The soon to be Clark 3

Happy New Year's Eve friends!

I took some photos of my seester and her beau a few days before Christmas and wanted to share them.

This is me pretending to be a photographer.

I am not one,

although, like I said...

I pretend.

So excited that they'll be going to the chapel next Fall.

Also pictured is Harper, Chad's dog and their first child.

Sweetest.Dog.Evah.

I'd like to thank my handy assistant, Oliver, for toting my lenses around for me.

He is most helpful.

I'd also like to thank Mal for getting this shot.

I have pretty much zero pics of me with my kiddos because I'm always the one taking them.

so thanks, Mal.

I'll be back soon with a re-cap post on 2011.

It was a dooooozy.



Around here...

...we're still putting away new Christmas toys,
and building some of them.

yes, he's crazy flexible.

...still enjoying our realnotfaux tree.

...drinking lots and lots and lots of coffee and tea from this new piece of aswesomeness.

 

...lots of Nerf battles are raging.
Even the girls are getting in on the action.

...lots of princess dress wearing is goin' on.

Lots of new dresses + shoes in the princess wardrobe now.

...lots of staying up late + sleeping late.

I love this part.
Not having to wake up early to go to work is an invitation for me to stay up as late as I want. I read, I watch Fallon, I tweet, I scour the internets looking for great boots. Speaking of boots...

 ...searching for the perfect pair of black boots.

Already own the perfect pair of brown ones, but alas...

no black.

And the perfect boots is hard to come by, my friends.

...6 loads of laundry were done today. Everyone is sleeping on clean sheets as I type. Well, not me of course. Just the 4 others I live with. I'd love to say that 6 loads was the whole kitncaboodle, but it's not. 3 loads remain in hampers, but I'll think on those another day.

...lots of 'too small clothes' are coming outta the kiddos closets. This part of cleaning out is hard for me. Just proves that they are, in fact, getting bigger and can no longer wear that cute minky dot jumper or that favorite Star Wars shirt anymore.

boo.

...finally watched Water for Elephants. I don't know that I've ever seen another movie that stayed so true to the book it was based on. (Besides omitting much of the modern-day storyline.) I quite enjoyed it, and since it was a gift from the hubs, I'm looking forward to enjoying it again and again and again...

...lots of hugs and kisses and playtime.

Oh how I LOVE being home during the day with my kiddos.

...we're drinking some crazy good milk.

Crazy good and crazy fattening.

Good thing it's limited.

...started reading this today.

have any of you read it?

It's written by Nester's sister.

I gifted it to myself, along with these swell dish towels I found at Target last week.

...we like to make up songs while we hold our new Barbie umbrella.
I believe she titled this song, "It's Raining Outside".

***

things are calming down,

despite those raging Nerf battles.

***

I hope all of you had a lovely Christmas. We were blessed to be able to spend time with almost all of our family last week. Looking forward to lots more dress-up and snuggles and legos and songs and milk mustaches and lazy mornings and no more laundry.
(for a little while, at least)

Happy Thursday friends!

Merry Christmas y'all

Friends, I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas, from the hearts of our bottom.

I mean,

the bottom of our hearts....

{grin}

I pray that you are blessed with a wonderful day spent with friends and family and that you're mindful of the reason we truly celebrate.

I'll be singing in the worship service at our church today, and although many of you are probably already familiar with this song, I wanted to share the lyrics for those of you who might not be.

Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons & daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you deliver will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to the blind man?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little baby, you've kissed the face of God?

Oh Mary, did you know?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.

The lame will leap, the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

 Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy was Heaven's perfect Lamb?

And the sleeping child you're holding is the Great I Am-

Merry Christmas!



Christmas Happenings and such

Wowza.

That's the longest blogging break I've taken in a while.

It's a crazy time-

we've sped right into Christmas gathering/concert/party/present swap hyper-drive. Yes, yes we have.

Have you?

I am this {   } close to finishing all of the Christmas shopping.

After today, I plan to be this close: {}

as in pretty much done.

I wanted to post some pics of a few of the gatherings/concerts/parties/present swaps that we've attended/hosted/swapped at thus far.

Enjoy.

***

12.3.11

Our annual ladies ornament swap.
I look forward to this every year-
good friends, mounds of yumminess, and dirty Santa.
What better way to spend a Saturday morning?
So glad our pastor's wife was able to come.
She's been out of church since April battling cancer and it was amazing to have her back with us.
Love you Brenda.

