SNOW DAY!!!

About a week ago, we had a major event in Atlanta - white stuff fell from the sky and we got it all on film! Yes, it snowed - not once, but twice! We took the chance to introduce Kate to snow, since she might not see it again until she's driving in it.

I decided against writing my name in the snow, but our dog Toby proudly penned his name in big bold letters...

Here are some winter pics of the chilly day.

Happy Holidays!

Well, Kate's first holiday season has come and gone after many smiles AND viewings of "The Grinch"!

We spent Christmas Eve at Mimi and Poppy's where Kate got to see their holiday village set-up in all it's glory. Then we ate some roast beast (Kate's was strained of course) and opened some gifts. Kate got many nice things, which she clearly enjoyed, when she was done playing with the wrapping paper.

Christmas morning was spent at home, where she played with some new toys. The hands down favorite was an animal train. Later that day, we had an open house for family to stop by for some yummy food and to sit by the fire.

The following weekend, we headed to Birmingham to see the country folks. The food was great (as always) and Kate got to show off her "almost crawling" skills.

Kate decided to spend New Year's at home. She opted out of watching the ball drop at midnight however. Mommy and daddy almost did as well, but felt obligated to live up to their wild reputation. When the ball dropped, we had a sip of champagne to toast the New Year, then rolled over and went to sleep!

Kate turned seven-months-old on December 29. She weighs twenty pounds now, has two teeth and is working on a third. She's handling it really well...lots of drooling, not much complaining.

As you can see from the pics, she's SO close to crawling, though she hasn't quite figured out the whole forward motion yet. She's improvising by pulling herself along on the hardwood floors.

That's my girl!




Christmas Eve, with
the village in the
background.







"Poppy, just what I
always wanted!"








Playing with
new toys.









Christmas morning!









Sleepy AND happy!









Dinner in Birmingham.








"Aunt Patti, you have
a LOT of teeth!"









Yet more toys...








Hanging out with
Grandma Jane.









Chillin' with a book.









"OK...I'm ready to
go forward now..."









Showing off those
"baby blues"...

Kate's Trip to See "You Know Who!"

This past weekend we took Kate to the mall and ran into Santa Clause! Who knew he would be in town! So of course we had to snap a pic of Kate with the big guy!

Kate's changing before our eyes (and ears!) Now that she's six and a half months old, she has two teeth and a fun new game...letting out a high pitch squeal when she's happy. We have to remember not to laugh about it when we're out in public, however. As for her crawling - she's up on all fours and can go in reverse (sort of), so we think she'll put it in drive real soon.

Here are some pics of her St. Nick visit.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!





Posing by the tree.










Going to the mall.













Talking with the
Big Man himself!

Kate's First Holiday Party!

This past Sunday, we attended the annual Christmas party of daddy's studio and let Kate see how we party in the A-T-L! Actually, since we were all up the night before, we didn't party that much.

For the first time, the party was held at Rhodes Hall, an old house in mid-town. The food was great and Kate had a good time showing off her new threads and socializing. This was of course before the meltdown when we had to say our quick goodbyes and make a speedy exit!

Still, we had tons o' fun...

Thanks to Joe and Athena for the pics.




"The fam' "









Posing in front of the
biggest Christmas tree
EVER!!!...












Hypnotic eyes...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Kate and family had a great time on and around Turkey Day. On Thursday, we went to Jen's parents here in town for some yummy bird. Kate wore her new yellow dress that she was very proud of. She also loved to look at all the food and dream of one day slipping into a turkey coma just like everyone else!

On Saturday, we drove to Birmingham for an overnight stay. We ate MORE yummy food and watched as Grandma Jane and Kate laughed together and swapped stories. Then we settled in for the all-important Iron Bowl football game, which is of course Alabama vs. Auburn. Kate let out many squeals and yelps, which was easily translated by daddy as Roll Tide! Sadly, they lost to Auburn. Kate was so upset that she couldn't sleep at all Saturday night and oddly enough, neither did mommy or daddy!

On Sunday, we drove back to Atlanta and proceeded to nap the rest of the day by the fire before eating some tasty chili. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend for us and all our family.

As usual, here are some snaps of the long weekend for you to enjoy.

Kate sporting her
new dress.

Settling in for some
tasty grub...

or at least watching...

"Did somebody say

cranberry sauce?"

"I think I'd like

cranberry sauce!"

Thanksgiving dinner

in Birmingham.

Relaxing before the
football game starts.

Playing with Gracie...

"Uh oh...the game is

starting!"

KATE'S MOUNTAIN GETAWAY

The first weekend in November, we got together with some friends at a cabin in Blue Ridge, GA for the weekend. Rick, Melanie, Hannah and Noah drove up from Columbus, while Sara and Jason drove over from the Carolinas. None of us had been to this part of GA before, so we weren't sure what to expect. Let me just say...it was GREAT! The cabin was perfect for the number of people we had and the weather couldn't have been nicer.

We realized early on that only spending a few days together wasn't enough time, so next year, we'll make it a longer stay. Kate loved meeting her new friends and sucking them into her tractor beam of cuteness.

Here are some pics (or if you prefer, eye poems...)




"SMILE!"








Kate and daddy share
a quiet moment before
the others arrive.







Hanging out on the
back deck.









By the fireplace in
the screened in
porch.





Kate gets approached
by a boy...

(I wasn't ready
for that!)






Kate and Noah
enjoy brunch.









"Whoa...you startled me!"

Kate's First Halloween

Kate had a ball at the "Halloween Trick or Treats" afternoon hosted by a local shopping center in our area on Saturday, October 27. She got lots of good ideas for next year's costume and enjoyed people watching. She especially hit it off with a cute little Yoda (that's my girl!)

Here are a few pics of our little pumpkin...

"OK...let's roll!"

Lunch break!

Naptime...

...for "daddy's lil' ghoul".