MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011

Merry Christmas from the Wade family! We spend today sharing lots of quality family time with each other and enjoyed the best day! With me being up first (5 AM), Eric next (6 AM), and then Blaire and Reagan (by 6:30)....we all had to actually go and wake up Abby, ha! She immediately remembered what day it was and ran down the stairs saying "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" She spotted the chalk scooter first and her day was already complete, ha! Blaire and Reagan had a ball opening up gifts - even stealing our gifts to open! The loved their doll strollers and spent almost an hour going around the house in circles over and over and over! Eric and Abby headed outside to play with some of her new toys (including her bike helmet and bell which she was over the moon to receive) and had a ball together. We enjoyed our traditional Christmas morning waffle breakfast and then an awesome day before a nice dinner of grilled steaks. We invited Eric's family over for dinner and enjoyed closing out the day with them for a couple of hours as we ate and watched the girls enjoy their gifts from Santa and family. When we all headed up to bed, we were exhausted. It was a wonderful day and we wish every one enjoyed a Christmas as merry as ours!

Twas the night before Christmas

The girls have been so excited about all of the festivities surrounding the Christmas celebrations...whether it was school parties, home decorations, wrapping presents for siblings, church plays or even just talking about Jesus' birth, Santa Claus, the North Pole elves and all the other stories we share around this time of year. Today they were thrilled that it was Christmas Eve! And to us, that means a few things...first, we need to get our cookies ready for Santa. With our number one Top Chef in the kitchen, it wasn't long before the sugar cookies were made and baked to perfection. Abby, Blaire and Reagan all sat together deciding what cookie cutters we'd use. Finally the snowflake was chosen and Abby decided Santa would get two cookies - one for him, and one for the reindeer to share. It was such a fun morning around here!

The afternoons of Christmas Eve mean lunch and presents with Eric's side of the family. We headed over to Nana and Papa's house and enjoyed a great meal as well as some fun present opening. But probably the best time of the entire day will be remembered by all....including Jesus (a Mickey Mouse doll), Mary (Aunt Carol), Joseph (Uncle Aaron), the angel (Ra Ra), the shepards (Nana and Papa), the donkey (Reagan), the bull (Blaire), King Herod (Eric) and the wise man (Barbara). Abby decided she was going to write and direct the play of the birth of Jesus...and it was nothing but The Best Christmas Pageant Ever...the Herdmans had nothing on the Wades, ha ha! Abby would go around the room assigning parts, looking at her "Director's Paper" (which she had written all sorts of words on and in her mind, it was her script), and then she'd tell you what to say when it was your turn. It was hysterical...not sure if we've ever laughed that hard over there. People always use the phrase "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" and it was wonderful to see our four year old recognize that and make the celebration the most memorable!

Friends Forever

When Abby started school at EFUMC several years ago, we met a little girl that has since become not only a good friend, but someone that will be in school with Abby and join her in the EHS Class of 2025....little Miss Claire Isabelle Oglesby. This year, CIO and Abby are attending different schools and don't get to see each other every day - so we were thrilled to have a play date with her, her mom and her cutie patootie younger brother, William. The older girls had a ball playing together for hours and poor little William suffered through play time with Blaire and Reagan, ha! Katherine and I had a great visit and enjoyed watching the girls play, sing, laugh...and even watching the twins and William hang out together and play. Thanks for a great day Oglesbys!

Terrific Thursday

It was seventy degrees today...yes, you heard that right...December 22nd, 2011 - SEVENTY DEGREES. And what better way to enjoy it than to head outside. The girls and I took a tour around the neighborhood and checked out all of the outside Christmas decorations!

Fore...after 46 years of working!

Well, the time has come for one in the family to hang up their work boots....yep, it's time for a retirement party, ha! This past Friday was Will's (a.k.a. Papa) last day of work. Eric's dad, has been at the same job for more than 46 years and he has more than earned this reward! This morning, he started his first week off work (not counting vacations) in what we're sure feels like a lifetime. Right before lunch, I happened to say something to Abby about Papa and she sat straight up and said "Papa's retired. He doesn't have to go to work today. He can take me golfing." And withing seconds she was begging to call him and tell him to come get her and take her out on the greens...and he did! What a way to start retirement! Congrats, Papa!

