Gamble life

Pumpkin Time!

2010-10-14T16:18:00.006-05:00

Isn't it a fun time of year? A little cooler, leaves starting to change, fall colors and decor about. We have had fun with it this year- Peirce loves the Pumpkin Patch. Now, mind you, we don't do the big elaborate pumpkin patches. She doesn't know about them yet, so we don't have to spend the money or fight the fight not to. We just go to cute little Mountain Brook Baptist's little patch and have a grand old time.

Summer Ends and School Begins

2010-09-30T11:24:00.001-05:00

I'm thrilled with the cooler weather, but I always feel a little sad putting away Pierce's clothes at the end of each season. It means she's growing up. And while there are certainly phases I would like to move through quickly, I love having my babies be babies. I make it a goal each day not to wish moments away. I tend to look to what's next so often, and I don't want to look back and realize I missed the happy moments I had right then.

We begin with Adelaide's first well-baby visit. She was perfect, of course.
This was our last super hot trip to the park before school (Mother's Day Out) started for Miss Pierce. We have so much fun at the park when Daddy goes!

I forgot to take my camera when I dropped her OFF, but this is what I found when I picked her up :)

Mrs. Rivers told me she is so grown up. She makes sure the other kids remember the rules (bossy.) She is a VERY precise painter. I have a wonderful picture she painted of a gumball machine and ALL the gumballs are in the machine. Mrs. Rivers said no one else's were. This made me happy because my cousin Jenny told a story once about how VERY precise her eldest daughter Annie was at school and I find Annie to be just about as delightful as they come. So if Pierce is going to follow in her footsteps, I'm for it.

Here are some funny things Pierce says:
Lasterday
Blueblerries and spawberries
Carra me (instead of Carry me)
I told her the shirt she was wearing said "buzzy" and she said, "No it doesn't. It says 'Dear Pierce, this is your very first blue shirt.'"
When she's mad and she means to say "NOTHING" she says "ANYTHING." Par example- "Pierce what do you want to wear to bed?" "ANYTHING!!"

War Eagle!!

2010-09-26T19:34:00.008-05:00

This Saturday, we took Adelaide on her first Auburn tailgating trip! George, Brittany, me, Pierce, Adelaide and Ooba headed out Saturday morning and had a grand trip down to Grace's house. Grandpapa came with some friends a little later, poor Hagen was in Las Vegas for a wedding and that party pooper Peter was just home doing his own thing. It was just too much fun, too much food, delightful day!

I bought these cute outfits at the Little Lavender in-person sale and had my friend Amy Strong do these cute appliques on! Loving it.
Little bit of the crazy eyes by Pierce here :)

Railroad Park

2010-09-19T21:43:00.008-05:00

If you follow me on twitter or facebook, you know that I'm wildly impressed with the new Railroad Park downtown. It's so awesome. It feels like you're not in B'ham all of a sudden. I hope it stays as beautiful as it was as this opening weekend, and that you go often!

It's 8 blocks of beauty. There is an amphiteater, a big hill that they show movies on, a playground, a walking track all the way around, a catering kitchen, nice bathrooms, a skate park area, a work out section and of course the green grass and creek/ponds/lakes throughout. You can see the trains rolling in and out, airplanes ascending from the airport and the skyline. There is a Domino's Pizza across the street and the ice cream truck was there, much to Pierce's delight, both of the times we were this weekend. B & A Warehouse, which is across the street, also has a lunch bistro in the covered area everyday with fresh, seasonal meals! We didn't try that this weekend, but maybe soon. There is wi-fi throughout and super friendly security folks on bicycle,
golf cart and even segway patrolling all the time.

Head on down!!

This little creek flows all the way down one side.

You're welcome to play in it! But not in the ponds and lakes.

As the sun is setting.
Pierce as "king of the hill" in one of the play areas.
This fella could just jump right over the posts!

Adelaide wasn't sure...But then she liked it :)

Talented People

2010-09-15T14:56:00.004-05:00

My mom and her friend Chrissy colaborated to make these SUPER cute burp cloths. Don't you think they should start a business? Etsy shop or SOMETHING? Let me know your orders so I can convince them. I LOVE these.

So Much To Say

2010-09-12T21:44:00.017-05:00

There is so much to tell you. Since I blogged last I've had a child, left a job, gotten a new car, new phone, let a nanny go, husband has a new job, new ballet year has started, turned 31, Pierce started Mother's Day Out and... maybe that got it all.

Besides having a beautiful girl named Adelaide and being a stay at homer now (besides ballet and photography!) my favorite event of the last few months was the lake trip for Labor Day. Since I was so pregnant at 4th of July, I had to miss out on my family's annual lake trip. It's as big a deal as Christmas in our family. So my whole sweet family agreed to go again for me :)

This is a very photo heavy post. Here's how it went:

Relaxing on the porch

An Adelaide series I love.

Played "take 2" on the porch while drinking red wine
This made everyone happy
Pierce series I love

Admired George and the blue/green contrast of sky/trees
Played in the slightly chilly water
Watched THIS
And THIS
Wow, she loves Ooba so much
And THIS
Went on a walk down the road and watched Pierce lay down in it.
Watched the Auburn game on the porch
WAR EAGLE!!!
Fly down the field...
We MAY have all broken into the fight song and Pierce LOVED it.

I love the lake. The end.

Mother of Two

2010-08-18T15:36:00.005-05:00

Well, being a mother of two has caught me by a bit of surprise. I don't know if it's just that there are two of them, or the fact that one is 2.5 years old. But it is H-A-R-D. At the moment, I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth. I know it will get better. And just look at them. How could I be anything less than perfectly happy?

Do you remember the blanket my mom made for Pierce? She made one for Adelaide too. I love these. Adelaide is rarely without hers. Don't you think she could start selling them? I bet people would pay a ton.

Adelaide

2010-08-13T21:41:00.004-05:00

These are from when she was around a week and a half.

Adelaide

2010-07-18T21:40:00.007-05:00

We had a beautiful baby daughter on July 13 at 7:53 am. It was a scheduled c-section and it all went so smoothly and wonderfully. Here's the whole story...

Hagen spent the night since Peter and I had to be at the hospital at 5:30. They started out the night like this, but it was so much fun, that there wasn't much sleeping going on and they had to be separated :) Pierce was a little excited about her sister coming and a little freaked out about Mommy going to the hospital.

