Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!!

We have had a wonderful, blessed Christmas season, to be sure!! We hope all of you have, as well. Although with a newborn we were unable to travel to be with family during the holidays this year, we have been lucky to have several relatives visit us during the season. Gigi and PapaDoc came to visit earlier in the week. Alli loved the "singer" (aka, microphone on a stand) that they gave to her! She has been singing all week ~ lullabies to the baby, and even a song about a chair known as "chairy." Aunt Karen drove Nana and Papa down for a visit (Alli waited in the doorway all dressed up ~ see pic below), and Dede and Keith came on Christmas Eve day. Alli was so excited to get the bike, helmet, and pads from Dede ~ she has wanted to wear the helmet and pads around the house, even in just her panties!! We spent Christmas Eve at the Candlelight Service at Church and had the amazing experience of sitting in the choir loft during the service. Seeing hundreds of candles lighting the dark sanctuary was magical ~ words cannot describe how beautiful it was!

Here are some pictures of Alli and some of her gifts. Among her favorites from Santa were her chalkboard/easel, blocks, and a 'real' digital camera! Her favorite from Mommy and Daddy was a Little People's Noah's Ark, with which she has played and played....

Although slightly clueless about the Christmas chaos surrounding her, Elizabeth unknowingly has not missed out on the fun. She even visited Santa at the precious age of only 6 days....

Okay...Blogger is really weirding out on me and is driving me insane. It isn't allowing me to add any text after the next picture, and it is barely allowing me to add anymore pictures. So, forgive the messiness below.

We missed our families, but we enjoyed having our first Christmas together as our own little family. We had a great meal; Brad even fried a delicious turkey! We read the Christmas story in an old Children's Bible that belonged to Meme and Paps, and we had a birthday cake for Jesus. Alli said, "This is the best food I ever ate!" The turkey was her favorite, although she did ask me, "Mommy, do you think Baby Jesus will share his birthday cake with me?"

We are grateful for so much this Christmas season!! We are so lucky to have our two precious girls, and we have been so very blessed with a wonderful little Christmas present in the arrival of Elizabeth.

With all of the gift-giving, baking, parties, and other festivities of the holidays, it is often easy to forget the true reason for the season. I got the following from a friend's blog (thanks, Emily!) and encourage you all to take a look at it. It is a video for the song recorded by Sara Evans and Brad Paisley. I caution you to grab a box of tissues before you watch, though ~ you will need them.

As a mother, I think of what God sacrificed by giving "His only begotten Son," and I feel Mary's desperation as she wants so badly to save her son, but she cannot help Him and must let Him save her ~ and all of us ~ instead. To all of you parents out there, can you even imagine sacrificing your child in order to save the whole world, present and future? I cannot. What boundless love our Lord has for each of us!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NaSROohLzs

ELIZABETH IS HERE!!!

Elizabeth Parham Buckler
December 12, 2007
11:13 a.m.
6 lbs., 12 oz. 18.5 inches

Elizabeth was born Wednesday morning. Brad and I checked into Labor and Delivery a little before 6am; they began the pitocin at 6:30, broke my water at 8:30, gave me an epidural at 9:30, and she was born at 11:13. We were blessed to have a very easy delivery. I was up and eating Krystal's shortly after she arrived! :)

Everyone at MCG was wonderful! My OB, Erin Holsten, is fantastic! My nurse, Carla Allen, was the best possible!! She has 3 girls of her own and completely understands about "big sisters." She was precious to all of us ~ especially to Alli, whom she let "help" her with Elizabeth's first bath (in our room). Alli is so proud to be a big sister!! Carla was sweet enough to even give Alli a special book about being a big sister, which Alli loves. When we ask Alli what she thinks about Elizabeth, she says one of several things: "I think she likes me," "I love my baby sister," and "I think she's nice." I think Alli thinks she is a living baby doll! She constantly wants to help with her and take care of her, and stops playing every once in a while to run over and give Elizabeth a hug and a kiss. The picture below is of her helping Carla at the hospital.