Sing in exultation!

Today was one of the most beautiful days at Providence! The walls of our church could not contain all of the gorgeous singing that was going on! This morning, the adult choir put on their Christmas Cantata. And after a few kinks with our wonderful new sound board and system were worked out, we all sat back and enjoyed a beautiful performance. And just when you think it couldn't have been topped, the children came and took over the stage Sunday night. Back in September some of PBC's children began practice for the Christmas play called "Picture Perfect Plan." Tonight, after one final rehearsal, the play began! The children did a wonderful job and I can say without a doubt that every person in the sanctuary enjoyed themselves...including the two parents of the one-that-shall-not-be-named who decided it would be in her best interest this year to stand, smile and sing instead of repeating last year's "I'm gonna lie down and roll off the stage" performance!

Santa's workshop

Santa's elves have arrived.....which was perfect timing because the elves whisked away the other little people in the house and Santa had time to check out all the stuff in the workshop and get a few things wrapped up and re-hidden!

Friday fun

Today was a day full of fun events for the Wade girls...This morning was Abby's school Christmas party! Abby and I headed up to the school in the morning and enjoyed all the party activities and fun. There were crafts, games, and even a visit from Santa! And one of the most special parts was a play put on by the children telling the story of the nativity. Abby knew her part perfect and did a wonderful job! And you know the twins put in their two cents about getting to join the party. Since we knew there was too much going on for just one mom to handle, we called in backup - Courtney, ha! She brought the twins up to the school for a Santa pic, some fun and then headed on back home with them so they could get some snuggles and rest before our big day continued.


After coming home from the school party, we had a little pizza lunch party of our own, napped a bit, and packed up both our car and Court's car and headed to the church for the youth-hosted "Parents Night Out." It was an awesome night where 48 of us played, laughed, sang, and ate more pizza! By the time we closed the night down with a Christmas movie (complete with drinks and popcorn) we were all exhausted...well, most of us....two little one year olds were still going strong when they were put in their cribs at 9:30 PM! Whew! Here's hoping there's some sleeping in tomorrow morning! LOL!

Cast-away

There are lots of phrases that have the word "cast" in them. For example, there's "cast the first stone" or a "cast iron skillet" or even a "cast call" for a movie or play. But to a 4 1/2 year old that has lived the last 6 weeks of her life in a heavy, burdensome, pain in the behind cast, the best "cast" phrase ever to hear is "THE CAST CAN COME OFF!" And that's exactly what Dr. Werner told Abby today at her 6-week follow up appointment! She was so unbelievably happy! The four of us Wade women hung out at Southern Bone and Joint for most of the afternoon getting additional X-Rays, check ups and then high fives from the staff. Dr. Werner said that although Abby's foot is "clinically healed" she still has to take it easy for a couple of weeks...no major running, jumping, etc. She isn't in any pain, but she does have a little limp when her foot gets tired. But, to hear the cast was coming off was music to her ears - an early Christmas present for sure!

Barbara's Birthday Bash

It's that time again...another birthday has rolled around. One thing that I've learned over the years is that if you have a birthday in December, you learn to appreciate the difference between birthday celebrations and Christmas ones. Most people in December get the short end of the stick - meaning they get Christmas parties instead of birthday parties, one "big" present (combining both birthday and Christmas) or even Christmas themed presents for their birthday. But I am one lucky lady because Eric and the girls treated me to a great birthday weekend full of just birthday fun - even including lots of music, but not a Christmas carol to be heard! It was a great weekend to celebrate turning 25. (Yes, I said 25. LOL!) On Saturday, Abby and Eric headed off to the grocery store to get all the trimmings for my birthday dinner. They came home with handfuls of things and prepared the best meal - balloons, decorations, fresh flowers, grilled steak, baked potatoes, salad, rolls and the best birthday dessert too! Eric and the girls even gave me presents that night! It was exactly what I loved! And today, I woke up to more Happy Birthday wishes, calls, texts and Facebook comments. After church, we met several friends and family at one of our favorite little local restaurants. It was a great afternoon full of laughing and cracking up...and no one dared laugh when they said "Happy 25th Birthday". After lunch the party continued with an afternoon at church with the girls and great friends. Then later that night it was more presents and parties! Like I said, I am one very lucky girl and had one of the best, most enjoyable, birthdays ever. A big shout out and thank you to everyone that made it so very special! Hugs to all!

