Carsyn's First Christmas

Just wanted to share a few Christmas pics with you..








Doesn't Christmas and the whole holiday season seem to FLY by?? I'm so sorry I'm just now doing my Christmas recap!

Our attempts to sway family members from buying gifts for Carsyn proved futile and we are overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Here are a few of Carsyn's favorites:





Oh boy..a snowsuit and Uggs...I can't wait to play in the snow!!




Christmas Eve we visited 3 different houses(Shane's aunts, my grandma's, and Shane's grandpa's). We were exhausted that night and crashed at my MIL & FIL's house. (If you remember last year their home burnt down right before Christmas.) It was so nice for them to be "home" for Christmas. My SIL and her husband also spent the night and it was so great to wake up to a WHITE Christmas morning with family. We loved having a house full of babysitters and I actually had time to prop my feet up in front of the fire and catch up with some gossip mags-Taylor & Jake- I had no clue....and Kim Z from RHOA pregnant--whoa!!



Thanks big sis and B for the house shoes ;)

Christmas Day we visited with my mom, dad,sister, BIL, and my favorite little guy..



He loves his tricycle!







I told mom and dad if our family grew any more they'd have to get a bigger mantle..



Carsyn did not forget her momma this Christmas either....though I think she might have had a little help from her daddy.




So how was your Christmas??

Merry Christmas

We've been so busy wrapping presents, making candy, and watching movies! We finally made the dreaded trip to visit Santa and here's the result:


Carsyn loved him!!

Hopefully everyone has received their Christmas cards by now so I wanted to share a few photos from the session. Lisa and Shaun of Little Photography are not only wonderful people but wonderful photographers. I am so thankful to them for taking time out of their busy schedule to take some photos.





We used a sleepy picture on the front with the caption "Wishing you silent nights" and the family picture on the inside with "and days that are merry and bright".

Of course we had to include a picture of Elvis on the back...



I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas-please cherish your time with loved ones!

Carsyn is 3 months old!!

You know how everyone says wait til they're 3 months old things really change...they do!!

Carsyn, you are such a joy and momma thanks God for you every day! You absolutely love to talk and jabber all of the time-We wish we knew what you were saying. You also have recently found your hands and really like to put them in your mouth. You are grasping things and really, really want to get your feet. You love lifting them but just haven't grasped them yet. You also love to kick. Bath time has become very enjoyable for you also and you love to kick the water ....we think you'll be swimming laps in the pool this summer :)

I cannot believe how much you have grown- you are officially wearing 3 month clothing. Some think you'll be tall like your momma and have her long legs, but I'm not so sure. You have become such a good sleeper and have been sleeping through the night since about Thanksgiving. You love to be swaddled and cuddled but your absolute favorite thing in the world is the TV!! You used to need cuddle time when you got fussy, but now you just want the TV-especially football. You love lights too and could stare at the Christmas tree for hours.

You are such a ham and love being the center of attention. Your aunties, uncles and grandparents spoil you rotten and you just eat it up. Of course you still look like your daddy, but you have momma's blue eyes. You also have such long fingers and toes!

Carsyn Presley, stop growing so fast!!

Christmas Spirit

Its been really easy to get into the Christmas spirit this year!! We've already had a lot of snow and I'm feeling a "white" Christmas for the first time in several years. Speaking of snow I got "snowed in" at my mom and dad's the other night and it was so much fun. My family is filled with educators- my mom is a kindergarten teacher, 2 of my aunts are/were teachers, my sister teaches 1st grade, my grandmother is a retired teacher and my MIL is a superintendent. I am so proud of all of them! Every year mom makes ornaments for every child in her classroom and I was tickled this year that I got to monogram them. I hope I did a decent job. We drank hot chocolate and set up til midnight..I think Carsyn even enjoyed herself- she slept in her travel crib and did not make a peep!!
The result:



As of right now I lack buying about 5 gifts-luckily my sister and mom are on their annual Chicago shopping trip and will take care of some things for me. A part of me wishes I was there, but I am looking forward to Shane's company Christmas party this year- I am excited to see John Anderson perform...Seminole Wind anyone??

I just finished my stack of Christmas cards and will get them in the mail tomorrow..I can't wait to show y'all. I love how they turned out.



