2010 Phillips Family Christmas card

(You need to enlarge the photo to read the text)

What I love most about our Christmas cards this year is it described our family in a nutshell.  A little crazy and funny but filled with love :)

Merry Christmas!!!!

Callaway Gardens 2010

Last weekend, Preslei and I had a Mommy/Daughter weekend at Callaway Gardens up in Pine Mountain, Georgia.  Every year, they put on this extravagant Christmas light show called "Fantasy in Lights".  You can either ride on the trolley or in your own car.  Personally, I like the trolley because you are mingled with other people and the Christmas spirit overtakes you!  We were invited to join some friends of mine and of course, I jumped on that.  This year, Preslei has been so excited about Christmas and ever since she was born, I couldn't wait for her to get older so I could take her to Callaway.  Let me just tell you, she had the BEST time!!! The highlight of the trip was along the course of the show, she gives me about 3 kisses and says, "Mommy, I LOVE you!".......I thought I was about to cry!  It is amazing to just sit back and watch her absorb everything and grow up. 

I think its pretty obvious she had a blast!!!

Catching up

Wow, has it REALLY been that long since I blogged?!?! I'm sure my *huge* fan base out there (insert sarcasm) was missing me. Lol.  So what has been going on in the world of the Phillips Family....let's see, well my parents, bro, sis in law, nephew and my family went on our annual vacation to the mountain in Blue Ridge, GA and of course, we had a blast! It was FREEZING and the absolute BEST part was that it snowed the Saturday morning we were there! I will upload pictures tomorrow.

Then there was Thanksgiving.  It was actually a very small gathering this year.  We normally have a big get together with my aunts and uncles but most of my Dad's brothers and their family went to the mountains to celebrate.  I am so thankful my parents didn't go on the trip because Thanksgiving and Christmas are just very special holidays to me and I like to share them with my family.  I think it is an amazing thing to still have both my grandmas in my life.  Grandma Kines will be 91 years old this month and Mam-Maw will be 90 in January.  They are absolutely PRECIOUS when they see each other.  It is like they are just catching up on good times.

I am SO excited Christmas is just around the corner.  Christmas is my FAVORITE time of the year!! I have to admit, I have been an emotional wreck this year but in a good way.  Preslei has reached the age now that she knows what Christmas is about, well, to an almost 3 year old at least.  I've explained that Christmas is celebrating Jesus' birth but all she really knows is you better be good or Santa won't bring you toys, LOL.  This past weekend, I took her up to Callaway Garden's Fantasy in Lights and I have decided this will be an annual tradition.  When we got home on Sunday, I decided to put all our Christmas decorations out and she wanted to put all the ornaments on the tree.  I just sat back and cried watching her enjoy decorating the tree.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!!!!!

Three words for Tuesday

ELECT JOSH BELL!

:^)

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for the family of Rev. Cameron King and his wife, Rachel and their friends and family.  While coming home from vacation, they were in an automobile accident which claimed the life of their 4 year old daughter.  Rachel is 16 weeks pregnant with twins but from what I have heard, the babies are fine.  This family needs your prayers.  I simply cannot fathom what they are going thru.  No parent should ever have to lose a child.  It isn't the way it is supposed to work.  I know that everything is in God's timing and we may not understand why, but it isn't fair.  I have read and met some of the bravest people I know that have gone thru losing a child and they must have a strong faith in God because I don't know how I could survive.  When you hear things like this, your heart breaks for them.  Cairo Georgia has had too many tragedies lately and its just devastating.  Last week, there was a gas line explosion that killed a city worker and he left behind a 7 year old daughter.  This is a very small, close knit community and when someone is going thru something, you feel their pain.  As much as I vent about this town, times like this, when the community comes together as one, makes me so proud to call it my home.

