Christmas in Grenada

We always celebrate Christmas the weekend before actual Christmas with my wife's family. They are about two hours north of us, in Grenada, Mississippi.
This year, we left at about 9:00 in the morning. Of course, Alan just wanted to talk the whole way up there. Well, he finally fell asleep with about 30 minutes left in the drive. Because of that, he had to have another nap later in the afternoon, but that's ok.
We met up at Rebecca's Grandparents' house, the Clarks. They have been in the same place for over 50 years...so that's pretty much where we always gather. It's nice out there...there is not really much around but some nature. For someone as plugged in as I usually am, this is tough at times. There is pretty much no cell signal out there. I just have to take photos and talk...I'm forced to. ha ha
We made our big Christmas meal together the lunch meal this year. It seemed to work out well, because then, we had the whole afternoon to hang out and chat with each other. We opened some presents (just the kids get gifts...except for a few gifts generously given out by the Clarks.), and Alan had fun with all of the excitement in the room. He even climbed on and in a box or two.
At about 8:00 that night, we packed up and headed back to Rebecca's mom's house. That is where we stayed and where Alan hammed it up some more. Grandma(that's what we call her) let Alan open a present, and it was a great one...books! Alan loves books and one of these had some animals with sounds. He is still getting a kick out of it.
The next morning, after a quiet morning, Rebecca went to take a nap. Alan, grandma and I went for a walk. We bundled up (mostly in our pjs...I forgot mine, so I was just in jeans) and headed out. It was fun to be out exploring. Plus, that gave Rebecca a chance to sleep...and grow that baby a bit more.
We ended up coming home that evening, after a nice visit.
It was good to see everyone, and we enjoyed our time.

(PS-these photos tell more of the story that I outlined above)

See the full post here: http://goo.gl/vzZOe

Anticipation Is Growing

This shoot happened a few weeks ago with two very excited soon-to-be parents of a little girl. Their anticipation is growing, and very fast indeed. They have a bit more than a month to go now. We will soon get to hold that precious little one and dote on her unendingly.

They are madly preparing a house that they bought recently to make sure it is ready for their little bundle of joy when she arrives.They have made some significant progress, and are just about ready.

I loved seeing their happiness in this shoot. It was inspiring, and I know they'll be great parents!

 

(PS-it is my younger brother and his wife.)

Traditions

Traditions. If followed, they can become timeless. For instance, it seems like just yesterday that we started building and decorating gingerbread houses as a family. In fact, it was more like 8+ years ago that we began this tradition.

It has truly morphed into something that we all expect and look forward to. Each year, we hone in on what we really like and don't like about it. We are constantly fine-tuning it, so that the next year, we can do it more efficiently and on a smaller budget.

This year's grandeur was nothing less than beautiful. Just as in the past, you see some very different decorating methods and ideas being used. We usually pair up to build the houses, in order to keep costs down. I love seeing what each year will bring and look forward to many more...maybe even continuing on until my kids take part in this wonderful tradition.

all photos taken with iPhone4S