Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

The Oakes, David's and Schor's had a wonderful Christmas this year! Everyone must have been on Santa's "good" list this year because we were all spoiled!! On Christmas Eve Allen's parents came to Birmingham and we had them over to our house for dinner, cocktails and opened presents. It really was so much fun and wonderful getting to see each other. It had been soo long since we all had been able to just relax and catch up. Here are a few pictures...







After our little get together, Becky and John Allen went over to Scott and Jenny's house to spend the night with them so they could wake up on Christmas morning and watch Will, Carter and Lily Kate open up their presents Santa brought them.

I woke up Christmas morning to Allen cooking us breakfast and making coffee. What a treat!!! We had a great Christmas too! Allen got me Britney Spears tickets!!!!! I am so excited and can not wait to go this March...with Allen!!! He is being a trooper and going with me for a weekend get away in Atlanta. Here we come Britney!!! After that, we went over to Jenny and Scott's to surprise/watch John Allen open his BIG present from all the kids, a 37 inch flat screen TV!!! I can't even start describe the look of surprise on his face as he opened his present. He had everyone almost in tears as we watched his face like a kid getting their first bike on Christmas morning.

We then went from there to my parents house ( after we went home and showered, of course!) to open up presents. We began to open presents while Olivia napped, which WOW we are so blessed to have wonderful parents! They treated us to a great Christmas with bunches of presents to unwrap...this always takes a very long time because we like to open one present at a time going around in a circle, usually starting with ME!!!! Usually taking from start to finish about 3 hours! Here are some pics!









After we opened presents the "little muffin" woke up and she began to "open" her presents. Grandaddy and Nana SOOOO spoiled her! She got a new chair, a little puppy dog sleeping bag from Pottery Barn, baby doll stroller and baby doll, grocery cart, table and chairs and so on! Here are some pics!







What a wonderful Christmas 2008! We are hoping that 2009 will bring us continued happiness and grant us OUR wonderful wish for our little family! Happy New Year to all! See you in 2009!

I caved!!

So, I caved to Kea's tag. I saw people doing this too and it looks fun so here goes.......This is the fourth file and fourth picture in that file...drum roll please!!!!!



This is a picture from the wedding shower that Becky's Judson College friends threw us after we were married....like 5 months later! Its funny because just this weekend Lindsey and I were talking about how babies always go through some sort of "awkward" stage and don't look so cute. Well, guess what this picture was taken when Lin and I thought Liv was going through that phase. I know that sounds awful and I shouldn't say that but I know you all out there think the same thing about babies but you just won't say it...well i did!!!!!

Now I get to tag four people....1. Evan, 2. Brandi, 3. Lindsey...come on you haven't posted in like 4 months and 4. Jamie, I have to call you out too!!!! Hopefully, this will get you back in the blogging world!

Trying to get in the Christmas spirit...

I don't know what it is this year but I can't seem to get in the Christmas spirit. It seems like last year I was all excited about Christmas decorating and going shopping for Christmas presents and this year its just so so. I guess i was just excited because it was our first Christmas as a family as well as Liv's first Christmas. I'll get there soon! Any way!!! After a week of staring at my Christmas decorations on my dining room table, trying to get my creative juices flowing, I finally managed to get going with my living room mantle and then just went from there. The only creative art project that Lin and I did this year was painting some wooden initials, AOL & BSL. They turned out pretty cute! We painted them red and painted green dots on them then sprayed them with gold glitter spray. You can kind of see them in the picture of my mantle. They are right in the middle. Here are some pics..they are kind of blurry because I took them with my camera phone. I've also included a pic of Olivia from this weekend. She is in a phase right now where she loves sitting in front of the TV watching anything. And she will sit on or in ANYTHING! Even a reindeer plant holder!!!!! We had to take her rocking chair away from her because she was standing up in it!!!!