Wiggle, Wiggle, GO!

Oh, how he makes me laugh!

MDO Christmas Party

This afternoon McCoy and I went to his Christmas party at MDO. He normally doesn't go on Fridays but I thought he would like to go to the party. I'm so glad we went because he had so much fun!!! He was a worn out little man on the way home!

To start off the party, all the kids got to take turns sitting on Santa's lap. Well, as you all know, McCoy's not a huge fan so he got a candy cane from Santa and went and sat on the couch to enjoy his candy!

Addison and McCoy

Carlee joined in the fun!

After Santa, we went back to their room for a snack. They had peanut butter reindeer, cookies, and goldfish! YUMMY!

They also got to make an adorable Christmas train ornament that I put on our tree! It's so cute! After that I figured we would go home but McCoy was having so much fun playing with his friends that we ended up staying their forever! All the kids were wound up and were literally just running in circles! It was so funny! Cy and McCoy were definitely acting like little boys and started tackling each other once they got sick of running! And right now, McCoy is napping. He crashed when we got home!

McCoy loves Ms. Trish!

Cy and McCoy in the background...trying to tackle each other!

Lights of the Ozarks

Last night Kirk and I took McCoy downtown to look at the lights. He loved looking at them and did lots of ooohing and ahhhing!

A woman asked if we would like a family picture and we decided to try...McCoy is NOT into having his picture made. McCoy got very upset when the lady took our camera and wanted her to give it back! So, unfortunately, there is no family pic!

"Tree!"

We thought it would be fun for him to go on a pony ride. McCoy is very cautious so we stood and watched other kids go for a few minutes and he was really excited! But when I asked if he wanted to go on a ride he shook his head NO and his eyes got really big! Maybe next year...

Watching the ponies!

He Believes!

On Saturday, we took McCoy to meet Santa. We were so lucky that Santa stopped by MeMe and Dig's neighborhood and we didn't have to wait in line at the mall! Last year McCoy was not a fan of Santa, so I didn't think he would be this year either.

When we took McCoy in the room with Santa he didn't want to go anywhere near him, so we decorated a cookie first. McCoy was a pro at spreading the icing and adding sprinkles!

However, he's not a huge fan of sweets, so he didn't really eat much of it. Luckily, mommy was there to help him finish it off!

Notice the tiny bite he took!

After making his cookie, we turned our attention back to Santa. Santa was very friendly and offered McCoy a candy cane and I was really surprised when he got close enough to take it!

We told him to say "thank you" and give Santa a hug...and he did!!! We were so excited! But he still refused to sit on Santa's lap. Kirk and I think he might be over his fear. As for not sitting on Santa's lap, he doesn't really like to sit down...ever...so that might be part of the problem!

He also gave Mrs. Claus a hug before we left...

I think McCoy has been a very good boy this year and after the hug he gave Santa, I bet he will be on the nice list!

Christmas Tour of Homes

Welcome! At the Miller house, Christmas is our favorite time of the year and we LOVE decorating...inside and outside!! I've only included pictures of the inside and haven't included all of our decor, just the big stuff!

Hope you enjoy our tour!

I'll start with our main tree in the den. This year I did mainly red and lime green. My mom made the huge bow on top...which needs to be straightened when Kirk gets home! We also have a LOT of ornaments so it is full of color!

We have several favorite ornaments, but here are a few...

The first is my rocking horse. Growing up, my mom got me a my sister a Hallmark ornament every year and mine were always rocking horses until they were discontinued several years ago. So, we have lots of these on our tree. This one says it's from 1985.

Next up, is my Mr. and Mrs. Santa Fish. Since the rocking horses are discontinued, mom gets me an Old World Christmas ornament or just something funky every year. She gave me these last year and I think they're so cute!

And the last ornament I will show is from Seaside, Florida. When I was younger and we took trips, my parents always got an ornament for our tree so Kirk and I have started the tradition as well. I love this one!

Now I'll move on to our mantle. This is probably Kirk's least favorite Christmas decor because it makes it very difficult to change the channel on our TV! But, I can't leave it out! My mom got me the red candle sticks at Tuesday morning and I only bring them out for Christmas. I think I might start leaving them out all year round...

On to the coffee table... You might be noticing a trend of bright colors. I love lots of color, obviously!

Now for the kitchen... We have a small tinsel tree in the kitchen that is decorated with gingerbread man and cooking ornaments. I love the tinsel tree, but I think I'm going to have to go bigger soon. My ornaments are starting to weight it down! Also, we have some lighted boxes below the tree that my in-laws gave me a couple of years ago. Love them! There used to be 3 but one refused to light this year!

