A Christmas Greeting

Hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the birth of the Savior!! 

Feels Like Christmas

It's Christmas time and these last few weeks, the Foremans have just been doing your normal holiday stuff.  Like....

Getting Halloween costume pictures made and developed:

Captain Jack Sparrow and Alice in Wonderland

 

 Having a wedding shower:

John and Jennifer's Shower

 I made the "K" out of pictures from their engagement that I took through a window while I was spying on the big moment. These two have dated off and on since high school - a LONG time so this was a much awaited moment.  Here is one of the pictures:

Is that not the BEST engagement picture EVER?? :)

 These are all my Pinterest shower ideas:  Caprese Salad appetizers; cranberries and greenery (cut from my Christmas tree in jars I already had = cheap and easy); and the frame was another idea that didn't work out so I did this instead.

Looks like Jen had fun to me:)

Got ready for our Children's Choir Christmas Musical. These two are too young for Children's Choir, but they do love some gold and dress up.  WOW, right?

Went on an overnight vacation to stay in a hotel as part of my parent's Christmas present to Jack (one of the few things he asked for).  We took some toys with us - a fairly NORMAL choice for a night at the beach:

FINALLY went on an anniversary night out several days after our actual anniversary when Ben got home from work.  Jack took a picture of us before we left.  That kid is so helpful:  

Got to the movie theater and sent this picture back home to Jack:

Jack loves some Underworld (that is absolutely NOT allowed to watch)

Watched this:

 And this:

Two movies in one day = a husband who knows the way to my heart.

Gave these sweatshirts to some of my favorite kids:

Alabama vs. LSU:  BCS National Championship game 1/9/2012

 Our great friends, Hannah Grace and Joel are two siblings who live in Alabama, but their Dad is a Lousiana native.  Joel pulls for LSU like his Dad, but we have influenced Han to the point that she's a Bama girl.  It is pretty wild that these two teams from the same conference in the same division are in the National Championship game together and will likely NEVER happen again.  Due to that, I couldn't resist getting them these shirts to wear home to Louisiana for Christmas.  AND, I think it shows that I'm a better sport than most thought buying that LSU shirt for Joel:)

And, remember this ornament I got as a surprise in the mail from my friend, Karen:

It was such a great surprise and I still love it.  Well, her brother, Aaron and I were having a little back and forth fun on facebook.  He went on a little rant about not caring for picture Christmas cards (which is exactly what I sent to him and his family) and how people get upset with him for using Xmas instead of Christmas, etc.  He posted a unique Christmas greeting on facebook that went something like this:

"Money is tight and times are hard so consider this your Merry Xmas card!"

I jokingly replied something like, "I appreciate that, A.J., but this facebook greeting just won't suffice.  I'm going to need you to send it thru the mail and please spell out Christmas."  

I didn't think much more of it, but I got this in the mail yesterday:

 

 Isn't that hilarious?? These siblings definitely get the award for best Christmas surprises through the mail.

And speaking of cool Christmas cards... I got this one from my friend Misty and her family: 

She can't get her boys to pose for Christmas pictures so she sent this one. If you knew this family, you would know how wonderful this is. I'm trying to get Misty to blog.  Don't you think the woman that sent this Christmas card should be blogging??? Seriously.

I also got a winner to the My Memories giveaway. Congrats to Kim at Pair Slices.

So, like I said, just the normal holiday stuff.... And today, we are going to celebrate Ben's birthday but staying in our pajamas and playing video games and watching movies.  YAY for the holidays. What are you guys doing to get ready for Christmas??? Did you get any fun cards this season?? Let me know cause that's what makes it feel like Christmas.  Well, that and Halloween pictures and a Twilight movie of course:)

My Memories Giveaway

I am so excited to share this great giveaway with all my blogger friends.  My Memories Suite has allowed me to try out their wonderful digital scrapbooking software.  I have only just begun to explore their site and have found it fun and easy to use.  I've always enjoyed scrapbooking and have tried to make Jack a scrapbook for each year since he was born.  But, honestly, who has the time?  I'm WAY behind and this site has helped me find a new, easy, fast way to capture all the fun the Foremans have:)  I'm planning to move parts of my blog over to the scrapbook software for a cute and easy keepsake for me and maybe Jack one day.  You never know about boys, though, right?? :)

Not only is My Memories allowing me to try out their great product, but they are giving one of my blogger readers the same opportunity.  If you would like a chance to win My Memories software for FREE, it's easy to enter.  Just visit www.MyMemories.com and leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite digital paper pack or layout.  That's all it takes.

For additional entries:

1.  Like My Memories on facebook.

2.  Follow My Memories blog.

3.  Follow My Memories on twitter.

The giveaway will end on Friday, December 23rd at 12:00 a.m. central time.  Explore this great site now and enter for your chance to win.  Happy Exploring.  :)

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String...

These are a few of my favorite {Christmas} things:

This little guy - our elf named Pinocchio. Well, he's actually not a favorite of mine, but more of an inconvenience having to remember to move him every morning, but Jack likes him a lot. He's fairly mild and boring compared to all our friends' elves, but we like him.

Like Jack, he can appreciate a bad guy every now and then - like Blackbeard.

My Alabama Christmas ornament collection.  They have a new one every year and we have one from each year that we've been married.  I heart them.

After our Christmas tree wars last year, this real Christmas tree that didn't almost split our family is a favorite.  And yes, I got another real tree after I swore I never would again.  Apparently, Christmas trees are like childbirth.  As time passes, all you remember is the joy the finished product brings.

