Our Big Boy

Two days after Christmas, we had Connor's second birthday.   Time has flown by.  It doesn't seem that enough time has gone by for our little boy to be two years old.  As I type I'm reminded of the saying "time flies when your having fun".  Yes, it does!!!  I can't help but think about the two years we've spent with him, watching him grow before us everyday.  So of course, I had to pull up some old pictures.....

This was our baby boy when he was two months old--dressed up for his first outing at church.  I know you're thinking, "Why didn't he get out until he was two months old?"  Well...he was born early and right during the middle of the worst RSV season Dr. E said he had ever seen, so Dr. E didn't want him out in it.  I was told to keep in until March, but I didn't make it.  We got in the middle of February right before my maternity leave was over!  Anyway here's our little man.......

Here he is at his first birthday party, which was at the airport where daddy works. 

And here he is on his second birthday...

As I told you awhile back in a much earlier post, Connor LOVES Elmo.  Of course, we had to have an Elmo birthday party.  We had the party at church on a Sunday afternoon (two days after Christmas).  Lots of family and friends came to help us celebrate.  Here are the little friends--Zach, Audrey, Brock, Bailey, and Connor.

We also had a VERY special visitor come to help us celebrate.  Can you guess who he was? 

Yes, it was Elmo himself--all the way from Sesame Street.  Connor was pretty scared of him at first.  The only Elmo he knew was on TV and the ones he carries around the house, so imagine the look on his face when a giant Elmo walked into the door that was much taller than his dad.  And poor Audrey, she never left her mommy's side.  Elmo terrified her to death!

                                          

After Elmo met everyone, we played some games.  I wasn't sure how they would go over, but the kids enjoyed them.  We played musical chairs, Follow Elmo, and Pin the Nose on Elmo.  Connor wouldn't wear the bandana, but don't worry, he didn't win the game even though he was looking!

After we played games, we cut the cake.  I made Connor's cake this year (with my mom's help).  I also made the cupcakes. 

Ashley found this website for me and I got the idea for these cupcakes from it.

Here are the other cupcakes.  I just bought the sugar Elmos faces from Hobby Lobby and stuck them on top of the iced and sugared cupcakes.  I thought both turned out cute.

 

Here's the birthday boy enjoying cake at the kids table with his little friends. 

Elmo sat by the gift table which was right in front of the kids table.  Connor kept yelling across the room to him.  He would say, "Eat Melmo, Eat!". 

Here he is keeping an eye on Melmo....

And here's Elmo, staring back...

Connor joined Elmo by the gift table to open his presents.  He was so funny opening presents!  This year he actually opened his gifts by himself.  He would tear them open--piece by slow piece--and give Elmo his piece of wrapping paper, tissue paper, or bag.  He would say "Here Melmo".   And of course, Elmo would take it.

                                               

Two of his favorites were his tricycle from Maw-Maw and Pa-Paw and his hand-made wooden train from Nay-Nay and Pop-Pop.  Jed and I got him an Elmo laptop.

  

Before the party was over, everyone posed with Elmo for a TON of pictures.  I'm so glad Elmo was such a good sport! 

                                  

I know I haven't mentioned Caroline much in this post, but she was there.  She loved Elmo and even posed with him for a picture.  She was just too small to do anything with the bigger kids. 

                                              

The kids....This is the best we could do!  Notice Audrey is not in the picture.  We tried our very best, but she ran away.

                                

The Green Family--Thank you Lauren for helping me get things together for the party, decorating the day of, and taking some pictures.  Clif (the very best cousin-in-law ever!) thanks for helping be on kid patrol and taking a few pictures, too!  Although, I've deleted most of the ones you took!  They're the kind you don't want taken of yourself (the ones when you're not looking and when your making horrible faces). 

                                 

The Skippers--my brother, his wife Brittany, and their little boy Brock.  Brock absolutely loved Elmo.  He was actually the first one to speak to him when he walked through the door!

