Christmas 2010 Part 2

After I posted last time I found out my grandpa wasn't good. My mom and brother ended up spending Christmas Day in the ER. Me and Adam ended up fixing Christmas dinner, and it was yummy. It was lonely not having mom or Jeremy there, but I would have been at the hospital if it were my dad too. We made Ham, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, broccoli and cheese, and rolls... and then mom had dessert already made. We ate dinner, and then played in the snow some more. We waited for them to get home before we headed out.

Saturday night Nana and Pawpaw Estes came in. We all went to Guntersville Sunday to Adam's Grandparents. Of course we had another dinner, and opened presents.

Monday we got up and headed to Atlanta. After being on the road 4-5 hours we got there....UGH! Traffic was horrible. We had a great stay with everyone. We had our Christmas Monday night with Adams family. Ava got tons of toys, books, and puzzles. We stayed till today (Thursday). Adam is driving home as I type. Thankfully no horrible traffic so far!

I managed to get in some shopping while I was gone. I got my Marc Jacobs sunglasses and purse. Merry Christmas to me!!! LOL! Let me just add I had Christmas money from last year and Birthday money saved specifically for a purse.

Christmas 2010 Part 1

Wow! Thanks Steph.

Ready for snow.

Talking on her phone.

Putting Stickers on everything.

Paw Paw riding the horse with her.

Coloring!

Her Train table

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. We are enjoying a WHITE Christmas that is just magical!

We started our Christmas weekend yesterday at my mom and dad's house. Ava got a TON of gifts. She was literally in toy overload....she didn't know what to play with. They got her a clippity clop horse, Crayola easel, Train table, books, puzzles, tricycle, babies, and probably more I have forgot about. I told them Santa isn't going to be special to her because they buy her more than he does. LOL! We had a great night. We opened gifts, ate a good dinner, and played.

Santa's Elves were hard at it last night after we got home!! I was tired this morning. Ava was up bright and early. She loved all that Santa brought her....including the snow! She got a kitchen set, puzzles, stroller for her baby, and a ton of little things in her stocking. She enjoys riding in her stroller more than pushing her baby around. We just had to go play in the snow too! Me and Adam had a snow ball fight....which ended with me being hit hard. LOL! She loved the snow!!!!! I believe there were tears when we came inside.

So this afternoon we are going back to Mom's for Christmas dinner.

Part 2 will start tomorrow with Adam's family.....way more to come!

Since I started this post I got a call that grandpa has had another stroke! Please keep him in your prayers!!!

Santa's Village and Galaxy of Lights

Last night me and a Friend of mine took our kids to Santa's Village and Galaxy of Lights. I had never been to either. Ava was a little too small for Santa's Village. She wanted to just run around and play. It was fun though. We went to Chili's for dinner and it was a madhouse!!!! I was like really on a Monday night? They were out of chips!!!!!!! The only reason I go to Chili's is chips and salsa! They were out of a lot of different things, including ketchup. I am like go to Target and get some more. We were too hungry and tired to leave and go somewhere else.

Anyways, we went to Galaxy of Lights too. Ava loved it! She would say "Look Mom!" It was so cute!

Holiday Baking

Playing in my pots while I am baking! And yes she loves to play with that sprite bottle for some reason.

My lovely cookies. Can you tell I had bakers block because all the decorations are smiley faces or trees?

Eating her cookie....or just smearing the icing all over my black table.

Its a tradition at my house. I don't feel like its Christmas unless we have certain goodies. I was so fortunate to have a mother that did baking for us each Christmas. She made sure she took the time to have certain sweets and goodies around. I love this tradition and I have started it since I got married and moved out. I want Ava to experience it as well. I hope she will help me as she gets older. We had such a good week. Adam took off work due to the weather, and we just spent quality time together. I spent most of my day Wednesday baking and working in the kitchen. I love to bake and cook so its not a chore to me. I made Chex Muddy Buddy Mix (last night when I took it to a party one of the girls called it Reindeer droppings. I told her I prefer my name for it because i don't want to eat anything that is called droppings.), homemade sugar cookies with homemade icing, and Chinese clusters. Ava didn't really help but she played in my icing. :) She was so cute covered in green and red.

Thursday we went to Huntsville, and tried to finish up our Christmas shopping. Any ideas for Adam would be appreciated. I have yet to buy him anything, and I am feeling the stress over it. He is SO hard to buy for!!!!!

Yesterday I worked half a day. I did more baking, and wrapped gifts. I made chocolate balls (which are my favorite), and chocolate covered pretzels.

We had a Christmas party last night at a Friends house. Its so nice to just enjoy a nice dinner with friends and laugh!!!

Christmas Play, Snow and OSHA

rocking her new baby....adam looks excited doesn't he :)

Ok, I know OSHA so doesn't fit with those other words but that's my life so oh well...

