All Aboard....

~Santa gets on the train and we get a picture with him...~ ~The kids watching the Polar Express arrive at the station...~

~Check out this golden ticket....~

~Can you say...Adorable??~

Saturday, December 7th, we took our annual ride on the Polar Express! Another tradition that we look forward to all year long. My mom takes us every year, and the kids always wear their pajamas, just like in the movie. If you haven't by chance seen this movie, you MUST see it!! I will personally hand deliver you our DVD to watch it with your family. There is only one stipulation, you must watch it while drinking hot chocolate. This will make your viewing even more pleasurable.

If you haven't figured out by now, I am a "traditions" kind of girl. I love traditions, and i love making new traditions. Maybe i am a bit over board on having them, but i can't seem to help myself. I just want the kids to always know what to expect and look forward to each and every Christmas. It warms my heart to see the joy on their little faces when they talk about what they love to do most at Christmas.

Here are a list of some of our most beloved traditions...

~Our Elf on the Shelf..our elf's name is Spot..and he usually appears December 2nd each year.

~Riding the Polar Express out of Bryson City, NC

~Christmas Eve service at FBC of Conyers

~Every December 23rd, eating at the Waffle House in Madison sitting in the same booth each year.

~The Moreau's Christmas party

~Riding around looking at Christmas lights.

~Taking our "Christmas Card Photo"...whew.

~The white elephant game with the Cannon's every year

~My mom's side of the family Christmas gatherings

~Christmas Eve at Mommy Jane's

~baking cookies for Santa at the Jayne's house

~my cookie/ornament swap party..(this was the first year!)

~Christmas parties in the children's classrooms

~Christmas morning at Mom's

~sprinkling reindeer food outside on Christmas Eve

~Getting out our Christmas dishes and Christmas china

~using my favorite pen to address our Christmas cards

~Putting up the tree the weekend before Thanksgiving

~NO school for a couple of weeks..yay!

~reading Joseph and Presley's Christmas letters...Presley tells Joseph what to write for hers. :)

~Getting out Santa's cookie plate and filling his glass with milk

~pictures with Santa at the mall

~receiving a Christmas card in the mail almost every day in December! i LOVE this part!!

~watching Polar Express with my family snuggled under a cozy blanket and drinking hot chocolate.

i still believe,

me

Treats for Santa......

~Presley's cookies for Santa..~
~Joseph's cookies for Santa...he got a little sprinkle happy..~

~All the kiddies showing off their yummy treats...~

~Presley rolling and patting her dough..~

~Mrs. and Mr. Claus...oops..i mean Jaynes~

On Tuesday, December 23rd, the kids and I went to Kim and Christian Jaynes to make cookies for Santa! This has become a much anticipated event for me and the children. This is just one of the many traditions that we have with friends and family to celebrate the best day of the year...Christmas!!

Thank you, Kim, for hosting this oh-so-fun event at your beautiful home each year. We love you guys so much and can't wait for next year.

still sticky from the icing,

Jill

Dear Santa.......

Last Sunday night we asked Joseph to write a letter to Santa telling him what he wanted for Christmas this year. After about 10 minutes of writing, he handed us this letter...(the elf that he is referring to is his "elf on the shelf" that he received last year)........

still learning from my children,

me

The main ingredients....

"Life is unsure, always eat your dessert first"

~my kitchen in the after math~ ~oatmeal chocolate drops~

~tracey's brownie/cookie dough muffin recipe~

~this is definitely a baking record for me...whew~

~the sweetest dessert of all...my little helper kisses me after the baking is complete...yes, i am wearing a tank top with my apron...this kitchen was HOT!!!!~

Just a little note....

I want to thank my Mom and my Mama Jane for all their help with my first annual cookie/ornament swap. Their perfect gestures of kindness smoothed the entire planning process.

Jane made the gorgeous fruit tree centerpiece that adorned my dining room table. (SEE PICS FROM THE POST BELOW) She also made the yummy sausage balls AND the chocolate bark bars. (which, by the way, we need the recipe). She always has a way of being exactly what i need, thank you for that. Unfortunately she couldn't attend due to a Christmas performance that my nephew William was in. Keeping my fingers crossed that she will make it next year, though!

Also, my mom, my best friend in the world, was my right hand girl during the whole party. From the delicious wassail, the chocolaty brownies and the games and prizes that she provided for our entertainment. She is always the fun, game girl. I love this about her!! She always breaks the ice and makes the party fun! Thank you so much mom. You are the perfect hostess assistant.

