Christmas 2009

The Christmas parade was the usual for us. Very cold, very rushed to get there. But there was one person in our crowd that made it all worth it....Maeve! She went to sleep on the way to town because she was all warm and toasty in her layers. But, when she woke up, her eyes were filled with wonder at all the lights and sounds she was experiencing.

For the first year, Cam walked right up to Santa, jumped in his lap, and started talking to him! There was no coersion, no protests, no tears...just a little boy who knows what it's all about now. I would have loved to hear what he was telling Santa, however, Maeve was screaming out of terror! She, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the strange man with the long white beard. Even after seeing Cam was with Santa for a few minutes, she did not warm up to the idea of sitting in his lap. The second time we tried to pass her to him, she squalled even louder. I'm guessing I'll have to wait another three years to get a happy picture of her and Santa.

All in all Maeve enjoyed her very first Christmas. I had a great time dressing her for each little occasion.  She had so many cute Christmas outfits that I really needed another month to get some more wear out of them.  She awoke to a sea of pink with a monkey theme on Christmas morning since she's our "Maevey Monkey."  She, typically, was more enthralled with Cam's toys than her own.  I have caught her several times"tending" to her new babies. 

Cam coming down the stairs on Christmas morning is a memory I hope I can hold on to.  I was sleeping lightly, listening for him to wake up.  I wasn't sure if he would go into the living room before coming to get us, but I wanted badly to see his reaction this year.  When I heard his footsteps coming down, I lept to the door of my bedroom just to watch him.  He got far enough down the stairs to peek over into the living room.  His jaw dropped and he ran down the remaining steps and into our room exclaiming, "There's a ton of toys in there!  Santa came!"  We got up, lugging a sleeping Maeve with us so we could watch Cam discover his new loot. 

Christmas is very much a magical time of year!  We are so thankful for this time together and for all of our many blessings!

9 Months

A couple of weeks behind, but I could not go without posting the milestone 9 month pictures. This photo shoot was perhaps the best time Maeve has had yet. She was very cooperative and very smiley, even though it was getting close to her bedtime. It may have helped that just the two of us went; we left our boys at home.

When I tell people she's nine months old, it feels official now that she's not my baby baby anymore. She's just a few months away from one. Wow! The year has gone by so fast.

We are looking forward to sharing Maeve's first Christmas with her. The first time she saw the tree in our living room, she clapped her hands. She loves pullin up on the hearth to ring Santa's bell. One time Santa actually toppeled over on her. She was quite perplexed when that happened. Each night, she undecorates the bottom part of the tree. I put our most baby-safe ornaments on the lowest level knowing this would probably be the case. We tell her "No! No!" and she grins back at us and says, "Na, na, na, na!" I love dressing her in her in all of her Christmas clothes. Wonder what she will think of the loot Santa will leave?

I know each year as I take these pictures out, I will love remembering our nine month old Maeve.

On the Quest for the Perfect Christmas Card

Can't get much sweeter than these faces...love them so!

Having too much fun playing peek-a-boo with Mama and the camera

Determined not to cooperate and smile a normal smile
What happened to my ever-ready photogenic Cam?

Grinning in front of her pink tree

(Yes...I am holding nothing back when it comes to the pink!)

CoCo almost made it into this one...that really would have been perfect!

The Kiss

Gotcha, Brother!

Each year, I get out my camera in hopes to capture the perfect Christmas card photo without too much effort and heartbreak. Unlike, my sister, I cannot seem to have one ready and waiting as early as June. (Gotta love your togetherness Sista!) Well, getting two subjects to cooperate for this has proven to be harder than I expected this year.

We have had fun trying. These are just a few little moments that I snagged with the camera. One of these may just be card worthy. (Actually, I think I need to just send out one big collage because it's so hard for me to narrow down my choices. I love them all for different reasons!)

Which one is your favorite?

Thankful Thanksgiving

Maeve in the leaves

Two Little Indians joined us for our feast

Bring on the table food!

Maeve's 1st Thanksgiving Meal

(roll, greenbeans, sweet potatoes, dressing, mashed potatoes)

The Boys and Maeve

Thanksgiving and its break gave us much to be thankful for. We enjoyed a day at a cabin on the lake, making new Thanksgiving traditions. It was fun for all. We have been blessed with so much!

Maeve enjoyed her first Thanksgiving meal. She looked like the stuffed turkey when she was finished. Cam loved feeling like every day was Saturday because we all got to be at home with each other...no work and no school!

Give thanks with a grateful heart.

Give thanks to the Holy One.

Give thanks because He's given, Jesus Christ, His Son

And now, let the weak say, 'I am strong'

Let the poor say, 'I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us'

Give thanks

A Sunday Afternoon Drive

We've had a long week with Maeve who has been battling sickness. She had a viral infection, which equals fever, lots of snot, a rash, and waking up all through the night. Needless to say, we are all tired and weary.

After work on Friday, I drove up to Moo's where she was outside with Cam and Maeve. Even there Maeve wasn't satisfied, just fussy and wanting to do more than she really can. So, Cam was cruising in his "WahWah Monster Truck." I took Maeve over to him and the truck and asked, "Can you ride her in your truck?" He was oh-so proud to be trusted to drive his little sister. And Maeve was just beside herself in awe! She could not stop smiling. As she rode around slowly, she was clapping her hands and messing with the dials on the radio. She kept looking back at us. I don't know if she was making sure we were watching or making sure she was going to be ok. It was such a treat to watch the two of them being BIG together.

On Sunday after church, I had to let Tony in on the treat. So, once again, the two of them set off to riding. I strategically dressed them in Georgia outfits so it would be even cuter in the flag-adorned truck. Got some precious pictures. As they rode off down the driveway, I couldn't help but think: This is going to be a real image one day.