I cannot believe its less than 10 days til Christmas! I am dressing baby girl in Christmas outfits every day. I am always so depressed when its over.



So how is everyone doing? Are you finished shopping? Will you get a white Christmas this year?

10 Years!

10 years ago today I married a boy I was completely smitten with....




and today I can honestly say I am married to my best friend.



Thank you honey for being my tailgating buddy, my gourmet chef, my lawn care service, my travel companion, my running cheer-er on-er, my pool boy, my couch snuggle buddy, my CFO, my captain, my DVR/MP3 fixer, my fashion consultant, my snow shoveler, my baby whisperer, my bracelet fastener, my better half, my soul mate. Love you!

to pouf or not to pouf..

I am a girly girl-I love mani-pedis & spa days, anything pink, romantic comedies, shopping, bubble baths & wine....ok you get the picture. Despite my lanky frame I am the world's worst athlete. I like to run (well pre-baby) but according to others look awkward doing so. I have a decent sense of fashion and dream of opening a clothing boutique someday. All indications might would point to me being good at hair and makeup-wrong! I am horrible at makeup- my eyeliner is always crooked, my lipstick wears off...I am constantly asking my big sis and SIL for tips as theirs is always flawless. As far as my hair I definitely have a case of blogger hair envy. Do you follow Erin at Blue Eyed Bride or Amy at Chapters? They are beautiful ladies with awesome hair! I have them to thank for the curl down method..you should try it!! It has definitely changed some of my bad hair days to good hair days. However, my stylist (sorry if that sounds too feminine Phillip!) has my hair looking pretty amazing when I leave there and I just fail to duplicate at home. Which brings me to my point. Today after a 1 hour trudge through melting snow and 20 degree temps I made it to my much needed hair appt. After a highlight (bye bye gray) and trim we decided to try a "pouf" for a change. The result..



So I thought I was looking pretty cute til I got home and the hubby asked if I was going to prom..WTH? I am going to attempt to do this at home so ladies, opinion needed...pouf or no pouf?

Also, I feel the need to apologize for:
a) Crappy iphone pic...apparently the new ones have a fancy schmancy gadget for taking these kind of pics but I have a baby and am on a budget.
b) Hooded towels and abundant Johnson's Baby Shampoo in the background...clearly baby girl's bathroom has the best lighting.
c) Awkward facial expression.

Holiday Open House/Sip & See

This weekend we hosted a sip n see/holiday open house at our home. It was so much fun! I love parties..everything from decorating to menu planning to getting dressed up. I wanted to post a few pics of our holiday decorations first..

The tree..



Entryway...





(Can you see Sophie the giraffe in Carsyn's stocking?)

Dining Area...









I have been collecting the pottery barn reindeer collection for years..Blitzen is my favorite!







A few favorite things....


My big sis bought these cute reindeer leg covers at Pier 1..she's such a good shopper





I try to keep fresh flowers throughout the house....and you can see my favorite Hot Maple Toddy candle in this pic...along with the "must have" December In Style issue



I also put out all of my Christmas books and try to make the guest bedroom a little more festive





Tree in Carsyn's room..



did you notice her elf on a shelf has made an appearance??



I have a slight obsession with the Coton Colors ornaments..they are so cute!! I love the ones on Carsyn's tree but my favorite is probably the one on our trees in our family room...



The hubby doesn't care for white lights or my foofie tree so every year I put all of our sentimental ornaments on little trees with green and red lights..





UK tree...



more Coton Colors..



Finally outside...I think the outside of my house is pretty boring, but figured I'd snap a pic since I had to venture out in the snow to walk Elvis anyway..








I cut some pine sprigs from trees outside and put them in lanterns with candles..of course I'm afraid to light the candles because I might burn the house down..but the idea was nice anyway



and if you're still hanging in there onto the sip n see...

Something told me I should snap a pic of Carsyn's cute dress without her in it because I figured it would be over her head the whole night...and I was right..





naptime with uncle Robby....



I added Carsyn's monthly pig pictures to our celebrate display..



(thanks to the fabulous ashley brooke for the sip n see invite!)

drinks..



coffee bar...



food...



my favorite people...









unfortunately the best picture we got of Carsyn was when she finally tuckered out..