5:20 am. The pics are a little fuzzy. This may be indicative of how WE were feeling too.
The ONLY bumpy part of the whole experience was that they had a little trouble getting my IV in. I had to be stuck 4 times. Poor me :(Adelaide Lillie is here!!!!
Pierce arrived to meet her about 10:30. She was so happy!
She is so sweet to "my baby" as she calls her.

Adelaide brought Pierce a hopscotch mat. She loved it!We're quite in love.

Putu's Shower

2010-07-11T21:41:00.005-05:00

I was blessed with 2 showers this pregnancy. One was with my church- one of my favorite things that my wonderful AVPC does. The women of the church get together at someone's home and eat and pray for the mom, family and new little life. It is really one of the things that drew me to Altadena Valley Pres 5 1/2 year ago.

The second one was a similarly small shower that 2 of my mom's best friends threw. I invited a few friends and close family and my mom invited a few friends. It was a lot of diapers (thank you!) and some sweet gifts. Here is the documentation- thanks to Hagen!
This says Baby Putu... LOVE it!!!
The Stegall sisters!
The Stegall women!

Putu's Nursery

2010-07-11T21:24:00.003-05:00

Is the word out? Do you all know that we're having a baby on Tuesday the 13th at 7:45 am? Unless she chooses to come early, which Stegall babies don't seem to do these days. We're excited, if not still a little shocked. I realize that we had nine months to prepare. The movement in my belly, 2 car seats in my car and nursery in the spare room should have us feeling like its real, but we just don't. While we had over two years to wish and hope and imagine our first born, this one has come much more quickly (the normal 9 month time-frame) and has included chasing a boisterous 2-yr-old. We keep looking at each other and saying "really?" I believe I MAY be a weepy basket case when they hand me the beautiful bundle that is our daughter in 2 days.

Do you remember what Putu's nursery started out looking like? Here it is. It was a catch-all basically. Plus, Peter's closet. All of his clothes were in there. Everywhere. Not to mention a few drawers full of things we hadn't looked at since we got married. With a little help from Ooba, my handyman/boyfriend and Peter :) we got it all together. All we lack now is the beautiful white curtains. Here are the "after" pics.

AND a little treat... the initials.

And here's a little pic of what I looked like at week 38- for the sake of posterity.

Pierce, Trains, and lots of Photos

2010-07-01T22:34:00.009-05:00

Today I had a photo shoot with some friends out at Ross Bridge. Peter and Pierce came along to play and hang out. She started out pretty clean and left FILTHY, with a few bloody places, and happy as could be. Here are a LOT of photos because I couldn't choose.
She loves to assume the racer position and say, "On your marks, get set, GO!"
We had been telling her there was a train... here is the excitement when we finally saw it.
She loved climbing on the little wooden train set. This one is such a typical Pierce face right now.

Looking at fish with Daddy.
Next we headed up to the train tracks. We hadn't been exploring/shooting for long, when we heard a train a'comin.
She LOVED it.

She also loved this bagpipe player. She was quite distressed when she "couldn't see him very well" when we got in the car. And at bed time she said several times "I wish I could give the bagpiper a hug and a kiss."

As we left the area she declared, "I want to be a conductor AND a bagpiper." Pierce, you may be whatever you wish.

Putu Has a Name...

2010-06-22T22:27:00.005-05:00

But you still don't get to know it. Aren't we mean and horrible?

Peter and I, after much pressure and pleading from some family members, decided that we would tell our families her name. Since I have c-sections, I don't get to see their reaction when Peter takes the baby out to meet them.

I put together a simple game where they each got 2 cards with 2 letters of her name, both 1st and middle. They had to work together as a team to figure out what the letters spelled. Ooba made sure she understood the rules. Everyone got excited. Hagen claimed the job of team leader (in action, not in word.) Here is the reaction when they figured it out... I think they like it :)

Brilliance

2010-06-18T22:22:00.005-05:00

I had some suspicions that Pierce was brilliant. But this is what I caught her doing at my mom's house the other day.

There IS more to our life...

2010-06-18T21:54:00.008-05:00

Than beach trips. But they're not nearly as fun to blog about :) I didn't actually take a single beach pic this time. But got some pretty adorable ones of little miss priss.

This is her newest dance move. We call it "tricky." She kinda hops and wiggles around with this hip out. Hilarious!

She has recently gotten hooked on computer games. She's quite adept at the mouse. At one point, she reached out and pushed one button on the keyboard. Instantly, iTunes was launched and we were jammin'.

Fridays Off

2010-05-07T14:58:00.005-05:00

Today is my first Friday off for the summer. Since ballet is over, I've moved my off day from the day I teach ballet to Fridays. I forgot how very wonderful it is. Today Pierce and I went to McCallum Park in Vestavia, formerly Little Shades Creek Park. I needed to take some photos for a magazine, but thought it a great opportunity to play also. It was D.E.L.ightful. It started like this:

Fully clothed, picnic on a lovely rock. Quickly moved to the playground. Here she, of course, made friends with some "kids."
Oh my heavens, what is THIS?? Water??? Or perhaps heaven?
I'll just hold my dress up so I don't get wet.
Nevermind, that's WAY too much trouble. I'm just taking the blasted thing off.
and splashing!!! WEEEEE!!!
And we're done.

Putu's Room

2010-05-03T21:57:00.008-05:00

I'm fairly certain that at 30 weeks pregnant with Pierce, her nursery was at least ALMOST finished. This is not the case with Putu. Here is a pic of her room a few weeks ago, as we started tearing it apart. Here it is after Sunday, when my wonderful wonderful mother finished painting it:The walls look fabulous, but the room is still a big, huge disaster (look in the reflection of the tv to see around the corner.) Hopefully this will start to change after the yard sale Saturday. It's a neighborhood yard sale (Lakeshore Estates,) with at least 10 houses participating, so come on by!

However... her bedding arrived Friday!!! I got it from Tiptoe Studios on Etsy and I think it's so beautiful!! It's got me pretty excited. 70 days til her due date (so go ahead and think 80 :) )

pre-Easter peak

2010-04-11T21:44:00.006-05:00

Well, we had a wonderful Easter, and life just hasn't slowed down. But, we had so much fun taking pictures and dying Easter eggs, that I couldn't resist a little sneak peak before I get a real, full post done.

Headed to the Beach again

2010-03-28T21:18:00.011-05:00

We had a wonderful spring break at the beach. The first day or two were a little rough, but things improved significantly after I laid down the law for the 2-year-old (and her daddy.) The weather was gorgeous one day, cloudy and cold the next, gorgeous but windy the next, etc. We all came home a little sun-kissed, to freezing winter weather in Birmingham.

Pierce really LOVES the beach. She's so independent and happy there. She made friends with every child within a 25 yard radius, regardless of age. At one point, she had 2 young teenage girls jumping over waves every time she said jump! My favorite was a little girl named Vivian, probably 10-years-old, who Pierce called "embeyond" the whole time.

She borrowed this purse from some new friends and prissed around on the beach for so long. With her arm up like this.
Here she is with all her friends.
Ring-around-the-Rosy with some friends we met 1 minute ago.
This is one of her new friends. He kissed her first and she just latched right on. We have had to have talks in the past about waving to friends instead of kissing them upon first meeting. So this fella was her dream come true.
Random shot of handsome husband. Trisha and Cash came for a few days mid-week and Pierce LOVED having him there. And I will never complain about having Trisha near.

This is Pierce lovingly admiring something silly Cash was doing. I love the expression. It kinda makes my heart hurt. Flying her kite. Isn't she coy?

So Zen flying her kite.
Heather and James came to play for the last weekend and we all had the loveliest, laid back time. The day we were leaving, the wind was UNREAL. Peter had to park the car sideways in the parking lot to get it loaded without everything blowing away. His pillow did indeed end up in a flower bed. We couldn't let Pierce walk for fear that she would blow away and she thought it was hysterical. Yelled "Whoa" over and over while laughing hysterically. Notice the debris on my camera lens in the first pic and the flag blowing in the 2nd. Not to mention the waves.

The Lost New Year's Entry

2010-03-09T21:02:00.004-06:00

Remember when I told you I found some pictures I forgot to blog? Here's the next installment. New Years at the BEACH!!! How could I forget this? It was wonderful wonderful. Pierce, Peter, Grace and I headed down and stayed most of the week. Hagen and Momma arrived for the weekend and the actual New Year's Eve festivities. Pierce LOVES the beach. We're going next week and she just can't seem to quit talking about it.

I still maintain that pigtails are the cutest things ever.

The girls headed to a fancy dinner at Cafe 30-A while sweet Peter stayed in with Pierce. I don't even remember what all we ate (although it was delicious and Ooba took pics of everything.) The main memories are that they were out of creme brulee, which I was most looking forward to and this lady. She was sitting a couple of tables away in a nearly backless dress having a grand old time on a date. I believe it was one of their birthdays. She, feeling quite toasty and friendly by now, made the rounds and took pictures of each table near her. When she got to us she said, "Ya'll are so cute! What are you celebrating?" Did I mention that we had HUGE "Happy New Year" hats on, as did most people around us? We didn't know WHAT to say!
We got back to the condo a bit before midnight and watched a really awesome fireworks show that was coming from a barge in front of Seaside. We had a great view and it didn't even wake Pierce or Peter!

Oops Christmas Again

2010-03-01T22:30:00.004-06:00

I was organizing pictures and realized I forgot to post the ones of the Stegall Family skate party. The whole extended family gets together for ice skating, pizza and dirty santa and has a grand old time. Here are some fun photos from this/last year :)

Glenda the Good Witch

2010-03-01T21:57:00.006-06:00

Pierce and I attended a lovely benefit for the Birmingham Children's Theater on Saturday night.
The theme was "A Night in Oz" and it was so much fun! It would have been more fun if she had napped that day, but still a great event. I donated my time by having a photo booth where the kids could have their photo made with the Wizard of Oz characters. Pierce helped me test the lights when we first got there.
She loved the dance floor!
And the yellow brick road. She followed it a lot.
She was a little unsure about the characters, but studied them thoroughly. Tin Man is the nursery supervisor at our church. Or something, I'm not actually sure what his title is! But Pierce had no idea.

SNOW!

2010-02-14T16:53:00.007-06:00

Pierce has had snow at least once, every year of her life thus far. Kind of amazing, considering it had been years since we'd seen snow here in Birmingham before 2007. We had a blast yesterday, making snow balls, snow men, snow angels and snow ice cream. Here's some proof.

Here she looks sweet and inquisitive.

What you don't know is that she threw a snowball in his face!!

Wald Park

2010-01-24T21:52:00.006-06:00

I have Tuesdays off from my real job, so Pierce and I always have the best time. This past Tuesday was GORGEOUS, I'm sure you noticed, so we headed out to a park. My BFF and her little boy, Cash, joined us at Wald Park in Vestavia. I've been there a few times, but not with Pierce at this age and let me just say... Go. It is wonderful. We didn't feel like we had to stand right with them every single second, and they were totally entertained. We stayed for 3 hours. Here is some of the fun.

She really didn't want me to take her picture.

I LOVE this series. As I started shooting, Cash said he was ready to get off. I asked him to hug his mom for a pic and he walked right off with this smirk on his face. Stinker!

Elefun Fun

2010-01-18T21:31:00.005-06:00

Have you ever played Elefun? It's an adorable game where a little elephant blows butterflies out of his trunk and the kiddos catch the butterflies with a net. Pierce has played it at our friend Cash's house and loved it! I always have trouble getting her in the car as we leave Emi's house, so today I had a flash of genius and asked her if she'd like to MAKE the game at our house. She was in the car in NO time and after a little construction, we had so much fun! She's obsessed with "shows" (tv shows) and we're trying to limit the amount she watches. This is very hard in the cold weather we've been having. I can tell you that our homemade Elefun fun was the longest she's gone without asking for a show in ages!!! Yay for creativity!

Also, did I mention Baby #2 will be here in July? I don't know who knows!

Please notice the pink butterfly flying over her head and the one taking off of her hand. Success!!! She liked this better than catching them.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-07T21:51:00.010-06:00

This Christmas was wonderful! Pierce didn't completely get it, but enough that it was completely full of fun. She was a little confused about where Santa was on Christmas morning since we told her he was coming. But the gifts he left were a quick distraction. Here's the running commentary:

Santa left a few more things than just the pink lollipop and candycanes.
He left a candy cane trail to the presents!

So happy about the pink lollipop.
Don't forget the stocking!

Testing out the new microphones! (Although Santa didn't leave batteries.)
Adidas warm-up suit from Daddy. She loves it. Obviously.
The wrapping paper pile at Oobas is always a favorite.
Thank you Daddy!!!!!
Hagen got a steering wheel cover from our Daddy. Pierce insisted on a bath about halfway through the unwrapping. When she got out she had on her house shoes and just LOVED Aunt Hagen's "hulaloop."
She LOVES her cousin Isaac. Loves.
And she loves Dodo and Dede's dog, Clancy. This is my favorite pic.

