Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  (the picture above is the card we sent out this year...my precious friend Kelly who took all our amazing pre-deployment pictures created this card)

May we all remember the true meaning of this season! or as Madeline says..."Happy Birthday Baby Jesus"

Our Christmas Decor

So I finally got around to taking all the fall decor down and replacing it with Christmas decorations. I did not put out everything...I scaled down...way down this year. I only put 3 of the 6 trees up and I just did a little decorating in the living room/dining room.

Below are some pictures of the decorations (prepare for picture overload)

This is the view once you first enter through the front door:

These are hanging between the dining room and living room.  Its one of the first things you see once you walk in the door.  I found the felt ornaments at the local dollar store and had my mom attach bows to them. 

On to the dining room:

I attached bows to some accessories that were already in the dining room.

The table.  I hung a few ornaments and put a simple centerpiece in the middle.  I don't like the table that much, but was out of ideas for what to place there.  Maybe next year I will get a little more creative...maybe.

Must have a countdown calendar ;)
To the living room:

Again I just put out a few things on this piece of furniture...just keeping it simple.  I am still trying to decide if I will keep this as is for next year or change it up a little.

Mantle in the living room.  I did the mantle on a much smaller scale this year.  Plus I have found some stockings that I love A LOT that are lime green and red and would match the decor much better next year.  Maybe I will treat myself to them ;)

This is Madeline's stocking.

HA!  I love this little pillow hanging ;)

And Jackson's stocking.

Of course he has to have a pillow too.


This is the tree in Madeline's room.  She wanted a sparkly princess tree...so this is what I came up with.  She said she loves it but it needs more sparkle.  HA!

Jackson's tree.  He first wanted a sports theme tree but it has turned into a Bama tree.  Hope he knows how much I love him seeing as how I am an Auburn fan and did not like buying that Bama stuff (lol)

And the final tree that Santa will come down...the patriotic tree in the basement.   For this tree I made several ornaments using pictures then came across some really great ones at local stores.

We got this ornament in Disney back in 2003 when Jason returned from 1st deployment.

The tree before any decor was put on.  Just the toppers.

And the final product.

So that is it.  Our decor for this year.  The kids and I are busy making crafts and I plan to share those soon.  =)

Madeline's Party

Our little princess turned 4 a few weeks ago and we celebrated it by having a Tea Party. This party was so much fun! Mostly because I did not have to plan it ;) I was fortunate to have a friend who has a little party business and she handled all the details of the party right down to the food, decor, party favors, and dress-up pieces. I did do a little extra decorating, but it was not necessary. Madeline's birthday is already at a very busy time of the year on top of it being just a few weeks after her daddy left so I was more than excited to hand over all the details over to the "professionals"

Below are some pictures of the party...prepare for picture overload ;)

Our little birthday girl waiting on her guests to arrive.

Madeline and Princess Anna.  Princess Anna helped the guests get ready for the party, she read to them, played games with them and served them.  She was fantastic.

Madeline and Kenlee choosing just the right accessories.

Princess Anna helping Madeline

Kenlee and Madeline getting their nails painted.

Sadie getting make-up applied by Princess Anna.

Madeline's turn for some make-up while Emma watches.

Madeline, Kenlee, and Emma with Princess Anna.

She looks so grown-up in this picture to me.

Getting a quick picture with my sweet girl.

Kenlee looked so adorable.

Princess Anna taking a picture with the party guests.  Aren't they so cute all decked out???  ;)

Listening to Princess Anna tell a story.

My pretty little birthday girl!

Time for tea and cake, yummy!

Madeline got her own personal cake and each guest also received her own cake.

Blowing out the candle.

Sipping on some tea.

A very happy little birthday girl.

After tea and cake, some of the girls had to have a wardrobe change.  (I think Madeline had 4 changes total)

Getting a hug from the birthday girl.  Each guest got to sit next to Madeline as she opened her gift from them. 

Jack was not too excited about getting a hug and kiss from his little sis, ha!

Madeline and Aunt Kim...could not have pulled off the extra decorations without her help...nor would I have been able to keep it together without her help.  It's nice to have such a good friend that understands what it is like to go through a deployment (especially a 3rd deployment, which is a totally different ballgame)

Madeline and Uncle Zach...what a trooper he is wearing accessories =)

My mom, me, and Madeline...3 generations =)

Another picture with Princess Anna.

A very happy birthday girl!!

Below are a few pictures of the party prep and decorations:

Kim put tulle bows on each chair for the guests to sit in.

Did they not turn out so durn cute???!!! 

We also made a Happy Birthday banner and decorated the chandelir with some cute things I found at a local dollar store.

Below is a view of the table

Madeline said this was the best party ever. I loved watching the girls dress-up. It really made me want to have a grown-up tea party ;)
Madeline asks almost daily if she can have another one. I would love to do this again!