Merry Christmas!

It's so hard to believe that Christmas has already come & gone. All the weeks of planning are over in a blink on Christmas morning. But, seeing your child so happy & filled with delight makes it all worth it!

Molly has become really fond of Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, so Santa did a really good job when he brought this...

Molly had become a little hesitant about Ellie (the elf) going back to the North Pole, so Santa left Molly a note reassuring her that Ellie would be back again next year. And, since Molly had taken such good care of Ellie, he had left her another present outside.

Too bad it was flooding rain when we got up that morning, but Molly sure made up for it later in the day when the trampoline had time to dry off!

Later that night, we had Christmas with Mrs. Lisa, Brian, Maria, Tucker & of course, Lucky. We had a delicious meal & then opened so many wonderful gifts.

We got together with my family on Sunday for some more great food, family, gifts & fun! But, without a doubt, the hit of the day was the kids' new bicycles...Even Daddy & I enjoyed them...

I hope you all had a great holiday & Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

More of Ellie's Escapades...

Ellie's continued to be a busy little elf around our house lately. Molly has gotten herself really attached to her new holiday visitor & is already starting to dread Ellie having to go back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Hopefully, the new toys from Santa will pre-occupy enough, though. Here are a few of Ellie's latest escapades...

Playing the Wii...

Looking for a snack in the pantry...

See if you can you find her here...

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

Oh, Ellie...

Oh, Oh, Ellie...

Temporarily Insane

Last Friday, I took on a task that would push the patience of even the calmest of all people. What, you ask? I chaperoned a field trip with Molly & 200 other 4 year-olds to the Savannah Mall to see Santa! I know, I know...I was temporarily insane. And, I definitely needed a drink afterwards!

Molly & her classmates enjoyed it so much, though. They got to ride the carousel...And, the train...We visited Bass Pro, of course...And, then finally, they got to see Santa...What a day!!! Needless to say, Molly & I took a LONG nap that afternoon when we got home.

Saturday night was Christmas at my grandparents. We only have 3 little ones on that side of my family, so they are always showered with gifts. These three are usually a little difficult to photograph with all of them smiling at the same time. However, that stack of presents behind them, made for a great bribery tool...I had planned on doing black & white photos of Molly in the cotton field for our Christmas card pictures this year. But, the weather had other things in mind! It has not stopped raining long enough for us to do any outdoor pictures, so I finally broke down & snapped some inside this weekend. Here's a sneak peek...

And, yes, Ellie is still up to her escapades at our house. I will be sure to post some new pics of her adventures on here soon...maybe tomorrow!

Meet Ellie...

Currently, we have one of Santa's "Magic Elves" staying at our house. Her name is Ellie, and boy, is she ever mischievious!

Molly found Ellie underneath her tree Tuesday evening with a note from Santa and Ellie's Journal. The letter explained that Ellie was there to observe Molly's behavior & make note of it (good or bad) in her journal. She will be picked up by Santa when he stops by our house on Christmas Eve.

The letter also explained that Ellie is a bit mischievious & that Molly should also make note of this in Ellie's journal so that Santa will know. So far, Ellie has strung toilet paper all over the house, hid in the dollhouse, spilled ornaments across the dining room table and this....

I guess she's "fishing" for a midnight snack!

Needless to say, Molly is really enjoying Ellie's escapades!

HP TouchSmart 600

Wow, MckMama is giving away a new HP TouchSmart 600 computer with wireless keyboard and mouse! So, hop on over to her site & leave a comment...just like that, you're entered to win. And if you blog about it (like I'm doing now), you get 2 entries...cool!

Happy Holidays!

Yes, the holidays are upon us & at the Hammock household, things have been pretty busy lately. Last week was jam-packed with activities & early Christmas parties. Here are a few of the highlights...

Thursday night, we had my office party to attend. This group of kids do not get to see each other very often, but they always play together like they're the best of friends. It is always fun to see how much they've grown from year to year. For example, look at the following pictures. Each year, I take a picture of Molly & Jadyn sitting in the same chair. These two little girls are only 3 days apart in age & always have a great time with each other.

This was their first Christmas....

The next year's picture was a little more difficult trying to tame 1 year-olds...

But, nothing compared to 2 year-olds...

Then, things started to get easier....

And, this year only required one snap of the camera...

Man, they are growing up WAY too fast!

Friday was a busy day as well. We started off the morning at Molly's school doing Christmas arts & crafts with her class. She really enjoyed making a reindeer shirt with her foot & hand prints and her very first gingerbread house, too!

After school, we had to get ready for 2 Christmas parties that night. The first was Molly's dance party. Even though the night started off a little rainy, it quickly cleared up enough that the kids were able to enjoy the big bouncy slide. We made a quick appearance and then, it was back to the house to get ready for our second party of the night. Each year, we get together with 4 of my long-time friends and their families to celebrate Christmas. And each year, we have a blast! It was great to see them all & the kids had a ball playing together!

Saturday, Molly danced at the fairgrounds and since only 3 of the 10 girls in her group showed up, let's just say it was an "interesting" performance! Line changes, two trains & a triangle formation are pretty difficult to pull off with less than half of the group there. They made the best of it, though, and we were very proud of them.

Now, that the first week of the holiday season is behind us...let's see what the rest of the month has in store!

Early Thanksgiving Mugshots

Today, Eric, Mrs. Lisa and I were able to join Molly at her school for an early Thanksgiving lunch. She was very excited to have us see her in "her world" at school.

We were greeted with place settings like this one designed by our little hostess...

She & her classmates were all decked out in their pilgrim & indian hats.

Molly was quick to point out that she was a pilgrim "lady"!

We had a great time visiting with our little pilgrim lady today.

But, for the life of me, I cannot understand why Eric ALWAYS looks like he's taking a mugshot when I try to get a picture of him...

Always... But, these three surely do not have any trouble smiling...

Eric's 1st Deer of the Season...

Wonderfully Wordless Wednesday

Halloween Spook-tacular

Saturday night was our 7th annual Hammock Halloween Spooktacular. It's amazing to think back at how much this Halloween party has changed over the years. It used to be mostly adults and would last into the wee hours of the next morning. Now, it's all about the kids & gets over with a lot earlier. It's always been a lot of fun for adults & kids alike, though. And, this year was no exception...