Santa Claus, Year 3

2009-12-15T22:24:00.006-06:00

You may recall that last year's Santa visit wasn't ideal. Pierce was quite afraid of this large man. The picture is pretty much her tonsils, with a jolly man smiling and holding her calmly.

This year was totally different!! She walked right up, gave him a huge hug and sat in his lap. She told him she wanted a lollipop for Christmas. The rest of the mall visit, she stayed in jewelry stores. While Peter and I ate, she dragged Ooba to 2 different jewelry stores and just sat at the counter admiring the sparkle. This cannot be good.

Christmas Tree Chop

2009-12-08T14:42:00.013-06:00

My family's favorite tradition is heading to a Christmas tree farm and choosing the PERFECT tree for our homes. Brittany and George, Peter, Pierce and I, Ooba and Grandpapa and Hagen and Grace all go. It's so much fun. Here's the day.

Hayride
apple juice
helping Daddy saw
helping Daddy drag
We have a tradition where my dad pushes my mom down on the freshly chopped tree. It's hysterical every time!Here is where Pierce seems to want to BE the tree.

That's right. Three trees on top of my car. Livin' on the edge people.

And then we decorated...
And had a dance party. Usually the way it goes.

Pierce is 2

2009-12-05T22:13:00.014-06:00

Well somehow it's happened. She's hit the big 'ole 2 year mark. She does seem to have stronger opinions more often, but she also understands the naughty spot, and it is a deterrent most days. We still stare in wonder and discuss how very in trouble we will be with other children because you cannot surely get this lucky twice.

Onto the fun...
We had a "Twinkle, Twinkle little star party" the week before her actual birthday. (Since her birthday is Thankgiving/Iron bowl week and we do want actual PEOPLE at her party.) My favorite sisters came and helped me and Peter get it together and everything turned out wonderfully! When Pierce woke from her nap, a few guests had already arrived so it was a great and exciting start. Our WONDERFUL friends the Adrians had already arrived and set up the jumpy jump and things just got better from there. Almost all the food was star shaped, there were star cookie-suckers to decorate and a huge star cake from Edgars (thanks to my wondermous in-laws.) Lots of fun gifts to draw her away from the TV, which is a growing struggle. The only bad part, well one of two, was when she realized the jumpy jump had been taken down. You would have thought they told her she never got to see me again. She was WAILING!!! "I WANT MA JUMPY-JUMP!!!" So sad. But don't worry, she did survive.

Here are some pics of all the fun. More catch-up posts to come!

Sisters drawing stars...

PBJ and quesadilla stars...
The amazing Adrian fam putting up the jumpy jump and the "decorating tent..."She loves Isaac, he's not quite as into the hugging.
Brittany, "dee dee," made star halos for everyone!

Pigtails and Overalls

2009-11-27T21:05:00.003-06:00

Not much to say about life at the moment, except that it's filled with this kind of cuteness.

Trick or Treat!!!

2009-10-31T22:52:00.013-05:00

We practiced for a week or less how to say "Trick or Treat" when the door opens. And it paid off. Pierce, er, Elmo racked up this Halloween and had the best time doing it!
We started out at my cousin, Sarah's annual party and enjoyed the adorable little costumes and the delicious mini-corndogs. Pierce doesn't do really well around large groups of people for extended periods of time, so after an hour she said "Go home Mommy."
We headed to Ooba and Grandpapa's for some trick or treating. Bana met us there and we all watched (and acted like paparazzi) as she approached the first door. At said door, she knocked, then wouldn't speak, and tried to give the only piece of candy she had at that point to the man at the door. After that though, she got really good! It's a shame I'LL be the one eating it all.

I have very vivid memories of hiding my candy from my dad at a very young age. Pierce hasn't caught on.
Next was Dodo and DeeDee's house (Geroge and Brittany) for some football and more trick or treating. George and Brittany were all hyped up because of all their trick or treaters. Pierce and DeeDee and I did one more round of trick or treating before we called it quits.

Carving the Pumpkin

2009-10-31T22:17:00.011-05:00

I haven't carved a pumpkin since the 1st year Peter and I were married. Our Sunday School class had a carving party/contest. We decided this was the year. And MAN are we good :)

She needed to rest after some hard work.
And then some much deserved play.

My personal favorite part of the process? Roasted pumpkin seeds. MMM good.

Halloween Begins!

2009-10-25T19:09:00.005-05:00

Tonight was our first Halloween activity (well our first one in costume.) It was the Fall Festival at our church and it did not disappoint. First, as we walked to the festival, she announced to several passers-by that she pooted. Nice.

Then, we met a bumble bee as we walked further.
This was fun until she spotted a jumpy jump. She walked toward it with eyes glazed over, noticing nothing but the big jumpy castle. This is where she stayed until it was time to eat.
A quick round of fishing and she was onto the playground. What a happy gal. And a DARN cute Elmo if you ask me :

Halloween Prep

2009-10-22T22:39:00.004-05:00

We are in full-swing preparing for Halloween. My brother and sister-in-law had a pumpkin carving party tonight and it was just right for the season. Lots of unhealthy food, breezy weather and kids running around on a candy high!

AND... just for a switch from the pictures of my beautiful daughter's face :) I planted our fall flowers today. Pierce and I went and picked them out at the Homewood Garden Shop on Tuesday and planted them together over the last two days. I am quite pleased. I believe my little helper was too.

Flip Burger Boutique

2009-10-08T22:29:00.004-05:00

Peter and I went to the U2 concert in ATL Tuesday night. It was a great concert, no surprise, and a great night. We went to dinner first, with Hagen and John. We dined at this really great burger joint called Flip Burger Boutique. It was very sleek and modern with shiny white tables and tall metal chairs, flat screen tv's behind the bar with chunky white picture frames around them. The food was fantabulous. The Southern Burger, which John and I had, consisted of a lightly breaded and fried burger with pimento cheese and homemade pickles. I had tempura battered butternut squash with chocolate salt. I realize that sounds like the most unhealthy thing ever, but it was worth every calorie, I assure you! Hagen had a farm burger, which was organic beef and Peter had the bacon cheeseburger. I enjoyed a pear martini and a peach sweet tea, which involved peach schnapps and firefly liqueur. For dessert.... oh. my heavens. I had a nutella milkshake, Hagen a white chocolate pistachio and John a Krispy Kreme. That's right folks. Krispy Kreme in milkshake form. I hear that one of these delightful dining venues is coming to the Summit in December and all I have to say is SIGN ME UP!!!!

