Our Holly, Jolly Christmas!

This Christmas with Camilla was really special. This is the first year that she has really 'gotten in to it', she still didn't understand Santa but she understood presents! Maybe her excitement was one of the reasons I don't have many pictures. I didn't want to miss one second of her enjoyment and being behind the camera lens doesn't always allow for a first-hand experience. So I apologize for not having more pictures to share, only half-heartedly though, because I wouldn't have missed all of that fun for anything in the world.
Here are a few pics that I did manage to snap of her helping Mommy shop (riding the cars at the mall), helping Mommy decorate the tree (taking all the ornaments off the tree and hiding them in her room) and partying with her friends at school (she was so happy to finally be able to eat the same 'party food' as the rest of the class!

A Walk in the Park

Just after Christmas (before it was too cold to get out and about) Camilla and I went for our usual stroll to the river. Along the way we stopped at Public Square and Camilla had a good time playing at the fountain with the goldfish and on the merry-go-round! She is so much fun!

Bouncy - Bouncy

Santa brought a trampoline to Jake and Wessie! We had a good time going 'bouncy, bouncy' one night right after Christmas! Camilla couldn't really figure out how to jump, but she liked it when everyone else did!

Jolly old St. Nick!

Camilla saw Santa twice this season! First at school - notice the cookie in her hand that was used to bribe her - and then again in Tuscaloosa where she looks completely bored with him. If she could have spoken that day I think she would have said "Really Mom? A fat man in a red suit? How cliche!" Actually she was just tired but the other makes for a better story!

A Cinderella Story...

Camilla and I went to see the Canebrake Players production of Cinderella a couple of weeks before Christmas. She loved it! It's the first play that she has been able to stay the whole time through. She loved all of the characters but the Fairy Godmother was by far her favorite! She would squeal with delight each time she came bounding on stage! After the performance we were able to get a pic with the FGM, Cinderella and the Wicked Stepmother in front of the pumpkin carriage. This is when we discovered what Camilla was squealing about - the magic wand - she wouldn't let it go! We had such a blast!

New Year's 2009!!!

I know I'm doing this out of order, but I'll get around to the Thanksgiving and Christmas pics soon!

We were invited to The Club in Birmingham to ring in 2009 and boy did we have a good time! We spent the evening with Brandi Boutwell, Stephen Gutshall and Kirk Brooker. We had a wonderful dinner and then proceeded to dance to the 3 different bands and a DJ that were playing. We visited Vulcan (yes, it was windy) beforehand and Dave's afterward and all three stops were fun! No Brandon is not stoned in any of the pics, he just insists on blinking and talking during every picture these days. If the dance floor looks familiar, it is because this is the one that inspired the floor on the movie 'Saturday Night Fever'. Happy New Year!

Camilla's First Haircut!

Please bear with me while I try and 'catch up' our blog over the next several days. I can't believe I haven't posted in a couple of months but I'm working on it! I was not as good this year as I usually am about getting every little shot of everything over the holidays - but oh well!

Camilla finally got her first haircut back in November (I know - some of you are saying BUT SHE'S THREE YEARS OLD)! I knew I was going to have a hard time with it and that's why I kept putting it off. All I could think about looking at the hair on the floor was "that's the hair she was born with!" Thanks Aunt Robo for making it as easy as it could be! Camilla really did good - she kept trying to catch the hair as it would fall after Robin would cut it! It was really cute!