Oh Christmas Tree!

It all started with a conversation about what to put on this sweatshirt. I got it for a couple of bucks and told Missy Monkey Feet I would make something to put on it for Christmas. She asked what I could make. I answered, "anything to do with Christmas". She thought for a second and said, "how 'bout a Christmas tree!" "Done", I told her.

Even though Missy Monkey Feet has had a few Christmases now, this was the first one she really started to get the hang of. Oh, and she knows who the guy in the red suit is now. All we heard about for 2 months was how much she wanted a talking princess cash register for Christmas. After finding out Santa was visiting the mall she insisted that I take her to see him, waiting in line for half an hour only to refuse to sit on his lap. We did manage to get a picture of her sitting beside him, looking terrified, for the bargain price of a small fortune.

Through the ups and downs that come with the chaos of "the season" we managed to do a pretty good job of keeping things in perspective this year. For example, we listened to nothing but Christmas carols in the car the whole month in an effort to teach MMF what they were and their significance. We went to church when we could and talked about the significance of Baby Jesus and Christmas. She baked lots of cookies with me and helped me deliver them to family and friends. She and I put up a nativity scene on our front porch. Daddy strung lights all over the backyard just for her viewing pleasure between 5pm and 9pm every night. We took her to the zoo (one of her favorite places on earth) to see their impressive annual Christmas light display. We made a family project out of making Christmas cards. She sang in her preschool Christmas program while we proudly videotaped every second. We went to the same tree lot we've been to for the past several years to pick out a tree together. She fell in love with the Polar Express movie. She got to see all of her cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. within the same week- sheer bliss for her.

INSERT HERE A FEW CONVERSATIONS HELD WITH mmf OVER THE LAST MONTH.

"Mama, is Santa gonna land on our roof even since we don't have a chimney?"
"Sure, honey. He's Santa."

"Mama, turn off that movie quick! The ginch (grinch) is staring at me with his big wickers! (whiskers)"

After an unannounced visit from a cousin while at Manny's house the front door was closed and MMF put both hands up and declared, "well he seemed like a nice man".

After being spoken to in the grocery store by a beautiful Latina lady behind us in the checkout MMF stared at her for a moment then broke into the Christmas carol, "Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad".

"Mama, I want to sing a Christmas carol to you".
"Okay, let's hear it".
"This old man. He played one. He played knick knock on my cat, with a knick knock pattey knack, give the cat a bone. This old man came rolling home".

"Mom, let's pretend you're Mary, I'm baby Jesus, and Daddy is Josefus".

8:15 am- "Mama, can I have a piece of candy?"
"No sweetie, remember we don't eat candy for breakfast".
"Oh. Is it so I won't ruin my appetite for dinner?"

"Mom I will be extra good so I won't go on the naughty list" followed by, "Mom, what does Santa bring naughty kids?"
"Coal".
"What's coal?"
"It's a kind of fuel".
"It's not nice to waste fuel".


Here are a few pictures that highlight our travels over the last week or so, along with our beautiful tree this year, which MMF proudly helped decorate for the first time.


Christmas tree shirt Mama made

MMF picking out our tree...

and decorating it.

After Santa visited

After MMF discovered Santa had visited

The wait for the talking princess cash register is finally over!

Christmas at Mamaw's with our family

Christmas at Grandma M. with family

Christmas with Manny and Kerri

Saturday's Giggling Girl fun with Dad

Who says the girl's can't have fun while I am working... even if one of them is Daddy.

TRICK OR TREAT SMELL MY FEET!

Happy Halloween! Here are our pictures. We went to a party the night before halloween and Missy Monkey Feet dressed up as Snow White. Mama and Daddy dressed up too, as you'll see. For trick or treat MMF dressed up as a witch who carried a disney princess bucket instead of a cauldron. What can we say? She's an individual. She had a great time. After we got back home we carved our pumpkin, toasted the seeds and watched "It's the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown". MMF got to eat several pieces of candy, which made her night. We brushed teeth twice as long as usual before bed in hopes of warding off any potential cavities. We hope it helped. :0)

EEK! It's a green-faced witch!
Ready to go trick-or-treating

Yuck! Pumpkin guts!

