One of the joys of the new house is a perfect path that makes a circle around the staircase. Paul and Jake love to chase each other around the circle, hiding along the way in order to jump out and scare each other. Jake's in "ready mode" in this shot wanting Paul to follow behind him.
When Paul doesn't follow, he comes back to investigate and of course Paul jumps out to scare the beejeezus out of him. Look at his hands!
Mommy! Daddy got me!
Jake's turn to "get" Daddy. 
As a previous owner of an Easy Bake oven, I couldn't wait until Hannah got old enough to have one as well. So....she got one for Christmas and we finally - after searching high and low for a 100 watt (not soft-white) bulb - broke it out and got busy cooking. She was so excited!
Hannah also got quite a few mixes to go with the oven, but she settled on vanilla and chocolate sugar cookies.
Here's the finished product. Not bad!!
Wow...it really tasted good too. Easy Bake was just as great as I remembered and now Hannah and I can share some memories.
Thanks to an AT&T promotion, we were all able to visit the Memphis Children's Museum. Getting the opportunity to check out all these different museums is certainly a perk of moving around! Emma channels her inner dental hygienist and practices doing some brushing.
Jake then channels his inner "Aunt Wally" by riding the police motorcycle.
All my monkeys boogie down complete with disco ball.
Jake loved shopping with a "Jake-sized" grocery cart. I guess his years in Louisiana helped him make his shopping choice.
Emma had a great time dressing up in the theatre...
then she slapped on a tail and boogy-ed down on stage - without reservation.
Jake, however, is content to watch his sister from the sidelines. I think he's trying to figure out what in the world she is doing. 
Well our fairytale Christmas had to come to end once the New Year arrived. We all had to say goodbye to my brother Wally as he headed back to Iraq for his second tour. Saying goodbye certainly doesn't get any easier, but it helped that we all knew what to expect this time around. We will be counting the days until is return - we're hoping sooner rather than later. Please remember all of our service personnel in your prayers - including Wally. The sacrifices they make are truly indescribable.
Of course by the time Paul and I got up at 6:30am, the girls had already been up for hours (we later discovered). So, we had to settle for posed pictures with their loot from Santa. They both seemed pretty excited about the suprises, though.
Hannah indulges me!
This picture is my favorite. I think I REALLY captured the Christmas excitement. Jake had just gotten a close-up look at the ball pit Santa brought for for all three of them and was anxious to get in it.
I think Santa made a good choice!
Here's Jake with his big gift from Santa. He loved it and couldn't wait to start "zooming".
Hannah wasted no time in getting comfortable to try out the new DS game she got from Santa.
Wally and Kylene manage to smile through the marathon gift opening session. Obviously NOLA is happy too!
Jake enjoys his own personal ball pit that Kylene brought for him. She and Santa sure do think alike!
Emma models the beautiful scarf and hat set Grandmama made.
NOLA has found a place in Mimi's lap now but is equally as happy.
At the end of the day, Emma just couldn't hold on any longer and we found her sacked out amid all the noise of the rest of the house. She gets an A for effort, though, and for trying to disguise her nap with her Leapster! 
We had an especially wonderful Christmas this year with my brother Wally, his girlfriend Kylene, and my mom Jan here with us. It was amazing having us all here together but bittersweet because Wally will be returning to Iraq in early January. We celebrated Christmas Eve with our usual dinner -- Honeybaked Ham, sweet potato casserole, dressing, collards, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and pecan pie. We stuffed ourselves silly!
Hannah and Emma pretended to enjoy dinner but were required to try at lease one bite of everything.
Although suffering from broncitis, we were able to coax at least one smile from Jake.
Paul and Mimi share a hug.
Me (sans make-up)and the crew. Jake is in the middle of a tantrum.
Wally and Kylene
Jake begins the "open one present" tradition by opening a gift from "Granny" Evelyn - a dear friend from Momma's church.
Mimi and the girls make cookies for Santa
We all enjoyed "The Night Before Christmas" being read by Hannah before we hearded the children off to bed.
Just before Christmas we had a wonderful treat with a visit from our "Bobo". He came at the perfect time and was able to go to Emma's Christmas program at her new school. Emma is in the second row from the back, fifth from the right.
Bobo and Jake conspire about manly things while waiting for the program to begin.
Bobo, Emma, and Jake enjoy cookies at the reception afterwards.
You are mistaken for Elvis or Shoney's Big Boy!
So.......I finally got up the courage to take my "baby boy" to have his first haircut (without the clippers, though!). We opted for a scissors only cut for now. Here's the before....
What better way to battle the Tennessee winter cold than snuggling? I'm glad I was able to capture this rare moment between siblings!
