Merry Christmas!

"And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: 'Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, Unto you is born this day a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.'" Luke 2:11

We Are Having A...

GIRL!!!! I think Trey's heart skipped a beat when it was confirmed by two different doctors during my sonogram on Monday that we are having another girl! He said "oh, two weddings!" as in now he has to pay for two weddings! Haha! All I could think of was more bows, matching outfits for the girls, and just more dressing up! Trey is really excited though. He is such a good girl dad. He is sensitive and caring and just loves Ella to pieces.

Our new baby girl's name is going to be Layla Lou. Lou was my Dad's Mother's middle name. Since Ella is names after my Mom's Mother, it only made sense to name our new baby after my Dad's side. We decided on a girls name a couple months ago, but were still decided on a few different boy names. Trey was convinced it was going to be a boy, but I thought it was going to be a girl. So, now it is on to decorating a new nursery. I already have the bedding picked out, we just need to go crib shopping!! Wooo hooo!

The Night Before Christmas

Ella loves to read books. During a normal day we probably read about 10 books 20 times. I love it when she brings me a book and tells me to "read momma". Every night before bed we usually read about 3 books.

Last year for Christmas my parents gave Ella and her cousins the sweetest Christmas presents. They bought "The Night Before Christmas", the kind where you can record yourself reading it. Dad and Mom alternated reading the pages and Ella loves it. I ask her if she wants Granny and Papa to read to her and she always gets excited. I will admit the first time she looked a little confused and looked around the room like "where are they hiding?".

The other night she looked so cute in her Santa pajamas and when we finished the book she wanted to keep going so I grabbed my camera and watched her turn the pages one by one like a big girl.

I just love her so much! She just adds so much to our Holidays! 

Ella and Santa

Trey and I took Ella to see Santa on Saturday. I thought she would do better this year because she is so friendly where ever we go and loves to talk to people. I guess most people aren't walking around wearing bright red with a hat and beard. Plus, we see a lot of women and not to many big men.
All morning I would say "Ella, are you ready to go?" and she would always say yes. Then I would say "Do you want to go see Santa?" and she would say NO! I guess that should have given it away. We walked in the room where Santa was and I felt her grip tighten a little more around my neck. I told the photographer I was just going to hurry, put her in his lap and move out of the shot quickly. Well, I guess she didn't understand I meant to take it right away, because her 10 second delay did not help the situation. See...

WHen I picked her up she clung to me like her life was at stake! Poor thing! And just for a reminder, here is last years picture. Same Santa, same expression! She has changed SO much in the past year, except for her fear of Santa!! 

One day she will love to look back at these and laugh!

Christmas Time!!!

I love Christmas time and even more so now that I have a little one. It is so fun to drive around at night and look at Christmas lights with her and listen to her say "Pretty lights!" over and over again! I made this wreath and I love the way it turned out. I wanted something that was fun and not the typical Christmas wreath.  

My friend and I went to Canton a few months ago and I found the red/green plaid mesh ribbon that is on my mantle and tree. I want the family room to be more casual and fun for Ella.

All of the ornaments are plastic and tied to the tree with ribbon, so there are no hooks or anything that will break if something happens. With an almost two year old running around I thought that would be best. The "Joy" ornament was mine when I was little. It used to hang on my Mother's tree, but is now on mine. 

My mother-in-law made our stockings for me. I can't wait to see what the latest one will look like? Boy or girl, we will know in 7 days! More camo or more flowers and animal print!

My mother bought me this nativity scene last year. I think it is so pretty and I love having it around and talking to Ella about Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

This is my dining room. It is all copper and gold and more formal.

And this is Ella's nativity scene. My mother bought it for her last Christmas and it is so cute. She can play with this one all she wants and it won't hurt it!

Last, but not least, my sweet girl in her Christmas pajamas reading a book.



10 Days!!

In 10 days we will know if we are having a boy or girl!! I am so excited to find out. The girl name has been decided for a while now, but we are still going back and forth for the boys name. More than anything I am ready to see our baby. To know she/he is healthy and has ten fingers and ten toes and that everything looks great.

Trey, Ella and I will be at the appointment. Of Course at 23 months she doesn't understand the whole Momma's having a baby thing. She points to my stomach and says baby, but then does the same thing to herself. It will still be special to us that she is in the room when we find out. We were overjoyed when we found out she was a healthy girl and we know we are going to be just as excited with this one.

Trey is pulling for a boy, and of course I am pulling for a girl. Out of the 8 people I know that are pregnant right now, 4 are having a boy, one is having a girl and the others don't know yet. The countdown is on!!!

Christmas Cards

And I for one can not wait!! I LOVE Christmas time, the food, the decorations, and the presents!! Last year I put up two Christmas trees and loved having so many decorations. I have been busy busy busy taking people's photos for their Christmas cards, but I always wait until the last minute to have our pictures taken and order my cards. This year, that is not going to happen. We are taking our pictures next weekend and I plan on ordering my cards soon.

This year I am going to order my cards from Shutterfly. I love the new designs they have and have already been combing through them. Shutterfly is also offering 50 free Holiday Card and all you have to do is go click here. Here is a link to their Christmas cards and their photo Christmas cards.  Here is one of my favorites and you can find it here.

I like the modern look of it and I can put several pictures of my sweet baby girl in this one!

So take a look and make sure a get your 50 Free Holiday Cards. 



Big Sister

Baby Calhoun #2 will be arriving May 23, 2011. We are so very excited to give Ella a little brother or sister. We find out if we are having a girl or boy on December 20th!!! I can't wait! I have had that appointment set for about a month now. What a great Christmas present that will be!!!

I think Ella will be a great big sister. She is such a little momma now to her baby dolls.

23 Months!

My sweet girl turned 23 months old today! It is so hard for me to believe that in one month she will be two years old. What an amazing 23 months it has been. She has grown and changed SO much. She is so independent some days and others she won't leave my side. She is still very cuddly and I LOVE that. She loves to snuggle next to me with my arm around her and watch cartoons. If I try and move away, she tells me to sit and grabs my arm and puts it around her.

She loves being around bigger kids. She likes younger ones, but they just aren't near as exciting to her. She is talking up a storm and just last night counted to 10 all by herself!!! Trey was present and heard all of it, so I do have a witness. Usually she will do the even numbers if I count with her, but she has been counting to five on her own, so last night was so AMAZING to hear! She has done it twice today.

She loves being outside and playing in the dirt and grass, but her favorite thing by far is shoes. I hear the word shoes or boots so many times a day. She loves shoes! Oh, are we in trouble in about 14 years!!

She is very social and tells everyone at the grocery store, Hobby Lobby, park, or where ever we go "Hi!" and if they don't respond she will continue, growing louder each time, until they do. Good thing I am not a shy person.

I love this little girl so much. I love how much she loves me and her Daddy and how excited she gets whenever he gets home from work. I love her sugars (kisses) and sweet hugs. I thank God for her at least once everyday and am amazed at His creation.