Just A Swingin'

Thanksgiving 2011

We had a great, very low-key Thanksgiving this year. Kimie, Brooke and Scott came over to join us for dinner. We grabbed a turkey and ham from Honeybaked Ham to make it easy, so Kimie and I just made a few sides to go along with our meat. It was so easy and very yummy! The kids had a great time playing together. Lainie and Emmie have recently gotten into the game, "Just Dance," so the kids spent alot of time dancing the day away! :) We are so thankful for our wonderful family and friends, and of course missed all of our family that weren't here to celebrate with us.

Only about 2 1/2 more weeks until our sweet nephew joins us! We are looking SO forward to meeting little Creed and spending Christmas with all of our family. December is going to be such a fun and exciting month. The girls are looking so forward to Christmas this year! Lots to look forward to and so much to be thankful for.

Looking for Laughter

This little girl is so funny! She is little in size, and big in personality. I am afraid that she is going to keep her Daddy and me on our toes. She is on the move all the time, and tries as hard as she can to keep up with her big sisters. She loves to make people laugh, and will do whatever it takes to get a reaction. Unfortunately, Lainie and Emmie laugh at things that aren't necessarily appropriate. For example, she spits with her tongue all the time because her sisters think it is funny. Mommy, however, does not find it very funny when she does it while she is feeding Ellie yogurt. Another inappropriate way to make people laugh? Slap them in the face! She was hitting Lainie or Emmie one day in the face and they thought it was so funny, so now Ellie will slap anyone across the face and then look at the person waiting for him or her to laugh at her. I pick her up out of her crib after naptime, and the first thing she does is slap me across the face and look at me. We are going to have a long road ahead of us at this rate! It is a good thing she is so darn cute! :)

Lynleigh Ellison's 1st Year

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I Don't Want to Miss A Thing!

Happy 13 Months to sweet Ellie today. This sweet girl never wants to miss a thing. She is such a little spitfire. She will go and go and go until she can barely hold her eyes open, and is my first child that will only sleep in her crib or her carseat. She absolutely refuses to sleep anywhere else. Lainie and Emmie would pass out anywhere if they were tired enough, but not this little stinker!
As you can see, she will fight sleep to the bitter end....even if it means she has to fall asleep sitting up. :)

Orange and Blue

Fall is one of our favorite seasons around here, especially when college football is on TV. We love our Auburn Tigers! I found these cute outfits and had to get them for the girls to wear on Saturdays. They love wearing their "football clothes." I really need to find some cute Notre Dame clothes too since their Daddy is a HUGE ND fan. War Eagle and Go Irish! :)

Trick or Treat 2011

The girls counted down the days to Halloween this year. Lainie decided a long time ago that she wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake, and Emmie decided she wanted to be Lemon Meringue. I found a cute strawberry costume at Old Navy and thought that would be a perfect fit for Ellie so she could go along with their theme!
Lainie and Emmie were able to wear their costumes to their school costume parade and the Trunk or Treat festival at our church before Halloween night. They loved any chance to wear their costumes, but unfortunately, Lainie's cute green and white striped tights had huge holes in them before Halloween even arrived. We just replaced them with some white tights, and she was happy.
They loved knocking on the doors and were great at saying "Trick or Treat" and telling everyone "Thank you!" They would walk up to the doors while we watched from the street and were so big this year! I can't believe how quickly they are growing. They are now counting down the days until Christmas. :)
Ellie had her first experience with a lollipop, and she definitely approved. She was happy just to ride in her stroller and watch her sisters collect some lollipops for her.

Halloween 2011

A Special Shout-Out

I just wanted to give a special shout-out to Uncle Bennie! Justin met Bennie several years ago when he was a teenager. He worked for him at a golf course in Birmingham and became very good friends with him through that time. I was lucky enough to meet him once Justin and I started dating, and also got to hear all kinds of stories about some of the adventures that they shared together over time.
Since I have known Bennie, he has always been the most thoughtful person. When we adopted our first fur baby, Riley, Bennie was always so sweet to watch her for us if we went out of town, and would come by and spend time with her if needed. He also was always great about bringing her special treats, celebrating her birthday, stuffing a stocking for her at Christmas, and the list goes on. Riley adores her "Uncle Ben" and always loves going to stay with him.
Riley is definitely spoiled, but Uncle Bennie has continued that same thoughtfulness with Lainie, Emmie and Ellie. He always remembers them on any special occasion, sends them sweet cards in the mail, and never hesitates to bring them special treats whenever he may see them. He will drive up from Birmingham to celebrate special occasions with them, will meet us in Chattanooga to spoil the girls with a trip to the Aquarium, and always makes the girls feel so special. They love Uncle Bennie, and are always excited to see him. As much as he spoils our girls, he also is so sweet to Justin and me too.
Justin and I are so blessed to know him. Our girls are truly blessed as well, and we are so thankful for the special relationship that we have with him. Uncle Bennie, I hope you realize what an important person you are to our family. We think the world of you and love you! Just wanted to express that as I share some pictures of Ellie opening up her gift from you for her first birthday.