My What a Year - 2012 in Review

Our entire family has changed so much this year -- when I think that we started the year in Memphis with a baby barely crawling and are ending the year in Birmingham with a toddler sleeping in a big girl bed and twins due in probably 8 to 10 weeks......I'm completely blown away by life.  Life is good.  We are beyond blessed and I thank God for it all.....to God be the glory!  So here is our year in review (backwards b/c that's how my pictures downloaded).....

December - our first Christmas in Birmingham.....Elizabeth Magee started off not knowing what it was about but thanks to big cousins learned to say "Anta Claus."  We got to spend lots of time in Senatobia and Greenwood.  We made very special memories with family and friends.  Elizabeth Magee, Sis, Mom, and I decorated our gingerbread house and did our traditional Christmas baking.....how special to get to share this with EM!

 November - we celebrated the wedding of Kathleen Williams to Christian at Old Waverly, made lots of Ole Miss games, and Poppy and Biscuit came to help us get settled by redoing our kitchen cabinets! 

   

October - Elizabeth Magee and I moved to Birmingham the first of October, we moved into our house two days before Halloween, and we began adjusting to our new life --- Mountain Brook is a dream for a stay at home mom....all the storytimes and playgrouds you could ever want.....
 

 September - Mom and I took Elizabeth Magee to ride the Carousel at Wolfchase Mall.  My family was a God send after Oliver moved to Birmingham on Labor Day weekend.  We visited him on the weekends, mom and Net stayed with us in Memphis, and we spent a lot of time in Senatobia.  I ended work September 30th and we packed up!

 August 2012 -- Elizabeth Magee started Mother's Morning Out one day a week at Second Pres.  She LOVED it....what a blessing to drop your child off and they waive to you and run into the classroom.  Luckily, the transition to MMO in Birmingham at St. Luke's was just as easy!  We found out on August 30th that we were having TWINS.  Oliver's reaction, "I'm going to have to work forever."

 July 2012 -- Leigh Allyn told us she was pregnant at the Fair and due March 23rd.  About half way through our trip, I took a positive pregnancy test -- Yikes!

 June --  we enjoyed our University Club membership to the fullest, Leigh Allyn came to visit, EM swam more than any other 16 month old!  Oliver went to New York for work and didn't take any pictures!

 May -- what a special weekend --- our cousins came from Atlanta and Richmond for a long weekend, we saw the Peabody Ducks, played at Net's, and had a grand ole time.  By far, one of my favorite moments of 2012!

Garner, Oliver, Elizabeth Magee and I went to the beach for a week -- we had a BLAST!  We saw a shark!

 April -- we celebrated Virginia Bowie's 2nd Birthday with a fun Easter Egg hunt.  Elizabeth Magee began walking a little. 

 March -- Edi, Beth, Kim, Wayne, and I ran the First Annual 5K in Greenwood.  I actually won my age group....probably the first thing I've ever won! 

 February -  our baby turned ONE and our friends and family helped us celebrate.  What a lucky little girl to be loved by so many people!

January -- this little pumkin really got the crawling thing down and there has been no stopping her since. 

Merry Merry and a Little More Merry

 We had a very merry merry Christmas!  We saw ALMOST all our family and Elizabeth Magee was spoiled rotten by EVERYONE. I was afraid our first day home would be a crash landing back to reality.....but she's been an angel today --- I guess it helps to have so many new toys!

We celebrated the Williams Family Christmas on Saturday....Sam and Elizabeth Magee are now old enough to play with the other cousins and even struck out on their own on Sam's John Deere.....gotta love the Delta :)

 We celebrated the Strain Family Christmas on Sunday....six great grandkids!  Next year, there will be nine great grandkids -- Lawes is due in January and our twins April 6th!

Between all the Greenwood Christmases, we had a family wedding -- Emmie Clare and Barrett were married on Saturday night.  No pictures!

 We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Senatobia.  Of course, Santa came to Siggi's house too!

Loves loves her Elmos pjs.......we had a huge fight to take them off about two hours after this pictures.....

All the Givens' minus two (missed you Thomas and Laura).....we all cherish Net's Christmas...