I can't help but tell myself, "Amanda, God is speaking to you thru this tragedy".  I am not as close to God as I should be or live my live the way HE wants.  I don't have a church home, haven't for years.  I don't talk to God on a regular basis and I need that relationship with him.  I have always struggled with trying to find my niche in a church.  I get very "bored" (that sounds terrible) sitting in church listening to the service but driving with my Mom to a dr. appt., I had talked with her about how I have always felt I'd serve God better by educating kids about him.  But before I do that, I need to educate myself more.  I had tossed around the idea of going to church tomorrow at the church where Preslei goes to school but I think I will definitely be going tomorrow.  You aren't guaranteed tomorrow and I want that closer relationship to God.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit." -Psalms 34:18

My heartfelt prayers are being lifted for the King family.  May God give you the comfort during this tragic time.

Need a trick or treat bucket??

My very dear friend, Wendy, a/k/a Preslei's friend Grace's Mommy, has started a vinyl lettering business called "Embellish". I am super excited for her! She is selling personalized trick or treat buckets for $3 each. THREE BUCKS....that's a great deal. If you are interested, please find her on facebook either under "Wendy Moon Harrell" or her business page "Embellish". Let her know I sent ya. She also offers other items as well. Tootles! :)

So I've gotta cut loose.....FOOTLOOSE

I think I am probably the most proud best friend these days. My bff Brian, who I have talked, ahem, more like BRAGGED about, landed a role as a principle dancer in the remake of "Footloose". SUPER excited for him. He is one talented person, lemme tell ya. I am so glad that he is Preslei's "Uncle B" b/c she has amazing role model. He has always followed his dreams and has never given up and if didn't land the role he was auditioning for, he always kept his head up and kept on trying. Not only is he a sought after choreographer in the Atlanta area, he has judged dancing with Tyce Diorio (not sure if I spelled that right) you know, one of the guest judges and choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance, but he has also been in a Georgia Lottery Commercial, sang at various pageants and events. Just a guy with many talents and so proud to call him one of my best friends. :)

Sliced and diced

Yep, that's how I feel right now.  This all started the Monday prior to Labor Day.  I started having strange symptoms that kinda got me wondering what was going on with my body.  Fatigue, nausea, itching, dark urine, a little jaundice.....so I decided to have some blood work done at my doctor's office.  Long story short, labs came back fine with the exception of elevated liver enzymes and he wanted to schedule an upper GI ultrasound to check to see if something was going on with my gallbladder or my lapband causing the elevations.  I received a call from his office the Tuesday after Labor Day and well, I have gallstones.  I was like, ehh whatever, b/c I had NO pain in my stomach so I was like yeah yeah, they are going to tell me to have it taken out b/c its an organ you really don't HAVE to have and that is just more money in their pockets. (yes, I'm totally that kind of person, lol).  I should have never bragged about not having any pain.  Went to lunch with a friend on Friday and when I got back to the office, I honestly felt as bloated as a 9 month pregnant woman and as nauseous as an 8 week preggo! It continued through the weekend off and on but by Sunday night, I was in extreme pain to the point where I couldn't take deep breaths.  I FINALLY decided to bite the bullet and go to the ER and we arrived at 10:45 and by 3:15 that morning, I was in pain free heaven thanks to Dilaudid and Zofran and on the way back home.  I had already scheduled a consult with a surgeon for Sept 20 just to talk about whether or not to remove the gallbladder but my ER doc said it was crucial to be seen before then.  Monday afternoon I met with a surgeon so he could press on my belly and he said it had to come out and he could do it the next day.  I was like HOLY CRAP, the next day?!?! I wasn't ready THAT soon!!! But, we scheduled the operation.  I was admitted Tuesday morning at 6:15, taken back to surgery around 7:45 and was on my way home about 11:15 the same day.  Thank God for outpatient surgery and the fact I've always recovered really fast from anesthesia.  So here I sit at home BORED with absolutely nothing to do other than be lazy.  I can't lift anything over 5lbs, I can't go back to work until Monday.  There is SOOOO much I could be doing right now other than holding down the recliner.  I'm not a "sit at home" kinda girl.  I could be having fun with Preslei, who has been my nurse through this, or I could be cleaning my house, but no, I'm the lazy Mommy home all alone during the day.  So, I guess I will catch up on my tivo shows and get some rest.  

