Pre-Christmas Fun

So, I know I'm so far behind that this can barely be called a legitimate blog anymore.  I literally just turned on my computer for the first time in two weeks....
And before I post about our amazing Christmas fun, I'd like to post about a few cool things we did leading up to Christmas.

December 7--decorated the Christmas tree
Carson was pretty sure Brandon needed help with the lights (ps-Brandon is an expert tree-lighter!)

And she was WAY more interested in the boxes than the actual ornaments

My parents gave us this pickle that you turn on and hide, and it calls out 'hints' to help you find it.  It was one of Carson's favorite things to do at the house this year.
Where's that pickle...?

Found it!

December 11--trip to Athens
The trees in downtown Athens are always lit so beautifully at Christmastime, and we mean to go every year to walk around, shop, and enjoy the feel of it.  But it never happens. So this year, we put it on our calendars and stuck to it--and were so glad we did!  We got to see my cousin Chelsea, who lives up there (no pictures :(  )

Brandon proposed to me at the botanical gardens in Athens, and we haven't been back since--so that was a definite 'must' on our trip.  This is the spot Brandon asked me to marry him 6 and a half years ago.

And here we are with our daughter in the very same spot

December 12--Carson's first big illness
We have been very blessed with a very healthy daughter so far.  Thankfully, she had a trauma-free entry into the world, we've had no trips to the ER, no ear infections, no fever over 99...until this month.  This is what 103 degrees looks like

It was sucky to watch and be able to do nothing.  It was strange to see her be so still for so long and so 'blah' about everything.  Carson was ill for about a week but then got right back to her usual self!

December 16--Carson spent her first night out without Brandon & I
We want Carson to be comfortable spending the night with her grandparents as she gets older for several reasons--it offers Brandon & I the opportunity to have a night off from time to time, and it allows her to make some cherished memories with her grandparents.
We tried it for the first time this month, and it went really well.  Carson was somewhat clingy upon her return to our house, but she has since gotten over it.
Meanwhile, I hosted my friends' monthly girls dinner, which included our second annual white elephant ornament swap. 

We had a great time and were even blessed by a visit from Paige and brand new baby Everett, who had just finally been released from the NICU.  Welcome to the world, little man!

December 18--Santa Party
Our friends Marc and Sarah have Santa come to their house every year to pass out a gift to each child and pose for some pictures with the kiddos.  I imagine it's about 3,000 times better than standing in the mall line, so we were very excited for Carson and Santa's first meeting to take place under such agreeable conditions!
This is Carson when Santa first walked in:

And she seriously contemplated being okay with sitting on his lap.

But in the end, she decided against it.

December 21--a day of shopping
This was such a fun and exhausting day!  My wonderful sister Anna came over in the morning to stay with Carson while Brandon and I started and finished our Christmas shopping.  Anna chuckled when I was giving her instructions for the day and mentioned Carson's dinner food, just in case we weren't back in time--but she probably wasn't laughing when she actually had to feed it to her that night :)
Brandon and I had a carefree but busy day together and relished the opportunity not to have to plan around meals and naps and kid-friendly stores.  We truly enjoyed each other's company and even went out to dinner at the end (don't worry--we brought Anna some!) to review and laugh about our day.  While I wouldn't recommend putting off every single gift purchase until a few days before Christmas, I just might want to do it this way again next year!

Okay, so those are the things I wanted to post about before I got to our actual Christmas festivities.  Which I will.  I swear.

Here are some more pictures from the fun.