Random Christmas Photos....

Our princess!!!!



Olivia playing with the dollhouse Santa brought her. (And posing for the camera)



A "clubhouse" from Santa



This is Olivia sitting and playing at what is probably her favorite of all her Christmas presents... (Vanity and MAKE-UP!) Make-up is what she wanted from Santa.



Olivia putting on her make-up.... LOVELY!!!


Just liked this picture for some reason. She looks so serious....



Livie and her cousin Hayden anxiously awaiting breakfast Christmas morning....



Livie and her Daddy!!!! (Whom she is loving an awful lot these days!!!) I may be getting jealous! :-)



I just liked this picture. She has on the bracelet that Santa put in her stocking that I heard Tabetha Sullens made! :-)



Me and Liv Christmas morning



Santa brought Livie this baby



Okay, she was really getting into it!



Charlie, Rylan and Livie

Cookies for Santa

We had so much fun doing this. She was so excited!

I took a before picture, but was so excited when we got up and found out Santa Clause had been here, I forgot to take the after picture. :-(

Maybe Next Year....

Well, we tried again this year to get Olivia to sit with Santa so we could get her picture and so she could tell him what she wants, but I had to tell him again this year. She wouldn't have any part of it. She is terrified of Santa, but she loves him so much. We went to the mall and she watched other little kids get in his lap and she would just grin and say "Santa Clause!" Then I would ask her if she wanted to get in his lap, she adamantly said "NO!" He even got up at one point and started walking toward her to give her a sticker book, and she started screaming at the top of her lungs! It echoed throughout the whole mall. Too funny! Well, he got the hint and stopped right where he stood and Jason went and got her sticker book. When Santa went to sit back down in his chair, she started blowing him kisses. I guess she figured she better do something if she was gonna get some presents.... :-)

The Candy Cane......

My precious and wonderful step mom (Patsy McBride) shared this information with me about the candy cane, and I thought I would pass it on to you. I had never heard it before (but I think it has been around for a while) so I found it very interesting and so sweet. Someone gave it to her as well. Thank you Patsy for sharing with me and letting me share this with friends on my blog. Love you bunches. Here goes.......

The candy cane is in the shape of a shepherd's staff to show Jesus is our Shepherd and we are His flock. Upside down the candy cane is a "J", the first letter of Jesus' name. It is made of hard candy which reminds us that Christ is the rock of our salvation. The wide red stripes on the candy cane represent the blood He shed on the cross for each one of us so that we can have eternal life through Him. The white stripes on a candy cane represent the virgin birth, sinless life and purity of our Lord. The three narrow red stripes on candy canes symbolize that by His stripes, or wounds, we are healed and the Trinity ~ the Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit. When we break our candy cane it reminds us that Jesus' body was broken for us. If we share our candy cane and give some to someone else in love because we want to, it represents that same love of Jesus because He is to be shared with one another in love. Merry Christmas friends!

Church Day....

Just taking pictures of Olivia before church and thought I would share....


Say Cheese!


Olivia is a bad fingernail picker! Not biter~~ PICKER. She picks at her nails all the time. I hope she doesn't start biting her nails. I hope she doesn't pick up that nasty habit from me. I am terribly concerned since she messes with her nails so much.

Needing Prayers......

So, tonight I am asking for everyone who reads my blog to stop and say a little prayer for my nephew Charlie Moore . We found out late this afternoon that he has Type 1 Diabetes and he has been admitted to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Please keep him in your prayers..

This is Charlie and Olivia at my grandmothers on Thanksgiving


This is Charlie and Olivia in Florida this summer getting busted munching on potato chips first thing in the morning. She and Charlie wore out the barbecue chips while we were in Florida.


This picture was taken at a birthday party. He had just gotten out of the pool and was munching on cake and chips. I think he may swim with those little eyes wide open. What do you think?

Dressing Up.....

Olivia came into the room the other day and said "Mom, look at me!" Isn't this lovely???? :-) She is constantly changing clothes and putting on diapers and bloomers that go with her various outfits. She is so funny. She has lots of fun doing this, and I have lots of fun picking it up.

Tagged by Veronica.......

I was tagged by Veronica over a week ago for Christmas Tag and I am just now getting around to doing my post. I'm sorry Veronica!! :-( Anyway, here goes......

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer wrapping paper so I can make it pretty, but use bags when necessary.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Both. We are currently using artificial, but we both want to get a real tree in the next year or two. They are messy, but they smell delightful....

3. When do you put up your tree? Ummm,,,,earlier every year!! :-) (Before Thanksgiving)

4. When do you take the tree down? Right after Christmas. If I don't, I am constantly looking at the tree thinking "I have got to take that down!"

