Foley Christmas Parade & Party

 

On Saturday, we headed to the Foley Christmas Parade and Party, which we'd never been to before. Several friends were going, and we heard they had snow, so we wanted to check it out. The parade was packed full of people and floats, and afterward, we walked over to the party area. They had crafts, bounce houses, Mrs. Claus reading stories, a band, and most importantly....snow! There were kids everywhere waiting for them to get finished spraying it. Our friends decided to bail and begged us to come get ice cream with them instead, but Hampton couldn't be talked out of getting in the snow. We should've gone with them, though, because snow and 80 degree weather don't mix! The snow turned into an ice sheet, which lead to a child crashing into Bo, then Hampton, who ended up with a big bruise on his face. Oh, well...we learned why snow at the beach isn't the best idea!

 

Seeing Santa

It's just not Christmas without seeing Santa, so one night we headed out to see him. While we waited our turn, we took the opportunity to tell Hampton all about Santa. Hampton was enthralled. So, when we got our chance to meet him, Hampton made sure to tell Santa EXACTLY what he wanted...3 specific trains. Thank goodness Santa is a great planner-in-advance and already had those trains waiting for him! Harrison loved Santa, too...he especially wanted a piece of Santa's beard. Santa even commented that he'd found his new best friend in Harrison. That boy sure knows how to turn on the charm!

 

Hampton filling Santa in on the trains



Big Day for Harrison

Today Harrison had 2 big milestones...turning his car seat to face forward & his 1-year Doctor's appointment! He is in the 50th percentile in weight, but the 91st in height, so no wonder all the pants that are long enough for him fall off his skinny little waist! He did great even though he got 2 shots. Our Doctor even commented on his laid-back personality. He's getting to be such a fun big boy & we love it!

Happy Birthday, Harrison!

 I hear babies cry....

 

...I watch them grow....

...they'll learn much more...



..than I'll ever know...

...and I think to myself....

...what a wonderful world!

 



Happy First Birthday to our darling Harrison!

What a blessing he is to our family, and we couldn't imagine life without his adventuresome spirit, tolerant attitude, and big goofy smile. We couldn't have picked a better little brother for Hampton. What a true gift God has given us....we love you to pieces, Harrison!

Angel Breakfast

 

Our church does an Angel Breakfast for the church and MDO little ones each year. Only for little children, they sing Christmas songs, read a Christmas story, and have a yummy breakfast for the littles & their families. There are also Angels walking around, and you get to take your photo with them. Hampton had a great time and so did we, since we got to sit and catch up with lots of our friends! What a great kickoff to the season and a great reminder of what the season is truly all about!

Christmas Parade

 This weekend was the annual Gulf Shores Christmas Parade & Beach Party. It's always fun...filled with boats riding down the road and "throws" like in a Mardi Gras parade. This year, we went to a pre-parade party at our friends' house that live within walking distance from the parade route. The littles ran around and played while the grownups enjoyed hot cocoa, coffees & conversation. Afterward, we walked down to the parade, where we met up with P&J. We enjoyed the parade, then everyone trekked down to the beach to see the camels, goats, donkeys, and geese, as well as Frosty, Rudolph, the Grinch, and the main man...Santa! There were several bounce houses & lots of beautiful lights to see. What a great time!

Closed for Christmas

 As of last night at midnight, The Monogrammed Monkey is officially closed for the holidays. Thank goodness! We are so unbelievable grateful for the business we've been blessed for this year, but stressed doesn't quite describe the way we've been feeling lately! Of course, just because we're not taking any more orders doesn't mean we're finished. As of this morning, we have 128 customers (most with multiple items) that are waiting on their orders to be finished and shipped. We keep telling ourselves to just breathe and take it one at a time!

We are looking forward to finishing everything up so we can enjoy all of the other fun things we have planned this month. Several parties, advent fun, cookies to bake, gifts to wrap, a little more shopping, and oh, yeah........2 babies to wrangle! Especially since Master Harrison is quite the adventurer. He went "missing" the other day, but we found him playing with his tub toys. In the tub.