Beep! Beep!

Well, here is what Santa got me and Ryan the family for Christmas......

 Honda Pilot

My husband is the best husband ever.  This was a Christmas Eve surprise.  He told me that we were going to "price" and "decide what you really want".  Our plans (I thought) was to wait another 6 months or so.  But nope, he bought it for me that day...as everyone was trying to go home for the holiday.  We probably set a record for quickest car sale and paperwork ever.

I love you honey.  My dreamboat.  My knight in shining armor.  The love of my life. (For real, he is a wonderful husband and daddy)

 Ryan and I will be riding in style!  The Hamptons will be riding in style!

Merry Christmas to me us!!

18 months. Repeat. Repeat.

Ryan Claire is now 18 months old.  A year and a half.  She's growing up too fast and I cherish each day like never before.  Who knew that the love between 2 people could create such a miracle?  A miracle that I know without a doubt is a gift from God.

At 18 months Ryan likes to repeat everything that she hears.  It's so cute until she repeats me saying "shoot" and then says it repeatedly for 2 hours like it's the only word she knows. 

At 18 months she still likes her "nax" (snacks) but now it's all about "pips" (chips) and "joos" (juice).  I have to tell her no and she does not like it.

She knows how to tell us that she wants to watch t.v.  "Dora, mommy"... "mote"(remote).  She also knows how to tell me what she doesn't want. "nowantdat" (No want that) and nods her head along with it. 

At her 18 month check up she weighed 25lbs 6oz. and measured 33in.  She's in the 99% for height.  I knew she was tall but not THAT tall.  (SUPERMODEL STATUS)

I love that she's putting words together to make little sentences and phrases.  I love that her bossy-ness and the fact that she wants things her way is beginning to shine.  She's a little shy around strangers (her shyness seems more like she has an attitude) but after a while she'll warm up but still be very cautious.

I am her favorite person.  The past couple of weeks she's become super attached to me that I'm afraid what will happen when I return to work in a few days.

She's still a fabulous eater and will eat anything that I cook and plays well by herself and with her cousins.  But that whole repeating everything is something else.  She does it when you want her to AND when you don't even realize that she's even listening to you.

Her uncle Matt LOVES to make her say things.  She has him wrapped around her finger.

I love seeing her learn so many new things.  It is amazing how babies are such sponges.  This is the best time of my life.  I can't wait to see what else God has in store.

Christmas 2011

Christmas Eve:

Christmas did not disappoint this year.  This was by far my most FAVORITE Christmas ever.  Ryan was the perfect age to enjoy the holiday.  She didn't care about the opening presents and wrapping paper part but had a blast playing with her new treasures and family being around.  Luckily she's not old enough to wake up at the crack of dawn to open presents.  Hopefully, she will never be that child.

Since Christmas fell on a Sunday we knew we had to get ready for church but we couldn't possibly leave without any gifts being opened.  We headed downstairs so that the kids (my sister, nephew, and brother celebrated Christmas with us this year) could see what Santa left them and open up one gift.

Then it was time for church.

After church we made a stop by R's parent's house for our annual Christmas brunch and gift exchange with them.  Then we headed home to finish our own Christmas....

There was a wardrobe change.

Then the fun began!

She LOVED the Dora 4-wheeler (Santa brought), we literally had to pull her off of it to eat.  She LOVED the Dora table that her Poppy (my dad) got her, and she wrote her "name" (what she says when she's writing) at the table between riding the 4-wheeler.  And she LOVED the Dora doll that her Gammie (my mother) bought, she kissed and hugged Dora the Explorer all. day. long.  She opened the gifts that my sister and brother bought her and added the cell phone from Uncle Blake to her Olivia purse and held the DORA shirt that my sister bought her for several minutes before dropping it to return to riding her Dora 4-wheeler. 

She did not open, AT ALL, any of the gifts that her daddy and I bought.

NONE of them.
 
It was the next day before I bribed her into opening the rest of her presents and she was done after the 2nd one of those with 3 more left.  So, I took it upon myself to just save those last few gifts.  I put them away for her to have for the next holiday...MLK Day??  LOL. 
I guess next year I'll just let everyone else do the shopping....

No but for real, I did put some up because she had plenty and I didn't want her to be overwhelmed with STUFF.  Besides, I want to start early for her to understand that Christmas is not about getting a million gifts.
With that being said I started 2 traditions of my own this year.  The first was the "Jesus birthday cake"

And the second was the family pictures with my signs (which my brother and sister teased me for making BUT enjoyed taking pictures with them)

Us(The Hamptons)

(Sorry honey that Evan chopped the top of your head off!)

Chanel and Jaiden (my sister and nephew)

Blake and Kamryn (my brother and niece)

 Evan (my brother--the youngest)

And that was Christmas at my house.  It was chaotic but perfect.  It was the BEST Christmas ever.  I love becoming the matriarch of my family.  I mean, I cooked Christmas dinner and everything all by myself.  Mom and Grandma were out of town this year so we had to fend for ourselves and I must say that I did a pretty good job.  We had a good time together, watching our kids play and laughing and reminiscing with each other.

I pray that we have many more Christmas' together like this one.  I am truly blessed.

Oh, and while I did NOT get the new camera that I hoped for.  I got something way better...

**Details coming soon**

~Natisha

Holidays at the Hamptons

I love Christmas time more than ever now that we have our angel baby.  I love decorating the house and each year I plan to make it even more grand than the previous.

Last year was Ryan's first Christmas.  She had pneumonia.  It was not the event that I had hoped for, you know, the "Baby's First Christmas" thing.  So this year I've been making up for it.

I started buying Christmas clothes in September.  She has enough Christmas attire to last just about everyday up until Christmas.  Here are a few some of my favorite ("favorite" meaning I remembered to grab the camera) shots:

She learned how to do deco-mesh and sort through ornaments.













Santa was not her bff.

Our decorations turned out FABULOUS.

I feel like a kid when I say,

"I can't wait until Christmas!"

Sleeping Beauty

Sunday mornings are usually pretty hectic.  I mean, you would think that early Sunday while getting ready for church is the calmest time for anyone.

Not in the House of Hamptons. 

No matter how prepared I get the night before we always seem to rush, and the most challenging time is having to fight with Ryan to comb her hair and get her dressed.

This past Sunday was heaven. 

Perfection

This is what she did while I combed her hair...

and she stayed this way all the up until she go dressed.

It was amazing.

And then when we were ready to go she wouldn't be still for me to take an "after" picture.
(but that doesn't matter--the important part are the pictures that you see above.)

Pig Sooie!

My only regret about this outfit is that her first cheerleading outfit is a U of Arkansas uniform and not a Tennessee State one.

Either way, I think this is TOO CUTE.

Whew!

It's hard work being a cheerleader!

Grateful

This year we hosted our first Thanksgiving.  It turned out great although I'll have to practice my turkey roasting before next year.

I am so grateful for all the things I have been blessed with.

Family

Ryan

and my love

I am also grateful for the blessings we have yet to receive.