Here are a couple more pictures of Miss Elizabeth. She is a sweet baby, and we are soaking up every second with her!! I hesitate to begin with comparisons to Alli, but it is really like deja vu, she looks so much like her! (She really does ~ just has lighter hair and less of it than Alli had at birth. Take a look at Alli's birth pictures to see what I mean; use the link to "Alli's First Year" to the right.)

We have had lots of help (Mom, we couldn't have survived the past couple of days without you!) and several visitors. We will post more pictures very soon, but we wanted to go ahead and get these on the blog. Thank you for your continued prayers, and keep checking for updates!! We love you all!
You can also see her hospital picture at welcomenewborn.com ~ password "boots."

Thank you, God, for our newest Blessing!!!! She is perfect!

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!!

Giving Thanks and Helping Dede!

Just before Thanksgiving, Alli posed for her Christmas pictures. We think they turned out pretty cute! Afterall, she loves to have her picture taken!!

Brad was on call for Thanksgiving for the second year in a row, which means that he is at the hospital for 30 hours straight and cannot come home to celebrate with us. This year, the Greers were sweet enough to invite Alli and me to have dinner at their house, so we did. And what a feast it was!! After a good nap at home, Alli and I took a plate of the yummy food to Daddy at the hospital.

That weekend, we had some visitors. Dede and Keith came for a few hours on Friday while Keith was "over this way" from Birmingham. While they were here, Alli and Dede did arts and crafts ~ one of Alli's most favorite activities these days! Here they are, painting a poster together....

On Sunday, Brad's good friend from medical school, Will Chafin, his wife, Melissa, and their 10 week old baby, Will, stopped by for lunch and a visit. It was our first time to meet precious Baby Will! We were so glad they made the time to stop by on their way back home to Charleston. Alli especially loved meeting the baby and was constantly wanting to "help" with him. She bounced him in the bouncy seat, but her favorite part was getting to hold him!

Although we didn't get to spend the actual holiday with family, we feel so blessed! We had a great, long holiday visit with Brad's family the weekend prior to Thanksgiving ~ including his grandparents, Mimi & DB and Grandmommie & Marty ~ and we were able to visit with Nana & Papa at that time, as well. And how blessed we are to have friends that have become our family to include us in their holiday celebrations!

With Baby Elizabeth arriving any day now, Alli and Mommy have been spending a lot of time doing special activities together. As thrilled as I am about the pending arrival of our new precious little one, the idea of Alli no longer being an "only" is bittersweet, so I have absolutely loved this chance to have some one-on-one time with her. The other day, we went to "Teddy Bear Tea Time" at the Junior League office. We had a great time decorating cookies,listening to storytime with Mrs. Claus, and face painting ~ and of course, Alli got to take her favorite teddy bear along for the fun. One weekend not long ago, we spent the morning outside making mudpies and having a "dirty day" ~ Alli even had permission to wipe her very muddy hands on her pants! But after one attempt at that, she didn't like being that dirty and chose to wipe her hands on Mommy's clothes, instead. :) We even had a yummy picnic outside ~ but as Alli kept reminding me, we couldn't really eat the mudpies, because they are just for pretend.

For some reason, Blogger won't let me separate the 2 above pictures ~ sorry!
Anyway, these are pictures of Alli "helping" Dede paint in her room and in the nursery. She is "measuring" a tree in Elizabeth's room; the rest are of her helping in her own room as Dede was adding to the mural that was already there. Yes, she painted naked ~ Alli, not Mom :) ~ afterall, no reason to ruin perfectly good clothes, right?! The spot in her room where Mom left Alli's artistry on the wall is my absolute favorite ~ so precious!! And Alli is super proud to show off where she was allowed to paint on the wall!!

This past weekend, we went to Lights of the South with a group of friends. As soon as our printer will let me scan those pictures into the computer, I will post about that exciting, festive night! (It's always something with technology,right?!)

Halloween and other Fall Fun!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

This year, Alli celebrated Halloween as a beautiful pink flower! She loved her costume and has enjoyed wearing it to Halloween parties, trick-or-treating, and playing around the house. We know we are biased, but we think she looked darling once again (she was an angel her first year, a pink poodle last year). :)

For the second year in a row, we invited a group of friends and their children to come and celebrate with us! Brad boiled peanuts outside, I made a few large pots of chili, and we all ate dinner together before trick-or-treating with the kids. We had such fun and hope our friends did, too! Thanks, Emily, for providing all of the yummy desserts! This year, we had a group of about 25 joining us ~ the Greers, Bells, Greggs, Wilkins, Schroerluckes, Lewises, and Simpsons. Joining our little flower were a puppy dog, chicken, ladybug, pumpkin, and doctor, among others.