Punkin Patch

2009-10-08T21:35:00.006-05:00

I don't really like it when grown-ups call pumpkins "punkins." I do, however, LOVE it when my daughter says "punkin patch." And the orange of the pumpkins make such a gorgeous backdrop for pictures... anyone want to schedule fall photos of their babies? :)

The bumpy pumpkins really intrigued her.
She tried to wipe them off.

Picking out her "punkins."
Here they are!!!

Ball of Energy

2009-10-02T22:24:00.003-05:00

These images are for a company called 2 Stitches, who make and embroider children's clothes. But I had to show off these particular 4 images, because they capture Pierce so perfectly. On a slide, mouth wide open with glee, in a ballet tutu, with a dirty skinned knee.

Random Pierceness

2009-10-02T20:41:00.007-05:00

A couple of customers have asked lately if Pierce will be 1 soon!!! She will be TWO soon people. How did this happen? Here are some of her adorable moments over the last month or so.

Yes. My child is nearly n*ked at a public park. She was hot ya'll. More importantly, look how proud she is of that balance beam walking.

This was Pierce's 1st storytime at Homewood Library. I'm off on Tuesdays and it's so much fun that we get to go to this. We did, however have to leave the 2nd attempt because my child is wild.

My Perfect Party

2009-10-01T21:04:00.014-05:00

I turned 30 about a month and a half ago. Weird. Not too terrible, as I am quite happy with myself and where I am in life. Mostly. So, no problem with being so old :)

My best friend, Trisha, prodded me along in deciding what we should do for my big bash. We had a party at Rojo on Highland Ave. I highly recommend it! We rented the party room, Trisha got a fabulous Edgar's cake and came up with festive and matching decor, and Ashleigh created the perfect playlist for the dancing part of the evening.

It was PERFECT!!! Most of my nearest and dearest people were there, including all my siblings and sis-in-law, my parents and all of my husbands fam, except the mom-in-law.

Trisha and I acted like it was prom all day (and for a few months before!) We had manicures, pedicures, and makeup done and I had my hair done. We went shopping and found the perfect dresses. I was a princess. And one that had a LOT more fun than I did at prom, because this time I liked me :)

Here are some wonderful images of the evening, taken mostly by my talented sister and great friend Kelly.

Can you tell by the faces that Peter is being inappropriate and I have no idea?

2 of my oldest and dearest friends
This is the man responsible for the hairstyle that night. If you've known me long, you've heard me talk about "my hair guy, Mark." Pretty isn't he?

The music/dancing guru, Ashleigh
Hagen, Brittany and Lacey with KILLER dance moves!!
Grace spilled a drink on me. This is not surprising.
I wish you could have seen Brittany's dance moves! They were amazing!

Isn't my best friend gorgeous? Look for her in Portico magazine in January!!!
There were supposed to be 2 balloons. A "3" and an "0."
Only the "0" made it to the party :)

President Vicente Fox

2009-09-21T21:18:00.006-05:00

I'm obsessed with photography, did you know? The big ole camera gets you some privileges, like busting through eager crowds at a wedding reception so that you can be at the VERY front, walking down the aisle DURING the wedding, getting people out of your way for a shot in a busy area... but last weekend, I definitely experienced the coolest perk thus far.

Hagen's BFF, Lindsey Stewart, works for a man named Randy Wilhelm. He was hosting a fundraising event for former Mexican President Vicente Fox's organization and she hired ME to be the official photographer.

As I was shooting furiously, one of the guests offered to take my picture with him. I really should have fixed myself up a little to meet an entire country's former president, PLUS a former Alabama Governor, Jim Folsom. Geez. Nothing like a blaring picture of your frump to teach you a lesson. But still, a pretty awesome moment. Here's how our conversation went:
H: "I'm Hillary."
Pres: "I know someone else with your name."
H: "Ah yes, she spells it right."
Pres: "I really admire her."
H: "I've never met her."
Pres: "ha ha ha!"

Weekend Swims

2009-08-16T13:12:00.006-05:00

Pierce and I have had such a good time hanging out at the pool this summer. She is a little water baby and I have loved it! This past weekend we went to Vestavia Country Club with my dad, "papa", and here is the story of the day.

She loves to jump in general, but especially from one step to the next on the stairs.
She's floating. So cute.
Vamping for the camera.
Playing the drums while we wait for lunch.
For some reason her pizza made her mad. Papa gave her some melba toast with butter. She seems to get the idea.
Apple juice, YUM!
Playing with Papa.
Uh oh. Very likely she said "self" and Papa kept trying to help. She's quite independent.
And she passed out before we even got to Hwy 31. What a good day.
I should mention that I passed out as soon as we got home :)

Christmas Comes But Once a Year....

2009-08-12T22:26:00.004-05:00

So make sure you're ready!

I am starting to book sessions for Christmas photos. This was so much fun last year and I hope it's even better this year. In addition to the photos this year, I am also offering cards. Je Vois photography is your one stop shop for your Christmas card needs...all you'll have to do is address and send.Email hillary_t_stegall@yahoo.com for pricing and booking info. I'm looking forward to a full fall season!

Car Trips

2009-08-09T15:22:00.005-05:00

My child is such a great traveler. I realize that I'm going to have to get one of those DVD players for trips sooner than later, but not for now. For now, she's happy with a few toys, a book, silly mommy, and maybe some candy or a milkshake. These were taken about 1/2 way home from the lake trip. The toy bringing such joy is a yo-yo balloon that I bought for $1 at the Fiddler's Jamboree.

I've been terrible at updating this blog lately and I'm so sorry! I hate when people don't update their blogs regularly. Us cyber-stalkers like to keep up with what's going on. I have been so busy with photography lately, that my personal blog has fallen by the wayside. The good news is... things are going GREAT! I generally have at least 1 session a week. Keep spreading the word and please check out the Je Vois blog, I update it at least once a week generally.

While we're talking about the grown-ups I'll update you on Peter too. He is working hard to find a job teaching PE. He is so close to being done with school (graduates December) and we are BOTH so ready for him to be back working. If you hear of any job related to teaching PE (public, private, aide, any age) we would love to hear about it.

The lake with friends

2009-08-09T15:02:00.008-05:00

The last weekend of July, we went back to the lake, but took some friends... it was so wonderful. Exactly what I needed at that moment. Of course we enjoyed the usual things about the lake, but with these friends we do a LOT of laughing. Here are some of the main events.

