we even sat down I got the cotton candy :) It was a little chilly this game which was totally the opposite from the first game but she was bundled up and never complained.  Its always sweet to see a big win too :)  Now we're hoping for a big win this Saturday for our Georgia Bulldawgs in the SEC Championship game!  GOOOOO DAWGS!!!

We finished our weekend by decorating the outside of our house with our Christmas decorations.  The inside has been decorated but we do wait on the outside.  Kate wanted to help with all the lights, but only for a minute before moving on to the next fun thing which was playing with the rocks with Cohen.  I'm so excited about Christmas!  I can't wait to do all the fun things that come along with Christmas and I love doing them with my girls and seeing them get excited.  

putting lights on the bushes

Cohen's Preschool Thanksgiving Feast, Singing at Church, and Emma Arrives!

Today was Cohen's Thanksgiving feast at preschool.  She has been singing all of her songs for the last few weeks.  The 3 and 4 year old classes sing together, the 3's are the Indians and the 4's are the Pilgrims.  This year Cohen had told me she wouldn't get to wear her Indian necklace because she was a pilgrim.  She had a little pilgrim bonnet to wear instead.  Both Cohen & Kate have had a touch of the stomach bug this week so Cohen has been out of school the last 3 days.  I was hoping she would be better today but didn't know for sure.  Luckily she was much better yesterday afternoon and today felt ready to head back to school.  I'm still praying Kelly and I don't get hit with it.  I have a wedding to photograph tomorrow so I'm really hoping it stays away!
The kids did so well with all their songs today and afterwards got to enjoy a good Thanksgiving meal.  Cohen informed me it wasn't lunch, it was snack because they had not had snack yet.  It is so funny how this girl looks forward to snack time at school.  She is out of school all next week so we are looking forward to more fun time at home and celebrating Thanksgiving!

Playing on the stage was more fun than eating :)

Cohen's Thanksgiving placemat

Cutest little pilgrim!

This past Sunday, the First Friends preschoolers sang at church in both church services.  They sang several of their Thanksgiving songs.  They all did so good!  Its always so cute to watch them get up on the stage and look out at all the people.  They get so shy.  Cohen cracked me up doing her best to hold her smile in!  She would suck her cheeks in for some reason.  This is the same girl who turns on the smile for her dance/baton performances though!  I'm not sure what her reasoning is but we get a kick out of it.  She even had her hand on her hip at one point, which is another new gesture she does when she gets around people.  There's no doubt that she doesn't lack for any sassiness!

Notice the hand is on the hip!

Singing in the traditional service

With all the sickness this week, I have had a lot of time to work at home and get all of our Christmas decorations out.  I had most of them out already but we did finish decorating the tree.  Cohen has been asking when her elf might come back and with the decorations up and sickness gone for her, the elf decided to show up this morning!  Cohen was so excited to find "Emma" waiting right on her stocking holder which is where she started last year :)