A Country Christmas ~

We made it home safely from Nashville this afternoon! Despite a few setbacks in the beginning, we had a great trip! We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and saw the Rockettes on Sunday! It was amazing......especially the live nativity at the end! Somehow we ended up with front row seats and though the show lasted almost 2 hrs, Ella didn't move! She sat and watched the entire time! Last night we went to Charlie Brown ICE! Once you get past the fact that it's 9 degrees in there it's great! It's hard to believe all that was actually made out of ICE.....like the slide! The Hotel itself had enough to spend several days exploring! You would have to stay for a week to do all they had to offer! I dropped that hint to Jeb but I don't think he caught it!

A Girl's night at the Wynfrey ~

I met my sweet Auburn friend, Katie, at the Wynfrey Tuesday night for a getaway/shopping trip! I haven't seen her since we moved so it was great getting to spend time with her and catch up on things! While I was in Birmingham, Jeb was holding down the fort at home with BOTH girls! Not only did he do homework, bath, and bedtime Tuesday night, but also got them both up and ready for school Wednesday morning......including fixing their hair! I'm lucky to have him! Per Emma's request, he did have a little help! He said her bedtime prayer went something like this.....

"Dear GOD, thank you for letting us have such a fun night and please keep my mom safe on her trip and as she comes home tomorrow....and please, GOD, let my daddy make it through til tomorrow when she gets home! AMEN"

Oh Jolly!

Jolly (our Elf) has certainly been busy......and with more than just watching out for the girls! Every morning He's the first thing on their minds.....they have to find him! Sometimes He's found sitting quietly on a shelf or in the Christmas tree.....and sometimes He's found doing things like.....................

Eating candy out of the dish......

Making a mess with the cereal......

Swinging from the Christmas socks that Nana sent the girls........

What WILL He do Next!!??

A little SNOW.....

We didn't have a ton of snow but it was just enough to make it look pretty this morning! Emma wasted no time getting out in it! She was a little disappointed that she couldn't make a snowman but "hey.....at least we got to see some!"

Athens Christmas Parade ~

This was like no other Christmas parade we've ever been to! It's one of the only night parades in the state.....and it's a HUGE deal in Athens! We had to arrive 2 hours ahead of time to find a place to park and watch from! But it was worth it! The parade lasted for an hour so by the time it was over we were almost frozen! Emma (or Ella for that matter) had never seen anything like it......they had a blast!

Meet Jolly....

....Our Elf! The girls have been EXTRA good since He arrived (since He reports back to Santa)! However, Jolly seems to get into a little mischief himself! They couldn't believe it when they saw him wrapped in toilet paper this morning!! With 20 more days until Christmas, there's no telling what we will find him doing each morning!