Cade and the Christmas Decorations...Friday's Giveaway

I spent a full six hours visiting with Cade on Wednesday. That was our longest visit ever, I think. Usually his visits are more in the two hour range. His mama needed time for some party preparations.

I was curious to see how Cade would react to my Christmas decorations, but he did really good. He just kept pointing to the tree and saying"Wazzat?" Only once did he go over and try to pull the roping off.

He was most amazed by the fake snow (fluffy fiberfill)on the carpet. He got a handful and pulled it all apart-- looking at it carefully. It stuck to his fingers and he wasn't so sure about that!

He hadn't been for a visit in a little over a week and a half, so he was more than ready to play with his toys! He went straight for the Handy Manny musical tool box. By the time he went home, he'd played with everything at least twice.

My favorite part of his visit was taking a nap with him. It's so sweet to cuddle with a sleeping baby, and he was so cute when he woke up! His hair was standing up all over his head! I should've taken a picture!

Now, for Friday's giveaway...The prize this weekend is a paint book and paints. I love watercolor paints, as do most children. Painting was always a very popular activity with my first grade students.

To have a chance to win this prize, just choose any number between 1 and 55. Whoever comes the closest to the number chosen by Random.org-- without going over-- will win. You may choose up to three numbers, and leave your guesses in the form of a comment. Contest ends on Sunday night at midnight EST.

This will be my last giveaway for the year 2009. Good luck to everyone!

Click here to see the entire Giveaway Blog Hop List....

Cade's Coming To Visit MiMi

I am up bright and early this morning in anticipation of a visit from my favorite "little man" Cade! It's been almost a couple of weeks since he visited our house. I believe it was the Friday after Thanksgiving when he last visited.

Cade hasn't seen any of MiMi's Christmas decorations, so I think he will have some big eyes when he enters the house. It will be interesting to see his reaction!

I did have a brief visit with Cade last Friday night during our 4 hour visit to Chili's. That is one good child! Anytime you can keep an eleven month old in a restaurant for 4 hours without a "meltdown" is a miracle--and we did it!

I have purchased an "elf on the shelf" for Cade, but haven't given it to him. He's too young for it this year, but will probably enjoy it next year. I wonder what he will name his elf...

There's a good chance that today will be the last day that I will see Cade until his birthday. Ahhhh..The little man will be turning one on Saturday. It's so hard to believe that he's been with us for a year already.

I hear that he's taking steps, but I've only seen him take two. Looking forward to seeing that! Guess I'd better go and make a final check to make sure everything is secure before he arrives. I'll have a full report tomorrow...Have a great day, I know I will!

Tuesday Blog Hop...Favorite Ornaments

Today's blog hop is supposed to be about my favorite ornament, but I found that an impossible task... I don't have just one favorite--I have many! I've chosen to share the ornaments of my grandchildren and their parents.

I ordered this ornament for our tree the year that Madison was born. I put her hospital picture in the frame. This is the fourth Christmas that it has hung on our tree.

It was hard to get a close up picture of this angel ornament because it hangs near the top of the tree, but this was my daughter, Brandy's, ornament on her first Christmas. It's been hanging on our tree for 31 years. Brandy is Madison's mother.

I bought this sled ornament for my oldest son, Brett, on his second Christmas. It's been on the Christmas tree every year since then. The ornament is about 25 years old. Brett is Caden's daddy.

This was Caden's first ornament on my tree. I bought it and put a picture of Cade and his family in it. The picture was taken on the day they brought him home from the hospital. This is the second year that I've had it on the tree.

There are so many more ornaments on our Christmas tree that I love. I can look at the tree as it slowly rotates in it's stand and see bits and pieces of my life on that tree...

I see some of the ornaments from mine and Ed's first year as man and wife...there are our baby's ornaments with dates of birth and weights on them...I see ornaments from work...we have ornaments from friends...I see ornaments from our vacations...there are ornaments that people made...I see ornaments that I made...I have a bird on the tree that came from my mother's funeral arrangement...I have a bird's nest in the tree that a relative (who has now passed away) gave us many years ago...there are 2 ornaments that hung on my mother's Christmas tree when I was a child...each ornament means something to me. I remember where I got most of them. I love each and every ornament on our lovely rotating Christmas tree...

Click here to enter your link in the blog hop and view the entire list of entered links...

Not Me Monday!

Yes, it is actually Monday again, and time to tell you what Madison did not do this weekend! This blog carnival was created by mckmama at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

She did not wait all day Friday with great anticipation to go to the annual night-time Christmas Parade...only to get disappointed when it began to rain 2 hours before the start of the parade!

Madison did not have to settle for a shopping trip to Big Lots instead of watching the parade in the rain. Madison did enjoy the toy aisles--but it wasn't a parade!

After missing the parade and shopping at Big Lots, Madison did not wait in line at Chili's restaurant with her mother's entire family--for 2 whole hours just to get a table! Madison is thinking: What in the world were those people thinking? Hello--McDonalds was open with no wait! Daddy, they have birthday parties at McDonalds, too...

Madison did not go with her mother to pick out a birthday cake for her daddy...then spoil the secret by telling him that he had a cake! Madison's mama did not declare that the curse of the ugly birthday cakes had rubbed off from me to her! (When I order cakes, I always get stuck with ugly cakes for some reason) She was less than pleased with the cake.

Aunt Nina(Cade's mama) told us that there was another night-time Christmas Parade on Saturday night in a different town. Madison's family did not wait all day Saturday, then decide at the last moment to load up in the van and go to the parade!

MiMi and E did not tag along with Madison and her family when they went to the parade. We did not drive up to Sonic and order our meal before the parade. E did not order from one speaker, while Clint ordered from another...Sonic did not try to cheat Maddie out of her banana--her favorite part of the kid's meal...

Maddie and family did not find a nice spot to watch the parade, then have several boys invade their territory and begin spitting on the pavement beside us every 3 minutes during the entire parade! We were not very disgusted by this process.

E, who was not sitting beside the "spitters", had problems of his own. He did not have an aggressive lady who kept getting in front of him with her video camera...until he got in front of her camera a time or two and she moved on down the line...

All in all, it was a great parade. Madison's favorite part was at the end when "HO HO" (her name for Santa) came riding by with his reindeer. Santa and his reindeer were perched on the flatbed of an eighteen wheeler--what a way to travel! Have a great day...