Hands

Best Christmas EVER

Grandpa Kale made Lily the most AMAZING Christmas presents:

The bookshelf on the left (above) and the toy chest on the right! They match her changing table that he made for her this summer. Arent they just perfect?

More Pictures from the North

Here are some more - I cant possibly relate all that we did, but enjoy these random pictures.

Aunt Marsha and Cousin Johnny
McKinsey and I, holding each others babies; June is about 2 months older than Lily.
Grandma Phyllis with all of her great grandchildren.
Grandma reading to Lily.

Lily with Great Aunt Elizabeth
with Aunt Marsha...
with Uncle Denny...

Lily's Wall of Fame
Uncle Jonah's excellent guitar skills mesmerized us all!
Great-Grandma Phyllis

On the way home, we stayed with our good friends Alison (above) and Nate in Louisville, and got to see our friend Gina (below) too!

First Big Trip (an Illinois Christmas)

We arrived in Springfield in the middle of the night; Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Jonah were all waiting up for us! Their home is beautifully decorated for Christmas. Lily really loved the Christmas tree.
She did pretty well in the car on the way there, though Jeremy and I realized we arent as young as we used to be - night driving is not fun!
Lily loved the books Grandma got her for Christmas! Grandpa made her an AMAZING toy box and book shelf (more on that later!).

Lily helping Grandma put on her makeup :) Too cute!

Gramps and Lily

Cousin Courtney, Granny, and Lily!Her favorite Uncle Jonah!!

Lawhon Christmas in Nashville

We had a great time in Nashville for the extended Lawhon Christmas! Grandma Betty, Uncle Cary, and my cousins Kelly, Heather, and Dustin all got to meet Lilian for the first time!! It was nice to see Uncle Cary's house, and Grandma fixed some AMAZING food (as usual!). Here are a few shots of the weekend.

The happiest christmas baby I have ever known...
...with the biggest head, apparently. (The hat Grandma got her was waaaay to small!)

Lost in the Prairie Land

We have prolonged our visit in IL by several days, because we can! Besides, Lily Mae is LOVING every minute of her time with Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Jonah. She has met almost every family member with the name Walker or Waltzer somewhere in their past, present, or future! I still dont have the means to upload pictures or videos, but look for these posts this coming weekend...

- Lily meets Grandma Betty and the extended Lawhons
- Toy chest & and Book Shelf made by Grandpa
- Cousin Johnny makes Lily laugh like never before
- Lily hangs out with the Waltzer Clan
- Photo Shoot in Cute outfit from Great Aunt Elizabeth
- Photo Shoot on Grandmas bedspread
- Lily plays with her Christmas toys
- Lily wrestles with lifesize American Doll, and wins
-....and much, much more

I have really missed updating the blog, and hope I havent lost any faithful readers! I will make up for it when we get home.

Happy New Year - make use of this opportunity to commit to love more.

Out of Order

We are in the Prairie Land. Christmas was beautiful and meaningful. I dont have a way to connect to the internet from our computer, so I probably wont be posting for awhile... Try not to cry :)

Just Good People

For 5 Christmases now, Jeremy and I have been using dollar store stockings, with our names written in permanent marker on the cheap material. This was fine, until Lilian came along. Dollar store stockings simply did not cut it for her. I searched for something special - a unique, perhaps locally-made stocking that wasnt too incredibly pricey.... nope.
Our friend Sarah ("Aunt Sarah" to Lily) noticed our plight and offered her own Grandma to make Lily a stocking - I was completely thrilled since she already made us a beautiful baby blanket. A few days later, not one, but THREE stockings arrived!! Arent they AMAZING!?!? I am thrilled beyond belief. Many, Many thanks to Sarah's Grandma Betty. Once again, I am reminded of how blessed we are to know so many generous and thoughtful people!

Christmas with Papaw, Mimi, and Aunt Haley

We just returned from celebrating Christmas in SC! Our time there was a good blend of Christmas fun, relaxing, and playing with Lily - complete with Amy Grant Christmas, London Broil, and a Christmas shrub. As you can tell from the picture below, she had a pretty good time. (Toby, you know we missed you.)


Dad helped her open all her presents! She loves sleeping with this soft little doll made from organic cotton.
Thanks Mimi and Papaw for all the fun toys!!
This is one of the gifts Jeremy and I got for her first Christmas! Its a crazy-looking wood and cloth "doll" (from Hearthsong) with all kinds of noises and textures to play with.
PS - the picture is not exaggerating the size of her belly. It is really that big.

Aunt Haley holds the title of "Favorite Aunt" hands down!!
Mimi making Lily smile

So, I'm pretty sure you will agree with me, after viewing the above video, that my child is brilliant. :) Sorry about the spit-up at the end. She does that a lot.

Mimi reading Lily a Christmas book.

Lily Mae's first Christmas

Until now, I have not been able to post about Lily's first Christmas season. I think this is for the same reason I was never able to post about the Baby Dedication Sunday at our church in October...because there is something so sacred in experiencing such a special event or holiday for the first time as a new family.

But never fear, although it may seem we dont celebrate 'round here in -lizabethton, TN, we are embracing this Advent season and making merry in general :)

Here are some highlights from earlier this month, to be followed by pictures from the Lawhon family Christmas in SC. And coming soon: extended Lawhon Christmas, and a White (hopefully) Walker Christmas in IL!

Thanks to Aunt Haley for supplying the cute outfit above.
OK, so we had no idea (though we should have anticipated) how entrancing Christmas lights on the tree would be!! We were so sad to not get a real tree, but Lilian doesnt mind at all!! She literally stares at it for hours...

Thanks Ewings for this adorable outfit!!

A Christmas Message for YOU

Regarding Christmas Gifts

Although our families are not giving traditional gifts this year, Jeremy and I still want to give Lilian something special to commemorate her first Christmas. We are thinking of something age-appropriate, yet timeless; useful and fun - preferably not something plastic, made in China, or over $30.... that narrows it down, huh. Any ideas? I was browsing the internet and saw some things like this and that. I would love some advice!

PS. how cute is that dress?!?