Happy Delk Christmas

Yesterday was the Happy Delk Christmas with just Joe's immediate family. We will have the Extended Delk Christmas after the new year.

The kids were excited to see their relatives and... presents!! Once again Isaac appointed himself the watcher of the gifts.



Grammy Delk brought a special hat that sang and danced. I'm surprised that Isaac put it on his head! Unfortunately I didn't get video.



And, of course, Abby attached herself to Uncle Craig. At the end of the day she didn't want Uncle Craig to leave. I offered to pack her a bag so she could go with him, but that idea didn't fly.



Andy was happy just playing with his train set. In fact, while everyone else was opening their gifts, he ignored his stack and kept on playing!I'm thinking that Focus is Andy's Superpower.



Abby got a new Cinderella doll, so now she has 2 princess babies!



Isaac got a new firetruck, complete with lights and siren. I don't see those batteries lasting long! (mostly because Joe is going to take them out!)



Uncle JD got the twins some really great water-coloring books. They use a special water marker to bring out the color on the page. The kids LOVED them and they don't make a mess, so I love them too!




Abby got some magnetic paper-dolls. They're all fashion, quiet, and came in a fancy feathered bag... what's not to love?! I can see this being used a lot during our homeschool time.



After nap time we brought out the roll-up piano from Aunt Susie and danced the night away!




You know what's crazy? We've had 3 Christmases so far, and we still have 2 more to go! It's the holiday that keeps on going! :)

Merry Christmas!

Happy Bell Christmas

This post is out of order since it happened a few weeks ago.
The first weekend in December, Joe's mom's side of the family got together to celebrate Christmas. I haven't been able to go for a few years because the kids always managed to get sick, but this year everyone was healthy!

We all met at Uncle Jack and Aunt Jodi's house in Hendersonville. The house was packed! 12 of the inhabitants were kids! Just kids! Then you add aunts, uncles, cousins, moms and dads, and Mamaw!

These are pictures that Uncle Craig took with his rockin' awesome camera.



Me and Aunt Beth



Joe took the kids outside to play. Not sure what Andy is doing here.



Playing in the leaves.



Andy loves just walking around and around. I think he was pretending to be a train on a track.



Abby planting new garden. She does have experience!



Andy eating a mini cupcake. Every time we turned around he had snatched another one off the dessert table!



Yes, she's adorable.



Mamaw and all of her Great-Grandchildren.



Mamaw and her Grandchildren. As you can see, twins run in the family! And, proof that this is a small world, the twin on the left (Marti) was Aunt Jenny's roommate in college!



Mamaw gave each of the great-grandchildren an ornament for their tree. Thank you Mamaw and Aunt Jodi!



Isaac opening his present. (this one was taken by my camera. It just doesn't compare)



Andy with Papa Delk



Abby and Uncle Jack



And we got to take home yummy fudge.

All in all, it was a wonderful visit!

Christmas 2011

When Joe and I got married we made an agreement that our children would always wake up in their beds on Christmas Day. So, the kids and I drove all the way back to Ringgold after our Christmas in Dickson. When we got home, Santa's elves had set up our tree!



Beautiful! Joe said that the Elves even let him help! So, the tree was set up and ready for Santa's visit later that night.

On Christmas morning we woke up to find that Santa had brought everyone what they had wished for.



Isaac got his Hot Wheels.



And a Hot Wheels track. Isaac really liked Cousin Joshua's set-up, so I guess Santa decided that Ike needed his own.



Andy got a new train set! The Delks also got a train set for the whole family. (it's a smaller scale. Joe's big plan is to have a set-up like Papa Joe.)



Here's video of Andy's train! Sorry it's so dark.



Abby's wish list started simple, but grew a little bigger as Christmas got closer. In the end, she wanted Princess shirts, cupcakes, and a tea party. She's lucky that Santa always pays attention!



A new Princess to have tea parties with.



Rapunzell shirt



Cinderella shirt



And Santa even left some homemade cupcakes. Since Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth, Abby decided they were Happy Birthday, Jesus cupcakes.

After presents, we got ready to go to church!



Abby with her new doll, Christmas dress, and hat from Aunt Sandy.

After church we had lunch and Abby finally got to dig into a Christmas cupcake.



Since the cakes were chocolate on chocolate, I didn't want her pretty dress to get dirty.



You know, with her chocolate goatee, she really does look like her daddy!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Dickson

On Christmas Eve I took the kids and we visited Gommy Petty. I told Joe to stay home since he had worked right up till the actual holiday and I knew he would be cranky if I told him he had to travel too. (And a cranky Joe is not a fun Joe.)

So, the kids and I, along with Aunts Susie and Sandy, Jenny and her crew, Aunt Boo, and Grammy Pat, all met in Dickson for lunch and fellowship. Considering the energy level of the kids, it's a good thing it wasn't too cold outside!





Good job, Aunt Jenny! Sidewalk chalk was a great idea!



Children of all ages loved being outdoors!



Picture time!!



The original 3 sisters.



The second generation of sisters.
Since I don't plan on giving birth to any more little divas, and I'm pretty sure Jenny is done too, it is up to Joanna to have the third generation of sisters. Good luck with that!



Queen Gommy and her Princess daughters.



I feel the need to point out that this picture contains a Christmas Miracle. I look great! :)



Isaac faithfully guarded the gifts. No one got to the tree without his notice!



Isaac was very happy with his "Bumblebee" car! He is convinced that any yellow car is secretly the Transformers Bumblebee car. He showed the car to Uncle Jason and let him know that his car was a "Robot in disguise."



Abby got new 'baby'. She's always happy to add another animal to her collection! Her bed looks like mine used to when I was younger. All her babies are lined up at the foot of her bed so she can keep watch over them.

I didn't get a picture of Andy, but he was being a cranky pain, so you're not missing much.

Last, but not least, the joint present for the kids was a roll-up piano from Aunt Susie. We pulled it out during the Happy Delk Christmas and the kids played with it after their nap.



You can tell it's after nap time by checking out Abby's hair. It curls because she gets sweaty when she sleeps. :)

Merry Christmas!

Happy Delk Thanksgiving

After spending so much time on the road, it was nice to be back at our house. On Saturday after Thanksgiving, we hosted the Happy Delk Thanksgiving. Although, due to the lack of Thanksgiving-style food, it ought to be called the Happy Delk Brunch.

The kids were excited to see everyone, especially Uncle Craig!

Airplane time!! (where Uncle Craig learns that what you do for one, you do for all!)









The twins share a little love.



Abby pretty much latched on to Craig as soon as he entered the house, and never let go.



Andy was more social and got love from Uncle JD and from Grammy Delk.




Then Andy decided to find a solitary activity.



And Isaac found baseball cards to keep him entertained.



Abby played the game Hide-the-Daddy.



After all this fun, it was time for naps! (for the kids, although I'm pretty sure Aunt Beth would have gladly slept on the couch if she was given the chance!)

It was a fun day! Can't wait for the Happy Delk Christmas!