Decorating the Tree

I was super excited to decorate the tree this year. The first where Mackenzie could actually participate (I think I decorated it at night last year while she slept!). As with life with a 2 year old (definitely life with mine, but I'm told this is normal.....), she about through a fit when I wanted to get started! I really wanted her in her Santa pjs, and she didn't want to change clothes...... Brannon corralled her, and I heard him saying as he took her upstairs to change, "You gotta put on some pjs for your mom & her pictures..... He's in for a long life of this type of stuff, I hope he's ready. He doesn't like it when things get to "planned"! Like coordinated outfits for pictures & decorating. In fact, I think I mostly decorate the tree myself in years past, but now he has to participate!

Anyways, I made her some hot chocolate & she put on her pjs, and then it was all fun & games. Meemi was still here, and she volunteered to hold Keelyn in her room & rock her (since she's pretty fussy at night which was when we were decoarting), and we could just focus on the tree. I thought about turning on Christmas music, but that might send Brannon off the edge of too much planned fun, so I'll attempt that next year! Mackenzie was pretty good at decorating. There was the obligatory multiple ornament on one branch decorating that all 2 year olds do. But she started spreading it out (well horizontally, not vertically :) ). And she was really good at not touching the ornaments on the tree after we were finished (that is until some friends with an 18 month old boy came by, and she saw him doing it, then she rethought the situation and began to do it herself!). All in all, a fun night. Can't wait to do it again next year (without a fussy newborn, and instead another little one to participate!!)

Helping Daddy while sipping on her hot chocolate (in a sippy cup!)

"This is FUN mommy!!"

Here we are with the finished product!

Bye Bye Poppee

Poppee had to leave on Sunday, but lucky for Mommy, Meemi stayed for a few more days :) But we sure enjoyed having Poppee around while we could!

Are You Ready...

For some football??? At the McKay house, we watch ALOT of football. Brannon LOVES it, and even I really like it alot too. Especially this year when our Atlanta Falcons are going to make a potentially great playoff run..... Anyways, I digress. We have been blessed with a house full of girls, and Brannon is just hoping one of them will enjoy it the way their mommy does! So far, Mackenzie is sort of not so into it. If the TV is on NFL Network in the morning when I turn it on (which it often is as Brannon watches that channel ALOT and is often the last thing he watches at night), then Mackenzie starts yelling at me "NO FOOTBALL Mommy!!! NO FOOTBALL!!!". That has Brannon worried she won't like it. I'm not convinced, I think she just prefers cartoons and wants me to put it on that instead of football. But maybe one day she'll get into it! For now, he thoroughly enjoys the rare occasion when Keelyn likes being held while seated & will seat with him and watch it!

Meeting Some of the Fam

While Meemi & Poppee were here, some of our extended family came by to meet Keelyn (& see the rest of us!) Mackenzie enjoyed playing with her cousin (2nd? 3rd cousin? not sure how that stuff works) Nicolas. She has really enjoyed playing with older kids these days & he was super sweet when playing with her!

Meeting her great great Aunt Celie (Is that right, it's Brannon's great aunt.....)

Aunt Celie bestowing some gifts to the girls including their own handmade quilts

Aunt Celie took a rare (good) photo of me IN the picture with my girls (in two more of their Christmas outfits!)!

Meeting Lee - he had the touch with little Keelyn

So happy here to be playing with Nicolas!

Nicolas has the touch with the youngest one too!

Christmas Tree Farm

The first weekend in December, Meemi & Poppee visited & I decided that we would go to a Christmas tree farm to get our tree. At first, it seemed like it might not be worth going about an hour away with two little ones (and it was drizzling rain as we left.....) when The Home Depot is about 10 minutes away......but it was a good little outing for Mackenzie. They had a Santa (not the most realistic looking one) and horses and a play area with a train. And you could buy hot chocolate & cidar. Just more of an overall fun day than simply going to Home Depot. Not to mention the trees looked great since they had not ever been squished onto a trailer to get to the store! And it also stopped drizzling by the time we got there. It was a great day. Our only snafu (well almost snafu) was when Mackenzie almost had a meltdown as we were trying to leave because she wanted to get a pair of sunglasses they had in their little gift area. However, since we were with grandparents, Poppee helped avert a unpleasant situation and bought the glasses for her! Yay for grandparents who like to spoil!!

Sitting with their (unimpressive) Santa. Though she's not smiling, this gave me great hope for not crying at our official mall Santa pic!

Here's how Keelyn spent the afternoon.....sleeping in her car seat (thank goodness!!!!)

Hanging with Meemi

Sporting the almost infamous glasses :)

A Few More Christmas Outfits

My girls were in no short supply of Christmas outfits. I think I had each of them in a seasonal outfit almost every day in December! Managing to get pics of them proved to be a little difficult with two of them.....not always time for frivolous activities like picture taking at our house these days! But I did get most outfits documented in a photo! Here's a few of them.....

Such good friends already!

Such a big girl......

Sweet Keelyn

Crazy girl!

Uncle Jake!

The Monday before Christmas, Mackenzie & Keelyn's Uncle Jake came for a short visit before he flew out of Atlanta. Mackenzie had a great time being entertained by him - he got to play with playdough, color, & run after her everytime she said "wun wif me!!". I think he might have slept well on the plane after his visit with her! Come back soon Uncle Jake!