Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

And he made a pit stop at the mall! Charlotte loved talking to Santa this year! Sullivan was sleeping, so no need to wake her up and pass on all those Santa germs!

That crazy Carl.

Here are some of that crazy Carls adventures in our house.

Hats Off to Suzie Stiches!

Need a cute hat? Or scarf? Or blanket? Anything? Check out my sister in law over at Suzie Stiches! She is awesome and has made some super cute stuff - at great prices! Charlotte and Sullivan got cupcake hats (sullivan was not camera ready) and MM has some great neck warmers (scarflettes) and cowl scarves!

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Hanging out on Thanksgiving day. Charlotte was so excited about Thanksgiving -- and constantly quizzed me on what food we were going to have! Pretty sure her favs were ham, bread, cranberry sauce, and of course... pie!

I had to run to Target to get a few things the other night and the girls came with me. We made our way to "just look" at the Christmas decor they had since we had just started decorating our house. Charlotte fell in love with this tree and told me she wanted to decorate it for her and Sullivan. I gave in and let her get it and one set of ornaments. She picked them out -- even matches! She decorated it all by herself and we set it up in the hall where the girls rooms are. Charlotte adores her tree! While she told me ours was pretty, she quickly followed it up with, "now come see my tree!" Note the lovely placement of the ornaments... some in nice neat rows.

We have also given in to the whole "Elf on the Shelf craze. I have so many friends who have done it and swear by it - so we thought it would be a nice tradition to start. So, I got the book and Elf at the Christmas show and we decided to start it Dec. 1st.

So, Nov. 30th, we read the book before she went to bed and learned all about "the elf". Two things Charlotte really picked up on from the book -- 1) He talks to Santa 2) You can't touch him. They also said you have to name your elf. Well -- Charlotte thought for a minute and said she wants to name the elf Carl. CARL?!? What 3 year old thinks of the name Carl? I racked my brain trying to think of anyone we know named Carl - or someone from her school that she may have on her mind, but came up with nothing. So, Carl it is!

Carl has just begun to find his way around the house - as he is supposed to be in a new spot each morning (upon his return from the North Pole to tell Santa if Charlotte has been good or bad that day). My favorite phrase from Charlotte this morning upon finding him... "Heeeeey, Carl... how'd you do that?!"

like a weed!

Happy healthy baby girl! Sullivan had her 2 month appointment (even though she is a little older than that) on Monday. She is now 14.5 lbs and 24 inches long! Practically perfect! 3 shots down... handled them like a champ, just like her big sister does. Back for well visit in February!

Chillin'.

Just some fun shots from one of the girls' favorite times... daddy time!!

Gobble Gobble!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from our red-head pilgrim!

(taken at her class thanksgiving lunch)

Back in the saddle again!

We are all getting in to our routines and daily grind once again... and it seems like Sullivan has been here all along! Daycare has been a great thing for Sullivan -- she comes home tired everyday! She gets great reports and seems to be adjusting so well. Charlotte loves to come in and drop her off on the way to her class. She has been such an amazing big sister! Loves to help, listens well, and is so gentle and sweet to Sullivan. We are so lucky to have been blessed with two amazing girls!

This past weekend we went to the downtown Hickory holiday tree lighting. Nice cool night with Santa and Mrs. Claus at a distance... Charlotte says she wants to go see the "real Santa" later. The one that comes after Thanksgiving! She is going to be in a Christmas play at school and has been practicing her songs every night. She is very excited! She will also be riding on a float in the Claremont Christmas parade in a couple weeks with her dance class... stay tuned for pics!

We also went to the Science Center Saturday. Taking advantage of our new family membership! Charlotte loved it, of course, and Sullivan slept through the whole thing! We played for a bit in the science areas then made our way to the Aquarium. Charlotte loved the fish and wanted to stick her hands in the touch tanks, but only when the stingrays were on the other side! She asked me at every tank, "That's glass Mommy?" After confirming the glass was between her and the big fish, she would press her nose right up to it!

You may remember this picture from early 2009... and now again at the end of 2010. My how times have changed!



And the true sign of a good day...

