Gingerbread House Tradition

I have always wondered why my Martha Stewart of a mother never started a gingerbread house tradition with me...well, now I know.....this looks like a lot of fun (and it was) but this is a lot of work....and we started with a premade house! Haze had the BEST time playing and eating all of our work! I finally gave up trying to make it look like the one on the box and we free lanced one with an "EHC!"

Almost, almost, almost.....

Almost walking, almost one and almost climbing the stairs!!!!!!!!!! We are in for a lot of changes any day now around the Clayton house! This little fella is all boy. This picture tells it all....he looks like a sweet little bunny, but he has the determination of a bull when he puts his mind to something!

Have you ever regreted teaching your kid something? Well, I have now! This is the first face I get now just about everytime I try to take a picture! If she still didn't look so dad gum cute, we would have a serious problem!

Haze hamming it up!

Thanks Santa!!!!!!!!!!!

Santa came and boy did he bring some presents! Elizabeth Haze made it clear that she wanted Santa to bring her "a pink one, and a green one and Grayson needs a yellow one." So, some how Santa found pink, green and yellow Christmas wrapping paper! I heard that this was not as easy as it sounded, especially the pink request! However, he managed it and as soon as she saw the presents she said "oh, look mommy, three pink ones, that's mines!" It was too cute. Our den was taken over by toys, barbies, Dora, and barnyard animals, but it was lots of fun! Gray's first Christmas was a success and Haze's fourth Christmas the best one yet. She really 'got it' this year and it was so much fun to listen to her talking about Santa and teaching her about getting and giving presents (the giving not such an easy lesson)! I haven't been able to get it on tape yet, but her rendition of Jingle Bells is one of the cutest things I have ever seen in my life! I'll try to post a video, but when the camera turns on, she usually stops!

Sug & Joe's Christmas Eve

We went to Sug & Joe's for Christmas Eve and had a wonderful time. Sug cooked our traditional breakfast for dinner meal and afterwards Kyle and I just sat back and let Haze and Gray play their hearts out with these two! I think all 6 of us were asleep by 9 o'clock! We were all zonked out, full as ticks and spoiled rotten!

Big G gets a make-over!

Big G and Delecia came up Sunday morning to have Christmas Brunch at our house with Drew, Taylor and Caroline. We all had a wonderful visit. Haze and Caroline played while baby Gray slept! While he was in town Big G had a make-over at The Clayton Salon! Master stylist Haze covered him in several different lotions over a 45 minute facial leaving them both smelling LOVELY! It was absolutely adorable!

The Girls!

Don't you know these two are going to get in trouble one of these days? The two years that separate them seem like eons now, but one day before we know it......they are going to be giving Kyle and Drew fits! Cousin Caroline is at the stage where she wants to play with everything she sees and Haze is in the "that's mine" and "she won't leave me alone" terrific 3's, but they made it work a little bit this weekend and boy it was fun to watch them starting Christmas traditions together. As an only child, cousins were my saving grace. I can't wait to see how this sister-hood plays out in the years to come!

Christmas with the Clevelands and Claytons

We celebrated Christmas with all of the Clevelands at C.C. and Ray's house this weekend. Oh what a great time we had. Nana, all of our aunts and cousins were there we had so much fun spending time with everyone and opening our first presents of the season. Haze and Gray especially had a ball and were over-endulged by everyone!

Christmas is the one time of year that everyone stops and takes the time to 'come home' and I am so thankful for that. My favorite memories of Christmases past aren't of presents, toys or Santa, but of tradition and family. Spending time with my grandparents, great-grands, aunts, uncles, cousins- that's what I remember most- that's my favorite part and I hope Haze and Gray feel the same way!

Snow Day with Her Joe!

Well, it wasn't as pretty as we had hoped for, but today we had just a little bit of snow and a lot of ice! We started the day off as usual, but work and school were cancelled before lunch. Sug & Joe came over to take Haze shopping (her favorite past time) but had a chance to play a little before they left. The smiles on both their faces says it all: these two are completely smitten with each other!

Christmas card photos!

I never knew how difficult it would be to get a half way decent Christmas card photo! We have tried on FOUR separate occassions to get the two of them together to smile, grin, ANYTHING but cry to no avail. There is no telling what we will end up sending out, but the cutest thing I have come up with so far is the header picture on our blog. If you will notice, they are caged in Gray's baby bed. No where to run, no where to hide- they had no choice but to smile at their crazy momma!