Iron Bowl Thanksgiving?

So this year Auburn decided to cancel Thanksgiving and create "Iron Bowl Thanksgiving", at first I thought it was a great idea because the Iron Bowl this year is the day after Thanksgiving instead of on Saturday like usual. Then I started thinking... what if people don't take it seriously? Will we all just be wasting our time? Are people actually going to participate in all the events? They city even started a web page, www.ironbowlthanksgiving.com, to help visitor's know what was open, where to eat, etc. So we stayed in Auburn this year and I made a huge Thanksgiving feast for my small family of 3, I enjoyed my morning at home and then headed into work at 3pm. Let me just say that I am soooooo glad that I decided to open the store on Thanksgiving Day! There are people everywhere! Tonight the block party will start with a Pep Rally to support the Auburn High School Tigers and the Auburn University Tigers and then a band will perform, downtown is blocked off and it really is an Iron Bowl Thanksgiving! I hope everyone continues to stay in town throughout the weekend and enjoy all the festivities, tomorrow should be a very interesting ballgame!

Ta Da.......

The top of our 12 foot tree! This year I decorated the top section before Jay put it on the tree, it was much easier! Last year Jana had to decorate the top because I had just had a c-section and wasn't able to do it myself. It turned out great!
Love it!
All of our stockings, including the dogs.

This is the gate that protects our tree from Isabella, it works great! She still sticks her arms in but she can't pull the ornaments through and put them in the mouth.

This is the garland on our dining room hutch, I love the red roses in there, so pretty!

I love doing this and it drives Jay crazy! He doesn't want his deer to get messed up but I am always careful and they are plastic ornaments, so not heavy at all!

Ornaments hanging from the chandelier

Garland above the tv armoire

Our Christmas Tree!!!

This is my favorite garland this year, it is in our kitchen on the china hutch. We don't have a lot of ornaments besides those glittery balls that you get in the huge tubs at Sam's, so all of the other ornaments we have are very random but they are the most special. The ornaments that you receive as gifts every year are the best ones, they always mean something and I can usually remember when I received them and from who. So this year I decided to put them all together in a garland and I am so glad I did, I love it!

Christmas Card Photo????

This is her "fake smile" and I can't stand that she already does this!

So today after Isabella's nap I went ahead and gave her a bath (she was dirty from Children's Day Out anyway), and then decided to dress her in a Christmas outift and try and get a picture for our Christmas card this year. Isabella had other plans!

This is her pitching a fit face first on the floor because I was trying to get her to stand next to the tree!
Then the dogs started barking so she had to look at them and tear up my blinds a little more.
Refusing to look at the camera.
Trying to get into the fireplace and her dress was tucked into her stockings!

I guess it's impossible to get a 12 month old to pose for a picture! Next time I won't make her wear a dress, since she is still crawling she gets very frustrated in a dress. I'm hoping she will walk soon and I can put her in all of her pretty smocked dresses that are hanging in her closet!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Hunting Season

For those of you who are not married to hunters... it is hunting season, better known to those of us who are married to hunters as "Single Parenting Season." Jay is active in every type of hunting that exists, and it has been hunting season around here for about 2 months now. Thankfully December is a slow hunting month, so we hope to see Jay a little more. He has a new hunting club this year that is only about 25 minutes from our house so he isn't gone at night much anymore. Hunting season has never really bothered me because I am very independent and actually love having time to myself, but I can tell Isabella is missing her daddy. In this picture she is wearing his hunting hat, and is happy becuase he is home!

Thanksgiving is almost here!

Isabella being silly with the camera lens in her mouth.
She thought this was so cute!

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is almost here! Last weekend was pretty slow for us and I had Jay to myself all weekend so I thought we would go ahead and decorate for Christmas, kind of early I know but I am so glad that I started early because decorating and Isabella don't go great together. It has taken me almost a week, but now everything is done except for one garland in the kitchen. Hopefully I will finish up soon and can post some pics of my Christmas decorations this year!

Wild Animal Safari, Again

Isabella looking at the animals
Feeding the animals

Isabella driving the truck

Notice the large elk in the window that stalked our car the entire time!

On Isabella's actual birthday we decided to take her to the Wild Animal Safari (aka Drive Thru Zoo) since she had so much fun the first time we took her when she was about 6 months old. This time the had more fun driving the car and messing with the radio and all the gadgets inside the car to notice the animals. It was a great day though!

Birthday clean-up!

Isabella playing with one of her new toys!
She loves musical toys and really just music in general, she dances and tries to sing along in her own little language.

Playing with the left over balloons!

She had so much fun throwing these balloons around and getting tangled in them.

Isabella received a plate, bowl, cup and flat ware set as one of her birthday gifts. She is pretending to drink from the bowl which I think is so funny because neither Jay or I do this!

Eating a chocolate chip cookie that was left over from the party favors, she typically doesn't like sweets but she loved this! In fact I can't believe I let her eat 2 of them!

Delicious!

Happy 1st Birthday Princess Isabella!

Isabella's beautiful 1st Birthday invitation!


Birthday cake and smash cake!

Our back deck

We served lunch at the party.

Isabella's smash cake!

Chocolate Chip Cookie party favors.

Our guests eating lunch.

Daddy Jim, Jay's dad, Jordan and Barrett (Jay's brothers) and Owen (Jay's nephew).

Isabella enjoying her lunch.

Giving her the smash cake.

Listening to everyone sing her Happy Birthday!

Mommy, Daddy and Isabella

She wouldn't really dig in, but she sort of played around in her cake.

Nana and Isabella

Isabella's gifts

What a lucky girl!

She was pushing me away, but it turned out cute!

Mommy and Isabella

Not wanting to wear her bow!

Opening presents!

Isabella and her 1st Birthday Doll!

Putting her crown on the doll.

Looking at her gift

There was alot going on and Isabella got very overwhelmed.

Having fun now!

And upset again, crying and playing!

Clapping

She started showing out for everyone!

Touchdown!

Jay and his brothers

Curt and Isabella

Hannah, Curt and Isabella

Nana and Isabella in her new wagon!

Long day, time for bed!

Isabella's 1st Birthday was perfect! It was a beautiful day and all of our closest family and friends came to celebrate our little princess turning one! Thank you to everyone for coming and making this day so special!