Nashville Bound

This weekend was one to remember.  

A right of passage for every bride, and this one was for my future sister in law!

Nashville was full of brides to be this weekend (see above)

And we partied it up in style.  

Almost all the Bridesmaids got to be there.  

The champagne flowed and the gifts were plentiful.

We told funny stories about the happy couple

and childhood memories were passed around.

There were gag gifts of course

and lots of good food!

It was such a fun weekend, and we were all so tired on the way home Sunday.

I can't believe it has already come and gone and now the wedding is less that three weeks away!

The bride's sister did most of the planning, and she did such a great job- we had a unique Nashville experience and it was such a fun way to celebrate the Bride!

A year in pictures

Seeing as I have around 5,000 pictures from this year alone (yikes!)  I thought I would pick the best ones and create a little montage homage to 2010.  What a good year it has been, and there are still three weeks to go!



(Note: all pictures are mine, except for a few wedding photos, which are from ABryanphotography.  I know very little about copyright info on private blogs, so please forgive me as I have tried to be honest in giving credit).  

Adventures in Gingerbread Houses and other excursions

First of all, I downloaded an app that allows you to take "retro" pictures with your iphone camera.  This is my test run.  

The Raughlster and I attempted to make a gingerbread house this year.  Which meant, he ate, I made, then Bryant ate. the. whole. house.     in the middle of the night.  

check out those stuffed cheeks.  I think I'll wait to try this Christmas craft when I can have help from little man instead of race against him to get all the candy on the icing before he eats it all.  It was seriously just like that episode of I Love Lucy where she eats the candies off the conveyor belt because she can't wrap them in time.  I've never seen someone stuff his face so fast while I tried to pry them away from him.  

Then later that night we got a fun surprise.  Chase's friend Pat and his wife Allison brought Raughley a mickey hat from Disney World.   With his name embroidered on the back.  Seriously Awesome.  

I'll get better pictures later once he actually wants to keep it on his head, and is over pointing at it and shouting "key! Key! Keeeeeyyyyyyyy!!!!!!"

So cute, and a great gift, thanks Pat and Allison!

In other news I'm 99.9% DONE Christmas shopping!!!!!  Just waiting on a few things to come in the mail.  So I headed to Irondale to return something and get some fabric that I found for my dining room chairs, in this vintage linen shop in Historic Irondale.  I've been three times this week and she's been CLOSED each time.  But I do love going over there anyway.  Raughley just loves the trains and it's so cute.  Hopefully I get back there next week to try again.  

Finally, Patrick came home from school for Christmas break, and Raughley spent some time imitating him and our cousin Jackson.  

Wanting to be just like them and play X-box too!

"Ummm, can I have that back now?"

Until next time, enjoy one more video of Rman showing off for the ladies!

Holiday Parade

Mountain Brook Village hosts a Holiday Parade on the first weekend of December each year.  This was Steeple Arts second year to participate, and guess who got to join in the fun?

He really got into the excitement of the event, as evidenced above.

But before hand at the studio is where he showed off his chops and I realized my child is a performer at heart.  Look at him go!

A Hunting We Will Go!

This weekend, instead of watching Chase drive away to hunt his heart out, Raughley and Bryant and I decided to go with him!

Raughley got to spend some time with his Poppy out in the woods.  

He loved the outdoors, and we had to drag him inside every night once it got too cold.  

Oh and this firetruck went with him EVERYWHERE, no exceptions other than the bed.  

It was a nice way to relax and get away from it all, even if only for 48 hours.

We didn't even have cell service, although little man tried to make use of the land line.  

Uncle William came too, and I think in spite of this face he's making while I try to take the ipad from him, had a really great time as well.  

Of course there was good food to be eaten by all, as Miss Ida's cooking is never shabby, and we came home three pounds heavier than when we left.  

What We've Been up to Around Here

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,

Everywhere you go.

Take a look in the five and ten, glistening once again, 

 With candy canes and silver lanes aglo!

 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, 

Toys in every store, 

 But the prettiest sight you'll see, is the holly that will be, on you're own front door!

A pair of hop-along boots and a pistol that shoots is the wish of Raughley and Ben, 

Mickey that talks and will go for a walk is the hope of Raughley again!

And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, 

Every where you go.

But the prettiest sight you'll see

Is the holly that will be, 

On you're own front door.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, once more!

Time Flies

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Ellen and I started walking together. Who knew that a year from then she would have a little baby boy!

And I would have a little man-child in my stroller!

Look how precious he is!  It's hard to remember Raughley being that small.  

He's looking forward to many more trips with Cole to come!