Couldn't Resist...

Since it was 80 degrees today (yes, in December...remember...we live in Mississippi), Anna Lauren got to play outside for a little while this afternoon. She decided she wanted to climb one of the trees in Nanna's yard, and I got some pictures I could not resist posting...

Christmas Day...

So...here is how we spent our Christmas Day...

We woke up at our house to see what Santa left for Anna Lauren...at first, Anna Lauren was not too sure of what was going on...she just sat in the chair and looked at us like what is the big deal, here?

Anna Lauren finally warmed up and decided to take a "peak" in her stocking...she found candy, sippie cups, tootbrushes that light up, toothpaste, and some new monogrammed bloomers.

Then she decided to take a "peak" into the refridgerator...only to find mustard, ketchup, coke, sprite, and many other goodies...

Oh wait...she needed to call Ha G (Holli Grace) and see what Santa brought her...

Look at this...Santa left Anna Lauren some chicken baking in the oven...it was done are ready to eat!

It was such a special morning...all of Anna Lauren's grandparents (Nanna, MeMe, and Poppie) spent the night and were there to see what Santa brought. Now...it took two grandmothers to convince her to put socks on her little feet!

Anna Lauren "loved" opening the presents...she opened hers as well as everyone else's. This continued pretty much throughout the whole day.

Mommy got new cycling shoes and Anna Lauren was determined she needed to wear them...

Around lunch time, we headed to Brookhaven to have Christmas with my family. Nanna buys the boys (Reid, Ashton, and Jake) nutcrackers every year. And yes, it was 70 degrees, but obviously Ashton loves his hat!

This picture is not the best, but it was so sweet...Anna Lauren realized she was not in the picture so she went and stood beside the boys and said "cheese"...

I love Bently's face in this picture...her mommy loves bows and thinks she should wear one at all times. But...Bently doesn't agree with her mommy as we can see by her face in this picture!

And last but not least, we had Christmas with my mom's side of the family Christmas night. As you can see, we are not professional photographers, but we did try to take a picture of all the little kids...we didn't chance putting Bently and Mallory (our newest additions) in the mix.

Merry Christmas from the Calverts...

Just wanted to take a minute to wish all of you a Merry Christmas...

I'm not sure who is more excited at our house...Anna Lauren or mommy and daddy? Tomorrow we are going to decorate cookies for Santa with our neighbor Adam as well as put out some reindeer food in our yard and Adam's...we want the reindeer to have a snack while Santa is delivering toys to Anna Lauren, Adam, and baby Jack. They have been good so hopefully Santa will be good to them!

Christmas day we will head to Brookhaven and spend a few days there and from there head to Gulfport for few days. Then...we will be back at home for a week before returning to work and school...we are so blessed to have the jobs we have...I wouldn't trade anything in the world for the time we are going to get to spend with Anna Lauren this year!

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas...however, please take a few minutes during this holiday season to focus on the real meaning. We all get so busy that I think we often forget to take time to realize why we are "really" celebrating Christmas.

What a Privelage...

We got a phone call back in August that took us by surprise...Mandi, will you and Matt teach Sunday School every other week. Matt said no way, and I said let's think about it a day or so before we make a decision...and what a wonderful decision we have made. The picture below is our "regular" group...some Sundays more, some Sundays less, but these are pretty much there every Sunday and we have grown to love these children and so thankful for the privelage we have to teach them about Jesus! And of course, Mr. Matt is a hit...as he is with all children...if he gets out of their sight, all I hear is...where is Mr. Matt, where is Mr. Matt, where is Mr. Matt?

Happy Birthday Joey...

Saturday night we celebrated my brother's birthday...Nanna kept all the kids so me, Matt, my two brothers, and their wives could go out to dinner to celebrate Joey's birthday. We had a very nice dinner and were so glad we could be there to celebrate his birthday with him!

Thanks for letting us celebrate your special day with you, Joey...we love you!

Joey and his wife, Barbie...

Canton ~ City of Lights...

Friday night, Nanna brought Reid and Jake (nephews) and we went to Canton for a fun night of lights. The kids all had a great time looking at lights, riding the carousel, going on a carriage ride, and eating beignets. It was a fun night for all...