The players:

James Tate
Heather Waldrup (married to James)
Hillary Gamble, the boat driver
Peter Gamble, world's best dad

Erin Adrian (she is laughing so hard right here that we can't even understand her)
Adam Adrian (married to Erin)
Eva Pierce "fish" Gamble

Tea "fearless" Adrian
Thomas "capt careful" Adrian

Clearly Peter and James are being inappropriate as Adam and I try to teach Erin to ski.

The skiers:
James Tate!
Hillary Gamble!
Erin Adrian! (It's her 1st time!)
Adam Adrian!

My family plays games every night at the lake, so of course that's what we forced the friends to do. I hadn't laughed that hard in so long and it was a blast!

maybe these two didn't think so?

Homewood Park

2009-08-09T14:48:00.006-05:00

Peter has taken Pierce to the park many times this year and she just loves it! I've gotten to join a few times and one day I snapped some photos... this day featured my favorite. Pigtails. I can't handle the cuteness really. Also please notice the pickle band-aids. She loves them! If anything is ever wrong, she says "pika band aid" and life is healed once the band aid has been placed. Hmmmm, I wonder if that would work for grown-up problems?

Christmas excitement!

2009-07-11T22:11:00.002-05:00

That's right! I'm excited about Christmas in July! I've got something in the works for photos/Christmas cards that I think everyone is going to really love. Basically all you'll have left to do is stamp and address your envelopes if you use me for the rest :) I realize it's far too early to really advertise it yet, but keep your eye out. By reading this blog you are SO ahead of the game!

And don't forget to check www.jevoisphotography.blogspot.com occasionally too.

A Thousand and One Pictures

2009-07-08T22:12:00.006-05:00

We went to the lake for the Fourth of July and I took a ton of pictures. It's my favorite place in the world. Here's why:

i'm on a BOAT!

She drives the boat.

She's a fish... loves "mimmin" (swimming)

we love Cheetos at the lake!
trying to blow up her own floaties

We were at the 4th of July picnic, wondering WHERE Daddy, George and John Ellis were. We were starting to worry when we looked down the cove and saw them floating down to us. With a tube full of beer. Hilarious.

At the Fiddler's Jamboree they have amazing food. Pictured here are a funnel cake and footlong corndog. I myself had a fried snickers. That's right.

Hagen and Grace enjoyed turkey legs. MMM good.

It's been awhile

2009-07-01T22:19:00.005-05:00

There has been so much going on that blogging has NOT been going on. Here is a quick overview...

I returned from Boston Tuesday evening after a 5-day trip with Hagen and John Ellis. He was shooting some of their friends' wedding and asked me to come along! We made a great team. I hope to post some of those photos soon. We toured all around and even got to catch a lunch with our dear cousins Will and Jenny Stegall (who are hard to catch!!) We stayed several nights at our cousins Emalee and Mark Holmes apartment, which I highly recommend. It smells like someone just baked snickerdoodles and the sheets are so soft. It also just happens to be beautiful and the nicest house on the street. It's probably not nice for THEM to brag about their crib, but I can! Here are a few Boston pics that I really liked.

Peter is on the prowl for a PE job in our fair city. He will still lack 2 classes, which he will finish in December, but that's making it a little hard. He's pushing hard and looking for aide positions in good systems until then. He's doing a few soccer camps and generally helping me and taking classes.

Pierce is spunky. I know that people use that word to describe their kids often, but it's really the perfect word. She can be fiesty and have a little temper, but is also the sweetest thing. She hates to make you sad, as soon as she realizes that she has, and will give you a hug. Basically a hug is her leaning her head on you. We have had 2 incidents lately that involved her stomping on animals. We will have to break her of that this week because we head to the lake with FOUR dogs tomorrow!! She love love LOVES her cousin Isaac. Here they are playing while I was off traveling.

I hope you all have a happy Fourth of July. I know we will. War Eagle America.

The beach... again

2009-06-13T15:07:00.007-05:00

So we went to the beach again the 1st week of June. It was HOT, but wonderful. Pierce just loves the beach. She loves sprinkling "sugar" on every single sand "cake" she passes. Often these castles end up being crushed, so there was quite a bit of mommy sprinting down the beach before Pierce ruined some family's masterpiece. We discovered several things on this trip: Pierce loves playing the harmonica with Papa. She loves the "hose" that we clean our feet with even more than the ocean. George is an expert and extremely speedy sand castle maker, as well as hole digger. And last, but certainly not least... my new camera rocks my face off. These are the 1st published pics taken with the new baby. Sorry there are so many!

Je Vois Photography

2009-06-11T10:26:00.001-05:00

I have added another blog to my repetoire :) Hillaryphotography.blogspot is going to go away and I've started www.jevoisphotography.blogspot.com to replace it. I hope to update it very regularly, and there is a post there now that I'm really excited about. Hope you enjoy! And if you do, tell a friend :)

Our Daughter

2009-06-08T22:15:00.002-05:00

Do you know Pierce? If you do, you'll agree that this is her in a picture. If you don't, hi! Here's Pierce. Dirty, playing with water, as n*a*k*e*d as she can be, BUT with a flower in her hair. Or a bow, as the case may be. We sure do have fun!

The Beach

2009-05-17T21:24:00.004-05:00

Pierce loves the beach... the first day there she woke at 6:30 (after going to bed at midnight due to a late arrival) and recalled that Papa (my dad) had said he would get up with her in the morning. So at 6:30 she bellows "PAPA! BEACH!! PAPA!" And he did it. I should mention she did this every morning at some point between 6 and 7. Ooba, Papa and Daddy are such troopers. Mommy enjoyed sleeping instead. Here are some of my faves from the weekend. It was hard to choose. What's not cute about a baby girl at the beach?

Here she got Ooba to style her hair the way Dede(Brittany) does hers.

One of her favorite things is to "Boom." She jumps into the air and lands on her booty. Usually it's on our bed. Here it's in a puddle.

I feel like she's posing here. She's a model, clearly.

Grace is 21.

2009-05-17T21:10:00.004-05:00

I know. Most of you remember when she was born. Now she's 21!!!! Here are some shots from her birthday breakfast at the Red Bar.

We Love Homewood

2009-05-03T21:59:00.003-05:00

Several years ago, maybe even before some of us were married, my dear friends Erin Kendrick and Kelly Purcell Dorough and I met every Tuesday morning at 6:30 for Bible Study and chick-fil-a. I should pause to allow you to pick your jaws up off the ground at this statement, as you know that I don't do mornings. But all through high school and for several years after college, this was a standing appointment. And I loved it. (Side note- the chicken biscuits are AMAZING when fresh at 6:30.) We invited a newer, but also dear friend, named Taylor Killian. We scared her. The love we linguistically lavished on our fair town, Homewood, was just too much for her. Especially Kelly's passion. And then came the part that REALLY shocked her... there is a DAY. We Love Homewood Day. She moved soon after this revelation.