Also - here is a nice alert pic of Sullivan early one morning...



Sullivans next doc appointment is coming up next week -- so I'll bring back the stats then! Have a Happy Thanksgiving! We are truly grateful for such sweet red-heads in our lives!

Baby's First Business Meeting.

MM needed to attend a meeting at work, and Wes was out of town - so Sullivan joined us! She was great -- not a peep. We were hoping for some input on the meeting from her, but she chose to nap instead.

Smiles all around!

Now, THIS is a real smile! they are slowly but surely coming more often. Thank goodness... I needed to see a smile before heading back to work!

Her Civic Duty

Charlotte took part in her first voting! We went to vote early and Charlotte and Sullivan went along. The sign said no phone use in the voting area - but how could I resist! Memories, people!

Charlotte even pushed the "submit ballot" button for me!

ps. yes, she wore her crown to vote. the candidates outside were so confused to see the queen walking up.

Halloween!

Back again with our favorite tie of the year! Halloween!!! Well - its Mommys favorite, but I think I am getting Charlotte hooked as well! This year was a family effort in dressing up as The Care Bears! A childhood favorite of Wes and MM's - and now they are back and Charlotte likes them too! We mentioned a Care Bear for Halloween and it was over from there. Charlotte was pumped and knew she wanted to be "Tenderheart". It all just fell in to place after that - MM was Bedtime Bear (what new mom doesn't want more bed time?), Wes was Lucky Bear due to some heritage, and Sullivan was Cheer Bear - because it fit her perfectly (and I already had a pink outfit for her)!

We attended the annual Halloween bash at The Jackson Group - something we participate in every year. As well as went trick or treating at the Downtown Candy Crawl... a perfect idea for little ones! Magi and Poppo represented TJG at the candy crawl and had quite the crowd! We topped it off with dinner at Village Inn (the pizza place as Charlotte calls it) with Alan, Suzanne, and the boys. Perfect!

Once again -- costumes homemade with love. I don't mind doing it... its so much fun and makes for excellent memories!

Also - the night before, we went to the club for their Boo-fett and hayride! Charlottes first hay ride and it was a night time one! She loved it! In her words... "I saw ghostesses but no wolfies".

Enjoy the pics!

Fall Fun!

What a fun fall weekend we had! There was tailgating for the LRU v. Tusculum game (Bears win!) with the Gates family... a drive to Asheville on Sunday morning to see the leaves... and the pumpkin patch! Happy family!

Charlotte and the LRU Cheer and Dance team (sporting pink for Breast Cancer Awareness)

Go Bears!

Off to the Pumpkin Patch!


Scarecrow Love.

No time to for clever stories...

Still pretty new to this whole "two kids thing"! No time for a "wordy" post this week... enjoy some pics!

Sullivan

Not a real smile yet... just good camera timing!

Charlotte and her friend Collin! *as previously mentioned, she is ALWAYS in princess wear!*

On the soccer field at LRU - playing before the Homecoming fireworks show.

Homecoming attire... Go Bears!

just another day in the castle.

Charlotte has a fabulous princess dress up kit that LaLa and Doc gave her one Christmas... boy, was that money well spent on their part. They would be happy to know pretty much everyday after she gets home from school (and all day on the weekends) she asks to put on her "princess dress". EVERY DAY. We always let her -- cause its just too darn cute! I think we will have to be on the look out for an updated version soon... some of her majesty's tops are getting a little snug!

so mellow baby...

On a recent outing to the new Mellow Mushroom in Hickory!

Switch it up!

Just a slight change to Charlotte's room - moving her bed out of the corner and making it a true big girl room! Everyone needs some change once and a while!

A Legacy.

Sadly, MM's grandmother - Mama J - has not been doing to well lately. She is 93 and such an amazing woman... a true inspiration to us all. Never complains, has never said an ill word about anyone, and always offers a smile. Being the incredible woman she is, we went to visit her this past weekend and her spirits were high and she even felt up to holding her newest great grandchild (also the latest to hold the Simmons name)! It was a nice family day with Poppo, Alan, Suzanne, and the boys... here are some pics that I am sure will be treasured for a long time!