Saturday night was our church Christmas play. Ava was suppose to be a lovely animal but as soon as the kids started walking down the aisle and she realizes I am not behind her she starts crying. So I pick her up and take her to the stage where she starts kicking and crying. So she wasn't an animal, or any other character in the play. We got to watch the play! She did join the kids in singing "Here Comes Santa Clause". Well not really singing but standing there and wondering what was going on. She didn't mind Santa from afar but she DIDN"T want to sit in his lap or get near him. She got a baby from Santa that she enjoyed rocking and playing with.

The unexpected Snow was great!! I wanted to get Ava out in it, but we were dressed for Church Sunday, and she was tired when we got home Sunday night.

Of all Mondays, I had a wonderful exciting OSHA seminar in Huntsville. The very morning its in the teens and snow on the ground I have to get up and leave my warm cozy bed. I have to admit it was a great seminar, and as exciting as OSHA can be. If that's possible.

Christmas Parade

It was FREEZING. We sat in the car till like 2 minutes till it started. Ava loved it. I was afraid she might be scared of the loud sirens, but she loved it. It was so cute. She just waved at everyone. Bless her heart, I had mittens that didn't fit good and they kept falling off. At one point a man walked up and gave her a sucker, but she couldn't grasp it because of the stupid mittens. Yes, note to self to buy new ones.

She looked like a Eskimo. I had her in many layers!!!

I just love the parade. Yes its very small and redneck but its sweet!! I want Ava to have good memories of Christmas festivites like I did.

December begins

December is such a busy month. Its full of holiday parties, Christmas plays and parades,family get togethers, shopping, and extra tasks at work.

First of all an update on my grandpa. He is doing so much better. It amazes me how much he has improved over a few days. I hope we will hear something today about rehab. Saturday afternoon I went to see him. He is such a mess! He was talking about how white and pretty my teeth were. :) That's grandpa!!! The road is going to be long, but he seems to be doing so much better.

Saturday I managed to go to the Craft show in Huntsville. I love going to that. I didn't buy much, but its still fun looking. I also got to visit some people in the hospital along with my grandpa.

Tonight is the Christmas Parade and I am excited. I know we are going to freeze, but its tradition.

My sweet grandpa

Sunday morning my grandmother called me early. I knew when I saw her name on my phone something wasn't right. She said that grandpa had fell and she thought he had a stroke. My grandparents are 90!!!! I hurried and called mom and she rushed down there along with my Aunt. He was in bed and had apparently had a stoke and couldn't get up. They talked him into going to the hospital.
We were all afraid it was something he suffered from years ago.....a bursted blood vessel in his brain. After a cat scan they confirmed no bleeding but did confirm a stroke.
He is stable and doing ok. The main problem is his speech. His brain is telling him to say one thing but something different comes out. You just have to know my grandpa. He is probably one of the funniest people I know. When I walked in to see him I clearly understood him say "Hey". He also asked how Ava was. He was obviously telling jokes because he would say something then die out laughing. I just laughed with him. LOL
Today we are hoping for major progress and the swelling to go down!!
Prayers would be appreciated!!!

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

It all started Wednesday. I worked and my boss let us go early. My brother came in and was at moms so we had dinner over there and spent some time together. Thanksgiving we spent the afternoon with my moms family. We went to my Uncle Mitchells house. His house is amazing. He built this insanely huge house on the bluff. I am talking he did pretty much the whole thing himself which amazes me. Anyways, we had a Great dinner and spent a wonderful evening all together.

Black Friday:

Thursday night I went home and packed up some stuff then went to moms house. I put Ava to bed at their house and I laid down on their couch for a couple hours. Me and mom left her house at 12:30 and picked up my Aunt. We got to Old Navy at 1:30. It was crazy!!!!! The line to check out was like 2 hours long so I just skipped out on that one. I did some other shopping then got in line at Belks at 3:00. They opened at 4am and was giving out 250 gift cards. It was surprisingly fun. I dressed really warm and I had my coffee in hand. I guess the adrenaline was pumping or something because I enjoyed it. My gift card was only $5 but oh well. LOL

I found a few good deals. We were done shopping at 6:30 and had a wonderful breakfast at the Blue Plate Cafe. I really felt the affects when I got home though. Wow, I felt rough. My wonderful mom let me sleep a couple hours. I need to add I was already sick with a sore throat. I am sure that cold rain didn't help but Oh well sometimes I do stupid things and pay for them later.

OH and I got online at Old Navy when I got home and got all the things I wanted :) Yeah!!!!

A day of new things

I am proud to say Adam is finally done with this outage. It was a long month and a half! He is off this week and I am so thankful. We have so much to do.