The lesson I've learned from this......never brag about not being in pain b/c it will bite you in the rear!!!  :)

Tooting my own horn

Growing up in a small, rural South Georgia town doesn't really allow you the opportunities as living in a large city would.  In fact, it doesn't give you many options, period.  Some people move away and never look back, while some (like me) are "stuck" here indefinitely.  This town has its ups and downs but as I have said many many times before, my family keeps me here.  I couldn't imagine my child(ren) growing up and not being able to see my parents whenever they wanted and even me for that matter.  My Mom is honestly one of my best friends.  She and I always have so much together.  Of course, that hasn't always been the case but after you have a child of your own, you find a completely new respect for your own Mother.  I was very very close to my Mam-Maw growing up (my Mom's mom) and have always said that I hope my child(ren) will have the same bond with my Mom as I have with Mam-Maw, who will be 90 years "young" in January.  :)  Where am I getting at with all this you ask.......well, what started me thinking was this:  For someone that has lived in a town like this my whole life, I am SO proud of the person I have become.  I don't judge people based on race, religion, sexual preference, etc.  There are two things that have happened recently that made me reflect on this.  One of which being someone in my life whom I love dearly is the biggest homophobe I have ever met.  I honestly respect everyone whether or not they have the same views and/or opinions as myself.  Therefore, have enough respect for me and my opinions.  I don't force them on you and try to change yours.  Respect is such a simple thing and free thing you can give someone but for some you would think it was the hardest thing to do.  I wish there would be a day where everyone could see people for what is in their hearts and souls as a PERSON as opposed to their "label".  So what if someone is gay or straight??? That doesn't change who they are in the slightest.  You and I are NOT put here on the Earth to judge anyone.  Secondly, is this whole Dove Church Quran burning thing.  WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!?! How can people be so idiotic?? I am a Christian and believe that Jesus died for our sins and I know without a shadow of doubt that I am going to Heaven.  With that being clarified, I also believe that EVERYONE has a right to believe what they want.  I know that we as Christians should preach and worship and spread the word of God but if someone is as devoted to their religion as we are to ours, who are we to try and change that?  For a pastor to hold a day of burning the Quran is just despicable.  I just wish people could place themselves in other's shoes.  How would he feel as a pastor to know that an Islamic pastor held a day of burning our Bible? Or for homophobes, how would they feel if their sons or daughters were gay? People just need to step back and look at life from another perspective.  Just because you think you are right, doesn't mean you are. 

8.10.2010 Preslei's first day of "school"

Okay, so seriously when I say "I have been thinking of this day since I was pregnant", I'm not joking. One of the first things I thought about when I was pregnant was that Preslei HAS to get accepted into the First United Methodist Church's preschool program. Like, it was seriously my mission. Not sure if I'm partial b/c my boss and his wife were part of the group of parents that organized and started the program back years ago or what, but this is a phenomenal program. Anywho....fast forward about 2 1/2 years and well, today, Preslei started her 1st day at FUMC Preschool. I have talked to her for the past few weeks about school and how much she is going to learn about shapes, colors, numbers, Spanish, and most importantly, Jesus and how much he loves you. I've been trying to teach her "Jesus loves me" but she is still insisting on "Rain Rain Go Away" and "Happy Birthday" as her favorite songs right now. Last night was open house and she was so excited to see Welles and Grace. She and Welles go to the same sitter so they love each other already and Preslei and Grace have been friends since last summer. Welles and Grace are cousins so I think the three of them will be life-long friends. When we got home last night, she was sooooo excited to start "stool" (as she says) that she couldn't go to sleep! Needless to say, that made for a very rought start this morning. But, as soon as we pulled up she started saying "We here Mommy, we here! We at my stool!" She was a little bashful at first but as soon as she saw Grace and Welles, she was fine!

