The holidays are upon us!

I'm going to give my "token" line...I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog. I'm so over using this line but also can't resist! I started back to work....with this there have been some new challenges which translates into additional hecticness...more on this later. FUN FUN FUN! Poor Gainesy...he hasn't gotten much blog time...I gotta do a better job with this! He's doing so much now (smiling, cooing, laughing, etc) and is absolutely ADORABLE! Filled with so much personality. I could just eat him up! But for now, it's time to talk about holiday cheer!

Oh, the holidays are upon us! Typically, my anxiety level kicks it up a gear during the holidays but I decided I'm not going to let this happen this year. I'm actually very excited that the holidays are here and I'm already in full on holiday mode! Woohoo! Maybe it's because Lola really gets it this year and is excited about all of it. Or, maybe it's because we have a new little family member in our lives that brightens every day and will do the same with the holidays. I don't know but for the first time in years, I feel so very merry for the holidays to be here!

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is next week! YIKES! Didn't I just have Gaines yesterday??? That was August and now here we are coming at the end of November. To get geared up for the holidays, Clay, Lola, Gaines and I are going to do the annual Turkey Trot. There's nothing like kicking Thanksgiving Day off with a 5 mile run prior to eating our faces off for 4 or 5 days straight. Can't wait for all the yummy food! Dressing, turkey, casseroles...OH MY! Literally, can't wait....my mouth is watering now just thinking about it.

I also can't wait to pick out a Christmas tree and decorate for the holidays. I told Lola she could pick out any tree she wants...the sky's the limit for that little girl (as long as it's under $75 so maybe not "any tree" and maybe there is a limit...she doesn't have to know that though). We've decided we're also going to go all out with the compound Christmas decorations this year. We had so much fun on Halloween, we thought it would be fun to really brighten up the compound with Christmas lights galore. YEA! I also can't wait for Lo and Gainesy to get pictures with Santa Claus. My mom asked Lo if she was going to cry this year (like last year) and she quickly responded with a "Yes!" but she still wants to see him. I told her she needs to start making her list. Oh, and I'm really excited that the whole "If you're not good, then Santa Claus won't come" line will actually work this year. Maybe this is a little mean but I'll do whatever during those desperate times when I want Lola to behave. She's actually had very few misbehaving moments as of late...thank goodness!

To kick off the holidays, myself, Gaines, Aunt Bobbie, Uncle Corky, my mom and my fab sister-in-law Brana all went to Chi Omega Christmas in Dallas...a shopping extravaganza with 180 vendors. Lo had to stay back with PawPaw....we just thought a full day of shopping may be a little much for her (no strollers allowed) so they had a good time at the aquarium. My Uncle Corky wouldn't let us get by without getting a picture with Santa. So, there we stood getting a pic with Santa Claus...a bunch of goofy adults (and Gaines who didn't have a clue of course). Despite how goofy we looked, it was fun!

I certainly do wish I wasn't posted up there in the front with Santa. Have you ever seen the Saturday night live skit with Chris Farley "Fat man in little coat"? ...love that skit. Well, that's how I feel in this pic. Not sure how the two correlate but for some reason when I look at this picture and see myself, the "fat man in little coat" chant automatically comes to mind. I think it's because I'm in the front and the person in front always looks the biggest. Not only that, I was the biggest. With the exception of my uncle, all my fam members are no taller than 5'6 and there my 5'8 self was front row joe... large and in charge...not recommended! I mean look at me...I tower over Santa....and my mom who is standing up. Oh goodness!

Anywhoo, Uncle Corky only lasted through the Santa pic and lunch. As soon as he was done eating and when he realized he was the ONLY male in the entire Convention Center, he decided to skedaddle on out of there. I don't blame him. I mean we shopped so hard that my mom, Bobbie and Brana all had to buy another pair of shoes to put on b/c their feet were killing them. Clearly, I was the only "professional" shopper as I was fully prepared and wore comfortable shoes that would get me through the day! The shopping was great. Here were some of the vendors I really liked.

No Girls Allowed - http://www.shopnogirlsallowed.com/ - Anyone who has a boy knows it's very difficult to find cute boy clothes. This little shop had so many cute things. They carry some of my fav boy brands (Mini Shatsu and Fore). Unfortunately, their website doesn't do them justice. We got quite a bit for Gaines for Christmas...here is one of the onsies my aunt got for him that I'll pair up with leggings. Yes...I said leggings!

The Sitting Tree - Handmade, free-spirited design - http://www.etsy.com/shop/thesittingtree - Fabulous knit pants, sweaters, hats, gloves, etc. Love these for Gaines!

The Paper Nest Co. - http://www.thepapernestco.com//co.com/ - I got a couple onsies here too. Clearly Gaines is stocked up on clothing. You can also have onsies custom made. Here is one of my favs that I thought was fun. I love pairing onsies up with a bold plaid or striped pant. This poor kid is going to kill me one day...bold plaid pants, knit pants, leggings...poor thing!


I also LOVED these fabric cards.

Thought these were fun too! Always looking for great cards.

Tracy Tenpenny - http://www.tracytenpenny.com/ - I loved chatting with Tracy at the show. She's an Austinite. I also loved her jewelry design. You can find her stuff around at many local boutiques. So delicate...just perfect! I have my eye on several pieces but I love this piece to pair up with my G & L charms. Simplicity at it's finest.

To keep the holiday spirit going, my mom, Gaines and I are heading to A Christmas Affair in Austin this evening. The holidays give us an excuse to shop til we drop! We're doing a great job of that this year! It should be another fab shopping extravaganza with over 200 vendors. Even though I don't need anything and frankly don't really have the means to buy anything, it's always fun to grab cards and chit chat with the vendors. Hope to find some good ones tonight!