Not only did we have a blast trick-or-treating last week, but Alli got to enjoy her first Fair with her friends! (By the way, Blogger just changed my font and won't let me change it back ~ not sure what is going on, but please excuse the inconsistency!) Here she is with her Daddy, ready to go inside the gates!!

Alli had way too much fun and showed no fear, wanting to ride on everything from the teacups to the Himalayan, on which, of course, she could not ride. She ran from one ride to the next saying "I want to ride!" over and over.... We had fun and were so happy that the Greers and the Lewises could come, as well! And what trip to the fair is complete without your share of junk food?! Alli enjoyed several "firsts" that night, from ferris wheels to Elephant Ears!

The Saturday before our "week of fun," we went to the Greers for a nice, relaxing dinner at home and watched a little football. Here are Maddox and Alli cheering...

GO DAWGS!!
(So what if they are different "dawgs"?!?)


Another fun outing that week was to Peyton's house for a playdate with several friends. Here are Peyton, Alli, and Maddox eating lunch together...

...right before Alli and Maddox put Peyton to work pulling them through the yard!

I just had to include this picture of Alli, for those of you who do not see her very often or who have never seen her at all. Her hair is super curly, which is why a server at one of our favorite restaurants has dubbed her "Curly Sue," and the nickname has stuck. :)

And here is the last shot.... 33 weeks, and counting!! I know ~ I am HUGE! I keep looking down at my humongous belly, wondering how in the world it can possibly get any bigger! But with 7 weeks left to go, I know it will find a way.

(Disclaimer: The swelling has officially begun! Please ignore my increasingly chipmunk-like cheeks!) :)

Needless to say, the past week has been insanely busy ~ but also insanely fun!!!! After a week full of fun activities, Alli asked me on Friday what we were going to do after she woke up from her nap. When I told her we weren't doing anything, she said, "Yes, we will. That's what we do!" After the week we've had, I can't say I blame her for feeling that way.

No Pictures!

Hey everyone!
So sorry it has been so long since my last post!! Something is wrong with our memory card in the camera, so I don't have pictures to post but promise to get them posted as soon as the problem is resolved.

We have been doing very well! This month has been a busy one.... Alli and I have been continuing to have a terrific time in her Kindermusik class each week. She and I both have several friends in the class and are making new ones, as well. I am also teaching my Baby Signs classes every week and only have one more week left before my 'maternity leave' begins. The weekend of October 13, Alli and I headed to St. Simons ~ or as Alli calls it, "Simon Says" ~ for Leslie (Brad's cousin) and Jeff's wedding. It was a beautiful, fun weekend, and we had a blast! We missed Brad, though, who had to stay at home to study and rest. His Boards were that next Monday and Tuesday in Atlanta. He has been working so hard since the beginning of the summer to prepare, and now we are all grateful that it is over!!!

While Brad was in Atlanta, Mom came down to begin working on Elizabeth's nursery and to do some finishing touches in Alli's room. Alli "helped" Dede work ~ it was too precious! She is really proud of all she did! I have darling pictures of her working very hard, but they will have to be posted later....

The month continues to be busy. Junior League, Side by Side (my weekly Bible Study for medical/dental wives that I love!), Supper Club, birthday parties, Church committee meetings, and Halloween have and will continue to keep us busy this month ~ along with everything else that is going on. I am a little over 31 weeks along now and all is going very well. Keep the prayers coming! Brad and I remind each other quite often that at this point in my pregnancy with Alli, I was on bedrest, in and out of the hospital, and having serious problems with preeclampsia. No sign of it this time around, though. :) We feel your support and your prayers.

I will post again soon, I promise ~ and hopefully, I will have some pictures to add! :) God Bless!!

Family, Friends, and Fun!

