What I learned this Christmas

Christmas was extremely emotional this year. We had our "ups and downs". Some of our "UPS" would be meeting our new little angel Mary Morgan, spending time together as a family, and doing some traveling. Tomorrow we leave for Atlanta to go to the Auburn game. FUN! I do want to document some of the "downs", because I want my children to know how much they were loved by their Nanna. Poppa was giving his "Santa" attempt his best effort! God love him!!!! NANNA still came to the rescue. As most of you know, Nanna was quite the shopper. Poppa found so many presents that she had purchased for the kids. Grant received 2 polo sweaters, and an ice cream educational make-it yourself kit. Reagan received a pink baby doll and of coarse clothes. We all cried when we saw these gifts. It brought back so many fun memories.
So, as for the heading of this blog entry...... What I learned this Christmas.... I learned to treasure EVERY precious moment with your family and loved ones. Truly take each day as a blessing. Remember the small things, such as the sound of someones voice or their laughter. Value the times that you can pick up the phone and ask your mother.... "Mom, how do you make dressing?" or when you need any advice from someone that you love. It is truly the small things that you miss the most when someone is no longer with you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mary Morgan 9 days old

Wrap it up!

To complete the holidays, we spent Christmas day at my mother's house. The kids swang, rode go carts and dirt bikes. We also squeezed in a trip to the McWane center when we were in Birmingham visiting Mary Morgan. Grant wanted a trip to the science center for part of his Christmas~ from Scott and I. He loves that place.

"MARY" Christmas!!!

We have been BLESSED with a new baby in our family! Mary Morgan Solomon was born December 20, 2011. She weighed in at 6'3oz and was 18.5 inches long. So small! But, it was only to be expected. Allison, Mrs. Claudia, and Madeline are ALL small. She is PRECIOUS! I can NOT believe Mary is smiling in the picture below. She is only 2 days old! I don't remember babies doing that! GENIUS!Joel is such a great Daddy! Being a twin is so much fun. Joel and I have a bond that not many people can understand. I am so glad that he married a twin~ because Allison can truly relate to the "twin" bond. I Love all of you! We will miss you Christmas, but, we will see you soon!

More Solomon Family Christmas Pictures

Solomon Family Christmas: "Dirty Santa"

Well, we continued the tradition on the Solomon side of the family. The girls do a traditional GOOD gift, the boys do a DIRTY SANTA gift, and the kids draw names. This year was very interesting to say the least! Jacob drew Grant's name. Well, he and his Dad went all out. Grant WAS NOT impressed! In fact, he was holding back the tears. Jake and Mark put a lot of preparation into their gift for Grant. Now, it is not suppose to be a gag gift. But, they had to put their little SPIN on the event. Grant is a good sport, and he will usually give as good as he gets, but even my little man didn't know what he should do in this "situation". The pictures will explain it a lot better than I could EVER try to put into words. Grant was relieved to find the $30 gift card to GameStop taped on the back of his picture.
The other children received their "NORMAL" gifts. Grant actually drew Jake's name, and he didn't think he deserved it after the little stunt he pulled. It is the neatest little gift. "Google" it if you get a chance. It is a boogie board. Moving on...... GAG GIFT HEAVEN! Now my family REALLY gets into this event. Jay and Marcia ALWAYS win. They are so MEAN!!!!! Just kidding. Marcia is THE MOST GIVING person I HAVE EVER MET IN MY LIFE. She is such a blessing to my brother and our entire family. Back to the gag gifts..... We featured the belt loop bottle opener, the bedazzle machine and hair feather accessory, and the full body snuggie with bathroom accessible compartments. Other gifts were rubber underwear, POOPpourii, The PLAYA package, and others that I can NOT mention. This is a scrap book for my children!
The kids enjoyed making SMORES, Leah and Jessi singing with Leah playing the guitar,I was VERY impressed, and just spending time with each other. I am so blessed to have a large family with tons of children for my kids to grow up with. Enjoy the pictures. We sure did have a good time.
This is also a very difficult time for Scott and his family. We are having our first Christmas without his mother. I can NOT begin to imagine having Christmas without my Mother. He has lost so much. We were ECSTATIC when Scott's Dad, Grandmother(Mrs. Horne's mother), and Colby came to our festivities! We had to prepare Granny! They all ended up having a GREAT time. We sure did miss "Nanna" and Todd though! Be Safe, Treasure the SMALL THINGS~ like calling and hearing your loved ones voice, and Merry Christmas!

Cowlick Cutie and Program Princess

So,these are a bunch of random photos. They range from "Rocky's Arrival" (our elf on a shelf), Grant posing for his pic with a "cow-lick", Reagan's Christmas Program~where they encouraged us to leave them, rather than take them and bring them back~now, this sounded like a good idea until I saw how they fixed her hair. Scott said that they put a "bump-it" in her hair. So funny! Scott's Granny came out for the Christmas Program event. The kids love their "Nen-nee". I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Be careful, enjoy your family, and remember what the season is all about. I will post more pictures soon. They should be more recent. I will try to do better.

Annual Christmas Family Photo Shoot

Ok~ I will be the first to admit that I HATE having my picture taken. I hate the preparation, the actual process, and then the final task.....deciding which pictures to choose. Of coarse I think that my children are precious and I have a hard time picking which one or two pictures to share with everyone on our Christmas cards. This year, we used a photographer named Nicole Everson. She was wonderful. She was so good with Grant and Reagan. You can see the entire collection at www.nicoleeversonphotography.com Click on the "portrait" option, then, click on clients in the upper right corner. The password is jh. We usually use Tina Richards, but she was on maternity leave this year. Tina is wonderful as well!

I LOVE THESE GIRLS!!!

I love these BEAUTIFUL girls!!! It is slightly GROSS~ but when I saw this picture, I was one proud Momma. Reagan is showing ALL NOSE~ AND IT IS CLEAN!!!! So proud! That small detail could have ruined this picture.

So Many Reasons To Be Thankful!

Well, I will let the pictures that follow this post speak for themselves. I love all of the family and smiling faces. Grant and Reagan are starting to LOVE each other so much. They play together so well! I am so PROUD that this day has finally arrived. She can hold her own. Grant will even admit it..... He is a little scared of her. He says "You never know what she's gonna do- do you Momma?" I love my little monkeys.
Thanks to Jackie and Mark for having Thanksgiving Dinner at their home this year. It was so nice. Scott's Dad and Grandmother joined us this year. It was a little rough without Todd and Mrs. Horne here this year, but we will make it through~ With God's strength! Alisa, Colby, Cameron, and Ms. Joyce (Alisa's mom) traveled to Tennessee to be with Alisa's grandfather. They had a wonderful trip. We are so blessed to have a loving family. Thank you God for our health and happiness.
There is NOTHING LIKE FAMILY! I hope everyone had a great holiday and that those who traveled made it home safely.