Quite the Day

So I got up this morning knowing I didn't have to go anywhere (Addie was off school for conferences/ end of quarter--PS, she's an exemplary kindergartener with great reading AND math skills; her teacher said she is so excited about science and asks the most relevant questions when the science team comes--that's cool to hear), and I decided to make it a Christmas Prep Day. I was determined to finish sewing the stockings I started embroidering in August. Here is the result:

They are hanging from cute little stocking hangers I bought at last year's Christmas Clearance (in Cottonwood, Arizona, believe it or not!) -- the hangers inspired the stockings, and we are excited to fill them up and send them down to Houston to my niece and nephew.
Here's a close up of the embroidery--I mostly free-handed it, but I sketched the snowman in pencil.
Addie thought we needed a model in the shot...:)

ANYWAY...while I was sewing, I was waiting to hear from my SIL, who went to the hospital at 1am to have her baby. At 10:25am, the phone started ringing off the hook to tell us we have a new niece! They hadn't weighed her or named her yet, but she was here. So on Rich's lunch hour, the kids and I met him at the hospital to visit his little sister and her baby...

I LOVE Heidi's face in this picture, and Addie being the little mommy with her cousin, who is now named Hannah Beth Gray.
AAAWWWWWW...
Addie was so excited about baby Hannah!

James was even MORE excited, and was so sad when we took the baby away! (He kept making these high-pitched noises like "Dee-dee-dee" and patting the baby; then he kept poking her eye and saying, "Eye? Eye?" )
We gave the poor tiny (6lb 90z--I bet Angie is so glad she married Davy adn got some small genes!) overstimulated newborn Hannah back to her mom and said good bye...doesn't Angie look great 2 hours after giving birth?!
James is so excited to play with his NEW COUSIN!



So we went to lunch together, then I brought the kids home and we read and played for a while (Ad & Heid had started fighting like cats and dogs), and then separated for quiet time--James went to sleep in his bed, and I told the girls that they could lay on the couch and watch "Island Princess," while I lay on my bed for a while. About 15 minutes later, Heidi came and snuggled me and crashed. I arranged her blankets and went to check on Addie and she had crashed, too (this was around 3pm). So I turned off the movie and went to sleep with my babes...it was a dark, cool fall afternoon--perfect for hibernating! We were only awakened by Daddy's footsteps a little after 5pm!

Daddy brought fresh bread and ice cream home, so we had potato-corn chowder with bread and juice, and then ice cream and we had a movie party, watching "Ratatouille." It was quite the day, and now I'm the last one up...Good night and enjoy your weekend!