                                 

We had a wonderful day.  Connor really enjoyed himself!  He talked about Elmo for days afterwards.  Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us.  Thank you for loving our child!  I am so glad we could celebrate our little boy's two years of life with such wonderful family and friends and even a wonderful, furry creature from Sesame Street.....

                                 

Christmas Fun

****Extra long post with tons of pictures!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year.  It was Caroline's first Christmas.  We enjoyed spending time with all of our family.  Here's a recap of our two days........

On Christmas Eve afteroon, we go to my mom and dad's.  We enjoy opening presents with my brothers and parents.  I didn't take a lot of gift-opening pictures this year (I never use them). 

Jed, Brock, and Connor

Notice Brock's mouth.  He and Connor ate candy all afternoon.

Can you tell?

Here's a family picture in front of my mom's tree.

Christmas Eve evening, we go to my Meme and Paw-Paw's house.  We eat, enjoy time with each other, and open gifts.  Connor really enjoyed opening gifts this year.  After he opened something, he would say, "Ooh, it's pitty (pretty) momma. 

My mean brother put this on Connor's head and said he looked like Caroline with the big bows.  I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Caroline stayed awake the whole time.  She enjoyed playing with her gifts after we opened them for her.  She is such a sweet little girl!  Here she is with her mini guitar that meme picked out for her.  It was a hit with all of the kids! 

Here's a group picture from that night.  We are a very big bunch!  If we continue to grow we may have to start renting somewhere to have Christmas! Meme and Paw-Paw have two children, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Meme and Paw-Paw's ended Christmas eve for us.  We went home, bathed the kids, put them in their new Christmas pjs, and set out cookies for Santa Claus using our new plate and cup made by Brooke Ward Williams.  We used the cookies that we made earlier in the week with our cousins.  Connor ate his and Caroline's gingerbread cookies, so we put out some of the one's that I iced for Santa.  We did two girly ones for Caroline and a few boy ones for Connor. 

Christmas morning Caroline woke us up.  She was "talking" and laughing in her crib.  We woke Connor up so he could see what Santa left him.  This is what they found......

Connor got a tractor, Alabama ball and bat, sidewalk chalk, tons of books, a brush, a broom and dust pan, stuffed animal, pjs, clothes, and lots of other stocking stuffers.  Caroline got a toy box, a laugh and learn purse, a spin toy, a picture frame, books, clothes, a pair of shoes, and a few stocking stuffers.

After both sets of grandparents came to see what the kids got, we went back to my mom's for breakfast and opened a few more gifts.  Then we were off to Nay-Nay and Pop-Pop's for the rest of the day.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal, gifts, and just spending time with each other.  Here's a few pictures from our time there.  

Connor opening his stocking.  These are the only pictures of him I could get because he won't pose for pictures anymore.  He thinks its cute to run from me!

Caroline posing pretty for the camera. 

When we finally got home Christmas night, Jed and I took a few pictures with the kids before we put them to bed.   

This picture of Jed and Caroline is one of my favorite holiday pictures! 

She looks so cute I could just eat her up! 

By the time it was my turn, Connor wasn't in the mood for pictures anymore.  We had to bribe him to take them.  That's why he has his blue brush in his hand.  Caroline looks like she's saying, "Please, NO more!".  

Needlesss to say, we had a GREAT holiday!  We are so truly blessed to have such great family! 

Bakin' up Christmas

****Note: You'll have to bear with me for the next few posts, I've got to go back and document our Christmas holidays.  We've been super busy--work, parties, cleaning, organizing, more parties, and more work.  So, I'm going to try my very best to get caught up in three posts.    

Every year, my cousin Lauren and I get together at her house to make sugar cookies for Christmas.  We have a great time cooking, while the kids have a wonderful time playing together.  This year we were VERY brave.....  We let the kids help!  Yes, I know we are crazy, but they had an awesome time.  We hope to continue this tradition for years to come.

Connor just loved it.  He has started pulling up a chair to the counter when Jed and I are cooking.  So, this was right up his alley!

Connor and Kade worked together.  Kade would cut cookies out and before he could pick them up, Connor would cut more out on top of them. 