Where has the time gone?! I miss the days of constant swaddling, bottles and cries.

Look Mommy, its my classroom! :)

(and no, she didn't really say that but I'm sure that's what she was thinking! LOL)

She finally let me take a picture of her smiling in the school bathroom! HA!

Last night at open house....I LOVE this picture! Preslei and Grace!

My best friend, Ashley

I am creating this post so that Kelly's Korner "match.com" SUYL will be able to see my best friend. Ashley is a 27 year old, single Christian girl. She is a very humble person and is beautiful both inside and out. She is a RN and works for a Dermatologist in Tallahassee, FL. She is currently going back to school to further her education. For some unknown reason, Ashley hasn't been able to find Mr. Right. She is kind of shy at first but once she breaks out of her shell, she is a fun and spontaneous person. She is a down-home Southern girl with Christian morals.

If anyone is interested, please post a comment and I will give you Ashley's contact information!

Typical night at the Phillips house

My child is soooo full of imagination and fun! Here's the video evidence. :)

Click here!!!

4th of July weekend wrap-up

Keith, Preslei and I had an amazing holiday weekend. I had been wanting to surprise Keith with a weekend vacation for some time now but could never decide where I wanted to go or when. We both have never been to Savannah and had been talking about it a lot recently. Well, because I decided last minute I couldn't find any hotels in the historic district in my price range. So, I spilled the beans to him by accident about where we were going and we decided to spend Saturday night in Savannah and then drive down to Jacksonville and spend the 4th of July with my cousin Kellie and her family. If you haven't been to Savannah, I highly recommend it. It is PACKED full of history and there is TONS to do and I loved the fact that you could walk everywhere you wanted to go. I booked at room at Avia (perfect location) and will definitely be back. We were one block away from City Market and two blocks from River Street. I think my favorite part of the entire trip was listening to the street musician that was on the river walk singing the blues. We had a great time in Jax with Kellie, Ryan, Reagan and Reid. Preslei LOVES Reagan and Reid. We were also able to hang out with my first "babies", Brooke and Jake. I started babysitting them when Jake, who is now 11, was just a year old and Brooke ever since she was born. She is now 8. Those kids will always hold a very special place in my heart. About 3 years ago, they moved back down to Jacksonville and then their parents got divorced. Luckily, Pam (their mom) and I are still great friends and keep in touch. It was such a blessing to not only be a part of those kids' lives but also have an amazing friendship with Pam.

What do you mean I can't use my Dr. anymore?!?!

Umm....yeah. I was beyond LIVID let me tell you. So, with my husband's "new" job a year ago and switching insurance companies in January, apparently, they won't pay for Florida doctors b/c they are out of network. Meaning, my BELOVED and I mean B.E.L.O.V.E.D. Dr. Morales, my ob/gyn, isn't in my network. Keep in mind, this is the exact same doctor that helped me get pregnant after two years of infertility. The same dr. that I swore I would never take a million dollars to switch. BUT....with that being said, yes, I could have stayed at his office but I'd end up having to pay approx. $6K out of pocket JUST for the birth and that doesn't include the doctor bills. I was so upset because when you go through something like infertility and you finally find a doctor that is a God-send, someone that listens and doesn't judge you, and ultimately, helps you conceive your miracle baby, there is a soft spot in your entire life for them. My doctor and his entire staff treat you like family. The day I realized this was early on in my pregnancy, I had to wait and wait and wait to be seen b/c Dr. Morales was at the hospital in a delivery. When he came back in the office, he shared with his staff the arrival of his patient's baby, and the ENTIRE office was genuinely excited.

