Visit with the Vandivers

While we were in Missouri, we got to visit my good friend Kelly, her husband Mason and their daughter, Clara Mae.

Best of Friends

Mason and Clara Mae

Isn't Miss Mae a cutie pie?

I love how she wrinkled her nose up in this picture!


Here's a picture of our whole group. We're so glad we got to see the Vandivers!

Tieman Family Photo Outtakes

Outtakes from our Family Photo Session. Enjoy!

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Merry (Belated) Christmas!

For some reason (maybe it was because I was sick or that Garth didn't let me), I didn't get any pictures of Christmas Eve with my family. It was pandimonium (as usual) because we always find a way to make it more than just opening presents. There's always some sort of treasure hunt, prank or other shenanigans involved. It's probably good there aren't any pictures though....Jenna and Jeremy made us all dress up like superheros and come up with our superhero name and action move. Don't ask what mine was!

Anyway, I did manage to get this photo of Garth and I before we headed to church. We hope that everyone had a very wonderful Christmas with friends and family. It's very easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season, that we tend to forget what Christmas is all about. We are so blessed that God sent his Son to save us...who would have thought a tiny baby could save the world?! Certainly, that is the greatest gift we could ever wish to receive. So, perhaps fittingly, it's good that I didn't get pictures of the presents....the best gift is one that cannot be captured on film, or memory card for that matter. ;)

Hope your Christmas was filled with blessings!

Cousin Charlie

Erin and Jeremy have a Bassett Hound named Charlie. This was the first time we got to meet him. Since my mom doesn't have any grandbabies, she claims Charlie and Bailey as her "granddogs". Sorry, mom - babies will come later!

Here's Charlie in one of his sweaters. Isn't he cute?

Bailey wasn't sure what to think of Charlie at first, but it wasn't long before they were best of friends. Here they are cuddling together on a blanket. They are about the same age, so they had a lot of fun playing together. We're so glad we finally got to meet Charlie!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

We made it to Missouri just in time to celebrate my Mom's birthday on the 23rd. She was thrilled to have all of her "ducks" (i.e., her four girls) home for the holidays. Because the weather was nasty, we fixed dinner instead of going out. So, we had lasagna and birthday brownies. We even had candles for her. We didn't have 51 candles, so we put five candles in one pan and one candle in the other. And, of course, Bailey couldn't resist sneaking in the picture. We all had a good time being together. I'm sure that was the best gift of all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

Kisses from Elmo

Here's a short one to give you a taste of what Elmo can do...

Sarah and Elmo

While we were in Cleveland for Thanksgiving, we discovered Sarah's love for Elmo. She talked about him all the time and was always so excited to identify him in her books. So, when we discovered Elmo Live, the newest life-like version of Elmo, we just had to get it for her. The video below is her opening it up. My favorite part is when she kisses him! I wish I had more video of her playing with it, but I think this is still pretty darn cute. Enjoy!