Merry Christmas!

'Twas the Night of Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring. . .but the computer mouse:) What an awesome day! From watching her peek out of her bedroom, see the stockings and then CHARGE down the hall to our room. . .to the excitement over each gift (especially the bath fizzies from Lala). . .to watching her read the gift tags and deliver the presents. . .to her sweet prayer at dinner thanking Jesus for coming to this earth. . .it has been a truly blessed day!
The tree. . .pre Gracie:)

A note from Santa Claus. . .

Gracie with her things from Santa. . .(when she realized Santa brought Hannah Montana Flip Flops she ran straight to her room to put on her "morning clothes" ~ a Hannah tee shirt and pink pants. . .so much for the adorable Christmas Morning Jammies!)

I do not have any idea what she just opened, but this was the reaction almost every time!

The year of the animals. . .FurrReal Cat named Ginger, Barbie Lab named Belle and last but not least. . .the Barbie Pet Vet Center!

I think Beaux has finally met his match!

My sweet precious NeNe (in her new pink and white polka dot collar) outside in the 5 degree weather smokin' a brisket with Daddy! This is the perfect example of loyalty and devotion! Oh how we love you, girl!

Gracie and Gracie:)

The perfect ending to a perfect day? Poppy's reading of Santa Mouse!

Merry Christmas to all. . .and to all a good night!

Christmas wishes from Gracie. . .

Here is a special Christmas wish from Gracie. . .
You'll want to pause (II) the Playlist at the very bottom of the page and then press the arrow to play. Merry Christmas. . .to you and your "kids":)

Here are some other photos from this fall. . .
Gracie picking out her pumpkin. . .

Our Little Mermaid!

ONE of the rounds of cake walk at the Fall Festival!

The loot!

Daddy and "Uncle" Mike trying to make Gracie feel better when she was upset about not having tricker-treaters. . .

Castle Rock Star Lighting. . .

The baby camel at the live nativity scene. . .

5-4-3-2-1. . .

Gracie, Trinity and Amber trying to stay warm!

The crew. . .

A visit to the North Pole

Gracie and Alyssa in Santa's sleigh!

Gracie's first time on Santa's lap. . .thanks for the help Alyssa!

Having a full blown conversation. . . the result. . .a Barbie Dollhouse and Hannah Montana Flip Flops!

Gracie riding Rudolph!

Disney Videos. . .

These are a few of my favorite videos:) If you want to watch, make sure to press pause (II) on the Playlist at the very bottom of the page and then click the small arrow in the lower left of each video.

This video shows Gracie being turned in to a real fairy. . .

The next three clips are from the Princess Lunch. . .this was by far my favorite part of the week!

Unfortunately, I am having a problem uploading the video from the Biergarten where she was selected from a large group of children to turn on the Christmas Tree lights. It is one of those moments that we'll think of every time we talk about Disney! Hopefully I'll figure something out. . .

Pajama Party!

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall today! Gracie's class is having a pajama party. . .she was so excited (along with all of the other kids)! I think she must have asked 100 questions about what it would be like. She was thrilled when she saw her teachers dressed up and even had to comment on the one wearing "Chip and Dale"! I could not be happier with this school! The teachers and curriculum are awesome! Now I need to come up with a some fun ideas to keep us busy for the next 3 weeks. . .they make it look so easy!

Disney World 2009!

O.k., I know it has been a really long time since my last post. The past few months have been fabulous. . .and busy. I won't blame it all on schedule. . .quite honestly it was more about a mental block than lack of time or material. I have tons of great pictures to show that we did not drop off the face of the earth, but there is nothing, or no one that can snap you out of a block like DISNEY! We just returned home from an amazing trip to Orlando. It will go down as one of the best weeks of my life! Brey and I have always loved going to Disney, but watching your precious baby experience it for the first time. . .well, I don't have words to describe it! She was so good! She waited patiently in lines, knew exactly what she wanted to do (and not do ~ ie. Pirate's and Peter Pan) and had NO melt downs! Granted she rode on Daddy's shoulders for 5 days straight and got ALMOST everything she wanted, but she did so much better than I could have even hoped! I know that the pictures go on and on (and on), but how can you narrow down 800 "keepers" in to one blog? I have a handful of video clips that are absolutely priceless ~ I will try to upload them tomorrow. So, in the spirit of Disney. . .I hope you have a magical day! Enjoy!

Day 1 ~ Magic Kingdom!

Gracie and Daddy on the way out the door!

Lots of gratitude and sugar as we board the monorail:)

Entering the Magic Kingdom for the first time. . .

Her first glimpse of "Main Street USA" and Cinderella's Castle!

So sweetly waiting in line to meet her first Character. . .the Fairy Godmother!

Sewing ("like Momma") at Minne's house. . .

Book? Check. Pen? Check. Excitement? TRIPLE CHECK!

This time Cinderella, Princess Aurora and Belle are the prize!

This girl (and her momma & daddy) LOVES roller coasters!

My Prince Charming and his NOT SLEEPING Beauty! Yes, we are rollin' right through nap time!

Gracie's first Disney parade. . .her face speaks for itself. . .

Day 2 ~ More Magic Kingdom and the EPCOT Candlelight Procession

All time favorite ride. . .Splash Mountain! She did not like the slow, dark parts, but

would take the plunge all day long! She loved that her hair got wet:)

Tinkerbell. . .enough said!

Danicin' with Daddy in the Biergarten!

Day 3 ~ Animal Kingdom and Mickey's Very Special Christmas Party
Waiting to meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale, Donald and Pocahontas!

Main Street USA at Mickey's Christmas Party. . .

Yes, snow in 65 degree weather is so much better than snow in -17 degree weather. . .

that is what we escaped while in Florida!

Nobody does it like Disney. . .the castle was amazing!

One of the "umpteen" over-the-top shows. . .

The Christmas parade. . .words can not describe. . .

Day 4 ~ Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Norway Castle for Princess Lunch and EPCOT
At the boutique being transformed:)

My little princess!

Princess Gracie with Princess LaLa and Fancy Minnie. . .

Finding out that she was at the castle for a Princess Lunch! This was a PRICELESS moment!

Cinderella. . .

Princess Aurora (with Princess Lala!). . .

The first meeting with Snow White. . .

Ariel ("with her legs on"). . .

Princess Lala in Paris!

Day 5 ~ Magic Kingdom (one last time) and Hollywood Studios. . .

Playing checkers (he even let her win!) while we waited for "ears". . .

This is what happens when Momma goes shopping. . .Daddy wrestles up a private parade with Pluto! Nice Job, Daddy!

Gracie's new favorite character ~ Pluto!

The BRAND NEW Princess Tiana from Princess and the Frog. . .

Gracie fought for this all week! "Wishes" (the name of the design) do come true!

The most amazing Christmas Light display. . .ever!