Finally....some family photos :)

Now that Claira is 6 months old, we thought it was finally time to take some family pictures of our party of five. The ONLY time we have had a picture made together was in St. George in October, so we were definitely overdue for some family photos. Last week, Lea came up to our house to beautify all of us girls (she tamed our fros a bit), and she helped snap some pictures of us:

For all of the pictures, check out our newest slideshow....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrVlMMfAq3A&feature=youtu.be

Everyone thought it was kinda weird that I was taking pictures of the girls' feet, but I made my new favorite poster that is now hanging in our hallway:

Living, Laughing, & Loving.
Words we strive for each day.
Cheers to family (and feet!) :)

Happy New Year ~ Bring on 13!!!

The number 13 is actually mine and Josh's lucky number, so we are excited to see what 2013 has in store for us!! This New Year's Eve was one of the best ones yet because we didn't do NUTTIN'!!! We sat at home with our babies and had a swell ol' time!! The most fun was playing with sparklers!! We made circles:

 We broke it down a little bit.....frankly, no one can do the Austin-Powers-thrust like me!!! :)

We ran around like little cheerleaders with jazz-hands....

Nora and I made Venn Diagrams (my teacher-friends will appreciate that....it's all about the Graphic Organizer!!)

And Josh ended the firework fun with a heart for his wife.....or is it a butt??? Eh, either way, still pretty neato.

We came in and played a little music. Nora has become such a little music-buff (I guess it's bound to happen in this family). She recently started taking piano-lessons, and she is forever singing and dancing her little heart out. Here's a little clip of her singing "Blue Rocking Chair" while her Daddy plays the guitar. (side note----what you don't see is Ella dancing butt-naked to the far left....surprise, surprise). :)

We finished up our night making cookies, taking long baths, sipping hot chocolate, and falling out on the couch....

We didn't quite make it to midnight, but I would like it noted that I was the LAST ONE UP!! I always get made fun of for being an early bird. So, ha!!

Cheers to a new year of....

New memories....

New adventures....

New blessings!! :)

Christmas in the Mountains!!

This year on Christmas morning, the girls woke up to a note from Santa stating that he had booked us a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains!! So, he brought the girls a lot of "cabin-stuff"......movies, games, pajamas, tablets (although Ella broke her tablet within 24 hours.....but what was Santa thinking by bringing a 3-year-old a new tablet, anyway???) :)

Anyhoo, the day after Christmas, we headed up to the mountains with our new goodies and lots and lots of food!! When we got there, it was SNOWING!! I thought I was going to have a heart attack from driving up a steep, narrow mountain in the snow (which made Mama's car get STUCK). Looking back on it now, it was quite funny (and typical). :) Plus, it was great to watch the snow come down on the mountains.

Any parent knows that while Christmas is the best time of year, it's also sooooo exhausting! So, we just wanted to come somewhere where we could EAT, SLEEP, RELAX, and do a whole lotta NOTHING. And that's just what we did!! We ate......a lot. Big breakfasts.....

...and big dinners....

...and a whole lot of munching and movies in between!! :)

We also played a lot of games (that I always dominated).....such as Jenga....

 Battleship....

 Spades....(this picture would have been really neat if it wasn't for that one blown-lightbulb)..

We also did several puzzles....

....played in the hot tub....

 ....took lots of naps....

.....and had an abundance of "naked-Ella" time. :)

Santa also brought the girls some "marshmallow shooters," so when the snow cleared, we went outside and had a marshmallow battle (IT.WAS.FREEZING.) Check out the girls' "war faces"...

 But Ella can never have a scowl for too long....

Unfortunately, we had to come home a few days early because Claira literally got sick overnight. We went straight from the Blue Ridge cabin to the doctor in Douglasville. Poor baby had a upper respiratory virus which later turned into other infections. 

We had all recently gotten over the flu, ear infections, colds, fevers.....you name it, we had it!! But thankfully, we are all back to 100% now!! Even though our trip was cut short, it was a great little time spent with family doing NOTHING and enjoying God's creations....

Nothing like sunrise on a mountain!!

Thanks for the memories, Santa!!! :) :)

Christmas Eve!!!

Christmas Eve is always a blast because we have some traditions that never cease. It was especially sweet this year since we had two new babies in the family. Each year, the entire family puts on their Christmas PJs, and we all head over to Grandmommie's and Paw-Paw's to spend the evening with loads of food, presents, and music.

The first thing we did this year was drop the screaming infants into Grandma's lap....

She has a way of calming them down. :)

Then, we went for the food....Josh likes to "creep" to munch off of everyone else's plate after making his own...

The kids generally eat about two bites, the run and scream. They are always active, but extra active on Christmas Eve!!

So, we generally have to open presents pretty early before the kids bust a gasket...

But that is always as much for the adults as it is the kids...

Clairy seemed a little confused by all the hustle and bustle...

The highlight of the night was Lilah, Nora, & Ella discovering that they were going to the JUSTIN BIEBER concert this month!! Grandmommie & Paw-Paw bought them Justin Bieber concert tickets as part of their Christmas present. (I'm secretly so excited, too.) Look at their faces as they discover their surprise...

 Nora thanked Grandmommie for her dynamite gift...

And Ella sported her new Justin Bieber watch for the rest of the night.....even slept in it!!

Of course, no Christmas Eve would be complete without a little jam session by the Nesbitt men (they call themselves the "Beef Nuggets").

Then, we took a few family photos. Here's Josh with his favorite nephew...

And, here's Lea with her favorite (youngest) niece....

Grandmommie and her two smallest reindeer....

Some other reindeer....

Clairy-Berry with her favorite....

The grandmothers with their youngests.....

Matthew is ready to play, Claira is ready to fight...

Grandmommie & Paw-Paw got a few photos with their FIVE grandchildren (Matthew is pulling Nora's hair in the first one). hehehe

 Finally, it was time to say goodbye....

 Claira said goodbye to Uncle Matt by projectile-vomiting on his foot....

Every year, Grandmama and Lea come back to our house to spend the night to see what Santa brings the girls. Here's Lea opening her gift from us (It was $50, in mostly one-dollar-bills, that she had to pull out of a box). It was great and annoying all at once!! Mission accomplished!!

Earlier in the day, Mama had to perform a "scavenger hunt" to find all of her gift cards. It, too, was great and annoying all at once!! Mission accomplished AGAIN!! :)

Meanwhile,

The girlies were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads....

I wonder what Santa brought?!?!

:)