When we got home Christmas afternoon, Santa had found us in Birmingham.  This sweet girl loves her kitchen.  She likes to say, "I cook."  She will also point at the pot and say "Hot" or "Oatmeal"..... of course her favorite thing is to put wine corks in the oven and say "Bobbies"...."My bobbies"....she's still obsessed with wine corks and we can't figure out where "bobbies" came from!

Christmas Part 1

 Mom and Sis came to B'ham on Tuesday afternoon.  They watched Elizabeth Magee while I had my 25 week appointment.  The doctor is very pleased with how the twins are progressing -- both are weighing in at 1 pound, 8 ounces!  Twin B is slightly bigger than Twin A but only by a few grams.....not even an ounce apart right now!  I on the other hand...am weighing in at much more (no numbers or pictures)!  We came to Senatobia Wednesday afternoon (after a quick lunch with my grandfather in Tuscaloosa).  This morning we made buck-eyes, sausage balls, and cinnamon rolls --- all our favorite Christmas treats!  Siggi and Sissy have spoiled EM rotten.....she went to bed tonight saying "Siggi" and "Sissi" over and over.  They kept her busy while I ran to Memphis for a quick lunch with a dear friend who I'm missing very much!  When I got home....Sissy and EM had been singing the "Wheels on the Bus" for a very long time!

Aunt Reenie is also in town.  She showed Elizabeth Magee how to play Jingle Bells.    A little funny -- Elizabeth Magee was having a great time playing with Net's lipstick.  She put lipstick on everyone about 100 times in two hours.  When it was time to leave, I told her she couldn't take it and had to leave it at Net's house.  She got a little upset....of course Net tells her to take it but I told Net she needed to learn that she can't have other people's things.....Net looked at me and said....well you sure are leaving with my fur coat and gold braclets :) We love Net!

Potty Training

Elizabeth Magee filled up her first potty chart yesterday.....so we celebrated with Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream at the Mountain Brook Creamery.

We have the potty thing down in the mornings but she hasn't asked to go when we are out and about.  I guess that will come?  I should probably read a book or something on this!

Saturday night we enjoyed the Zoo Lights.  Her favorite way to see the anything is to be on daddy's shoulders - a much better view when no one can block your sight.

This was a year ago Sunday.  I can't believe we've been bump free for a whole year!  Sweet Angel....Oliver snapped this picture in the recovery room right after she woke up.  It's one of my favorites.

Mrs. Claus Isn't Better

Our storytime hosted pictures with Mrs. Claus this week.  Unfortunately, Elizabeth Magee didn't like the Mrs. any more than she liked the Mr. 

Merry Christmas!

Around Here

 Around here we are adjusting very well to Birmingham.  Ally and Elizabeth Magee haven't missed a beat.  We love to walk up and down our street....although it is a little hilly!  Elizabeth Magee can now walk up our drive way without falling --- quite the improvement from a month ago!

 We made sugar cookies this week for her Mother's Morning Out teachers......she loved playing with the dough.  Elizabeth Magee is slowly starting to put two words together.  This morning she put on this necklace and said, "I big."  Melt. My. Heart.

This morning we had our first major accident in our new house.  This sweet child tumbled down the stairs!  It was scary but of course she recovered faster than me!  It reminded me of her two month shots when she cried for 2 minutes and I cried for an hour.  We love being home together all day....although it's been a bigger adjustment than I thought -- I swear I was more productive working full time!

Since its 74 degrees in Birmingham, Elizabeth Magee and I decided to go to the zoo for a bit yesterday. I'm trying to soak up getting out and doing things while its so easy to leave the house. I can't imagine how hard it's going to be to go anywhere come March!





It takes about 5 minutes to get to the zoo and is a great after nap place to go explore. The Bham Zoo is not as big as the Memphis Zoo but they make up for it by having you so close to the animals. You feel like you could reach out and touch them. The parrots and peacocks roam free. Yesterday we were greeted by a peacock at our car when we arrived. It literally was less than a foot from us! I was more scared than it was of us!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Zoo