Sitting up in the tub

Santa came!!!!

Lia was a very good girl this year and Santa was very good to her. She got so many great gifts from Santa (and from the rest of our family!) Here are some photos from the day:

We left a glass of milk and a cookie for Santa on the coffee table right in front of the fire place!
He took a big ol' bite of the cookie and a couple swigs of milk before he left.
Lia got pj's, outfits to wear in Vail when we go skiing in February, books (Polar Express, Rudolph, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Night Before Christmas) 3 Disney movies, some toys for the exersaucer and the stroller, a new bath seat and hippo sprayer, special earmuffs (so the AU games aren't too loud for her next season) and a great pair of pink sunglasses to take to Cabo for New Years!

She looks so cool in her new shades!!!

Chicken Fried Steak!!

You have never had chicken fried steak until you've eaten at Goodson's!! Check out this pic of Cliff right when his order came to the table the other night, haha!!!

Sitting up!!

Lia is starting to learn how to sit up for short (VERY short) periods of time without me holding her up. She's so cute!!

Fun with Santa and Mrs. Claus

We had such a good time during the visit last night from Santa and Mrs. Claus (thanks again to you both for such a special treat!!) Lia and Sage were all stares, no smiles. Leighton and Colt were all tears! It was too funny! I guess next year when Lia and Sage are a little older, we can expect tears too. Here are some photos of the event:

Here are a few pics of our big tree this year and the mantle with one extra stocking!!

5 months old!

Today Lia is 5 months old! She is really growing up fast and seems to change on a daily basis now. She started eating veggies this week. So far we have only done carrots. She made a terrible face and did a full body shiver on the first bite, but she ate the rest so I guess she doesn't hate them too much. Tomorrow we will try peas. She likes to play in her exersaucer. She's getting so good at using all the back and neck muscles for longer periods of time now. She has moved on to Baby Neptune and Baby Van Gogh dvds now and really enjoys watching both of them. Tonight we are going to Ryan and Keri's to take pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus. They are making a special trip to our neighborhood to visit Lia and some of her friends!
Sage riding Miller!

Oh Daddy...

Well, Daddy was bound and determined to put me in something Tennessee and he finally got his way. I wore the onesie he bought me at the game this year for a couple of hours the other night. Not sure this shade of orange is right for me ; )


This is our new trick. I think its so fun when Daddy lets me fly!

Snow in Houston and Visiting Santa

Can you believe it?? It snowed in Houston!! Lia got to see snow for her first Christmas season! It happened last Friday. We bundled up and went outside for just a sec to get a photo. The snow was blowing under the covered patio onto us, so we actually got a pic with a few flakes stuck to our hair!

Dressed up to go see Santa at the mall

Standing in line to sit on Santa's lap. We met Keri and Sage there.With Sage on Santa's lap. We were both so good, no tears at all! The pics turned out good although Santa yelled at us for taking photos with our own cameras, bah humbug!

Hanging out...

With Mimi, watching my new Baby Neptune DVD

With Grandaddy, playing with my favorite turtle (thank you Nana!!) named Snappy Tom

With Grandaddy at the farm

With Mama at the farm, wearing the snuggly bear suit Uncle Cliff gave me

With Mama at the Lake, wearing my little Uggs!

With Mimi on the porch, wearing my favorite hat : )

Lia's Baptism

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 28th, we had Lia baptized at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Auburn. It was such a glorious day! We were blessed to have so many of our friends and family join us for the celebration. First, we had the baptism at 1:00 at the church. The ceremony was wonderful. Father Bill was just amazing, and we are so thankful that he was able to perform the baptism for Lia. Afterward, we went down the street to Terra Cotta Cafe and had a beautiful luncheon. We are so grateful to everyone who made the trip to be there with us! Lia got so many thoughtful gifts, and my gift truly was getting to share such a special day with the people that we love. Thank you all for being a part of the beginning of Lia's spiritual life!

With Mom and Dad before the baptism

Getting baptized. Lia was SO good through the entire baptism! She was mesmerized by Father Bill. I hope she continues to be that good in church!!

With Uncle Cliff, Mimi and Grandaddy

With Uncle Steve, Aunt Natasha, Nana, Papa, and Mawmaw and Pawpaw Thomas

With Lia's god parents, Uncle Cliff and Aunt Ginny. Thank you both for sharing in this special day and for the commitment you have made to Lia as she grows in the church. I couldn't imagine two more loving people to guide her as she learns about the faith!

Our little bug all dressed up! She wore the baptismal gown that I wore when I was baptized as a baby. I hope we can continue to pass it down through the generations.

Thanksgiving and Auburn football : )

Making the gravy with my dad. We had Thanksgiving at the lake this year. It was wonderful!

Tailgating with Clifford and Suzanna before the Auburn Alabama game. My mom kept Lia at the lake while we went into town for the game. The tigers played a great game until the last two minutes. I wish we would've been able to hang on for the win, but we still had a great time!

New Moon on my bday!

On my birthday, my mom, Lia and I flew from Houston to Atlanta. Lia went with my mom and dad to their house for the night, and I went to celebrate with Erin, Rachel, and Lauren. We went to eat and see New Moon. It was so much fun to have a girls night! We had a blast, and it was wonderful knowing that Lia was fine so I could enjoy the night (my first night away from her!!) without worrying constantly. Rachel went to so much trouble to make shirts for us to wear to the movies (don't worry, we were laughing at ourselves it was so dorky!) Then, on Saturday Rachel drove me to the lake and spent the night with us. I was so surprised to see the most beautiful flowers I have ever received waiting for me when I got there Saturday! My thoughtful husband was so sweet to send such a wonderful gift! Here are pics of the weekend:

First attempt at solids

Well, this Saturday we made our first attempt at eating rice cereal. It went as well as could be expected. She got a little frustrated a few times, but she did good considering. It's funny to think that she has to literally learn how to use her tongue to push the food to the back of her mouth to swallow. Our second attempt was this morning, and it went a little better. We used the high chair this time which made it easier for me. Here are a fews pics and a video of the event: