A different kind of Christmas

Last week, as I was lugging five boxes into the post office while trying to push Hadley in the stroller & hold Shelby's hand all at the same time (thank goodness for kind strangers who are willing to hold the door for mamas with full hands!), it occurred to me that this was the very first time we've ever mailed Christmas presents home. Which then made me realize this is the very first Christmas where we'll be completely on our own. We've spent a few Christmases on our own before, but we've always celebrated with family in GA early or later after Christmas. But this is our very first Christmas just the four of us. I'm glad I didn't come to this realization any sooner, otherwise I would have been more sad! We've had so much fun already this month, and I'm really looking forward to this week...but it just feels really different. Since Derek is on call this month, we had to be here for Christmas. While it will be nice to have a quiet, low-key Christmas for a change we are really missing our families.

 Okay, before I start crying, here are a few pictures of our December fun over the past few weeks! 

The girls were with me in Target one day when I bought two rolls of wrapping paper. Who knew wrapping paper could be so fun?! They literally played with these two rolls for an entire week and complained when I finally had to use them to wrap. They were so creative with them, the rolls were horses, swords, slides, you name it! ;)

We're loving the mild winters here in SA! After 4 years in Biloxi and our time here in SA, I don't think we'll ever be able to live in a place that has real winters again!

Shelby's school had a gingerbread fundraiser one weekend this month, it was so fun!

The allergy clinic had a family Christmas party this year, and it was so fun! They had crafts for the kids, a great playground, Smores, balloon animals, and the hit of the night for Shelby--a chocolate fountain! She wasn't interested in dipping fruit in the chocolate, so one of Derek's attending doctors suggested she dip the chocolate bars from the Smores in the chocoalte fountain...Shelby was delighted with this idea & didn't leave the fountain for the rest of the night. ;)  You can see that Daddy created her a makeshift bib out of a paper napkin to help salvage her clothes!

Our first visit to the new SA aquarium!

As part of Jesus's birthday celebration at Shelby's preschool, the kids all wrote a note to Jesus at home & then the teachers attached each note to a balloon for the kids to release into the sky. This was Shelby's note. She was adamant that she had to fill up every single line on the paper for her note to Jesus. ;)

Hadley got upgraded from her high chair to a booster seat last week. She was pretty thrilled with herself. ;)

Blurry, but cute!

There are no words.

The Gallimores Christmas Party
We are incredibly thankful to be able to celebrate Christmas here in SA with friends who feel like family!

Shelby got a Frozen blanket for her birthday in September, and it's been a higly coveted posession. Hadley received a matching Doc Mc Stuffins blanket from Grammy & Grampy for Christmas. The girls are thrilled to each have a blanket! Daddy wrapped them up in their new blankets, they look like giant swaddled babies!

The hightlight of the past few days for the girls has been watching all of the packages roll in. They have loved opening up the boxes from grandparents and placing the presents under the tree, but their favorite part of all has been the bubble wrap!!! :)

Santa came through our neighborhood on a fire truck! I'm pretty sure Derek & I were more excited about this than Shelby! Apparently they do this every year in our neighborhood, but Derek & I had never seen this kind of tradition before!

Can't believe Christmas is just 3 days away!!