The Bridges of Jefferson County: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It is amazing that Clint has managed to be in town so much since Sarah was born. The week of November 28th was the first week I spent alone with the two kids by myself. It was actually not that bad and we got into a pretty good routine. In fact, Haines fed Sarah one night while I was getting dinner ready!!! Haines had Santa pictures on the 29th and I was feeling brave and wanted to take them to Aldridge Gardens on the way to take some pictures since they were already dressed up. I had to bribe Haines with a candy cane because he was more interested in the ducks in the pond (which there probably weren’t any) and the man outside blowing leaves. I ended up using one of the pictures as our Christmas card (the one on the right). The photo session did not last long, but I got a few decent ones. It is just so hard to get them both to look at the same time and have Haines hold her up by himself!

Santa was at Bright Horizons when we arrived. Haines was very timid around him at first. They were bringing in different classes to meet with Santa and sit on his lap to tell them what they wanted. Haines watched several rounds of children come through and then he figured out that he had to tell Santa what he wanted. Haines scooted up this close and Santa was trying to tell him that he could not hear him to come closer. He never sat in his lap until it was time for his picture. He told Santa he wanted “Woody, a Tractor and a Treat (aka Trick or Treat)”.

Smith and Weston came to visit us on December 1st. They just moved from New Orleans to Atlanta and she drove over for the day. I kept Haines home from school that day because we had a play date with Murray (Rembert) Marshall and her little girl Mary Charles at the library. We had a great time and then Smith and Weston came over afterwards.

Haines loved “Baby Weston” and wanted to hold him like a baby on the boppy pillow and of course cover him up with a blanket. Weston will be 1 in the first part of January and is at that stage where they cannot sit still and Haines could not understand that. Surprisingly though, Weston was so enamored by Haines that he did sit pretty still for a short period of time in his lap. Smith and I could not stop laughing! He also kept calling Weston, Baby Austin (because we had just seen Jordan a week or so prior).

Another brave thing I did was take Haines and Sarah to the Vestavia Christmas Tree lighting on December 1st at the City Center. We were all bundled up ready to go and Haines had an accident in his pants while standing in front of the toilet. We had to change and then we were on our way. It was crowded and cold, but was pretty fun. It would have been more enjoyable if I had an extra set of hands. Haines, Sarah and I ate at Zoes afterwards.

Daddy came home on Friday, December 2nd and we went that night to pick out our first live Christmas tree. We went to the Boy Scout tree farm near our church. Haines was more interested in climbing the stacks of unbound trees. It was fun watching how excited he was!

Haines was so fascinated with the fact that the tree was on the roof of our car. He wanted to help Clint get it down. He went inside and got his hard had, gloves and his screw driver. I could not get a good picture of them though it was really cute!

We then began decorating the tree. Haines found a strand of lights and decided to hang all of the ornaments on that one strand (see the second pic below).

Then Haines wanted to put on the tree skirt. He kept calling it his apron – he is pretty innovative!

Saturday, December 3rd “Mr. Elf” made his first appearance. Haines found him sitting on top of the lamp in his TV room. We read the story about the Elf on the Shelf that morning and started our Advent calendar. It is so fun to see how excited Haines gets about all the fun surrounding Christmas!

That morning we had Addie Stanley’s birthday party at Storyville Station and then that night we went to our friends, the Schreiners’ house, to watch the SEC Championship game. Several other couples from our Sunday school class came over too. Brandy has a son, Cooper, that is the same age as Haines so they had a blast playing the whole time!