On our kitchen table I have a vase with ornaments and some lime green sticks that are fun!

Now for some of my FAVORITE Christmas decor...my Department 56! This brand is now retired but I have been collecting it for several years now. It's very whimsical and bright. I think it's lots of fun! I line it up along our bar in the kitchen.

More department 56... This is a cake platter that I want to keep out all the time so I use it as a candle holder.

and some more....

Also in the kitchen, on the mantle above our stove, I have a platter, a funky santa, and a funky tree.

Another collection that I have is Clothtique Santa's. Mostly I have kitchen-themed Santa's so I set them around my counters.

And now for the dining room. I have 3 apothecary jars in the center of our table that stay there all year round. For Christmas, I put some little gift boxes in one, spice drops in another, and peppermint balls, in the third.

Also in the dining room, I have a turquoise tinsel tree. It's hard to tell in the picture but it has black-n-white and brightly colored ornaments. I tried something different this year and added some black mesh. I think next year I'll just stick with the polka-dotted ribbon!

Under the dining room tree, I have a silver lighted train. Eventually this will go in McCoy's room or in the playroom.

For our stair banister, I just kind of used what I could find in our Christmas boxes and I really like the way it turned out. Lots of bright colors and I love the lime-green poinsettas.

Our last tree is in the office and it's sports-themed. Kirk has lots of ornaments from his childhood and several new ones on it.

Here is a close-up of a couple of the ornaments of his tree...

In the office, we also have some sports-themed Clothtique Santas. My mom has started giving him one every year. This is one of his running Santas.

And that's all! Hope you had fun! Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas!

Grandkids' Tree

Yesterday afternoon McCoy and I went over to MeMe and Dig's house to help put up the Christmas tree in their playroom. Owen and Anna Grace were there to help, too so McCoy was very excited!

Every year Linda has them trace their handprints on construction paper and then she hangs it on their tree. So far, the only year McCoy was cooperative was the year he was 2 months old! Maybe next year we won't have to hold his hand down!

The kids had a big time putting lots of ornaments on the tree. It ended up being a little bottom-heavy, so once they started playing with toys, we had to move a few around!

I think McCoy's favorite part of the visit was when all 3 of them got to jump in the crib! They all had a blast!

Playing drums with Lincoln Logs...watch your fingers!

This kid loves drums!

I've mentioned before that taking pictures of McCoy and trying to get him to smile at me has gotten really hard. He also loves making everyone laugh so he was making funny faces for these next few pics. SO cute!

Yes, I admit, my 2 year old rolls his eyes at me! I guess I need to quit laughing when he does it or this might turn into a habit! But it's just so cute!

"Is that camera attached to your head or something?"

"I'll give you this much, but no more...definitely no teeth!"

This was just chaos!

Smiles from everyone!

Putting Up Lights

On Monday night, Kirk put up our Christmas lights and they look great! Every year he says he's not doing lights but he can't stand it when the neighbors put their's up. At least this year he had McCoy to help out!

"Looking good Dad!"

"Here, let me help you with that!"

Daddy's little helper!

Thankful

This year we spent Thanksgiving in El Dorado with my family. We had such a fun visit and loved getting to hang out with family that we don't see often enough. And McCoy, as the only baby (can I still call him that?), got LOTS of attention!

Of course, we ate lots of yummy food and after lunch Morgan, Cissy, Sara, and I went and saw New Moon. It was the second time for all of us and definitely worth it!

Adult table

Kid Table

So, I'm kind of beginning to wonder how old you have to be to get moved up to the adult table. Maybe once I'm in my 40s or something??? Also, you'll notice McCoy is not at either table. He chose to continue playing basketball while we ate!! We couldn't get him to sit and since it was Thanksgiving, I just let him play!

After lunch and before the movie, a few of us went on a walk and a few stayed behind for naps. I won't name names but I did have this picture...

The guy on the left (since I'm not naming names) doesn't look comfy at all!!

After our walk, Dad came in and laid down for his nap, but as soon as I got the camera out he started doing crunches. He wasn't fooling anybody!

Cissy (Kali), Aunt TeTe, Morgan

Obviously Morgan and Cissy didn't get the family's short gene...poor Aunt TeTe!

McCoy loves to be chased and tickled!

Able to squeeze in a quick pic with Mommy while he talks on the phone!

He's such a busy boy!

Hugs for Nanny!

I didn't get a whole lot of pictures of McCoy because it is impossible to get him to pose or smile for the camera!!! I'm hoping this will end soon!

We have so much to be thankful for this year! Our #1, besides McCoy, of course, is both of our families. They are so supporting and loving and we are so very blessed to have them in our lives! Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!