Christmas Tour

Welcome to the Harris Home

I love Christmas but as much as I love it, I think Flint might love it even more. We both love all the decorations, the lights, the music, getting Christmas cards....Just the spirit of Christmas. I said that I was not going to go over board this year since we had a little one and she requires constant supervision these days, but since when was I known for not going overboard?!?! Some things were left out of the rotation this year, but I still put out most of our decorations.

Come on in, I will show you around.

This is our living room tree. Notice the Hog hat on the top. We have done that since the first year were married. A couple of years ago I tried to leave it off and you would have thought I was trying to cut off Flint's left hand (he's a lefty, by the way)! This is one of our three trees.

This one was in our guest bedroom. I just love it because it is red and lime green.

And this is Cilla's tree. It is my favorite and it is fit for a queen.

This is the buffet in our breakfast area.

And here is our breakfast table.

I put the manger in a built-in nook in our entry way. It is perfect there because little hands can't get to it. I plan to get Cilla a nativity set next year that she can play with. What is Christmas if we are not teaching her the true meaning, right?!?!

The "JOY" banner.

The infamous, Emmalie, made this. She sells these at her store here in Waco. She also sells other words besides '"JOY". I love these.

Merry Christmas blocks on Cilla's dresser.

I first saw some of these in Chasing Fireflies and loved them. Then I saw some at Target and just had to get them.

A wreath in mine and Flint's bedroom.

The Guest bathroom

And I think this is my favorite thing of all....Our Stockings. One day I will share why they are so important to me. Oh, how I love our stockings. Little Cilla's was the perfect addition this year. However, the puppies did not think so. They have gotten their own stocking every year, but this year they have to share. Sorry Katie and Sophie.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Vacation

Cilla was sad when I told her Christmas vacation was over.

Maybe she was sad she had to take her pretty pink tree down. She never once touched our tree in the living room, but she would always crawl over to her tree and touch the pink glass ornaments. Not the "shatterproof" ones, the GLASS ones! Do kids just know that stuff?!?!

Or....maybe she was sad that she wasn't going to get to spend as much time with her friends. Especially those far away.

She had a big time with her buddy Margaret!

She was so tired after playing with Margaret, this is what she looked like after the car ride home! She loved watching Margaret's every move and playing with all of her big girl toys. Too bad the feeling was not mutual! Margaret is one of the cutest things I have ever layed eyes on. What's not to love about her?!?!

Cilla got to go to her friend Faith's birthday party before we left Waco for Christmas. It was the CUTEST! I will have to do a whole post on the party. Faith's mom, Sarah, knows how to throw an awesome first birthday party. It was a cowgirl party and it was precious! Sarah made all the kiddos the cowboy hats to wear and to take home!

Cilla was excited to have a chance to pull her cowboy boots out and to sport them! I LOVE them!

Cilla also got to meet Brody and Mallory while we were in Little Rock for Christmas. One of my dearest friends from home had twins in August and we were finally able to meet them. They are too too cute! Aww, I could have loved on those two all day long! Meg, we loved getting to see you and your family...all of you (Ray and Juju)!!! I can't wait for our girls to be friends growing up, no matter how many miles separate us!

And Cilla got to spend a couple of nights with one of her besties...Harper! They rang in the new year together...sound asleep in their beds, of course! They really did have fun together, I just thought that this picture of both of them crying was too funny! I told you, Cilla was sad Christmas vacation was coming to an end!

Cilla also got to see baby Braysen while we were in Dallas. We failed to get a picture of them together. But, believe me when I say he is awfully handsome and his momma better watch out. All the girls will be chasing after him on the playground before she turns around!

We are all a little sad that Christmas Break is over; we LOVED having daddy around so much. But, it is good to be home and good to get back in to a normal routine. Cilla has slept four nights straight. I think this might be the longest stretch in her lifetime. Twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep must feel good! We are still working on our naps, but that is easier to deal with when this momma is not so tired!