This weekend we began Pierce's indoctrination. We attended We Love Homewood Day and it was so nice. Not too hot, not too crowded. Pierce is always happy if there is something to jump on, so it was just delightful. Here is some documentation.

Jumpy jumpy jumpy

dancing, a very normal occurance

What's THAT???

uh-oh... is she slowing down?

watermelon punch??? oh ooba, you're the best

a rare pic of the whole fam

and we're done.

in case you ever wondered

2009-04-30T22:00:00.003-05:00

Ever wondered who Pierce looks like? I was going through some old family pictures the other day and ran across this one. George with a hose at about Pierce's age. The girl has got some very distinct Gamble traits (those luscious lips and wide brows) but there is no questioning her Stegall blood. I threw in one of Grace that looks a lot like Pee-pie too :)

time flies and mommy cries

2009-04-25T22:31:00.004-05:00

Here is a pic from August of 08... less than 9 months ago.

And here is today. :( I'm going to cry now.

The Zoo

2009-04-25T21:56:00.004-05:00

I finally took Pierce to the zoo this weekend! It was her first trip. Emi wanted to take her MONTHS ago and I meekly asked if she would wait until I could take her 1st. I'm so demanding. Peter is at a soccer tournament in Destin, my ballet recital was this morning and Grace came to town today. Grace, Pierce and I headed to the zoo and had a blast. After a brief but loud fit at the flamingo cage (she really wanted to climb in and was outraged that we wouldn't allow it) it was a success. We saw lazy kangaroos and a slumbering alligator, animated monkeys (p's fave,) birds, and sea lions (my fave.) I hadn't been to the zoo since the children's section had been added and Pierce was SO funny looking for the water that would randomly shoot up at her! Did I mention that she wouldn't stop trying to drink it? All of the super-classy people at the zoo thought it was hysterical. It was a proud moment.

Easter

2009-04-15T21:58:00.003-05:00

Easter this year was a bit of a whirl-wind. I had to sing at both church services (there singing at 7) so Peter got Pierce dressed in her Easter finest. Thanks to Ooba for the beautiful dress and bonnet. We all met at Ooba's for an Easter Egg hunt and a DELISH lunch. Poor Bana wasn't feeling well :( Just as I sat down to lunch Pierce fell apart and it turns out she had a fever, which went on for 2 days. She was so pitiful, but a great snuggler. So, you see by the end of the lunch she's in her pj's being kissed by puppies!

new friends and old friends

2009-04-15T21:45:00.005-05:00

My sweet friend Mary, who was my first friend when we moved back to Homewood, and I haven't seen each other since we had babies. She and her son came over last Thursday. Fletcher, her 14 month old boy, and Pierce were thick as thieves in no time!

Isn't he the most perfect combo of Mary and Brian??

Yes yes she's naked and he's dressed to the nines, but she'll never be caught without a phone.

I LOVE this picture because Fletcher is getting in trouble, but he's giving it right back to Mary. My child's big head got in the way, but you can see!

Here comes Fletcher Cottontail, hoppin down the bunny trail....

Cousin Aubrey's Baptism

2009-04-15T21:35:00.004-05:00

My cousin Sarah's daughter Aubrey was baptised a few weeks ago and I made myself the official party photographer. Sarah throws a GREAT party... fun and yummy. This is just to show off some cute kiddos :)

in the back is Evelyn, Sarah's middle daughter. The front seat are her cousins on the other side.

Sarah and the guest of honor, Aubrey. Is this comfort or what?

Sarah's cousin on the other side, Meredith, has little twinsies.

The newest Stegall great-grandbaby and her great grandmama. Mary Beth's baby, Caroline.

Spring Break

2009-04-15T21:16:00.005-05:00

If you know me at all you know that I adore my family. Many people "get enough" at times or just don't care to be around them much at all... not I. My mom is my best friend, my dad can solve and problem, Hagen knows everything there is about me, Grace is the best comfort when you're sad and George can always make you see the brighter side. My wonderful husband puts up with me when I am SOOOOO much to handle, his patience is astounding, and that baby girl, well..... she's the light in my eyes.

This year's AEA beach trip consisted of me, Peter, Pierce, Momma, Daddy, and George heading down on Tuesday. Brittany came on Thursday night for the weekend. Grace came for a few hours a couple of days. Did I mention that the condo is a 2 bedroom? And it was delightful!!! We enjoyed the most beautiful days I ever remember on a spring break. Sunset daiquiris, Red Bar, splashing in the waves with Pierce, sleeping in (Ooba took Pierce) it was all wonderful. I even got a pretty good tan!

We let Pierce watch a little video while at the beach (she doesn't normally watch tv) and she was riveted!

Maybe SHE got enough family time! :)

shock and awe

2009-04-15T21:09:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted! Life has been quite demanding lately and posting on the blog is one of the things that has fallen through the cracks. I am going to do several different posts to update you.

Here goes....

Spring in Winter

2009-03-13T16:55:00.002-05:00

Remember when it was so nice and warm the 1st time? Or maybe it was the 2nd? It was February. We were at my parents' house and it was so very lovely. Everyone but Grace was home (although Aunt Dee Dee, you weren't in town either?) We had the lovliest day playing outside, blowing bubbles, playing the harmonica, playing ball and frisbee. Here is the documentation of that day on this cold day.

Swing

2009-03-13T16:48:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago (before it got warm, then cold, then warm, then cold again,) Uncle George hung up the swing I got for Pierce's birthday present in November. She thinks it is so much fun!!!! Everytime we look out the window she says "oh!" And gets so excited. Thanks Uncle George.

Snow Day!

2009-03-01T22:22:00.006-06:00

Well, the snow loves Pierce. It's the second year of her life that she's seen snow and she's only been alive during two years. She was so funny- loved it, but would just hit a wall where she must have realized she was cold and couldn't take it anymore. She would cry and scream and throw her head back until I got her inside and distracted her with something. We didn't have gloves for her so we tried socks, Daddy's gloves, Dooba's gloves... all kinds of things. She LOVES ice. And says it so cute "eye-sh." So when she discovered that snow WAS ice she was just thrilled.

Worthy of it's own post.

2009-02-22T22:21:00.005-06:00

We are raising quite the little dancer. Here are just a FEW of her moves.