Twice as blessed

So today's a big day in the "Wallace" households! Not only is it Papa Doc's birthday (here's our HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout out to him - who we know is having an awesome day!) it is the day that the big announcement is FINALLY being made. Now, most of you don't know what the big deal is - and that's because we've kept this secret for months now...almost four to be exact! (And that's a huge deal around here!) But...here goes....

New family members are on their way!!!!! A huge, gigantic, over-the-top congratulations are going out to Robyn and John who are expecting a set of twins due here in April 2012!!!!!! (Robyn is one of Barbara's baby sisters...she and John celebrated their one year anniversary this past October. They live right outside of Denver, CO.) Yep, they are a little over 4 months preggers and the baby bump has made it's appearance, LOL! We are so excited about this! As baby showers are being planned, trips to Colorado are booked and that baby bump keeps growing, we ask that you continue to keep those two precious bundles (FYI: a boy and a girl - yea!!!!!!) in your prayers. So far, Robyn's pregnancy hasn't been the best seeing as how she's learned morning sickness can really be "all day long, all pregnancy long" sickness!!! But we know full too well about a pregnancy of multiples and this is an issue very near and dear to our heart. Pray for the pregnancy, the delivery and the health of these miracles!!!! Love love love!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

In our Sunday morning worship service at Providence (in Clayhatchee, Alabama) we have a time set aside for a music "special". Some days it is the choir as a whole, other days it is a soloist. We are so very fortunate to have such great singers in our church. This past Sunday, I sang the special music and thanks to the men that make digital recordings of all our church sermons and music, I was able to get a copy and post it for you to listen...because listening to me talk 24/7 just isn't enough, right? LOL! Enjoy...and Merry Christmas!

Santa Baby

Every year we take the girls to the local mall (Wiregrass Commons in Dothan, Alabama) to visit Santa. True to exactly what happened with Abby, the girls first visit with him (last year in 2010), they were fine...then the reality of going to a strange bearded man hit them and this year, they followed their big sister's tradition of not liking this tradition at all. If they continue to be just like Abby, we will have a couple more events like this before they realize that "Santa's Helper" is a nice guy! (Our girls know that this guy isn't the real Santa - but he was chosen by the real Santa to be one of his helpers...he reports each night back to the North Pole to let the real Santa and his elves know what the children asked for!) So, without further ado....our Christmas picture!

P.S. A big shout out to Courtney Nowell for helping make this day possible. She and her husband, Derek, are more than friends to us...and more than honorary aunts and uncles to the girls. In fact, we jokingly call them the girls godparents. Today Courtney went with us to the mall and after the Santa visit, lunch, the merry-go-round, the children's choir performances and shopping, she was the only one that was sane at the end of the day! Thanks Court!

Counting the moments, not the minutes

It's a miracle...well, not really. To be honest, what is happening right now is really just called a rarity. I'm talking about the fact that there is actually time in the day where I find myself sitting down (in peace and quiet no less) and updating our family blog. As I said the last time we talked, life happens. And oh the life happenings we've had around here! To begin with, thankfully, everyone is healthy and happy in our happy home of five. And although I'm not sure how, in the midst of over a month full of sickness, virus, disease and rashes - we managed to have a little fun.