You know I had posted a couple weeks ago about our stove and TV not working. Well we finally deemed them "broke". We made a trip to Wal-Mart and Home Depot yesterday. We got a new stove that was on sale. I am talking we bought this stove for not much more than the part cost. Crazy! We also bought a new TV. Its so nice to watch a large TV again. We are SO spoiled!!!!!!
I had racked my brain over Black Friday sales, and I was just like I am not standing in line fighting over a TV I may or may not get. I will pay a little more and get it now!!!
Don't get me wrong...I will be out early shopping Friday. Its an addiction!!

I am putting up my Christmas Tree today...hopefully!!! Sorry Drea! LOL

Christmas pictures 2010

Check out our Christmas pictures for this year! I was pleased, as always!!!

Go to http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/store.aspx?p=24646

Type in Estes next to the name and the password is nestes.

Let me know what you think.

20 Months

My baby is 20 months today! She didn't feel good yesterday but today she seems to be feeling good! This girl is hilarious!!! She loves to laugh and play. Her new thing is to hold something in front of her face when she is in trouble. Its like if she doesn't see me maybe I don't see her being bad. LOL The other day she was hiding behind my sheer curtains. She was really incognito!

My stove and TV are still broke! I am about ready to hit up the after Thanksgiving sales and surprise Adam with a 55" flat screen! I love this TV we have, but its trying my patience.

One of those days!

"Look mom I found a shell or something"

random pictures from the park.

We all have them from time to time! Right?

It all started Tuesday night. I didn't go to church....yes shame on me! Ava woke up from her afternoon nap late, and I still had to give her a bath and cook supper, etc. I just stayed home. I decided I am going to rent a movie off Directtv. I NEVER watch movies anymore. I just don't take the time. So I rent it and I get about an hour into it and my TV goes black. A sign from God? Maybe. I guess I should have went to church. :)

The lamp was burnt out. We have one ordered and on the way!

Wednesday we get up and Ava just doesn't understand why I won't turn on the TV. Yes this made me realize we watch wayyyy to much TV. I feel guilty sometimes but she really does learn a lot through these shows, and not to mention I get SO much done! Make a long story short we get through the day. I get my Lasagna made for supper and in the oven. My oven is stuck on 215 and won't get any hotter. It would be ok if it was for us, but I was cooking supper for somebody else. I already had my apple cut up for apple dumplings too. Thankfully she just turned her oven on and I just took my food to her house to finish cooking. So hopefully Adam can fix it, and it will be simple.

Sorry the pictures are random and having nothing to do with my post. We went to the park Tuesday. It was sooo nice outside.

I despise the Time Change!

I am all about that extra hour of sleep, but that is the only good thing about it. I can't stand it being so sunny and bright at 6am. Yeah, and my little girl thinks its 8am. So thanks Time change. I feel like its 11 or 12 and its only 8 something. I also can't stand it being dark at 4:30. I feel like going to bed at 6pm.
Ok, so that was such a positive post for you on a Monday!

Christmas Pictures

Tuesday turned out to be gorgeous.....no rain like I was afraid of. We had some of them done on Monte Sano Mountain and some downtown. Ava was in a solemn mood of all days!!! I hope Allison got some smiles in there. I have to brag on Adam. He hates pictures, but he didn't complain at all. He wasn't a fan of the shirt I bought him to wear. He had some comments about that, but he wore it like a sport. I also informed him he would probably wear it to the Christmas play in December :)
I thought about our Christmas pictures last year. Ava was around 9 months old and now she is almost 20 months. She looks so different to me!
I am anxious to go see the pictures when they are ready!!

Halloween 2010

Me (a Gypsy) and a ladybug

Ava with her head on the floor

Ava in the bottom right having a melt down

We had a good Halloween weekend! Friday I started it with a long shopping day with a good friend of mine. I was trying to find matching outfits for our Christmas pictures tomorrow. Wow, that was a stressful job. I already had Ava's but needed ours and a few things for her. Ok, that had nothing to do with Halloween but oh well.

Saturday afternoon we dressed up and went trick or treating!!!!!! It was so much fun this year. Ava was able to enjoy it. We always stop by our preacher's house with a bunch of the kids from church,and take pictures. For some reason Ava had a meltdown during pictures. Then We loaded up on a flat bed with hay and went to a local neighborhood. It was so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Afterwards we went to a fall festival. A lady from church has it every year at her house. They have great food, a bonfire, hayrides, and candy. If you can't tell by the pictures she is a ladybug. Oh and for the record she got tons of candy which I am enjoying..LOL

I know I am mean but I don't want her eating all that. I give her a piece here and there.

I dressed up too!!!! I was a last minute Gypsy! I love dressing up and my freinds told me that day they were dressing up so I was soooo going to figure me out something.

Pumpkins

Here are our masterpieces :)