Here's Kade helping Connor.  Kade is such a sweetheart.  Connor loves him SO much!!!!  He's so good with the little kids!

Bailey provided everyone with aprons.  She wore a chef's hat.  She was too cute!!  She and Brock thoroughly enjoyed making eating the cookies.  Bailey wanted to cut some out, but before she could Brock would steal her dough and eat it!  They were hilarious. 

Needless to say, we didn't eat any of the cookies that Bailey and Brock made.  We kept those separate!

We also made each of the kids a big gingerbread boy and girl that they could decorate.  I helped them, and Lauren took pictures afterwards.

It is so hard to take a picture of Connor lately.  He runs away or just won't smile.  It is SO not fun.  Of course when we took these, he didn't want to do it.  We finally talked him into it.  Here's the first picture.....

He inspected it and decided it looked good enough to eat.

  So...... he ate it!

Bailey, Brock, and Kade all smiled for pictures with their cookies too! 

Caroline couldn't help us make the cookies this year, but we made her one anyway. 

Next year, we'll have to remember to take a group picture (and make sure that I'm not in any of them)! 

We really enjoyed this day and will make it a new tradition every year!!!

Oh, Christmas trees...

We've had our trees up since the weekend after Thanksgiving.  We are enjoying them!  We love to turn the lights out and just sit in the glow of the Christmas lights. 

Connor especially loves them this year.  When he walks into the back door, he goes straight to the lights and says "On momma, turn them on".  He then goes to Caroline's and his bedroom and we have to turn on their trees.  He tells me every day that they are "pitty" (pretty).  He's NOT into Santa, but he's SO into the lights, which thrills me because that's one of my favorite parts.  

 Jed and I bought the tree in our living room the first year we were married.  So, this tree is making its fifth debut.  I don't have a theme for my tree or a specific color scheme. We have a great collection of ornaments.  I started my collection about eight years ago when I was in college.  I love to pull them out every year and reminisce. 

This is my new favorite ornament.  Brooke Ward Williams made it for me.  Incase you can't see it, it says: The Blackwells 2009: Jed, Heather, Connor, and Caroline.  She also drew little pictures of us.  I think it is adorable!  The yellowish circle between Jed and me is just the reflection from the flash.  It's not really on the ornament.   

This year I decided to do little trees in Connor and Caroline's rooms.  Their trees sit on their dressers.  They're not big trees, but they do the job.  As I said, Connor loves them.  I'm so glad I did them this year.  I'm going to make it a tradition every year!

Connor's tree is an Alabama tree.  I found some cute Alabama footballs at K-Mart and the round glitter balls (that just happen to be crimson and silver) at Target.  I used garland that I found at the Dollar Tree.  The bow was made from ribbon that I purchased at Wal-Mart.  I'm most proud of the tree skirt.  It was actually one of his baby blankets.

Caroline's tree matches her bedroom.  I used bright colored balls I got at Target, ribbon from Wal-Mart, and beaded garland from K-Mart.  Her tree skirt is one of her towels.

While I was at Dollar Tree I found this super cute metallic Christmas tree that I thought matched her room perfectly.  It looks super cute on her dresser!    

Everyone is asleep in my house.  I'm going to go sit in the recliner and enjoy my lights.  Merry Christmas!!!

Baby, It's Cold (and Rainy) Outside!!!

We spent a wonderful day at home today.  I needed it SO MUCH!!!  I"ve been way too busy lately; it was good to spend time with my Jed, Connor, and Caroline.  Caroline and I stayed in our pjs all day.  I don't know about you, but that's my kind of day!! 

Even though we spent a great day at home, I was still a busy bee.  I washed and folded 5 loads of laundry today and still have about 4 more to go tomorrow.  I think every piece of clothing we own was dirty.  I also got my Christmas cards ready to be mailed.  And I snuggled alot with Connor!  He was in that kind of mood, and I was loving it.  He hasn't done that in months. 

I am very blessed.  Life is good......