"Christmas is the time of year....

to be with the ones you love" and that's exactly what we did for Christmas of 2010. It was a milestone holiday for James and I had a blast watching him experience his very first Christmas.

Here is a picture of our house after one of the many snowfalls Nashville saw this year. This was after the snow melted a bit and we have actually had days that accumulated much more snow than this. You will not often find me out in the cold so the fact that I took this picture in the first place is kind of amazing. Everyone asks me if I took James out in the snow. The answer to that is a big fat "NO". What fun would it be for me to stand out in the cold holding a 22 lb baby? If he walked or really even had any idea what snow was/meant, I would definitely have gone out with him. I will enjoy the warmth this year but I'm sure next winter season will be a different story.
I would also like to make a quick shout out to Steve for hanging Christmas lights this year. He really didn't want to but I begged him until he gave in.
Here is James multi-tasking again. He has a lot to accomplish so he tries to squeeze in as many things as possible. He is practicing standing and drinking his bottle at the same time. For a kid who just learned how to pull himself up to stand, his balance isn't half bad...which is a good thing because I'm sure the wood floor is less than cozy to fall on. (And, of course the world's most annoying dog is in the picture. He's like "Where's Waldo"... play along as you look through the rest of these pics.

Since we spent Christmas day in New Orleans, we celebrated Christmas day in our own home a few days before we left. James got just a few toys, a Mustang tshirt (from his dad), and a sippie cup.

When we got to New Orleans, Nana and Pops had a lot of fun things on the agenda. One of those items was to visit Fulton Street. Here is a picture of Pops and James in front of a giant gingerbread house made in the shape of the Superdome. It was impressive and made me hungry for something sweet.

Christmas morning was a blast at Nana and Pops. James must have made it onto the nice list because Santa was very generous. I'm not sure I would have put James on the nice list but I suppose Santa is a bigger person than me. Ha.

Auntie and James....do you like his new vest?

Uncle Mike!

James and believe it or not, Pops, in the tent that CiCi gave him. Having fun!

Now it's back to the real world and a new year. I think 2011 will be a pretty awesome year. James is growing by leaps and bounds and its cool to watch. I'm going back to work two days a week and James will be staying with Mrs. Kay at her in home daycare. I think it will be a good opportunity for me to make a few extra bucks and have some adult time during the week and I really think it will be great for James to be separated from me for a few hours a week. He'll get to play with other kids and learn a little bit of independence. I'll also get my Gaylord discounts back which is a huge plus!

Hope you all have a wonderful 2011!