But for now, I'm fine with them just pretending to be all grown up.

8 Months Old

With the changing of the months, comes the realization that our baby girl is adding another month to her age. Eight months already!

She grows and changes so fast. She now has 6 teeth: four on top and two on the bottom. On my birthday, she started crawling like a pro, finally getting those arms and legs in a coordinated motion. She's progressed from waving her whole arm to doing that classic backwards hand wave. We practice this any chance we get throughout the day. She babbles all the time. She started with "DaDaDa" and "buhhh" for CoCo. She is now sweetly saying "MaMaMa" when she wants me or she wants more to eat. Cam is feeling a bit left out since she says Mama and Daddy. He commented, "Why won't she say CamCamCam?" She frequently laughs out loud at him. She already is smitten with that older brother. We'll see how long those feelings last!

Wonder what this month will hold for her? We are already wondering where our Christmas decorations will have to be displayed in order to keep her from harm. I know the trees will be high on her list of things to get in to!

Cuties in their Costumes

Muscle Man Cam and Sock Monkey Maeve

Where are you going, Monkey?

Anna Belle, as Mary's Little Lamb, with her Monkey friend

Muscle Man and Mary Had a Little Lamb

Elvis, Sumo Wrestler, and Muscle Man

Buzz Lightyear and the Three-Eyed Martian

Halloween is not really a special day in our house since Cam LOVES to dress up all the time. He has so many costumes to choose from that it's been really no big deal for him to get all dressed up. The biggest difference is that his favorite food group, candy, is readily available!

Carving Creativity

Tony and Cam carved their first pumpkin this year. We always pick some from the patch, but I usually don't like for them to be turned into jack-o-lanterns simply so that they can continue to decorate for us throughout the rest of fall. I had to concede this year, and let a little boy have that "gutting" experience. He was not as into as I thought he would be. Mostly it was Tony who did all the work. Cam kept coming in to get different spoons to help scoop out the stuff.

Here are their finished products:

The Traditional One

McCullers: Family of Four

Pumpkin Patch '09

We had two little pumpkins to take to the patch this year. With all the rain, a couple of our planned outtings had been postponed. So, the first day the sun was shining this week, we took off to the patch.

I don't know how much fun they had, but I had a LOT of fun having them pose and take some pictures. Cam was a little distraught about not having overalls to wear. I guess from all the pictures of years past, he associates wearing overalls with going to the pumpkin patch. He didn't have any that fit him this year (he's gotten so tall lately). He finally settled on the clothes that coordinated with Maeve's outfit.

They made some sweet memories for Mama.

90th Birthday

Maeve was really happy about her great-granddaddy turning 90!

Edward and Doris waiting to receive their guests.

My sweet Granddaddy celebrated his 90th birthday this month. What a blessing it has been to know and love him and have him part of my life for all these years. We celebrated with a big party. So many people came out to show their love and support. Someone pointed out that he and Granny just might be the oldest living couple in the county. They've been married 64 years and are working on 65! I cannot imagine even living that long, much less being married that long!

It was quite overwhelming to have so many people come out to help us celebrate him. Everyone managed to make it, including the nine grandchildren and their entourage of children that have blessed him with 15 great grands.

He's now planning his 100th birthday party!

Bahama Mama

All year, I've been trying to make the most of the last year of my twenties. Since welcoming Maeve in to the world, having any time to myself has been a rare commodity. So, back in April, I proclaimed that the best birthday gift for me this year would be a trip without the kids. Tony looked around and found a three day cruise to the Bahamas that matched our fall break. So, it was a done deal. We were going!

As the trip got closer and closer, I started to panic. How could I ever be away from my little ones? Up unil this point, I had only left Maeve overnight just one time and that was less than 24 hours. Then, when I thought about how much I would have to pack and prepare, my panic grew greater. I even asked Tony the week before we left if we could just postpone it till summer time. He was a little hurt by my request. I think mostly because we would lose our money, but also because he had planned the perfect trip for us.

So, we left and everything worked out just right. Two days of relaxing and just doing exaclty what I wanted felt like a whole week! It was a break that we all needed. The babies got spoiled by all the time with grandparents, and Tony and I realized that without all the stresses of life, we really do enjoy each other's company.

One more week of being twenty something. Here's to my next 30 years!

7 Months

The year is going by so fast. Our little Maeve is already 7 months old. This month she got her pictures made in true Georgia style. She wore the same little overalls that Cam did for his 7 month pictures. Of course she had to sport the bow with them to make them girly.

Go Dawgs!

Serious Dawg Fan

Cam in these overalls in October of '06

Maeve Looking Like Mama

At Maeve's Baby Brunch in February, Moo gave me a little outfit that used to be mine. Of course, in my emotional state, it made me cry thinking that I was going to get to pass down some of my own childhood things to my little girl. This would be the first of many hand-me-downs of mine.


The little outfit is pink and made out of sweater material. Evidently clothes were not made for comfort back then. It feels very scratchy for little skin. It has some lace that Doo had to treat with Heaven's Best stain remover because the yellow had set in after all those years. While it is not the most attractive outfit, it was one that I remember hanging in Moo's closet as a little girl. I would ask, whose baby clothes, and she would say, "That used to be yours." Tony laughed at it when he saw it, noting the old style of it. He said, "Are you really going to make Maeve wear that?" It has been hanging in Maeve's room waiting for the perfect moment for her to wear it for a photo opportunity. Well, today was that moment. (I've been eyeballing the size, and almost waited too late!)


Here she is in a thirty year old outfit that her mama wore. She can make anything look good!