 Anytime you can put Christmas and Disney World together, it's a fave on my list.

Homemade Christmas ornaments - especially when they have this cute face on them.

VeggieTales nativity set - I just think it's funny and the version of "Little Star of Bethlehem" it plays OWNS me.

Christmas cards - of any variety - are one of my very favorite things about Christmas, but these with cute kids on them to help decorate my Charlie Brown Christmas tree are tops.

Pictures from our wedding to remind me that our first Christmas together was extra special.

 And my new FAVORITE ornament (and I do mean FAVORITE) from my sweet friend, Karen.  It says things that are so special to our family and I think she got all the high points.  She even put movie previews on there for Jack.  This is one of the best surprises I've ever gotten in the mail.  LOVE it.

Pictures with Santa from years past

And one last favorite thing:  getting my camera and realizing my son has taken about 120 pictures - like this self-portrait: 

What are some of your favorite Christmas things??

ABCs of Thanks

A - Alabama athletics which gives our family many hours of enjoyment.  Roll Tide.

B - Ben, the guy who walks beside me.

C - cars that get my family where we need to go and the comfort they provide while doing it.

D - DVR for changing my life forever.

E - elephants, our favorite animal - especially Big Al.

F - friends cause I've got some of the very best.

G - grandparents who love my child unconditionally and provide the best free babysitting ever. 

H - home for being our sanctuary.

I - iced lattes for keeping me functional.

J - Jack, the coolest kid in the world.

K -  kids that make our lives better just by being in them.

L - Lord Jesus for giving me new and abundant life.

M - McDonalds for having a rocking dollar menu.

N - Nelson DeMille for writing fantastic books that I can read over and over.

O - Operation Christmas Child for helping us give to others in a really neat way.

P - pirates, especially Captain Jack Sparrow and all the entertainment and joy they give my son.

Q - quiet times to read a really great book.

R - restaurants for feeding my family.

S - Saturdays full of football, food, friends and fun.

T - TOMS shoes for keeping my feet happy.

U - unique personality traits, especially the 1000 I see in my child every day.

V - vacations, one of my favorite things.

W - words, especially cool ones.  I love words.

X - x-rays that show us things are NOT broken.

Y - you.  I'm thankful for my blogger friends.

Z - zero chores to do tomorrow.  I love a lazy day at home with the kid.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  Psalm 100:4

Disney Kind of People

We went back to Disney World for the second time this year last week.  Jack thrived so well there when we went in February so we decided to go again while we can go during school days.  We loved it and I mean LOVED it.  We are just a Disney kind of family.  We are the people that stayed for five days and could have easily stayed five more.  I don't understand people who go and say it's difficult and don't want to immediately go back.  I wouldn't go in the summer, but other than that, I'm in for ANY trip.  We thought we had gone the best week (and it was a really good week to go), but an employee told us that actually January 1st-5th is the best week to go as far as crowds.  I was ready to book a trip.  Ben talked me out of it, but you get it.  We love Disney.  We went with our friends, the Fore family and the Bulger family.  I would never say that they were lightweights and had to go "rest" a couple of days, but.....  :)  The only time we left during the day was the last day and we took a break to watch the Alabama basketball game.  We do love Disney, but we didn't let it get our priorities out of whack - we would never miss a Bama game:)  Anyway, here are some of the fantastically fun and wonderful things we did while we were there.

Acted the fool waiting to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride and then rode Buzz Lightyear in 3D:

It was a little sad that Jack was not really into the Toy Story and Cars stuff this year.  He still enjoyed the characters, but he has definitely moved along to Pirate Mania.  In just six short months, he's grown up so much.

We picked up this cheetah at Animal Kingdom:

 We got a very talented guy to draw a picture of our very own Captain Jack Sparrow:

 Forget a cheetah; Jack decided to be Scar from The Lion King instead.  He does love a villian. Sweet Piper still loved on him with his mean self, though.

We rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad a GAZILLION times: 

 Took the mandatory picture in front of the castle:

Spent a LOT of time around the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and their store full of pirate goodies:

Told lots of secrets - most of which included the word "poop":

 Ate a lot of good food and took a group picture at the Tusker House restaurant: 

 Gave out lots of good sugar:

Took a safari ride: 

Looked really cute for pictures: 

Then let our true colors come out and shot people with our pirate gun when they dared to take another picture: 

Watched Piper looking like a princess: 

Acted like the couple we have insisted they become: 

Dressed as twins to Tara's mortification (she stayed far away from Ben all day - especially since Piper had an Alabama dress on too.  They totally looked like THAT family:)

Met Captain Jack Sparrow at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (the only line we stood in the whole trip, but Jack was adamant that he wanted to meet this guy): 

Took a few power naps after riding Space Mountain: 

Celebrated Ella's birthday with Chef Mickey and his crew: 

Took some family photos at the end of the day to commemorate how sweaty and tired we were: 

Took the mandatory family photo in front of the Tree of Life (which made Jack totally talk only about the new movie "Tree of Life" on and on and on): 

Helped out with the Festival of the Lion King show: 

Took a self-portrait: 

Ate at the Rainforest Cafe: 

Talked and talked and talked: 

Dared to ride Expedition Everest:

Took a family picture in front of a giant Christmas tree: 

Doesn't that look like FUN?  Yeah, we're Disney kind of people.