Lights of the South!!

BELIEVE!!!!



A couple of weeks ago, we went to Lights of the South in Grovetown, which is about 20 minutes outside of Augusta. A family there owns about 100 acres, and every year, they open it to the public to come and see their amazing lights. There are themed lighted areas (Christmas, movies, characters, etc.), hayrides, gingerbread houses, Santa Claus, and so much more! We even roasted marshmallows and had some of the world's best hot chocolate and apple cider! We went last year and vowed to make it a yearly tradition with friends. This year, we went with several friends from the Housestaff Auxiliary, including the Greers (seen in the pictures below), Bells, and Lewises.

Here we are on the hayride going through the lights. Alli and Maddox couldn't decide which direction to look, there was so much to see!!

Here are some of the themed areas, including Dora and Boots and Peter Pan ~ and of course Santa's Village! Neither words nor pictures even begin to describe this awesome, festive sight!!

Of course, the kids had a blast playing in the gingerbread house and roasting marshmallows with their Daddies! (We even got a sneak peek at the "future" ~ Alli and Maddox kissing through the window ~ but I was too late with the camera to get an action shot!) And afterwards, the kids were of course exhausted!! They snuggled up together on Emily and Stephen's bed and watched Barney while we visited for a while.

We are already excited about going again next year!!!

Decorating the Tree

We got our tree at the "Christmas Tree Forest," as Alli called it, a couple of weeks ago, but with all that has been going on around here, we have just recently gotten around to decorating it! Alli absolutely loved getting the lights on the tree, especially after her disappointment at the lights not already being on the tree when we bought it. Her favorite was putting the "fairy" (angel) on top of the tree. Although we were a little concerned that she would want to open the gifts, that hasn't been a problem; however, she does keep "stealing" the ornaments off of the tree so she can play with them. Now, the first thing she wants to do in the morning is greet her Christmas Tree. She always says "It's a Happy Day!" when she wakes up in the morning, and now, she goes to tell the tree that it is a Happy Day!

Elizabeth will be here soon....
...and Alli loves to talk about Boots coming to play with her. One of her favorite things to do is to talk and sing to my tummy. Here she is, after having talked to Boots and telling her about the Christmas Tree, laying on my belly and watching "Rudolph" before bedtime last night. So, so sweet!!!

Everything is ready!!!

With Elizabeth coming so very soon now, we have been rushing around to finish up last minute details. Now, we are ready to go!! Mom has been working her tail off to get the nursery ready, so I wanted to include some pictures, which of course do not do it justice! It is a sweet, feminine room, and I can't wait for my newest little angel to be in it!

Of course, I need to post pictures of Alli's beautiful room, as well, in which Mom has continued to do finishing touches now that Alli is in a "big girl room." (Take a look at the link to "Alli's First Year" for pictures of Alli's nursery in our other house ~ also so gorgeous! An English Garden....) Alli has helped Mom in her room and in Elizabeth's room and loves to tell everyone how she painted flowers on the wall!

And that's it! I know this was a long post, but it will be the last before Elizabeth arrives. How blessed and how lucky we are! Alli was a perfect birthday present to me just 4 days before my 29th nearly 3 years ago, and now, Elizabeth is our special Christmas present! Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support for the past 9 months....and most of all, thank you to Brad, for all that you do. You are amazing, and I love you more than I can say! Thank you for making me a Mommy once again; I could not have chosen a better Daddy for my precious girls!!