This year for Halloween, we followed our tradition of dressing up as a family. Back in the summer, the idea started (thanks to Abby falling in love with a movie one of our neighbors gave her). We recruited two of our favorite peeps (practically family anyway - Courtney and Derek) into the mix and before we new it, the cast of THE WIZARD OF OZ was ready to enjoy some Halloween fun! We were the Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch and two little munchkins! (And a big shout out to the Slagles and Millers for trick-or-treating with us as well - fun fun fun!)

But I can't write about Halloween night without also talking about the rest of the fun we had during the Halloween season. There was the night that Eric sat with all three girls and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"...or when he and Abby carved their Jack-O-Lanterns...the Fall Festival at County Line Baptist Church....or when we went on an early Trick-or-Treating run visiting Nana & Papa, Aunt Carol & Ra Ra, Pops (Rickey) and the Bryant household. And there was also the Zoo Boo in Montgomery, Alabama with the Godwin girls. All in all, there was sooo much fun had during one of our most favorite times of the year! Hope everyone had as much fun this Halloween as we did!

And although we got lots of treats on Halloween, there was also one very big trick that ended up not being so funny the day after Halloween. On October 31st, Abby went with her school mates to a local park...where she fell off some monkey bars and ended up getting a cast on her foot the next day. Thanks to our bestie, Veda Godwin, and the staff at both the medical center in Enterprise and the Southern Bone & Joint in Dothan, the pain was gone and Abby was able to walk again - compliments of a bright pink cast! As I type, she's in the midst of week 4 of the Great Cast. In week 3, Dr. Werner (who we love) took the cast off, did some more X-Rays and said that although every thing's looking good, she needs the cast for another 3 weeks. Here's hoping that when the next appointment rolls around, the cast comes off for good!


We've also had a bunch of fun during November with our friends. Whether it was hanging out at the house, clowning around at church choir practice, or hanging around the park, it's been a nice time of year to remember those that we love and enjoy some time with them!



And what would the fall be without more talk of America's (real) favorite past time...FOOTBALL? Not only does this house bleed crimson, we also have a bit of green and gold in our bones! Which means that we are so excited that both of our teams are in the top 25! Congrats to the University of Alabama and Baylor University for such great seasons! Roll Tide and Sic 'em Bears!
Another one of our favorite fall time activities is heading out to the Peanut Festival when it comes into town. This year, we packed up our warm clothes, and grabbed the Nowell and Mills family, and went out to the first night of the fair! It was awesome! We had a ball...Abby got to ride all of her rides...the corn dogs and ribeye sandwiches were eaten...pictures were taken by the waving peanut himself! It was a great night that we were sad to see end, but we'll be back there in 2012!





Every month, Abby's preschool has a field trip. In November, her class went to the Enterprise Nursing Home to sing some Thanksgiving songs. We were thrilled to not only watch her perform, but to have some nurses remember us from a couple of years ago when we went to visit Meemaw while she lived there. And after enjoying some songs and popcorn, we headed out with Courtney for lunch and playing in the park...a great end to a great day!



The month of November also brought with it the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, we made plans to spend it in Florida with Gramercy, Papa Doc, Aunt Kimberly, Uncle Jeff, Logan, Carter, Aunt Kelly and Uncle Matt. Although we were only short Aunt Robyn and Uncle John (who couldn't travel from CO this year), we had a great family holiday. We ate, laughed, played, crafted, watched football and even opened up the traditional "kick start to the Christmas season" gifts together. A wonderful holiday with many many things to be thankful for this year!


As today rounds out the month, I can't help but think about a bunch of other events that made our month so wonderful...Blaire and Reagan turned 1 1/2 this month....Mommy and Abby's date night to see the Muppet's at the theater...the twins changing to their "big girl" forward facing car seats...Eric playing his best round of golf yet - with also now a great handicap...and many many more. But as we flip the calendar over to December, we so so knowing that there are also many more happenings that we'll enjoy! So, the recap of November is over, the promise of an even busier month is upon us and I'm out of here because I do believe it's time to go tis the season!