christmas eve with the dyers

Merry Christmas from the Dyers!

the Christmas card picture 2010

christmas eve breakfast

Every year we do a breakfast brunch with my college roommates on the morning of Christmas eve at the Original Pancake House.  This Christmas eve was no different, except we missed Jessica!  She was out of town in honor of her first married Christmas.

 And then a group shot - sometimes we do just girls and sometimes we do + significant others - it was so fun this year to spend time with the hubbys and the boyfriends.

Marcy, Adam, Adam, Lindsay, Wade, and Kim (and Caden in Kim's tummy)

Can't wait until next year!

christmas cookies

On the Wednesday before Christmas we headed down to my parents house and made Christmas cookies.  It brought back so many memories watching Caleigh and Andrew roll (and eat) the dough, use cookie cutters, and then ice and decorate the cookies with my mom.  It was such a sweet time [pun intended :) ].  

 Andrew kicked off the afternoon with some dancing for us...

This was really the first time Andrew was exposed to cooking - he helps me make the coffee (ie use the coffee grinder and push the buttons on the coffee machine) from time to time but he doesn't get to do much else.  He was so hilarious.  I was laughing the whole time because he was so funny.  He was making the biggest mess you could ever imagine all while eating more that you could believe.  It was adorable and so funny.

He did so well and loved it!

This is what he did the whole time - eat, eat, eat.  He would have one cookie in each hand and take a bite out of each one, then put them down, pick up 2 new ones, and take a bite out of each of those.

Caleigh, of course, did such a great job.  She loves to help cook.  She was very serious though - the smile below is one of very few I was able to get on the camera.  Every time I tried to take a picture of her she would say, "Mama, I'm busy right now."  

Andrew eating, of course...

Such a cute picture - love that Andrew has one cookie in each hand and that Caleigh, so sweetly, has her arm around Gigi.

And here is a fabulous video that seriously sums up the entire afternoon.  So funny...

What a great time!  Thanks to PopPop, Gigi, and KK!

christmas bears

 As is our usual week before Christmas tradition, we took a trip with the Dirks and the Kulps on the trolley, uptown to Founders Hall to see the fabulous animatronic Christmas bears (big teddy rumpkins - think Chucky Cheese - that sing Christmas songs).  

 (Andrew, Caleigh, Bennett, Ally Macurda, Celia, Maggie, Henry, and Camilla)
The kids did a great rendition of We Wish You a Merry Christmas but I only caught the last like 5 seconds on video - here it is...

Andrew was really kind of freaked out by the bears at first; he warmed up eventually but definitely didn't love them.

And here is Caleigh doing an extremely 'serious' dance to the music of the Christmas bears - seriously the girl doesn't crack a smile the entire time she is dancing!

We packed a lunch and enjoyed time together.  This is one of my favorite pre-Christmas traditions!

the Nutcracker

On Saturday, Caleigh and I joined our good friends the Dirks (Carrie and Maggie) for a fun time at the Nutcracker ballet.  We saw a fun, family-friendly (read: not scary, not too long, not too many people getting annoyed by little kiddos), pre-professional dance group in Charlotte perform favorites from the Nutcracker and it was great!  Caleigh and Maggie both loved it (including the chairs that kept trying to "eat" them) and they did a great job!

 Mommy and sweet Cals.

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Ms. Carrie and sweet Maggie.

 The girls (the boys were all hanging out at our condo - little boys playing little boy games and big boys playing big boy games - read: old-school Nintendo and iPhone Angry Birds).

 Love this sweet shot - I hope they are friends for a long time to come!

 And they got to meet a real ballerina - how exciting!

We all loved it and had a great time - I can't wait to add this to our list of Christmas traditions! :)

school christmas celebration

Caleigh had a Christmas celebration at her school on December 16th from 12 - 1.  The parents were all invited and we LOVED seeing our little girl "in her element."  She was probably the most outgoing I have ever seen her away from home.  I love knowing that she feels comfortable enough at school to be herself!  The kids 'dressed' as little red-nosed reindeer.  Caleigh was so proud of her little red nose.

Caleigh and her sweet teacher, Ms. Beverly.

I have loved that Caleigh has a little community of friends from church that are also in her class at school  - sweet Camilla Kulp (here with Caleigh) and also sweet Walker Andrews.  What a blessing!

 And what is a preschool party without cookies and juice boxes.

 Andrew enjoyed checking out the classroom too.  I don't think Andrew will start preschool in the fall of 2011 (he will only be 2 years and 2ish months - definitely one of the youngest - when Caleigh started she was about to turn 3).  For now we are hoping that he might start halfway through the year in January of 2012 - but we will see what the Lord has in store for us!

Caleigh had such a good first 'semester' of preschool and we have had such a great experience there - we are looking forward to the spring!

Andrew: 18 month update

My sweet Andrew man is 18 months - it is hard to believe - time flies.  What a sweet, silly, smart, focused, wild, all-boy boy he is becoming!  I realized I haven't done an Andrew update in forever, probably not since he was 1.  He seems so much like a toddler or little boy now and not at all like a baby.  As you can see from this picture he is absolutely ADORABLE.  I am completely smitten with him.  

Chapel Hill

UNC versus Kentucky basketball game

Our first time back at the Dean Dome in several years.

And a surprise upon leaving after watching an exhilarating Tar heels win: SNOW!

We had no idea it was going to snow, especially Graham who, when deciding not to wear a jacket before coming in to the game, remarked, "How cold can it be?"

... Apparently cold enough to snow!

We had a great time walking around campus and remarking about how much it has changed since we were there last!

The snow made the campus so beautiful and reminded me of the many times we experienced snow while we were in Chapel Hill.  I'm sure I have the picture from every year we were in college!

We had a great time and it was a great day trip for us!

purple princess party

On Tuesday Caleigh had a 4th birthday celebration! (seems excessive now that I write it - but school, with everyone on Thanksgiving, with us on her actual birthday, and her friend party).  Truthfully I was planning to forgo a friend birthday party this year but Caleigh kept saying she wanted a "purple princess party" and that she "want my friends to come over and sing happy birthday to me."  So we had a little party for her.  I did my best to make a purple princess cake... (just don't look at the edges)

 Caleigh and her friends decorated princess faces (for the girls) and pirate faces (for the boys).

 And the girls dressed up as beautiful princesses of course.

 Camilla, Caleigh, Maggie, Henry, and Andrew showing off their handiwork.

 And their actual faces...

 Caleigh LOVED it when everyone sang happy birthday to her so we did it twice - before presents and before cake!  She was so grateful for her presents and loved opening them.

Adam and I did the cake cutting honors...

Thanks for coming and celebrating with us friends!