Thanksgiving 2017

We had such a great Thanksgiving this year!  It was very relaxing and so much good company and good food!  

We rotate Thanksgiving between Toccoa and Jackson and this year we were in Toccoa.  

We made to my parents house on Wednesday night and Papa read the girls a bedtime story.  

Bert cooked pancakes and bacon for us on Thanksgiving morning and then we watched the parade.  The girls had fun dressing up and pretending while they were watching!  

This was a uniform (without the headdress) that I wore in middle school.  The girls love to put it on when we're at mom and dad's.  

Emily got super excited when "Jojo" came on the screen.  I wish I'd gotten a picture of her face....so pumped!  She danced the whole tine Jojo sang.  

Then Emily helped Mimi and Papa get the turkey in the oven.  She didn't hesitate sticking her hand in there so she could spread the butter around.  

Claire got to take a ride with Papa on his lawn mower. 

We had a full house!  My sister, Brett, Jacob, Ressie, Stanley, Alisha, mom, dad, my mom's brother (Uncle Jimmy), Aunt Kathy, Mike (Jimmy and Kathy's son), Alli (Mike's wife) and their kids Miles and Piper.  

We did some fishing while Piper and Abby were napping.  

Every kid caught one!  

Miles is about 6 months older than Claire. 

Side Story:  I texted this to Alli one day back in October "On the way home from preschool today I asked Claire who she played with at school today and she said "Miles.  But not the Miles at the lake house but the Miles at my school. There are two Mileses."  

We don't get to see them that often but I thought it was sweet that Claire knows him as the "Miles from the lake house."  That is usually where we see them.  Sweet cousins!  

I loved this picture that Alli took of them checking something out.  

Claire was our number 1 fisherwoman.  She loved it...the others kept wanting to do other things too.  Claire stayed right at the pond, by her Daddy.  

We took a walk around the neighborhood with the big kids and they had fun playing near the stream.  Thankfully no one fell in as it was too cold for all that, but it was a beautiful afternoon and this relaxing walk was one of my favorite things we did all weekend.  

Daddy helped Claire get out on the rock like the big kids had done.  

Jacob wanted to bring the wagon so that he could pull his cousins, but Uncle Stanley ended up being the puller pretty quickly.  

I LOVE this picture that I just turned around and snapped out of the blue.  I love their smiles and I love that they're holding hands, and I love the shadows and I love that they're stepping together.  This reminds me that I should take a few more candid pictures and a few less posed pictures.  

Wagon fun!

After we got back to the house Misty, David and Emily came by for a visit and it was SO great to see them!!  We live about 2 1/2 hours apart, but thankfully we get to see each other on holidays when we're both in Toccoa visiting our parents.  

And these two little second graders are THE cutest together.  They don't see each other often, but when they do they pick right back up where they left off.  During this visit Emily Ann taught Emily Jean how to play Old McDonald on the piano and Em is so proud that she can play something.  We've heard it a lot but it makes me smile.  

Love my Daddy!  

The kids had fun playing some candy land, and only got annoyed with each other once or twice. 

On Thursday night we played a fun game of Nertz.  We teamed up as couples and Alli and Mike won, and Bert and I came in last.  Bert and I used to play this game all the time when we were in seminary (together and with other couples)...we realized we need to brush up on our Nertz playing skills.  

Alli is a photographer in Atlanta and when I mentioned that I wanted a Thanksgiving family picture she said that she would take them for us with her camera. So sweet of her to take these ...we loved them!  

Emily wanted Virginia to be in our family picture, but we talked her into getting a picture with just the two of them instead.  Virginia also came on the walk with us.  I love this age of still wanting to play with her doll.  

All the kids. I love the craziness of this picture.  I love that they're doing different things.  Piper wanted her Mommy, Hannah was trying to calm her down, Emily was holding Abby back, and Ressie does the cutest "cheese" face.  

I feel like siblings are some of the greatest gifts...and mine are amazing!!  So thankful for these two! 

Most of the group.  My parents and Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Kathy weren't in it.  

I love Christmas so much, but there is something about the relaxed family time at Thanksgiving that makes it extra special!  

Hannah's Thanksgiving Party

Hannah had a Thanksgiving party at school and I got to help out with it!  I signed up for bringing crock pot mac and cheese even though I had never made it before.  A couple days before the party I got a little nervous about trying out something new on a bunch of macaroni experts, so I decided to do a trial run for my family.  It was a hit and I thought it was even better the second time.  

I got to eat with Hannah and enjoyed it so much!  I've been able to spend so much time with her class this year (field trips and parties) and LOVE it!  

Here they were playing a game with turkey basters and a feather....trying to see who could get the feather across the carpet the fastest by squeezing the turkey baster.  It was cute!  

Hannah's having such a great year and we're so proud of her!!  

Wedding and ER Visit

My friend from college, AJ, got married on November 17th in Atlanta.  Her wedding was beautiful and it was so much fun to see so many of my friends from college.  It was also really fun to have all of our husbands with us and watch them have fun together.  

