Mailbox Cheer

Our Christmas cards finally are out... it took me forever to decide which pictures to use! There's just too many cute ones of Georgia! Actually- I'll confess- I tried to do a picture with Bernie the basset hound, and Georgia together... not such a good idea! Bernie thought it was a game, and even when I tried to bribe him with cookies, he spent the whole time sniffing my pockets or drooling on Georgia, waiting for the cookie. Then Georgia got mad I was making her sit still, and that Bernie kept jumping around and drooling on her. Plus, it was in the middle of the heat wave we had last week, and I had her dressed in thick snowflake tights and a Christmas dress in the backyard! Sooo, we scrapped that plan and went with a cute picture previously taken (above)! Here's a few you WON"T see on our card...

Please sit together and smile this way!


This one will make my mom cringe, but I just think it's so cute when she cries like this!


I tried to bribe her with my watch, but she just wanted to eat it... not cute.


I love this one- those big blues! This was our runner-up.


I love Christmas cards. I love sending them and I love getting them every year. Larry bah-humbugs and says they're a scheme from Hallmark, but I ignore him! He still enjoys getting them. As someone who is very bad at keeping in touch, I love the chance to reconnect, even thru a simple "Merry Christmas, love Us". Especially this year, with so many of our friends having had babies. I love those picture cards- we are some proud mamas and papas!
I hope you are enjoying this holiday time, and the sweet Christmas cheer coming to your mailbox. If ours did not reach you, I apologize, and please consider this your own personal
Merry Christmas from The Hipps!!

Georgia Meets Santa

Georgia met Santa today! It's quite an event, meeting the Christmas elf. We all line up, with the kiddos dressed in their Christmas clothes, hair brushed and faces scrubbed. As you get closer you can see Santa and watch the kids get their picture taken. About every other kid screams and cries, refusing to sit with Santa, and all the parents in line get more and more anxious that their kid will be a screamer. The kids pick up an this anxiousness, and start getting jumpy and fussy. By the time you get up to the big guy, you all just want to get it over!

Thankfully, our visit was pleasant! Georgia was more excited about seeing all the other"big kids" in line and "talking" to them, than seeing Santa. But she sat on his lap- no smiles, but no tears either! She just seemed intrigued, like she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. We got our pictures, got some lunch and made it back home for a nap! A successful Santa introduction!
Thanks to Larry's cousins Jaclyn and Joseph for coming with us, and especially to Jaclyn for telling us about this great Santa!

A Phelps Christmas

Last night we had Christmas with Matt & Sandy Phelps, some good friends of ours, and Georgia's honorary "aunt and uncle". We had a great dinner and had fun hanging out, but the best part was watching Georgia open her first Christmas present! At first I think she thought the box WAS the present, which she was just fine with- she was enjoying climbing over it! Then we showed her how to rip the paper off- wow! that's fun too!! And THEN- there was a super fun hippo push cart inside! Watch out- here she goes!!! (see video below)



Thanks for a great time last night, Phelps, and for the great presents- we'll take you up on the babysitting for our date soon! Thanks for ALL you guys have done for us this past year, and being special friends!

Glimpses from Tampa

We are back home from our visit to Tampa, but have been in a whirlwind of Christmas parties since, so I didn't get to finish my Tampa posts. We had a great visit- thanks Grammie & Grandad! We'll be back down in less than 2 weeks for a 9-day visit over Christmas. Here are just a few more pictures from our visit- more to look at in "Georgia's Albums"...

Looking down the canal...



All dressed up to see the children's Christmas Program.


I'll take the wheel, Grandad!


Georgia with Grandad, Grammie & Uncle Wes:

A Walk in the Park

Today Georgia had an awesome nature lesson! We went with mom and dad to the Crystal Springs Preserve in Zephyrhills, FL- a 500+ acre nature preserve, home to the same springs Zephyrhills Water bottle their water from. Aunt Karen, our long-time family friend and my mom's college roomie, designed and built the park, and now manages it and leads educational tours thru it. It was awesome to get to see what she's done and the wonderful natural treasure the park is. Georgia got to see the river and the springs, walk thru the woods and over boardwalks, and meet both a tortoise and butterfly face to face!

Check out all the beautiful pictures in her album!

Georgia talks nature with Aunt Karen.