5. Do you like eggnog? Don't know. Never tried it because it never sounded good to me.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? It was a stereo system.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Jason's grandparents or parents.

8. Easiest person to buy for? nieces and nephews

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but we want one.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you received as a child? Don't remember

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph

13. When do you start your Christmas shopping? Again, earlier every year. (Before Thanksgiving)

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas gift? Yes

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My grandmothers fudge and my mom's dressing.

16. Colored lights or clear on tree? Both. We have a colored tree and we have a clear tree. Clear lights are prettier, (to us anyway), but the colored reminds us of when we were little.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh, I love them all. I do have a favorite that I hear every year like once on the radio, and every year I say "I have to remember the name of that song!" and,,,, never do..... So, I don't know the name of it, but I like them all.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? HOME-- for sure!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes

20. Angel or star on top of tree? Bow and twigs.

21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas? Both.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Rushing!!

23. Favorite ornament? Any that have anything to do with Olivia.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? To watch Olivia when she sees that Santa Claus came to see her. She was too young last year. We have waited for this day for so long. We are so thankful to God for blessing us in the way that he has.

25. Favorite holiday treat(cake,cookie,dessert)? Again, granny's fudge!!

Now I tag anyone who wants to do it that hasn't already. I think I may be one of the last people to do this... Sorry again Veronica. I have been slacking.

Our First Dentist Appointment....

Today was Olivia's first dentist appointment. I took her to Wild About Smiles in Murfreesboro, and they were wonderful. Olivia did great too. I talked it up for a couple of weeks and had her excited about going. She was especially excited in the very kid friendly waiting area ~BUT~ they called her name and things started going downhill from there. We walked by an area where a little boy was lying down getting his teeth worked on, and she just looked at me with confusion and now ~ UNCERTAINTY! She still did great though while they brushed her teeth and talked to her. She was fine. THEN, they laid her on her back and came at her with a scary mask on their face and those silver instruments... That did it! It was on!!! She was livid!! It is funny now, but while she was crying, I could feel her little body trembling in fear like she did when we gave her that first bath in China at 10 months old. She was terrified. I just wanted to stop right then and forget it, but I knew it had to be done. She was so sweet after it was all over. She looked at me with tear filled eyes and soaking wet hair (from the tears rolling down her face while she was lying down) and said "I did it Mom, I did it!". It was so sweet! I love her so much! I think overall, she did really good for her first visit. They said she did. They said she did great! (But really, like they are going to say "Oh my, your child did horrible!") Anyway, all I think is all that matters!! :-)

Ok... Olivia.... This way.... Say Cheese.. PLEASE!!

I think the title says it all!! I was trying to get pictures for our Christmas cards! I am the worlds worst about not having professional pictures done! I am not sure why? I take a ton at home, I just do not make appointments to go have Olivia's picture done professionally! (Maybe because I hate to have my picture made) I'm not sure. I do have big plans to have them done though. I actually tried to make an appointment with someone, but she was booked until next year!! I will have them done eventually and hopefully they will turn out good so I will not feel so bad~ he he~ Enjoy these silly pics of Olivia. She is a hoot! She thought it was hilarious that I was begging for her cooperation!














By the way, sorry about all the blog changes lately. I was never really satisfied with the HO HO HO page, so I went looking for another Christmas one and found this one with the ladybugs which works perfect. It is red for Christmas, it has ladybugs (which is a BIG good luck symbol in China), and it's almost New Years. So, ladybugs it is!!! (Until after New Years :-).

Sesame Street Live- When Elmo Grows Up.....

Yesterday, Jason, Olivia and I went to Nashville to watch Sesame Street Live- When Elmo Grows Up, and we had so much fun! Olivia did not move out of her seat (or my lap, I guess I should say), once the show started. The only time her eyes left the stage was to ask "Where did Elmo go?", "Where did Big Bird go?" and Where did Abby Cadabby go?". It was so cute! The only thing she didn't like was when the characters got too close to her. She would then start clawing my chest and climbing up my body! She loved them, but she also wanted them to keep their distance. Too funny! Thank you so much Holly for letting me know they were coming and for sending me the information. She loved it! (So did Jason and I!) We took a ton of pictures, it was hard to decide which one's to post.


On our way to see Elmo! She was so excited! She kept saying "I wanna see Elmo Daddy!". We couldn't even park without getting fussed at. We were just too darn slow for her. :-)




Anxiously awaiting the show to begin......



Still waiting.......



And finally, it is starting..... :-)






Abby Cadabby!!!!



Yay,,, I love it!!!!!





Oh yay,,, keep on going!!! (as she's falling over! hehe)





Waving bye to Elmo and his friends!




On our way home from Nashville, she was beat! She held those eyes open during the concert, but she couldn't keep them open in the car!!