I have been on a diligent search for a new doctor for several months. The town where I live is very small. Not like middle of the desert small but small. The hospital here is, no offense to anyone, but just so crappy I don't know if I would even go there for an emergency. It is affiliated with the larger hospital in the next town over and there are so many people that develop Staph, there should be lawsuits. Maybe its me, but personally, I would and have always felt so much more comfortable in a larger hospital in a larger city. I feel like they are more up to date with technology and if (God-forbid) anything happens, they have the equipment and resources and knowledge to handle the situation. I also wanted a doctor is who isn't 100% opposed to VBACs. That doesn't mean I am hell bent and determined to have one but I want to be well informed by a doctor that can give me an unbiased perspective. After donig my research, I decided I wanted to deliver at Phoebe Putney in Albany GA because they have an excellent NICU department and its a larger hospital. Now, I had to find a doctor.....well, I think I may have found one. Dr. Gaydos at The Veranda. My first ob/gyn was a female and she is the one that I wouldn't spit on if she was on fire and then Dr. M was a male so given my history, I was reluctant scheduling an appointment with another woman. Women are just judgmental.....well most are anyways. I decided to say the heck with it and make the appointment. After talking on the phone with the appointment clerk, she told me Dr. Gaydos specializes in PCOS. PCOS is what I was diagnosed with as the reason for my infertility. Even though since giving birth, I have had no signs or symptoms of PCOS returning, I think I have definitely chosen the right doctor for me. She will completely understand my history and what I have gone thru.

Hopefully she will meet all of my expectations and more. :)

Bitter/Angry/Dramatic Woman.....Party of One.

So I have to admit, most of the time I'm a happy, bubbly, upbeat and cheerful kinda person. Well here lately, I say screw that. I mean really, am I supposed to smile ALL the time? Sometimes life isn't perfect and sometimes, yes, sometimes, I think maybe I need to scream at the top of my lungs to make me feel better. I feel like I have almost reached my breaking point to where people are going to be like, "holy crap...what's wrong with her?!" LOL. I am 27 years old and I am so tired of trying to please everyone and live my life for the sake of other people's happiness instead of my own. I'm sick of always being the one to solve the problems and be expected to fix things. I'm not a miracle worker people. I'm tired of friends that make me feel unappreciated. Even worse, I'm tired of feeling like its MY fault that we aren't as close of friends as we used to be. It takes effort people. No, I don't have as much free time on my hands as I did before I had a child, but damnit, I need a girls' night out more than ever, especially dealing with 2 year old temper tantrums. Does the husband understand this....hell no. I went to Atlanta May 20-23 to spend some time with my best friend, Brian, and you would have thought I asked to spend a month in Fiji or something. I NEVER get a break and I think a break every now and then is more than well deserved. But then, when I want a break, I feel like a bad mom or something because I just want to be alone to regain my sanity. Unfortunately, I have people in my life that make me feel like a terrible person because I want to get away for a little bit by myself.

Another rant is how much I hate this town I live. I have lived here my entire life, underneath a little microscope. Like, seriously, I feel sorry for famous people. If you have ever heard the song by Miranda Lambert, "Famous in a Small Town", well yep, that's me. While living in a small town does have its advantages, you can't freakin' go buy a bottle of wine at the liquor store without your preacher finding out about it and putting your name on the prayer list at church the following Sunday. Okay, that may have been a bit exagerrated but you get my point. People here are just so content with their small town lives but I just hate it. I want so much more. I want options. I want better things for Preslei. I want Preslei to have opportunities that I never had. I want her to grow up in a cultured environment and around open minded people instead of people who think, well, I'm just not even going to go there. I'm tired of not having money to be able to go and do things b/c the salaries here are for shit. I'm tired of struggling to make ends meet and have nothing to show for it. I know for a fact that if I could EVER convince my husband to move to a large city, I could double my annual salary. Yes, the cost of living would be more expensive but that's also why you live in the suburbs. I want more out of life damnit. The hardest part is making that HUGE leap into the unknown. Plus, if you make that leap, what happens if you regret doing it because if I ever decided to do it, I would basically be shunned from everyone. So the point I'm trying to get at is this. When trying to achieve happiness in life, is it worth hurting the ones you love to make yourself happy? Does that make you greedy?

With that being said, I think its going to be a Pinot Grigio kind of weekend while listening to "Nobody Knows" by Pink.