AJ was a beautiful bride and the wedding was so Christ-centered.  Everything they said and did pointed to and talked about their love for Christ and making him known.  

AJ and I met within the first couple weeks of our freshman year (in 2001).  

Funny story:  AJ had a bicycle accident one afternoon during our sophomore year (that's not the funny part).  We got a call from the doctor on campus saying that they were taking her by ambulance to the hospital and that we could meet her there.  Several of us jumped in the car and we got there before the ambulance did. The rooms were all full when AJ got there and she had to wait in a bed out in the hall.  We were standing beside her for awhile just keeping her company.  Her mom was on her way, but she lived 3 1/2 hours away so it took her awhile.  At some point while we were waiting I got upset about the whole situation and started feeling like I was about to pass out.  This was not the first time I'd done this.  I have many other stories of passing out or almost passing out because I hit my hand, someone told me a really sad story, etc.  It's a condition I apparently have that I inherited from my dear dad.  Ha!:)  

Anyway, while AJ was laying in the hospital bed with a fractured skull I turned as white as a sheet, started seeing spots and hearing a ringing in my ears (sure signs). The nurses around us had me sit down and others rushed to my side.  I was SOOOOOOO embarrassed that I wasn't the injured one, but I was getting all the attention.  Thankfully, I didn't pass out that time, but I was so close.  I promise I wasn't trying to steal her thunder.  Ha!  

Another time when we were in college we were driving down I-85 through Greenville (I remember the spot) and she was following me in her car.  She was a little behind me but not that far.  She got pulled over and got a ticket for speeding and I didn't.  She was slightly annoyed about that one.  

Me and my friend Keri that I don't see nearly enough, but it makes me so happy when I do!

My wedding date!! 

We dropped the kids off with my mom that day around lunch and then headed to Atlanta for the wedding.  We got back to their house about 8:20 and started getting the kids ready to walk out the door so that we could get home to Greenville.  Bert was preaching the next morning so we needed to get on back.  

We were walking out the door.....all the kids had already pottied and I had my purse on my shoulder.  I was saying bye to my dad in the kitchen and Bert had walked into the living room to herd the kids to the car and I heard a "hurt scream." A recessed light had fallen from the ceiling and onto Hannah's head.  There was a lot of blood.  All the blood freaked me out a bit.  I wasn't screaming but I've been told I was jumping around a little and shaking my hands in the air.  I think we've established that I'm not the very best in emergencies (AJ story and this).  We hopped in the car to take her to the ER and Mimi rode in the back with her to keep pressure on her head. 

By the time we got there the bleeding had stopped and we could tell that it wasn't as bad as we first thought.  Thankful for that. 

Waiting on the doctor in our pajamas and wedding attire....

We played eye spy while we were waiting on the doctor and Bert caught Hannah doing a fist pump in the air after guessing one really fast.  Doesn't look too bad off does she?  I think she was enjoying the attention from Mommy, Daddy and Mimi.  

The doctor came in and glued her right up.  She said that she didn't need stitches or staples which we were thankful for.  We weren't able to wash her hair for a week, which was a little long, but the dry shampoo worked wonders.  We were back on the road by a little after 11pm and made it home by 12:30am.  We were thankful for time with friends and family and that Hannah's injury wasn't any worse.  

Junior Bridesmaids and Flower Girl to be!

Stanley and Alisha asked the girls to be in their wedding and they had the cutest way of doing it.  

They made puzzles for them to put together, and the puzzle asked the question.  Hannah & Emily got one box together and Claire & Ressie got another box together.

Uncle Stanley helped Claire with her puzzle and it said "Claire and Ressie, will you be flower girls in our wedding?"  Claire said "What's a flower girl?!" 

Alisha helped Emily and Hannah put their puzzle together.  Their puzzle said "Emily and Hannah, will you be junior bridesmaids in our wedding?"  

It took them half a second to realize that meant they got to be IN the wedding and then the next two pictures were their reactions.  PRECIOUS!!  

Jacob is going to be a junior groomsman and he was excited too!  

Stanley and Alisha's wedding is all the girls could talk about for at least a day after they got their puzzles. The next day was Sunday and most people in our church heard the news that they were going to be in the wedding.  It was really cute to see them so excited! 

Sunday afternoon Emily found the flower girl dress that she wore in our friend Megan's wedding (when Emily was 3) and helped Claire put it on.  Then she gave her a flower girl demonstration.  Claire took close notes for about 30 seconds and then just started playing, even though Emily was still trying to give her pointers.  

They had asked at least 20 times that day to watch our wedding video so we pulled it out at let them watch it that afternoon.  I loved watching it too!  Sweet memories! 

We're already looking forward to the wedding in June! 

Abby's First Haircut

Emily, Hannah, and Claire were scheduled for haircuts earlier this month and we decided to let Abby have her first trim while we were there.  Trim is a generous word for how much we cut off, but I still wanted to document it. Heather just snipped the very ends to help it grow in a little better.  