Tidings from Tampa

Since daddy was headed out of town on a business trip, Georgia and I came down to Tampa to visit her Grammie and Grandad. She did quite well on her first plane ride, despite an unexpected detour to Nashville. (It's never a good feeling when your pilot says over the loudspeaker, "We have a situation in the cockpit we need to let you know about..." It ended up being a small crack in the windshield, but couldn't he have led with that!?)

Georgia is enjoying her first visit to the Sunshine state! We've gotten to hang out with family and friends, play with the dogs and cat, take a bath in the BIG tub with the 50 or so ducks Grammie has been collecting, and even help pick out their Christmas tree. Georgia has, of course, been the center of everything, but I think she has most enjoyed chasing the cat around the house!

Enjoy these pictures- more will go into her album soon...

Georgia likes this tree, Grandad.

Can I have a ducky to play with?

I'm all clean, Grandad!

Dressed in pj's and ready for Grammie's snugglin!

Great Eight

Georgia Kate is 8 months old today- Happy Birthday sweet baby girl! I can't believe how fast the days fly by. Being Georgia's mom has been the most amazing gift I've ever received, and the most fun job I've ever done. I love getting up every morning to her big smile and enthusiastic waving. She learned to wave last week, and, ever since, she's hard to stop once she gets going! I love letting her wake Larry up, crawling over his back to pat his sleepy face, giving him big squeals in his ear. I love how opinionated she can be, and her strong determination to get what she wants, even if it's to my frustration at times! I love how busy she is, like she can't wait to just run off on her own, even though the thought of her little fingers letting go of my hands breaks my heart just a little. I love the fun we can have, just sitting on the floor- a couple of girls, an empty formula can and big, floppy-eared dog. And I love, LOVE the rare moment after her bedtime bottle when she lays her little head against my chest and snuggles into me. It's just a little "thanks, mom" moment that I will keep in my heart forever.

Georgia Kate- I am looking forward to our many more months, moments and memories together!

Here are eight GREAT Georgia shots to share with you!

Thankful

This Thanksgiving
I am thankful for my sweet family-
my strong, smart, loving, handsome husband
my sweet, silly, wiggly, beautiful baby girl.

I am thankful for my boisterous basset hound,
with the silky ears, sad eyes and big bark,
to chase the cats out of the backyard.

I am thankful for family that loves and supports me
that love and cherish my sweet baby.

I am thankful for friends that truly care
that open their homes and hearts to us.

I am thankful for the gift of laughter
especially when it comes in the form of sweet silly giggles
from my greatest blessing!

Note to Moms: New Bib

This is just a little note to all the other baby's mommas out there:
There is a new bib available in Babies R Us that is pretty good (brand: "Bumkins"). It's plastic, like the good kind that a lot of us have (ours was "Mullins Square Kids"), but a little cheaper- about $5.99. It's not as heavy duty plastic as the other, but seems to work well. They have lots of cute styles and boy/girl colors- which we know is most important! ;)

Just thought I'd pass this along! Here's GA stylin her new bib:

Our Sweet Whiner

Georgia has been a bit of a whiner lately. At least, whiney for her. She's always a happy, sweet girl, and she still is, but I guess we're getting our dose of reality lately. Of course, as I write this, she's smiling and giggling with Larry, cooing and gooing and being so cute!

She's finally cutting her first tooth, which will make the other moms reading this go "Ohhh- that's her problem", or at least I hope that's what's going on with her! It made me sad and excited to see that little tooth starting to push through- it makes her seem like such a big girl to actually have teeth! That's sad & exciting! She's also just getting over a seemingly never-ending cold, which may also be the tooth. Hopefully that little tooth will go ahead and push it's way thru so our sweet girl can be all sweet again!

Of course, she's cuter than ever, so I can stand a little fuss!

Georgia's Best Buds

Georgia is in love with the men in her life! She is all smiles and giggles when daddy gets home, and loves to play with him on the couch. She loves to hear how his day was, and when he plays kissy-monster with her. She loves to play guitar with him and walk up & down the hall. They even took a little nap together on Saturday...

And Bernie is her favorite plaything! She chases him around the room, and it's getting to be quite a workout for him as she's a pretty fast crawler now! He is being really good with her, and lets her crawl up on him and pat him. It's so cute! She'll even try to share her toys with him, but I think that has ulterior motive as she wants him to share his rawhides!