Damn, that felt good to get that off my chest. Now, let me pray to God that none of my family or "so-called" friends read this b/c God-forbid, I'll be the talk of the town and then the next thing you know, the gossip will be I'm getting divorced and moving to Fiji because I turned into an alcoholic. LOL ;)

Now, just breathe..........OHMMMMM..................................

My ebay listings

If anyone is interested in viewing my ebay listings, here is the link: http://shop.ebay.com/kines_amanda/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

It is a SLOW process but I have finally decided to start going through the bazillion rubbermaid totes that are filled with Preslei's clothes and shoes. I am running out of storage room. :) I had the intention of saving all her clothes so that when we had another baby, if we had a girl, I wouldn't have to buy very much. The baby making process probably won't happen for a little while longer (I'm enjoying my one on one time with Preslei TOO much) so I'm listing them!

Thanks and pass my link around to anyone you think may be interested!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Today I am celebrating my third Mother's Day, a day I thought I would never be able to celebrate as a mom. God had different plans and today, I wake up and I look at my daughter sleeping peacefully beside me and it humbles me to know I am her mother. I may not be the "perfect" mom but I am perfect in her eyes. The eyes of a two year old that thinks I am the funniest person in the world and her best friend but most of all, I am her perfect mom. Never in a million years could I have imagined the immense feeling and happiness in my life knowing that Preslei is MY child. A child that I carried in my womb for 9 months and felt moving inside me; the same child that is a silly silly little girl that has the smile and eyes that will melt my heart. I am so grateful that I had the perfect example of a mom. My mom is not only my mother but my best friend. I thank God for her. I thank God for her incredible heart and soul. I truly believe that you will never know how much your mother loves you until you have a child of your own. My mom is not only an amazing mom but an awesome "Nona".

With that being said, I hope that every mother out there has an AMAZING Mother's Day!

Invitations

Totally in love................

Sneak Peak..........

I am in the process of planning Miss P's SECOND birthday party. This is seriously SOOOOO much fun! It is a cupcake themed party in Tallahassee at Tom Brown park. It is always so much hard work preparing your home for close to 100 people for a birthday party. Yes, I said close to a 100. Crazy, I know but what can I say, we have a LOT of family and friends. I had a little at home photo session with Preslei for her photo for her invitation and this is the one that best describes her personality. Enjoy!

1.23.2010......Tallahassee Jr. Museum

I have been wanting to take Preslei to the Tallahassee Junior Museum for a WHILE. It seemed like everytime I tried to plan a visit, it would rain!!! Well, FINALLY, we went on Saturday. Let me just tell you, she and I had the absolute time. Sloan and Landon (my sister-in-law and her son) went with us and it was just a blast.

Being that I have never really taken Preslei to an outside zoo thing before, I wasn't sure if we needed strollers so we took them. Next time, we will know to leave them in the car! It was such an eye-opener to me that my precious baby girl is no longer a baby, she is definitely a full on toddler. So, I admit, I've never let Preslei out of her stroller in a public place to let her enjoy the freedom of roaming around until we went to the museum. She AMAZED me at how attentive she was and how she listened to me. I will definitely let her do that A LOT more often. The museum had all types of animals that were habitants of Florida such as bears, panthers, bald eagles, foxes, wolves, coyotes, alligators, deer, otters, ducks, etc. Preslei's favorite were the ducks and otters. Although she INSISTED that the turkeys were in fact ducks. Haha.

