Christmas Eve

I'm catching up on Christmas posts.  How did I get so far behind?

Ben grilled steaks for all of us on Christmas Eve.  A few sides and a quick and delicious dinner!

We then opened presents...excited kids!  Just a few of the pictures.

You know us southern girls love our monograms!

We tried our luck at a selfie.  We need to work on that!

It was fun to try though!

I'll have to finish up Christmas when I return from Phoenix! 

Basketball starts again!

We got a little break after football but now basketball has started.  Cameron had his first game last night.

It was a high-scoring game...8-0!  Cam's team won and Cam scored half the points! 

An Early Birthday Celebration for Harrison

Doug and I will be leaving on Friday for two weeks in Phoenix, actually staying in Scottsdale.  We will be flying out of Memphis and returning on the 30th.  We are looking forward to a couple of weeks away and hopefully a bit warmer weather!

Since we will be gone on Harrison's 10th birthday, which is actually the 18th, we celebrated early with a family dinner at Don Julio.  That was Harrison's choice, and a very good one!

It's hard to believe Harrison is going to be 10!  Double digits!  I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday!  He has been such a blessing to us!

He didn't want the traditional pie in the face but Emma Taylor and Cameron had fun sharing the whipping cream with each other!

Heather helped them enjoy the "pie!"

Harrison was agreeable to wearing the traditional birthday hat!

He's such a sweetheart!  Love that boy!

Heather and Ben are taking the boys to a Mississippi State basketball game on Saturday as a birthday treat.  Emma Taylor has a weekend church event (D-now, which used to be called Disciple Now).  He's looking forward to that!

How about that game last night?  Roll Tide!  It sure was an exciting game and so happy for the outcome!

Bridesmaids Luncheon

The day before Courtney and Matt's wedding, Carolyn, Karen and I hosted a bridesmaids luncheon.  It was held at Side By Side Restaurant at the Embassy Suites Hotel where we all stayed while in Tuscaloosa. 

Amy, Hanna and Claire were scheduled to fly in the day before the luncheon.  Unfortunately their flights were cancelled and they ended up spending the night in Houston, TX, then flew in to Tuscaloosa the next day causing them to miss the luncheon.  We were disappointed!

These are all of Courtney's bridesmaids and honorary bridesmaids.

The luncheon was delicious and the service was outstanding.

The beautiful bride-to-be.

My sweet girl and me!  She really missed Hanna!

She had the penne pasta.

So did I...delicious!

The desserts were delicious too!

Courtney gave each of the bridesmaids a monogrammed shirt.  It was super cute!

She also gave them gift baskets, one filled with snack food and the other filled with beauty products.  Emma Taylor was all over that!

It was a fun luncheon, just what Courtney wanted!

Courtney and Matt's New Year's Eve Wedding

I've got so much catching up to do and I really don't know where to start...so I just decided to start with Courtney and Matt's beautiful New Year's Eve wedding.

The weather was cool but clear, much preferable to the rain and humidity we had been experiencing earlier in the week. 

The wedding was held at Water Oaks Farm, a former horse arena.  You can see in the pictures it had a different name previously and dated 1884. 

This following picture was taken from the viewing box above. 

I'm sure this was a very prestigious place in its heyday!

Some pictures I took before the wedding. 

Emma Taylor and Hanna were junior bridesmaids.  They looked so pretty and very much grown up!

Hanna was an adorable flower girl.

Luke was such a cute ring bearer.

Emma Taylor looks so  much like her mother!

It was beginning to get dark by the time I got this picture. 

The beautiful bride!

Courtney with her sisters.

Ben and the bride.

Claire loved playing with the balloons.

She was one tired flower girl...and the wedding hadn't even started!

Finally the wedding!

 

Karen's family.  The lightening made it very difficult to get decent pictures!

Some decorations.

Let's dance!

Luke and Claire.  I think Claire was waiting for Luke to ask her to dance!

 

Alabama was playing their championship game that evening so, of course, a big screen TV and pompoms were supplied!  They won!

 

Happy Alabama fans!

It was a fun and wonderful evening.  Matt and Courtney looked so happy.  It was just the kind of wedding Courtney wanted!