This is how you toast the seeds... Our pumpkin turned into "Jack" the jack-o-lantern

Daddy handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters

Princess Snow White

Snow White taking a boat ride in the laundry basket

This would have made front page news at a red carpet event.

What are the odds that there would be 2 Snow Whites at a party?

Daddy dressed up as a nerd. Mama dressed as a punk rocker.

FALL FUN

Here are some random pictures of some of our escapades before Halloween. We really enjoyed the "hot" fall. We visited 2 pumpkin patches, boo at the zoo, and played outside lots and lots- especially at "the big parks".

Missy Monkey Feet at the park gathering leaves for a craft project

riding a pony at the zoo
MMF and Logie

pumkin patch near MMF's aunt's house

LET'S ALL GO TO THE BALLET

Well, dance class came to an end. Here are the highlights. Look fast! Missy Monkey Feet was hard to catch pictures of, as she was in the throes of an interpretive ballet/tap finale.

here she is in the black leotard with white tights

bringing up the rear

she's standing between the teacher and the little girl in pink

taking a little break
about to take a bow

MMF with her dance teacher

"The Pumpkin Patch"

For those of you who know that childrens book, "The Pumpkin Patch", read it to your kids with delight. It is one of Missy Monkey Feet's favorite stories and demands it at bedtime every night. Here are pictures of her field trip to the pumpkin patch.

Here is a baby calf they had for the kids to pet and feed. Everyone knows how our girl LOVES the cows so guess where we spent most of our time?

Here she is with some baby bunnies.

This was our view from the hay wagon. Wheeeeee!

Just like Katie, the character in the story, MMF went in search of "the perfect pumpkin".

Here it is! Hurray! The most perfect pumpkin, Mama!

Here she is back on the hay wagon holding her prized possession. After we got back to the barn there was a snack for the kids, more playing and petting animals, then finally goodbyes to everyone at the farm. Our pumpkin cleaned up pretty nicely and is currently in a spot of honor in our kitchen.

I'm NOT tired!

So much of the time I hear the argument, "I don't want to go to bed. I'm not tired!" Well here we have caught Missy Monkey Feet in the throes of grand protest until..."Not tired. Not sleepy. Not...gonna.....lay............(snoring happily)..................down. It looks like she was doing something one minute and fell asleep mid task. She is such a character. She was a little under the weather last week, but we made it to the zoo on one of the last really hot days of the year to take in the "aminals". Luckily for us, we caught a few really good shots. Enjoy.
MMF with the sea turtle in the manatee tank.

Mr. Tiger taking a nap close to the water and coincidentally, the glass.

Now here's a character after my own heart. Reminds me of a certain little monkey-foot girl. This guy (or girl, if applicable) is just relaxing taking in the humans who have come by to visit.

This penguin was debating jumping in the water. He would look right at us until I would start to snap a picture. Then out of what I must assume was extreme modesty he would politely turn his head. He did this several times. MMF and I really are easily amused.

Clickety Clack, Don't Talk Back!

Life is as busy as ever with Missy Monkey Feet. School is in full swing. She's taking a ballet/tap class, playing with as many friends as she can, playing outside as much as she can, and visiting family whenever possible. Hunting season has also begun and I've lost my husband to the woods. I miss him and worry about his safety, (he insists on always going alone) but I have the house to be concerned with. I have to finish up all the warm weather-requiring projects soon and start crafting for Christmas. It is just around the corner now.

Here is MMF in some recent photos. We have GOT to get another camera! My phone pics are great to have but the quality isn't so good. Sorry. I've also had a lot of technical difficulties lately so I haven't been able to add photos to the blog for a couple of weeks.

As you can see, my baby girl is growing up so fast. She thinks she is sooooo big! Enjoy the pics.



Here are her "clickety-clack shoes" as she calls them.
Getting ready for ballet and tap class

MMF with the other girls in her class. They are beginning ballet by "flapping their butterfly wings".

Just thrown in because she's so stinkin cute! Here she is sleeping in her big girl bed for the first time.

She looks so small in that big princess bed.

B-O-O-T-S Boots!

Monkey Boots!

Hard to make out but this is MMF and Papaw at the last fair of the season. He took her for a pony ride. Big excitement for her!

Riding/driving a truck at the fair.

Driving a car at the fair. Bye-Bye!