Keep reading

For all you Moms out there, can you please, please tell me when the destructive stage ends?! Oh my gosh, I mean, seriously........my house looks like its been burglarized when Preslei goes to bed. I have seriously gone behind her every time she leaves a room to clean up all her toys and books and crap she throws around but when she enters the room, here we go again! So, I said the heck with it and just do one big clean sweep when she goes to bed and it starts all over the next night. I'd like a live in maid please! Lol. I need some Mommy advice! How in the world do I get her to stop?! She cleans up after herself at my parents house but not at ours! I'm just NOT a clutter person, its driving me nuts! Another new thing is she tells me "NO" all the time. I'll say, "Preslei, are you ready to eat?"....NO; "Preslei, go pick up your toys"....NO. Granted, how can you get truly mad because its kind of funny (but rest assured, I put my game face on). Well, last night she must have gotten into our sugar container or something because she was running WILD. Preslei loves watching her Dora movies while laying in bed. Up until last night, I could put her in there and check on her every 10-15 mins........not anymore! Keith and I heard a bunch of noise and we get up and low and behold, my child is sitting on top of her dresser! OMG! Well, we couldn't help but laugh but reprimanded her and told her no, spanked her bottom and she went on about her business and played and yada yada.

BUSTED!!!! Now, the next picture, when she saw my phone, she said, "CHEESE!!!" I died laughing!

After that is when she decided to come back to the living room and play. Hence this picture. (Also, notice all the dang clutter, IT IS DRIVING ME NUTS!!!!!)

So, after she got tired of cluttering up the living room, she decided to go to her playroom. Well I started hearing noises again and this is the conversation.

Me: "Preslei, what are you doing?"

Preslei: ....a bunch of jibber jabber.....

Me: "Are you being bad?"

Preslei: "Uh huh Mommy"

Oh. my. gosh..........again, I died laughing but of course, I went to check on her, thinking she was in her playroom but nope, what do I see as I walk down the hall??? THIS!

I told you she is being destructive lately!!!! She was taking off her wall decorations!!!

Needless to say, I need some Mom advice!!!!!

Catching up......

See, told you I am a procrastinator!!! I can't believe my last post was December 3rd! We had such a great Christmas. I love watching Preslei get excited! My parents and Keith's parents came over around 8am Christmas morning and Preslei was still asleep. We had breakfast and waited for Preslei but I finally had to go wake her up. Bless her heart, she was kind of nervous and timid because there were so many people for her to see when she woke up. She finally came around (wrapped around my Mom's neck) and when she saw her Dora kitchen, she was like "DORA!!!! DORA!!!!". Priceless. Of course, it took her FOREVER to open all her presents because she kept wanting to go back and play with her kitchen. Of course, after she opened all her gifts, I realized I had forgotten about more gifts I had stuck in the top of the closet that I forgot to wrap. (You know you have bought too much when you forget about presents!) After we did all of Preslei's presents at home, we took a little nap, got dressed and headed to Pop-Pop and Nonna's house (my parents) for Christmas lunch. I absolutely LOVE the holidays because family means so much to me. We had a great lunch and then we opened gifts. I think Preslei was more excited to see "babydoll" (my nephew, Caden but Preslei INSISTS on calling him babydoll!)

Immediately after that, we headed to one of Keith's grandma's house and did the Christmas thing again. I LOVE doing Christmas at her house because she always gives the funnest gifts. She used to fill up a box that copy paper came in with household stuff like paper towels, chips, coffee, etc. I just thought that was such the cutest idea!

Then on Saturday, we did Christmas with Keith's other grandma and had a huge Christmas/birthday celebration for my sister in law. It was very untraditional.....surf and turf! I LOVE this picture of Preslei that I took that night!

The following day, Sunday, Preslei and I drove to Dothan, AL to visit and have lunch with a very dear friend of mine, Kristi, and her husband, kids, her mom and step dad at Cracker Barrel. Kristi and I worked together at the first law firm I worked at when I was a senior in high school. I used to babysit her kids and she and I have been friends ever since. She and her family moved to Charlotte, NC a little over 5 years ago but her family is from Dothan. I have gone up once to Charlotte and every time she comes to Dothan, I make it a point for us to spend time together. It REALLY makes me feel old to know that her oldest child is now 15! She has Justin, Bryce and Rachel. Umm Kristi, you do know that means you are getting older too! 33 last time I checked! LOL!!!!!

So needless to say, we had a VERY busy Christmas weekend but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Good friends, family......that's all you need!