We have been having some good times lately! This past week, my precious, sweet husband did a most thoughtful thing ~ he surprised me with tickets to the 50th Anniversary of the World Premiere of "The Three Faces of Eve," which originally premiered here in Augusta in 1957. It was amazing!! We toured the old Miller Theater, had a nice dinner downtown, attended a discussion before the movie, and watched the movie. We had a wonderful, fun date night! I have the most wonderful hubby in the world, and definitely the most thoughtful one! He even surprised me further by buying a new dress for our date!

Alli didn't really like the idea of us being alone in a picture, so she joined in the fun. Gigi came down and kept her for the evening; they had a blast at Chuck E. Cheese and ended the evening with an ice cream treat!

We have stayed busy and had fun with our friends lately, as well. Our Supper Club continues to be such fun, and we have a great group of 7 couples. We also have a good time with other friends, as well. Not long ago, we had the Carrs (Kelly and Ben, although Ben was on call and could not join us), the Greers (Emily and Stephen), and the Greggs (Elizabeth and Neal) over for dinner. The kids were here, too, so it was a great time!

Alli and Maddox Greer have been spending a lot of time together, as usual. Everyone asks us parents if we are scheming to "set them up" one day ~ but we don't know about that ~ it may be a little bit weird, considering they are more like brother and sister. They love to sing and dance together, snuggle together, play, and eat supper ~ a favorite meal for both is cheese quesadillas and edamame!

Alli has had a blast doing other things, as well. She loves to pretend she is "skiing" around the house, and she recently had her first experience with puppies at some friends' house. Their dogs had quite a litter, and Alli had way too much fun playing with all of them! A favorite treat is going across the street to Miss Linda's house with Daddy and going for a swim. As you can see, Alli has no fear! Nothing makes her hesitate ~ even jumping off the diving board!

Thanks to all of our friends and neighbors ~ we love you all and are having such fun! Mostly, thank you, Brad, for being so amazing!! You are always coming up with ways to surprise me and "treat" me to something fun. You have no idea how much I appreciate all of your planning when you plan our special date nights. :) I love you more than I can say!!! And I am looking forward to our date this week (that you planned) to see "Grease" downtown with the McCurdys!

Trip to Birmingham

A few weeks ago, Alli and I picked up Dede in Atlanta and drove to Birmingham to see Keith. Her Daddy had to work and could not go with us, but our being away gave him some good study time without chaos all around him. We had such fun!! Alli adores Keith, and she loved spending time with him. We got to see his new condo, and Alli even got to play in the rain.

Keith has a pair of our Dad's boots, and Alli loved walking around in Onnie's boots ~ even if they are just a little bit too big!

While we were in town, we got to meet Keith's friend, Anne. Alli liked Anne a lot and always wanted to be with Keith or with her. We were excited to get to see some family; Lynn, Janis, and Brooke stopped by for a brief visit Saturday afternoon. We hate we missed seeing the rest of you, but everyone is super busy these days....

We were only in Birmingham for one night, but we sure did have a lot of fun in such a short period of time! We left late Sunday afternoon, and Alli did not want to leave. Needless to say, we practically had to drag her out of his house ~ she would have been perfectly content to stay!

Of course, she was ready to see her Daddy when she got back home ~ and he was ready to see her, too! Thank you, Keith, for letting us come and take over your home! We had a wonderful time and hope we can do it again sometime. (And by the way, your place is awesome!)

Alli's "Onnie," My Daddy

I began today with a very heavy heart. My Daddy passed away 11 years ago today at the entirely-too-young age of 48. Eleven years.... How quickly the time goes by, yet how vividly we all remember that awful day, as if it were yesterday... and how piercing the pain and sadness continue to be....

Everything still seems to be divided into "before" and "after" Daddy died. It is amazing to me how much has changed during the "after" in the past 11 years. Wonderful, blessed things have happened, and sad things have happened ~ all of which make me miss him even more as the years go by. Even now, I often wish I could discuss something with him during one of our "talks" that we had so often. Three years after Brad and I married, I still miss that he didn't get to walk me down the aisle at our wedding, and that he never met Brad, and vice-versa. I hurt knowing that my babies will never know him and the amazing man and example that he was....

