Tis' the Season...

December has proven to be a very busy month full of gatherings and more exciting firsts for our family! I hope you enjoy this edition, which includes a visit to Santa and our annual 'Aunt Rita's' cookie bake...

I was so excited to have gotten the call from my cousin Rashida telling us that Santa would be at the Children's museum...she and her boyfriend Aaron would be Mr. and Mrs. Claus...let's see, pics with Santa at the largest Children's museum in the world, kinfolks as Mr. and Mrs. Claus...ummmm, BONUS!!!

what a winter wonderland it was...




...you never know, Santa may need a reindeer fill-in...

...Santa's workshop...

...we even had other cousins come to visit with the Clauses (Gabby, Andrea's daughter pictured on Santa's lap)

Angie (cousin), Gigi (her daughter), Rashida...errr, Mrs. Claus and AJ

...ahhh, and then there's the cookie bake an annual event steeped in tradition started generations ago...we hosted in our home this year...

Elizabeth (cousin) was the first to get her bake-on...

...rarely does the hostess get in on the baking action...so I started early with an Oreo Delight recipe...

...taa-daa...

...traditionally, this is a ladies-exclusively event...but who can resist a sweet baby boy?

...Jen, made her delicious lemon-cookies among others...she enlisted the help of Kiara

Grandmommy taking the plunge...

Kortney's cookies were so awesome...I had to borrow the recipe :)

Aunt BG spending some QT with AJ

...Arian tried to hang around as an official taste-tester...that really didn't last long...

Aunt Alice and AJ

Brittany and Holly (cousins)

AJ with Aunt Sandy

...Aunt Peggy prepping her annual sugar cookies...

Angie with her game face on...

Anita and BreAnn, going over the logistics...

2009 Cookie Bake Crew (plus or minus a few)

...while the ladies baked, the little ones played...

...winding down, a great finish to a great cookie bake

bathtime fun

Thanksgiving Day Celebration!

Baby AJ's first Thanksgiving wasn't the only first for our family; this year, Arian and I hosted our very first Thanksgiving...there was plenty of food, family and fun! Enjoy :)

As we were getting things ready for Thanksgiving...I just had to get these snoozing shots of AJ...umm, clearly Mommy was in a multitasking zone to have put AJ in a stripped onesie, fatigue pants and colts socks...LOL!!!

Family started to come around 2ish...

As we prepared the table, everyone enjoyed yummy starters...

Naima, Hosea, Paris, Noah and Arian Jr.

...Conrey jumped in...

AJ and Aunt Sissy

The Fellas...Arian, Conrey, David (Pete Rose's brother...LOL, he really is, but the going joke was that everyone called him that instead of his name) and Dad Everett

Aunt Mel, Mommy and David

Keith, Erika and the kids

LaToya and Aunt Sis

Game time!!! Everyone came with their gamefaces on!

...okay, believe it or not this is EXACTLY how the kids were all sitting, unstaged!!!...so we all had to get our cameras out...

...and then came the funny pics...our motivation on this one was 90's girl-group cover

...our girly-girls had to get a few poses in too!

...the boys were more into the games than posing...imagine that...lol!

Reggie and AJ