Christmas Day

Christmas is even better as a parent! We were so excited to see Avery come down the stairs and find all of the goodies Santa left her. He made her year! She was absolutely thrilled to find two sleeping bags. One for her and one for Daddy. She loves her easel and then she got so many other neat gifts I can't even begin to name them. Her pink microphone is pretty neat though! With a little more practice she will be ready for American Idol! Dylan loved the excitement of the day too and took lots of naps!






After our magical morning we went to Alpharetta to open presents with the Trussell gang, only to be spoiled again!

Misc. Christmas Week

Tessa was a huge help with the kiddies! She watched them while we got things ready for Christmas Eve. And...she woke up extra early the day after Christmas to come babysitt while Trevor and I braved the mall at 8:00am. We had so much fun and she bathed Dylan and made waffles for Avery. I think they had a blast too! Thanks Tess!


My boys were too cute!

And the kiddos:

The Eve of Christmas

The 2009 holiday season has been very sweet! It seemed to sneak up on us fast and we did everything we could to savor each moment of time together.

Everyone came to our house for supper and it was delicious as always! Trevor did a fabulous job preparing his annual beef tenderloin. Everyone brought something to add to the feast and it was so much fun to have our growing family crowded around the dining room table enjoying each others company.

Then the gift swap began where Uncle Jake was got the nickname "Swiper" when he stole my Chick Fila gift card. Avery really wanted that so Daddy swiped it back again! It was a great night of family time and it was so much fun to have the boys and Tessa with us.

TWO MONTHS!

Where does the time go? It flew by! I can't believe our baby boy is two months old today. We went to the doctors office today for Dylan's check up and Avery's second part of the H1N1 vaccine. Dylan weighed in at 11 lbs 8 oz. He is growing fast and all smiles. We love him tons! What a cutie pie!

Baby it's cold outside!

This chilly Monday morning I loaded everyone up and off we went to the grocery store to get some more stuff in our already packed pantry. I am sure we will have to go once more before we prepare our Christmas Eve feast. Anyway, I took 15 minutes to get all dressed up. This fancy outfit of mine included a scarf as just the right accessory. When Avery saw me, she decided she needed a scarf to match her outfit too. Then she found one pink mitten and a pair of purple polka dot sunglasses. She looked stunning for our outing! To complete her whole look she brought Sammy her plastic dog with us. She walked him all around the store until they both got too tired and had to ride in the cart and rearrange all of the canned goods! It was fun to say the least!

Dylan is smiley as ever and I am loving every smile! He has the sweetest disposition! Today one of my best friends Stacey came over to meet him. We had so much fun catching up and playing with the kiddos! Love ya Stace!

Cowboy Up!

Saturday night was a lot of fun at the Atkinson house. We had our good friends the Williams over for the Saints/Cowboy game. The Williams brought pizza and gifts for all. Thanks guys, that was so sweet! We ate and then watched some football. I think everyone had a great night. Avery had lots of fun staying up late and playing with Lindsey. Dylan was a good boy and ate and slept. He also got his first Cowboy t-shirt. Avery and I wore our jerseys and cheered Dallas on to a win. Let's just say Trevor was in hog heaven...friends, food, family, and football!

Now, bring on Christmas! We are hoping to be able to sit back and enjoy this wonderful holiday as much as possible!

Playgroup Christmas Party

Thursday, we went to our playgroup Christmas party. There were too many kids to count and both Moms and Dads. Trevor actually got off a plane and rushed to make it, Avery LOVED having her Daddy to play with.

We got all dressed up, ate yummy food, did some neat crafts, and did a gift exchange. Next year I am sure Dylan will love this special party too!

A Preschool Christmas Party

Tuesday was Avery's last day of school for the holidays. It was also the first time parents were alowed in the classroom. We were able to see the children sing three songs and eat their holiday snack. Trevor, Dylan, and I all made it. We enjoyed seeing Avery with her teachers and friends. She did a great job singing too!

Since she didn't have any accidents at school, we took her to the bakery for lunch. Of course she at a red stocking cookie, but she loved every second of our family time at the bakery!

Playing Dress Up

Avery received a package in the mail from a good friend that I used to teach with. They have moved just outside Washington D.C. Elisa her daughter is now six and cleaned out her toy room. Avery was lucky enough to be the recipient of these goodies! She got dress up clothes and a Brina Ballerina which she LOVES! So much fun! Thanks Robin!

Making progress!

We have been in big girl panties since Wednesday and Avery had one accident. The accident happened to be at school. However, it didn't seem to bother her. They were shopping at Santa's Workshop for gifts for their parents and I think she got a little caught up in all the excitement and forgot she didn't have a diaper on. She did manage to stay dry through dinner, a Costco outing, and a birthday party. We did make numerous trips to the restroom and Avery enjoyed those. She is fascinated by automatic sinks, soap, and paper towel dispensers. I think we are making extra trips to the restroom just to see what they will have in them. Not so much fun at the germiest time of the year but I will do what we have to in order to get this girl potty trained. This may be a little too much information but she also went number 2 in the potty three times this weekend! We are making progress and couldn't be more proud of our little big girl! We can do it!!!

Dylan has his first cold. No fun! He is a trooper and still the sweetest little thing. Hopefully it won't last too long because I can hardly stand listening to his stuffy nose at night. He is pitiful and I wish I could make it stop. Poor baby!

For the record..

I am not buying any more diapers for Avery! Hopefully this will hold me accountable and help me to stick to my guns. Pull-ups for nap and night time and big girl panties all other times. Today is day two of this intervention. After two dirty diapers at Kangazoom while trying to nurse Dylan, and Avery having another mom change her diaper I realized things have to change. She is big enough and smart enough. I'll keep you posted and wish us all luck and patience!

Some more big news...Our little guy is 7 weeks old today! He is growing so fast and cute as ever! I love these two kiddos! I am one lucky Mama for sure!

Rienforcing Good Behavior

My friend Carrie Beth told me about Elf on a Shelf. If you haven't heard about it yet, it is such a cute thing and now a tradition in our family! It is an adorable book about an elf that Avery named Dopey. He works for Santa and watches us all day. At night while we sleep he flies to the North Pole and gives Santa a report about our behavior during the day. When we wake up in the morning we have to search for Dopey because he finds a new place to watch us. Today he was hanging on our kitchen lights. Avery thought it was hysterical! Avery does not want to be on the naughty list and I am hoping that having Dopey around helps her behave even better over the next few weeks.

Cookiebread House

Last week we recieved a gingerbread house kit in the mail. Eileen and Bill sent it along with a baby gift for Dylan. (Thank you!!! That was so very thoughtful!) Avery was so excited to make what she calls her "cookiebread house." We had a lot of fun decorating and I now have it up out of reach because Avery can't help munching the tastey treat.

Our Dylan is 6 weeks old...he is getting so big so fast!

Cookie Baking

A fun weekend in Alpharetta baking and playing with Ammy and Bamp! We made some white trash, scotcheroos, and chocolate pretzels. Avery was a big help, eating as we were baking. She just can't help herself. Dylan and Bampa played while the girls baked. It was a great time, thanks for having us!

The Annual Pink Pig Adventure

Off to Lenox Mall on a rainy Tuesday to meet the Poseners and ride the Pink Pig. This was our second year making the trip and the girls enjoyed every second. This year Harper joined us to, she thought the ride was great!
Next, we visited Santa. Avery was scared but yelled "sleeping bag" over and over loud enough so that he would know what she wanted. Handley sat right in his lap! Candy canes for all!
The day wouldn't have been complete without lunch at Chickfila and peppermint milkshakes! Off to sneak a nap, have a great day!