Happy Birthday to Katie

Our Sweet Katie turned 11 this week! That is 77 in doggie years...but we will not tell her that! She definitely does not act her age and we are thankful for that! She still, even at her ripe older age, keeps us on our toes! Here is Katie waiting patiently for her birthday cake ice cream (probably drooling) while her mom snaps a picture!

We love you sweet, Katie!

You are the perfect addition to our family and you help make our home such a fun place! Because of you there are more unannounced swims, more food pulled off the counters, more tumbleweeds on our hardwood, but LOTS MORE SMILES!!!

Merry Christmas

Many of you have probably already seen this...

Merry Christmas with love,

The Harris Family

NO!

I got told "NO!" today and (as you can see by my reaction) I was not very happy about it! Oh, what we at the Harris house have to look forward to!

Nine Months

Our baby is nine months old. Where has the time gone?!?! Our nine month pictures didn't turn out very good, because......Simple.... She doesn't sit still!!! Not even for 30 seconds!

We had to settle for this picture with her birthday sign! At this point she had crumpled the sign and had crawled out of her leg warmers. This is right before she crawled over to her baby crib and pulled out all the stuffed animals followed by crawling across the room and getting into her trashcan. No Joke, I am a busy momma these days!

We burn an advent candle every evening in the month of December. This is a tradition that Flint grew up doing and now we have started it. Here we are on December 9th. We have a nine month old! I really can't believe it! We have so much to be thankful for! Each day we try to reflect on what the season is really all about.

Since our nine month pictures were unsuccessful, I thought I would open a little door into Cilla's world and show you what she is up to!

She is crawling EVERYWHERE and is into EVERYTHING!!!

She has a new fascination with playing under this end table.

I know this little blue outfit is a little boy outfit, but I just love it. It has a football on the front. Don't worry, she wore a brown bow with it!!!

She crawls from room to room. Luckily, she makes a noise (that sounds like a panting dog) when she is on the move, so even if she is out of my sight I can still hear her!

Oh, and the icing on the cupcake...

This morning, while I was starting a load of laundry, she made her way over to the dog bowl and had water all over the floor before I could get to her! This is what I found.

Of course, I grabbed the camera before grabbing a towel!

"What's wrong, mom? Was this not here for me to play in?!?!"

Look her dirty, wet knees! I need to mop!

More about Cilla:

*She eats like a champ. She love to try foods and has eaten just about everything.

*Has started sleeping like a champ. No kidding, some nights she sleeps 13 hours! If I would keep her home more and on a tighter schedule, she would take 2 good naps.

*LOVES puffs! They keep us sane when we are out in public!

*Has two bottom teeth and four (yes, four) top teeth coming in!

*Is developing such a fun and outgoing little personality! She really loves people!

*She is still pretty serious and is very resilient!

*She says "mama" and "da" sometimes "dada". Her very first real sound was "baba"! We are not sure if this was a coincidence or if it meant "bye bye" or "bottle".

*She claps when we say YAY! She gets so excited for herself and I never get tired of it.

*She waves to everyone! Like I said, doesn't meet a stranger!

*Cilla loves our puppies....actually, all dogs!

*She loves to read (or look at) books. She is into turning the pages all by herself.

*She loves light switches and door stops! I wish life would stay this simple!!!

We just love this little girl more and more with each passing day! She brings so much joy into our family.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It has finally gotten cold here in Waco and is starting to feel more like Christmas! We actually got some snow flurries a couple of days ago!

I needed to make a Wal-Mart run, so here Cilla is all bundled up and waiting on me to get ready. No, I did not leave her on the bed...she would have crawled her way off!!!

She loves to look in the mirror! She was fascinated by her hat in this picture! I love this little hat. It is suppose to be a cupcake! How cute is that?!?!

My little cupcake!

We got some snow (you have to look closely to see it). I think our puppies have forgotten what snow is! Look at Sophie trying to get in the door! Burrrrr, mom!