Abby was very serious the whole time, but didn't cry at all.  

Look at that sweet face!!!  

Halloween 2017

The girls had such a fun Halloween this year!  I waited until about a week and a half before Halloween (as usual) to figure out what they would dress up as, but we got it all figured out and everyone was super excited about their costumes!  

We had a Bat-Girl, a strawberry, a Clemson cheerleader, and a ladybug!

Not a single one was looking at me for this picture, but I thought it was cute!  

Emily's had this Clemson cheerleading outfit for a while now, but has never worn it for Halloween.  When I mentioned it she was excited about it, but asked if she could get pom-poms to go with it.  I had to drive down to Woodruff Road (crazy busy road in Greenville) to find them, but I made it happen!  Bert painted the Clemson paw on her face and did a great job!  He threatened to paint a red Georgia "G" instead of a Clemson paw, but I think she knew he was all talk.  :)

Go Tigers! 

Claire loved her ladybug costume.  There are black wings on the back that you can't see in the picture, but every time she's worn the outfit she runs around saying "I can fly, I can fly!!"  

A lady in our church gave me a costume (unopened) last November that her daughter didn't end up wearing.  I thanked her and put it up in the top my closet and forgot about it.  When I was trying to figure out what they would wear about a week ago I remembered this and tracked it down.  I really didn't think Hannah would be excited about being Bat-Girl because we're not too into superheroes, but I thought I'd mention it and see before we bought something else.  I'm definitely glad I checked because I couldn't have been more wrong.  She was SO excited!  She especially loved the cape and mask.  It was a fun Halloween for her!! 

This strawberry outfit has been worn by Hannah, then Claire and now Abby all when they were about 18 months.  I really love it and I guess I need to get rid of it, but I'm a little sad to see it go.  

Abby was not excited about the hood at first, but eventually got used to it.  

  

Baby costumes are THE cutest!  I loved all the baby lions and bears and tigers that I saw this year.  SO SO cute!!  

Our church's second annual Trunk-or-Treat was Halloween night and it was really fun!!  So many families in our church go all out in decorating their cars and getting dressed up and it makes it really fun for the kids!  

The kids and me after we got there and were about to get started "trick-or-treating":  

Bert was busy talking to visitors, but I had a friend, Katie, who offered to walk around with me to help me keep up with the kids.  They were a little excited and kept darting off to different places.   

A fireman that goes to our church brought a fireturck and let the kids climb in it, take a picture and get candy from his boot.  Big hit!  

One girl had a "Barbie" themed car and made this cute box so that the kids could take a picture as a Barbie! Isn't that such a cute idea?!  

Hannah loved that she and her friend, Anna Clare, were dressed in the same outfit!  

One family built this front-porch (!) instead of decorating their trunk.  If I were giving out a prize for best trunk I would have to give it to them.  They definitely put in the most time and it looked awesome!  

A few of the other trunks! 

Abby and her friend, Hunter!  Cuties!  

We had such a great turn out!  We had free hot dogs, chips and drinks for everyone too.  We had 350 hotdogs made and we ran out of them after the first hour!  We had so so many people from the community and we loved having the opportunity to chat with them and love on them even if it's just for a little bit.  

The girls and I left at about 7:40 and I let them trick-or-treat at about 5 houses in our neighborhood before we headed in for the night.  Claire asked me when we got home if we could have Halloween again tomorrow.  Ha!  

Halloween Parties for Claire and Emily

We had a fun day of Halloween Parties here at the Watts house!  

Claire had her party Halloween morning.  Her school has a policy for how many parents can come to each party, so at the beginning of the year you sign up for coming to certain parties.  Anyway, we're hoping they'll change that policy soon, but for now we didn't get to go because I wasn't signed up for this party.  Claire was a little sad on the way to school.  Parents are allowed to meet them on the playground after their party, so Abby and I (and 5 other moms) met them there.  Claire was SO excited to see Abby and me!  She screamed my name and jumped in my arms.  It was precious!  

I got a picture of Claire and her friend Gabe playing.  Claire is a ladybug and Gabe's parents couldn't talk him into dressing up!  Ha!  

This afternoon a sweet lady from our church came over to the house to play with Claire while Abby napped and I went to Emily's party.  I haven't been able to help out much in her classroom so it was really fun to get to know some of the kids in her class better.  

I LOVE the picture below!  Emily had just gotten a bean bag through the hole in the bean bag toss game and was jumping up and down.  Precious little second grader!  

Emily and Bella were in the same kindergarten class and now are in the same second grade class too!  They had fun today going to all stations together!  

Bella's mom is one of the room mom's for Emily's class.  I'm a room mom for Hannah's class and I really think being a room mom for more than one class would be too much, but so glad I get to come help out at events in her class!!  

I've heard that when they get a little older they get "too cool" for parties, but that's definitely not the case for 2nd graders.  They were precious!