Fired

2009-02-22T21:24:00.007-06:00

I have not done a particularly good job of updating the blog lately! I just uploaded bunches of pics from my little digital camera, which is the one I've neglected since I started shooting with my big fancy camera. So, here is a little flash of the last few months. I dedicate this issue to my faithful little cybershot.

This captures Pierce at the beach in January perfectly. Aunt Grace picked her up just in time!

On the way to the beach... they live such hard lives.

we stopped at the most fun little park in Montgomery when we were waiting to meet aunt grace. There were these little cup-like things you could sit in and if you leaned back, they would spin around and around. I want them in my backyard. If you know what they're called or anything about them.... tell me!!

Pierce had some very important texts to send on the way down.

Peter and I went on a super fun date for Valentines. This picture is really blurry, but you get the gist.

Pierce has been doing a lot of coloring lately. Here she is, hard at work.

Sometimes she colors her face.

She had her first "jump, jump" experience at a superbowl party. She jumped for at least 30 minutes. Had the MOST fun.

Here is how she spent quite a bit of Christmas morning. and the second is her first steps in the sand.

the daily grind

2009-02-03T21:17:00.002-06:00

I believe my little red head is discovering her big red headed will. She has very strong ideas about what she wants to do and when. I'm not enjoying the fits, but trying to pretend that it's just that she's grumpy about her molars coming in. She's been so easy and perfect til now, let's go with the molars.

Emi put her hair in pigtails this week- cute, huh? And we love to talk to Aunt Hagen on iChat. I captured a pic from that. She likes to show her tongue.

Ho Ho

2009-01-25T21:12:00.003-06:00

Hagen begged me to put this on the blog and I just kept forgetting to scan it... Pierce was just not sure about good old ho ho this year.

Marty Party 09

2009-01-19T21:43:00.004-06:00

In college, 4 girlfriends and I headed down to Seagrove, FL for Martin Luther King weekend 2000. We named it Marty Party 2000. It consisted of night swims, free meals at the Red Bar, some drinking, plenty of eating and a camcorder. Fun huh? Grace, Pierce and I recreated it this weekend, on a different level. Pierce was ADORABLE at the beach. She loved the water, I had to hold on to her at all times so she didn't go diving in, and got up to her diaper in the 60 degree, windy weather. Grace and I were as lazy as could be when we weren't chasing Pierce or blowing bubbles on the balcony. We concluded the weekend, and celebrated the dear MLK Jr with pizza and champagne. Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend. (I'll post some of the less Pierce-centric ones on my photography blog www.hillaryphotography.blogspot.com)

It's official... she's an angel

Just in case...

2009-01-11T21:54:00.001-06:00

You may not all check my photography blog... www.hillaryphotography.blogspot.com here are the most recent pics that I REALLY like.

Kitchen fun

2009-01-09T22:15:00.002-06:00

My little daughter loves all things kitchen... food and drinks of course, but she gets really excited when we open the fridge. She likes to rummage around and take things out. She also loves to watch me cook. Peter often holds her so she can watch me chop or stir. If he doesn't we get to listen to lots of whining.

I was wearing my new apron the other day and she really wanted it. So, I put one on her too. And we did some very important stirring.

And when I turned around to see what she had found in the fridge the other day, this is what we saw.

Pierce's Birthday

2009-01-05T22:06:00.007-06:00

I know I'm a month, over a month late, posting these. And thank you for your patience. A friend from my photography class, Emily Joy, took these at Pierce's birthday and I think they're just beautiful! She's so talented!

It was a lollipop party. Pierce really enjoyed parts of it, but as you can see, got a bit overwhelmed and had to retreat to her bedroom occasionally. She wasn't sure about the cake at 1st, but as someone with Stegall blood, grew to quite love it :)

The Great Outdoors

2009-01-02T16:03:00.005-06:00

Peter's Dad, Van took Pierce and Isaac for a walk in his fancy double stroller just after Christmas. They loved it. Also, these are all with my new lens that Barbara gave me for Christmas... loving it!

Peter and I took Pierce to Homewood Park yesterday. It was so much fun. I think she liked too.

!

New Years Eve and fun at Emi's

2009-01-02T15:50:00.005-06:00

Pierce has so much fun at Emi's. I drop by for lunch sometimes, and here is what I found New Year's Eve.

Kally and Pierce driving around in a wagon.

I guess she's thinking they don't go with her outfit?

Chilled out.

My friend Ashleigh and I had a New Year's Eve party for a few friends at her house. We wanted it to be swanky, so we dressed up. There were games, dancing and all kinds of fun! I do however, think I'm too old to stay up this late.

More holiday fun

2009-01-02T15:37:00.004-06:00

Here are some more of our fun holiday activities. We went ice skating with the whole Stegall family. And some more of Christmas.

She can say "ho, ho" and really liked this particular ho ho at the Apple store.

So cool. Even at 1.

Ice skating with Uncle George

I think they were excited about presents.

I made a book of our blog for Peter for Christmas. This is not ours. It's the Porters. They live in PA and got our book. We're awaiting the swap. It was a great holiday story. :)

She's excited to be a Tiger cheerleader

She loves Cash's little chair.

This quesadilla was REALLY good.

Christmas

2008-12-28T20:39:00.005-06:00

Little Pierce's Christmas was busy, full of family, and really fun! Here are some glimpses into her/our happy holiday...

Warm-up from her Daddy

The Stegalls!

Uncle Joel and Cousin Isaac

She made this face a lot this season

Lovin on Cousin Isaac

She kept retreating to this spot with her gifts.

Liking what she found in the stocking

What's in this thing?

Mama Ann's b'day

Waiting for Santa

I still have some more from the Gamble's and Christmas Eve in general, PLUS the very exciting Santa pic. Stand by.

Homewood Parade

2008-12-07T13:44:00.008-06:00

We went to the Homewood Christmas parade this Saturday. We considered not going because it was going to be cold and the point seems to be to get candy, which I don't let Pierce have much of. However, you can see below that Pierce LOVED it. She was hysterical. Stared open mouthed, waived like she was part of the parade and tried to walk out into and with the parade. There was also some dancing. SO cute and fun!

Two days before this pic I had a conversation with a friend where I said, "NO I don't let her have suckers." Hmmm, looks like a sucker to me. I'm getting soft!

here she is gettin down!

Auburn Gal

2008-11-30T11:48:00.001-06:00

My in-laws may disown me for this, so SHHHH!

Hats

2008-11-30T11:07:00.002-06:00

I enjoy putting things on Pierce's head far too much. Here are my two favorite hats for her. :)