One last but not least thank you to my over worked friends and family that slaved over their hot ovens in their aprons to manage 4 dozen cookies to bring! You guys are some really good sports! Maybe next year we will dwindle it to 3 dozen....we'll see. :)

Every detail of help that all of you provided will never be forgotten or overlooked. I am truly blessed to call you my friends and my family....my main ingredients. ;)

Until next year!

still sweeping up flour,

Me

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies....

Last night was my first annual cookie swap! Here are a few of the very special people that were able to come and bring their delicious delectables to swap. I am blown away by the baking talent among my friends! So many treats, so little time!!

Enjoy the pictures...and counting down "til next years!!

~the neighborhood girls..me, shannon, vicki, kelly, and mandy~

~me and my elementary school friend...cynthia skinner dolan~

~me and kim~

~thank goodness for kelly...she had the camera!~

More cookie pictures...

Did I mention there were ornaments?? Beautiful ornaments were swapped among each of us. Our trees are finally perfected!

~the entertainer...my mom!~

~all of us..me, mary, beka, mandy, vicki, shannon, leslie, angela..(front row...kelly s., kelly m., cynthia, and kim~

~i know, i know..you are kicking yourself for not coming! ;) look at all the yumminess!~

~mary and me~

~me and bek~

More needles in haystacks....

I promised more Christmas photos, and here you have them. These are from 2007 at Mommy Jane's house. The task was to try and get all SIX grandchildren in the Christmas photo. Well, let's see how things went.......

~hmmm...here we have only five children.....ladies and gentleman we have an escapee...Graham wriggled his way out of this picture.....

~and he is still missing....but the camera is still snapping pictures, just in case he decides to suddenly reappear~

~hey...what's this I see...Graham has decided to grace us with his handsome presence.!!! now we have Presley, Graham, William, Ashley, Danny and Joseph!~

~and DAH-DAH!! here we have a Christmas picture with all 6 grandchildren!~

And you thought it couldn't be done!!

The Princess and the Party....

~The morning after....we have a Princess Hannah Montana! Quite a combination!~ ~Strumming her new guitar in perfect tune~

~Aunt Ang and Presley at Chuck E Cheese~

~Danny and his million dollar smile!~

~Anna-Joy and Presley cousins and BFF's!~

~Mommy Jane having some birthday fun with baby Danny~

~The ever so lovely, Ashley, wants in on the fun too!~

~Presley and Graham take a ride on the Barney express~

~Nana Terri and PaPa Danny party with us~

~The cake!~

~Presley and Joseph taking a second to pose for the camera~

~PawPaw, MawMaw, Presley and Joseph say cheese~

Well, Presley's 4th birthday ended in a bang! We had a nice family party at Chuck E Cheese with lots of food and cake! Presley loved all of her wonderful presents from everyone. Thank you and Thank you!

Happy Birthday, Princess!!!

taking my party hat off,

mommy

Our Little Princess turns Four.......

~Our baby girl, Presley Jane Hill, sent straight down to us from heaven on December 1st, 2004~

~Presley 9 mos. old~

~Presley striking a pose in her little hat~

~First Day of 3 yr. old Pre-K~

~Riding her bike~

~So happy about starting Pre-K~

~Our little One year old Princess~

~3 generations...~

~Presley and Mommy Jane planting Presley's first flower garden...Oct. 2008~

~Our Princess loves to cook!!!!~

Presley Jane is turning Four today!!! Happy, Happy Birthday, Princess Presley!!

Here are some things about you from the past year...

~you learned your alphabet

~you can spell and write your name

~ you learned to ride a bike with training wheels~

~you love riding your scooter, too

~your favorite food is spaghetti...(just like your mommy!)

~you say, "actually", a lot

~anna-joy is your best friend

~you LOVE hannah montana

~you absolutely love to sing and dance

~you want to be a mommy and a cheerleader when you grow up...in that order.

~your best friends at pre-school are micah, sara, and annabell

~you started ballet at conyers school of ballet

~you decided that gymnastics wasn't for you

~you took swimming lessons this year

~your daddy is probably your favorite person in the whole world

~you started Puggles at church, and loved it

~you don't like milk very much, or chocolate milk

~ you love potato chips!!!! the round, yellow plain kind

~you love picnics outside

~you planted your very first flowers with mommy jane this fall!

~you learned to clean your room and you do it very well

~you love arts and crafts

~you are always coloring, drawing, cutting, punching holes in paper

~you learned your life verse this year

~you love helping mommy in the kitchen..your favorite thing is baking

~you love mommy's strawberry cake cookies

~you love being bare-footed and being outside

~you love helping daddy in the yard

These are just a few of the many things that have summed up your year of being 3 years old. Now you are 4, and I can only imagine the new adventures we will embark on with you. We love you so much, sweet girl. You bring joy, unspeakable, to our hearts and lives.

thanking God for you today and everyday,

Mommy