12.10.11

The children's choir at church does a precious musical program every year which tells the story of Jesus' birth. And really, is there anything cuter than seeing little ones acting out the nativity in full costume?

That lil' wiseman in the middle is mine.

12.16.11

We went to a live nativity at a church near our school with all 3 kiddos.

They loved the donkey and this little nativity that we were given by members of the church.

After meeting up with hubs parents to pass off MM, we took the older two kiddos to see A Christmas Story at the Bama Theatre. This is one of the quintessential Christmas movies and seeing it live (especially when you know most of the actors) was a treat. I snapped this on my phone and I know it's hard to see, but this is the scene when Ralphie comes down the stairs in the bunny pjs.

12.17.11

We had a 'Tacky Christmas' party at our house.

Have you been to one of these?

I went to the thrift store to pick out my attire and hubs went to Belk.

That's right.

He was in brankspankin new clothes and I was in something that's been around since 1983.

My sincerest apologies if you happen to own the sweater hubs is sporting.

It really is quite lovely,

just not on a man.

His brother came in the same thing.

Awesome.

Here's our youth minister and his wife and their 2 girlys.

Yes, Kathryn is freakishly skinny to have just birthed a babe.

She and Jonathan both raided their moms closets and came out with very similar vests.

Cute.

Our friends Brittany and John Paul and their cutie-patootie-non-tacky baby girl, Turner McCartney

My lil dude sported a moustache all night.

He was also armed for most of the night.

We ate lots of yummy goodness and played a rousing game of Scene it-

12.18.11

Our church choir combined with members of the church where we are currently having services for the Christmas cantata this year. Was that confusing enough? (For more info on my church and why we're having services in another building, go HERE.) It was beautiful. Gorgeous music followed by a fellowship with both congregations after the service.

12.19.11

"Comfortable Christmas" at my hubs parents house.

As in, dress comfortably, which hubs took to the extreme.

Knowing hubs would be dressed down,

his brother chose to do the opposite, and so-

they looked like this:

The rule for gifts this year was to wrap up items from your home that you wouldn't mind not having anymore and that's what we played dirty santa with this year.

Hubs opened a box of Poly-grip and several old pie pans.

Sorry he's half dressed here.

His uncle opened several framed pictures from our house that hubs brother had stolen a couple days prior while at our tacky party.

There was also a can of Resolve in there.

Can't forget about the Resolve.

Hubs grandmother opened a pair of Flash undies.

Hubs mom opened a VCR/DVD combo from our house that no longer works.

We also threw in a VHS tape and a DVD as a bonus gift.

After hubs gave his first gift to his grandfather, (no, we didn't exactly play by the rules) he was free to open another.

It was a doozy.

Before you see the whole thing, don't be alarmed.

It's just acrylic paint.

Because who wouldn't want to open a pair of poopy undies?

Kudos to hubs aunt who worked her magic and made it so, ummm,

realistic.

Here's just one of the many pics I had to steal back.

You know, since they were mine anyway.

The kids got real presents.

Barbies and costumes galore.

I'm so glad I have new Barbies to play with!

I mean 'they'.

I'm so glad they have new Barbies to play with...

and here's E in her new costume, complete with crown and wand.

And now I'm caught up on what's been a'happening around these parts lately.

I hope your Christmas season has been full and festive as well!

And FYI, the Witch was just liquidated for the 3rd time this week.

She's still on a Wizard of Oz kick and I love it.

Merry Christmas friends!

Our 2011 Christmas card

Hello my name is Mary Kathryn and I procrastinate.

A lot.

Finally made Christmas cards.

It's hard, because there are approximately 300 sites and eleventy-billion designs to choose from.

You do the math.

I feel like I deserve a pat on the back for picking a design and sticking with it. And some cake. A pat on the back, some cake, and maybe some earrings.

Nevermind that I designed two different cards on 2 different sites and basically did eeny-meeny-miny-mo to make the final decision.

They're cute,

I get to show off my kiddos,

and they're cute.

Also love that I was able to add a message on the back, although you can't see that part below. If I share these on my blog, I get a sweet discount on my next Shutterfly purchase, so...

Thanks, Shutterfly!
I'll keep ordering and sharing and rackin' up those discounts!

Seriously, thank you.

And to all of you out there reading this on the internets,I wish I could send a card to each of you, but not having your addresses or millions to spend on stamps, this will have to do. I appreciate each and every one of you who take time to read my dribble, so...
consider yourself carded.

Merry Christmas to ya!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.