Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! December has been a busy month for us

Sweet Santa baby a few weeks ago

A family selfie before a Christmas party a few weekends ago

Poor Anderson has been sick with a fever for a week. She has been pretty pitiful. We had to go to the doctor on Monday, so I stayed home with her. I had promised MFG that we would make cookies for Santa, so the picture below is me attempting to get stuff ready to make cookies while holding a sick baby :( I look tired!

Francie brought us a special gift from school

Love it!

MFG decorating cookies

 Yum!

This was MFG's list for Santa that she brought home from school. She asked for: an Elsa tiara, a "cat I can sleep with at home" and a charm bracelet

I love getting cards every year!

Poor Anderson was still sick on Wednesday and had the highest fever yet. Of course, the pediatrician's office had closed early (since it was Christmas Eve), so we ended up in the ER that afternoon.

Thankfully, the just ran some tests and let us come home. Not how I had hoped to spend baby's first Christmas!

The next morning, we went downstairs to find that Santa had come!!

Checking to see if Santa ate the cookies we left

 He did!

Opening presents was great

Poor sick baby woke up with a fever of 102.5 that morning and slept through the beginning of the morning. Thankfully, she perked up as the day went on

Trying on her mermaid tail swim fin

Santa brought Anderson a swing for our swing set

Big sister showing A one of her presents

A got a Sophie the Giraffe teether from the Petersons and she loves it! 

Reading her princess book from Santa

Anderson also got this little zoo toy from Santa

Feeling better!

Checking out her tea set

The big surprise from Santa was a Nintendo Wii for the whole family. We have been having lots of fun playing Just Dance, Mario Bros, and Wii Sports. I think it will be great entertainment for us this winter when we are stuck indoors!

It was fairly warm yesterday, so I took Anderson out to try her new swing and she loved it!!

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!!

40 years

Last Friday, we flew down to Atlanta for my parents 40th anniversary. My dad wanted to have all of us surprise my mom, so we all met at Reynolds Plantation. We've been planning for months and thankfully we pulled off the surprise!

Poor Anderson got sick the night before we left and was a little bit pitiful for the weekend, but we made it!

Chase, Stephanie and Jack picked us up from the airport and we all drove our to Reynolds to meet up with the Petersons. 

So excited to see cousins!!

My sister had one of the cottages set up for the surprise, including a replica of my parents wedding cake!

We put some flowers and the room key outside so that my mom would think that my dad had rented the cottage just for them, but we were waiting inside

Surprise!

Once my parents arrived, we popped some champagne and sparking cider and had a toast 

Papa, Nanny and all 5 grandchildren

We enjoyed the nice weather that afternoon. 

Little Jack - isn't he the cutest?

MFG and Jack in the hammock

Nanny and Anderson

My sister and mom arrived wearing the same shirt

We bundled Anderson up to go to the playground

The big kids played basketball with the daddies

Sweet matching cousins

Checking out the big gingerbread house in the lodge

Silly girls!

I had to take Anderson back to the cottage during dinner because she was sick, but everyone else went ice skating after dinner and had a big time!

The next morning was brunch with Santa. Anderson and I missed it because she was not feeling good, but MFG loved it!

Ready for brunch 

She told Santa that she wants an Elsa crown, a charm bracelet, and a "kitty that she can snuggle with"

Cousins

 I love this picture!

Nanny and Anderson

Daddy and his baby

A Gainer family photo

 After seeing Santa, the big kids made gingerbread houses

Bundled up again

There was storytime with Mrs. Claus

My sister with Anderson

 Anderson and Papa watching the big girls ice skate

Nanny and Jack

Todd and Tommy took the girls out on the lake for a canoe ride

 Anna holding Anderson at dinner. She is so sweet with her little cousins!

Anderson was thankfully starting to feel a little bit better by Saturday night

Christmas cousins in their matching jammies

My sister brought these photo booth props - I love this one!

The kids took one last ride on the train before we had to leave. Waving to Papa

Papa waving back!

What a wonderful weekend! We love you, Mom and Dad - Happy 40th Anniversary!