Goodbye, Hello

As we say goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011, just a few pictures of the year in review...

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

As this year closes, I reflect and pray on the abundant blessings God has poured on our family. I am so grateful for the love of my family, friendships and health. I look forward to each new day in the coming year.

Let it shine!

Baking with Friends

Lana's friend, Sydney, was sick the day of Lana's birthday party and could not make it. We instantly rescheduled a playdate for them to be able to get together in lieu of the party. It is so perfect when the four of these kiddos get together because Sydney and Lana have been in the same preschool class for three years and now Grayson and Lydia are in the same 2-3 year old class. They know each other very well!

So, today was the day of the get together. We went to their house and had a baking playdate! They measured and mixed ingredients for Strawberry Bread! While it baked, they played and played, and when it was done, we all enjoyed the delicious bread. We baked it in mini loaf tins, so Christi even sent one home with us!

It was a fun time for all!

Lana is 5!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Lana girl! She is FIVE! So hard to believe!

We all celebrated together as a family! We started the day with pink donuts and Pinkalicious presents! Then for lunch we went to a Mexican restaurant and she got a birthday sopapilla. She proudly displayed her Birthday Girl badge all day. And finally, for dinner and her last special food choice, she picked Chick-fil-A. We also looked at her baby pictures and she loved hearing stories of what she was like when she was first born. She is a gem of a little lady and we love her to bits! God has blessed our family with this precious child and we continue to pray for blessings of health and happiness for our Lana Elizabeth!

Our First Playdate with Brynn

We had a great first playdate with Brynn! All five kiddos played harmoniously together. I loved watching this little sweet pea. Can't wait to watch her grow and interact even more with Lana and Lydia. Now those McIntire boys are outnumbered when we get together!

An East Texas Celebration

We headed east and celebrated Christmas and Lana's birthday with Nandad, Nana and Mema. Nana had a funfetti cake and cupcakes for Lana's birthday celebration!

The girls received cute jackets and matching outfits from Mema. And from Nana, especially made lap desks just for them!! We enjoyed lunch and family time together. It was great!

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas! Jesus is Born!

We started our Christmas morning singing Happy Birthday to Jesus with a cinnamon roll and candle!

The girls seeing their Santa gifts!

We enjoyed cinnamon rolls for breakfast, sipping coffee, watching the girls and their excitement, listening to Christmas music and living the splendor of only what a Christmas morning can be. We also had a big lunch, Maw and Paw Paw were here with us and then everyone took an afternoon nap. It was a wonderful day!

Christmas Eve

The girls received their customary Christmas Eve pajamas!



The PJ's said "Hoppy Holidays," with a froggy on it, so here the girls are hopping!!



Next, we went outside to sprinkle magic reindeer food on the lawn. It was oats and sparkle sprinkles!



Then of course, cookies and milk for Santa!

Finally, it was off to bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads!

The Nutcracker

Today we went to the Nutcracker! Or as Lydia says, "The Nut-knack-er!" This was Lydia's first time and she did great! We had front row seats, she was happy to sit on my lap and cuddle with me during the performance. I think it had something to do with the fact that she was not heavy enough to keep the folding chair to stay down. Ha! Maw went with us also in keeping with our special three generational tradition of seeing this ballet together.

All throughout the year, we check-out the complete Nutcracker music CD from the library. These girls have this music memorized! So when we see the performance, they become enthralled with the dancing taking place before them that is set to the music that they know so well. They behaved like little ladies throughout Act I, Intermission and Act II, 2 hours total.

So happy to have had Lydia become a part of it this year and now for many years to come, you'll know we'll be Nutcracker bound every Christmas season!