Of course, Cilla napped right through the snow. She missed her very first snow. Next time. Never wake a sleeping baby, right?!?!

Jerry World....I mean Baylor vs. Tech

The Baylor/Texas Tech game was actually exciting, but the highlight of the trip was getting to visit the new Cowboy Stadium (a.k.a. Jerry World) in Arlington. As all of our Arkansas and A&M friends and family already know....IT IS A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!!! Flint went up with my dad, our friend Katie, and I instead of going with the team so that he would not have to stay overnight in a hotel. He was regretting his decision after sitting in traffic trying to find our assigned lot. He has gotten spoiled to the police escorts that drive the team buses right up the stadium! HA! Here are a few pics.

Flint and I

Dad and I

The JUMBOtron.

It is literally over half the length of the field and still more clear than our TV at home!!!

Taking the field

Flint

From the back!

Flint again (standing on the 42 yard line)

Sic.Em.Bears.

We had club seats and I felt a little spoiled. They were awesome and we had access to the indoor club with all of the TV's. I could only imagine at a Cowboy game all the Who's Who of Dallas standing around in there drinking their cocktails and making some business deals, oh yes, and watching football! After the game was over, we went inside and found the Razorbacks on TV. We sat there and watch their heartbreaking loss to LSU, all while the stadium staff were trying to close down and run us out! Flint kept telling them...it is almost over!

All of our Baylor friends and avid football fan friends probably already know the outcome of the Baylor/Tech game. And you probably already know that it was a really great game in which Baylor was ahead most of the game and had a chance to win right at the end. Unfortunately, the Bears just didn't have enough in them. Such a bummer, especially after such a close game.

Thanksgiving Week

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week-Cilla's first Thanksgiving. My parents came from Arkansas to spend the holiday with us, since Flint had to be back for the Baylor game.

Flint took Tuesday off, in honor of his mom, so we decided to head to Dallas for a little overnight getaway. What is normally a short little trip, turned into quite a fiasco! The traffic was horrible because of Thanksgiving and Cilla chose not to have her afternoon nap that day. This equals no fun for anyone!!!

She was a little happier when I crawled in the backseat with her and fed her puffs!

We stayed with our friends, Lauren, Corby, and Harper! Look at this precious face! She is just a doll! Cilla liked playing with Harper and all of Harper's toys! It is so nice to stay with people who have all the baby stuff you need. It requires you packing lots less!

We went out to dinner Tuesday night with two tired and unhappy babies! How pitiful is this picture?!? They cried the entire way home from dinner. SUPER PLEASANT!!!

Wednesday morning before heading back to Waco, we finally got to meet Baby Braysen! My best friend, Laura, had a baby November 5th and we were finally getting to meet him. Having a 9 month old puts a damper on the spontaneous road trips to Dallas!!! Oh, I must say, it was love at first sight. This little guy is so precious, seriously! I look forward to helping spoil him and all the fun we will have with him in the years to come! I hope he and Cilla are best friends, too!

Cilla is clapping all the time these days! She tried to show Braysen and Aunt Laura all of her tricks!

After meeting Braysen, lunch with Uncle Peter, and hitting up The Cupcakery, we finally got on the road along with everyone else in Central Texas. Of course it was time for Cilla's bottle and of course we left her formula at the Pardue's house! We finally made it back home...again, a fiasco!!!

Sophie needed a bath, so we managed to fit that in!

Our friend Katie, who works with Flint, is from Washington and since she is going home at Christmas, she stayed in Waco for Thanksgiving. So, she came over and had Thanksgiving with us! We were so glad to have her! And she made THE most yummy sweet potato casserole I have ever put in my mouth!!!

Cilla with daddy on her first Thanksgiving! Dinner was delicious! Cilla tried lots of the food and loved it all!!!

It was a wonderful week. We have lots to be thankful for!