But God is good. He is a strong tower and a refuge, and He heals hurting hearts. If we turn to Him, he will help us to find the good in the bad.... I may not have my Daddy here, but I have an incredible Mother, who has been both Mother and Father to Keith and me for 11 years now. I may not have had a Daddy to walk me down the aisle, but I have a precious brother who did that honor for me. My babies will never know my Dad ~ who Alli knows as "Onnie" ~ but I had an amazing example in him, and I pray they will know him through me, trying to live his example, and through my/his family. I believe he would be proud of us all, and I know that he watches over us and is with us every day. He would be so proud of my Mom, who still had to raise us without him and continues to guide and advise us both. Now a parent myself, I know the importance of having a mate you trust implicitly; my Dad could not have found a better mate in my Mom, whom he could trust to take care of us, with or without him, and who has done such a wonderful job. He would be so very proud of Keith ~ what an incredible man he has become! I am reminded of my Dad more and more every time I am around him ~ and how precious that is to me!

If you ask Alli today to tell you about her Onnie, she will tell you that he lives in Heaven with God and His son, Jesus. She will tell you that he watches over her and is her special angel. I pray that I do Daddy justice by teaching Alli (and our other children one day) more about her Onnie has the years go by and she gets older and can understand. But I think we are off to a good start. When I pulled up the picture below, Alli's little face filled with a smile as she screamed excitedly, "That's Onnie! That's my Onnie!" How precious, and how bittersweet.... Her Onnie would love her so much ~ does love her so much, I know....

Regarding Baby "Boots"

Happy Labor Day!!
I have been getting several questions on email regarding the baby's name and why the blog says "Boots" Buckler. When we first told Alli that we were going to have a baby (we told her early, because she kept asking if I had a boo-boo in my tummy ~ also known as my quickly-growing baby bump!), she named the baby "Boots". Dora the Explorer is one of her very favorite characters, and Boots the monkey is Dora's friend ~ hence the name Boots. The baby's actual name will be Elizabeth (my first name ~ and yes, we are calling her "Elizabeth"), but Alli continues to refer to her as Boots. :) Most of you know that I am a shoe-aholic ~ but no, we are not nicknaming the baby after a type of shoe in honor of my shoe shopping hobby! :)
Hope you are all having a terrific Labor Day!!!

Princess Alli Day!!

We have been busy, busy, busy at the Buckler household lately! Needless to say, things have been very exciting ~ we have been potty training!!! :) Alli is doing great, and we are so proud! Our adventure began 2 weeks ago on Friday, August 17, which was "Princess Alli Day" from the moment Alli woke up. My Child Life Specialist friends will be proud ~ we have been potty training the "child life" way!
The day began with Alli getting into our bed and having a yummy breakfast of chocolate sprinkled donuts and milk ~ wearing a tiara, of course ~ and watching one of our many potty training videos. Afterwards, we began helping Alli train her new doll, Patches, to potty train (afterall, if you can teach it, it is easier to do it). All we did all day long was focus on potty training ~ with books, videos, teaching Patches, etc. ~ and we would do an occasional princess activity ("princess" being our theme for the day). After several hours of this, Alli wanted to join Patches in the potty training fun....

Both Alli and Patches had sticker charts hanging in the bathroom ~ and both received a treat for tee-teeing in the potty, and a prize from the Treasure Chest for poo-pooing in the potty!!

At the end of the day, Mommy, Daddy, and Alli celebrated Alli's fun, successful day as a potty training princess, and Alli even dressed for the occasion!

We had such fun going to Chuck E. Cheese for our celebration "party." We even ate pizza on "princess" plates!

As those of you who have potty trained your children know, we have had a lot of "naked time" these past couple of weeks. I got so tickled about 2 days into it, when Alli quit playing all of a sudden and announced that we needed to go "rescue" Daddy from work and bring him home! She told me she needed to get dressed right away!! She began digging in her dress-up basket, and below is the picture of the ensemble she came up with....

She was ready to go! Needless to say, we did not head to the hospital to rescue Daddy that very moment! :) I will say that although this process has been exhausting on all of us, it has been about as FUN as potty training can be! Alli is doing so well, and we are so, so proud of her!! We hardly have any accidents now and have many days when we don't have any at all.
Hip Hip Hooray for Alli B!!