Anna Lauren loved the carousel and she and daddy waved at me every time they went around...the only bad part was the line was so long that she only got to ride it once. However, she was later entertained with a bottle of water (notice her shirt in the next picture) while waiting in line for the carriage ride.

Nanna, Anna Lauren, and Mommy waiting in line for our carriage ride around the square...

Reid and Jake enjoying the carriage ride...

Anna Lauren's Christmas Program...

Anna Lauren had her Christmas program at school on Friday...and wow...she did so good, and her mommy and daddy were so proud! The toddlers sang (not really) and rang their bells to Jingle Bells. It was amazing to me that they all sat on the stage and for the most part rang their bells throughout the whole song...no running away, crying mommy, etc. And really, Anna Lauren did jingle her bells throughout the whole song...she loved it!

Matt snapped this picutre of Anna Lauren's class waiting to walk down the aisle and begin the program....Anna Lauren and Holli Grace are in Miss Rachel's lap...what a surprise! If you have not heard the story, Anna Lauren loves Rachel (Ra Ra) and most days cries when she has to leave Ra Ra and go home with her mommy. We are so blessed to have Ra Ra...she loves Anna Lauren and takes such good care of her every afternoon!

Anna Lauren jingling her bells...

Towards the end of the song, Anna Lauren decided she needed to stand up...I guess she thought she was not getting enough attention. Notice all of her friends are sitting down and she is standing...it was cute...and then, she decided to pull her dress up...memories we will always cherish!

Santa...

This past Thursday, we headed out to dinner and Bass Pro Shop with our neighbors (Billy, Katie, Adam, and Jack). To our amazement, the kids did fairly well through dinner and off to Bass Pro Shop we headed with no idea how the kids would react to Santa. Again, to our amazement, they did really good. Jack (5 months old) was very content sitting in Santa's lap, Adam was very content standing in front of Santa, and Anna Lauren was very content being held by mommy, who was sitting in Santa's lap. I was pleased with Anna Lauren's reaction to Santa because I anticipated her to scream her head off and not go anywhere near him.

Anna Lauren playing on the rocks at Bass Pro Shop, while waiting on Adam and Jack...

Jack and Adam with Santa...

Anna Lauren, Mommy, and Santa...

Anna Lauren and Daddy shooting at the targets...Bass Pro Shop was the perfect outing for the kids ~ free pictures with Santa, they could write a letter to Santa, color a Christmas picture, shoot at the targets, and play on the "normal" stuff.

Anna Lauren and Adam riding on the gator (or some type of recreatinal vehicle)...

Just One Simple Picture...

All I wanted was just one picture of Anna Lauren in her Christmas dress in front of the Christmas tree...is that asking too much? Well, according to Anna Lauren it is asking "way" too much...so...the picture below is all we got. Notice how she is barely standing by the tree...trying to sneak off to "be funny / aggravate her parents"...we so have our hands full!

On Friday, Anna Lauren has her Christmas program at school...I mean is she really old enough to sing in a Christmas program? It is my understanding they will be singing Jingle Bells and ringing bells, which are attached to their wrists (bracelets I'm assuming). This should be a disaster in the making...I cannot wait to see what happens when these little toddlers walk onto the stage and see their parents in the crowd...not to mention this is in the big sanctuary...not just a little room at school. Oh what a memory this will be and a mommy sitting in the crowd with tears because she is so proud of her little girl...or...tears of embarrasment because she is acting like the "real" Anna Lauren...I will keep you posted on the performance...Matt and I cannot wait!

Blogging...Once Again...

When my brother informed me this week that I had not blogged since November 16th, I figured it was time to blog again. My brother...I mean come on...I didn't even know he read my blog!

I know this is very "unlike" us, but we have not taken many pictures lately...I'll try to get some of Anna Lauren this weekend...that should be interesting as she screams "no" when I pick up the camera these days. If only she could say "no mam"...this "no" business drives me crazy...I am the mommy who makes the rules not Anna Lauren, right? Would someone please tell her that?

As most of you know, for the past 22 weeks, Matt and I have been training for the St. Jude 1/2 marathon...well, the time came, and we raced last weekend. Despite the cold, we had a great run and finished within our "goal" time! Thanks to Nanna we got to spend the weekend in Memphis and have a little Matt and Mandi time, which is always nice! Below are a few pictures of us...the first one is around mile 4ish and the rest are of us finishing...