Polar Express Train Ride

New adventure this year - took a train ride and saw Santa!  Classic picture at the end of the girls with Santa!

Tis the Season for Blood Curdling Screams

This is not the picture we had envisioned (obviously - or I would have made better wardrobe choices for myself) when we took K to see Santa.

Why are Jon and I in the picture? Shrieks of terror, loud enough to make us all jump, from the boy just ahead of Katie in the Santa line made her more than a little cautious. See the fear in her eyes in this pic below? K kept saying "Hold you, Mawhner." She just knew Jon or I would betray her and force her to sit with Santa. However, neither of us had the heart to wrench her from our arms and force her to sit in S. C.'s lap. So we have a family portrait. It'll be a fun story to share with K one day.

Memaw T gave me red and white polka dot material. I sewed it into the bubble skirt K is modeling. My Memaw Hazel would make me and my girl cousins Christmas skirts each year to wear in our Santa pictures. I'm keeping the tradition alive.

Back of the bubble.

First Christmas

Katie's first Christmas was wonderful. She loved opening gifts. Especially gifts stuffed full of tissue paper. She clapped and pointed (her newest skill) at her favorite things.

Christmas eve - Katie is wearing her fancy Christmas dress to the candlelight service. Dusty/Granddad is taking the picture.



Why we make New Year's resolutions. Mom's poppy seed cake!



Christmas morning - Look what Santa brought!



Christmas morning - Katie politely reading the gift tag before opening her present from Jon and me.



Christmas dinner at Grandma and Granddad's



First day of Kwanzaa at Meme and Papa's



A gift for me - see video link for a demo



Katie's first Christmas created such an appreciation for God's gift of his son to us. While rocking Katie in my arms at bedtime, I am filled with overwhelming love for her sweet stillness. I long to keep her little and holdable forever. These feelings really brought home to me what an awesome sacrifice God made for us. I would not give Katie's life to save a million saints. Yet God gave baby Jesus to us to save millions of sinners. I always knew the truth of the nativity story. Katie's preciousness drove it home. I feel so grateful and indebted to a God that would love me this much. He is amazing.

Santa Baby

Katie met Santa today! It went much better than we expected. No crying! Santa had a smart team with him. They had us keep Katie's back to Santa and place her in his lap. She was all smiles while the pictures were taken. Once we had a perfect picture, Santa turned her around. She gently touched his beard. Then looked back at us with an expression that said, "I will cry, if you don't rescue me RIGHT NOW!"

The rescue -


Using the sad eyes on Papa -