Silly Singing Sweetie

Georgia has definitely shown a love of music, like both of us. In fact, last night Old McDonald was the only thing that could keep her from fussing in the car! When you sing to her she quiets down to listen, and then, ever so softly starts making singing noises herself. It's not like she's trying to say any words, just sing! It's so sweet! I've tried to capture it on these videos, but of course she's always more intrested in the camera. And I apologize for my own singing!
And she loves it when Larry plays the guitar for her. She fascinated that her daddy can make that music! She crawls right up to the guitar and tries it herself...
Check out this Double Feature:

Trucks, Peas, & Sittin-Up-Sleeping

This past weekend was Larry's annual "guy's weekend", where they take their trucks to an off-road park, camp out and do manly stuff like that. The trip is always highly anticipated, and involves a full year of preperation- mainly added "needed equipment" to their overgrown toys!
This year's trip was at Greyrock, which is a huge off road park just north of B'ham. So Georgia and I, and Laura Broom (another truck wife & good friend of ours) went out there Sat. afternoon to see daddy, take a ride (me, not Ga), and cook out with the guys. It was a beautiful and fun weekend, though the guys froze at night, and we had fun getting to enjoy a little piece of the action with them. And the best part- Larry didn't break anything on the Green Machine!


The Hipps at Greyrock

Speaking of green- Georgia is definitely her grandaddy's granddaughter! For this week's New Food Friday Food, Ga got to try peas- and she LOVES them, like her Grandad! They are now officially her new favorite food! And, thinking they might be some sort of sweet, delicious yummy pea I've never eaten, I tried them- and they are the same ol' yucky peas you hide under your napkin! Guess I won't have to worry about that from Miss Ga! :)


Georgia licks the bowl of peas clean!

And this is just TOO funny not to share- as you've heard, Ga is such a pro at standing up now, she'd rather do that than anything- including NAP. So it may take her a little while to unwind when it's nap time. On such an occasion last week, I went to check on her b/c it had finally gotten quiet, and she had fallen asleep sitting up in the corner of her crib! I think she was standing, got sleepy and slouched down, and, refusing to give up, fell asleep! I waited to see if she was going to fall over on her face, but she didn't- just folded up, head to toes, so I finally laid her down. Such a silly wiggle-monkey!

Sleeping sitting up!

Love Letter to Georgia

My sweet baby,
I love you so much I just can't help but tell you all the time! You are so beautiful and funny and smart. You make each day special with your smile!
I love how you wake up in the morning with a big smile, standing at the end of your crib, just excited to start the day!
I love how you get frantic for that first gulp of milk- I still remember too vividly almost forcing your each swallow. You really hated to eat for so long, I cherish your frantic-ness now!
I love how you are learning so much each day and how you are always trying new things, without waiting for anyone to tell you to try them or even show you how! Like standing up with no hands- just leaning your back against the couch! Little daredevil...
I love how you are such an awesome blend of your daddy and me, that only God could have thought to put together. I love looking into your deep blue eyes and seeing your father there. It makes me love you both all the more. You are both smart beyond your age. You even love electronics like him! Who will win the fight for the computer in 15 years? You better both have your own!
And I love how you are like me too- somtimes it's like looking in some kindof time-machine mirror... if that makes any sense. You look so much like my baby pictures, with your big smile and blonde-ing hair. How you love to laugh and giggle, and you try to sing every song even though you don't know any words or melodies yet, and you even sneeze twice like me! And you're just so fun- if I was half this fun growing up, how lucky Grammie and Grandad were! ;)
There is so much I love about you, I could go on for ever. And I find new things every day- like the way you giggle when I become the kissy-monster! And the way you smile when we rub noses. You are such a beautiful and special gift- I thank the Lord every day for you and what a special blessing you are to your daddy and me. We continue to pray for you, my sweet baby, that you will grow and mature in this love we give to you, and know for yourself one day what it is to love this much!
I love you- love, mommy

Little Punkin Party

Georgia hosted her first party today! She had a costume party for all her baby friends so they could celebrate their first Halloween together, and mostly, so we could take lots of pictures of them in their costumes! It was such a FUN chaos with all the babies crawling over each other and playing in their cute little costumes!! Everyone was ADORABLE!! Unfortunately by the time we tried to do a group shot Georgia had reached her limit, so she's squallin in those pictures. :( But she was a bootiful butterfly the rest of the time, and had a great first Halloween! :)


Butterfly Georgia, Ballerina Maggie & Goldfish Rollins playing.

Butterfly Ga watches over her sweet flower friends, Tate & Ellie!

Hannah is a mild little chili pepper!

Asher is a handsome frog!

All these pictures are posted in her album... don't miss them!

And Happy Halloween from the Hipps!