Happy Birthday Mark, Elvis and Nina

Today is Mark's birthday. Yesterday was Elvis' birthday - he would have been 73. Also, Nina was 8 months old yesterday. She is waving now and it's so cute and is very vocal. She's also started reaching out for you to pick her up - so sweet. Tonight after church, Mark had Nina in the crib while he was putting Ethan's pjs on and I came in to find her pulling herself over and trying to pull herself up....NOT ready for this at all. We are celebrating Mark's birthday Friday night, but I could not let today go by without making some sort of dessert - so I made a homemade chocolate pie. Oh my goodness! It was soooo good - glad I went running this afternoon. There is a Viking store and cooking school here in Memphis, so I gave Mark cooking classes. He's excited and is looking through the class schedule to pick out what class he wants to attend. I'm pushing for the Parisian Pastry class....

Ethan helping Mark blow his candles out
Enjoying Mark's homemade whipped cream
Happy Birthday Mark!!
Mommy and Ethan eating chocolate pie
How cute is this face???
I love this hat Nona and Poppa brought Nina from Austria
Not ready for this....Nina trying to see what's going on down below
So proud of herself!
I can see you...

Walking In Memphis....

Round 2 of family to Memphis....we had 1 day to recover, change the sheets and wash the towels and Pa and Ro Ro Noble flew into Memphis. We had a couple of days with them before Carl and Jaime came into town. Saturday morning before Carl and Jaime arrived, we went to The Peabody to see the ducks walk in. That is always fun - Ethan wants to go all the time. It was the day of the Liberty Bowl - so the players were all staying at The Peabody, so it was packed. But we still had a great time and enjoyed the hotel and a little shopping afterwards. After Carl and Jaime arrived we went to Corky's BBQ (Mark and I hadn't eaten there in months....we've now had it 4 times in a week) and then the group (I took the kids home for a nap) went to Graceland. They had so much fun and really enjoyed the tour. They still use all of Elvis' Christmas decorations inside and outside the house. I was disappointed I didn't get to go, but I did NOT want to take either child with us....so come visit me sometime soon so I have a reason to go to Graceland.

Mark cooked chicken Parmesan and homemade Alfredo and that was our Christmas dinner together. Then we all had fun opening presents. Ethan actually opened all of our gifts for us - he got into it this time. After our Christmas together, I had made a caramel cake for Ro Ro's birthday (which was Christmas Eve), so we sang to her and celebrated her birthday. Ethan also loves birthdays!


New Year's Eve we just couldn't decide what to do. I am in a family of poor decision makers...well, I'll just say that Mark and Carl aren't the best at making decisions....so after going back and forth about going out or staying in, eating out or eating in...we finally made a decision and started our night out on Beale Street. Mark and I had not been down there - it was a lot of fun and we want to go back! We stayed there for a little while and enjoyed some good food and some great music. Then our friends Amy and Dave were having a little get together to watch the Auburn/Clemson game, so we headed to Mud Island for that. After the game and after watching that crazy guy make his motorcycle jump in Vegas, we headed to Donnie and Cathy's house to end our night. Carl and Jaime had to get up early New Year's Day morning to get to the airport, so we made it an early night....well, we got home and Nina decided she wanted to stay up until 4am. Happy New Year's Mommy! Carl and Jamie left that morning and then Pa and Ro Ro left that afternoon. While we were sad to see them go....we're happy that our house is now vacant!

2007 was a great year for us! We're looking forward to 2008 - Ethan turns 3 and Nina turns 1 and my dad turns..._0! Mark is still loving being at FedEx and has some great opportunities in the training department - who knows where that will take him...or us. We'll be going to Mexico in June for Carl and Jaime's wedding and we are certainly looking forward to that trip! We wish all of our friends and family a very Happy New Year!!! Come visit us in Memphis!!Mommy with Ethan and Nina visiting the famous Peabody DucksDaddy and Ethan on the roof of The Peabody

Enjoying the wonderful Corky's BBQ
Graceland
Doesn't this make you want to redo your tv room????
Carl....being Carl

Ethan and Mommy making the last batch of 7 layer bars for the year

Aunt Jaime with Ethan and Nina - notice Ethan's adorable outfit Ro Ro got him at a children's boutique we found here in Memphis....maybe I won't have to rely on over the phone shopping at Mud Pies so much anymore???!!!
Enjoying Mark's wonderful cooking
Carl spoiled Nina - she would belly laugh at him and it was so funny!
It was a John Deere tractor year for Ethan...he loves his tractors and trailers!!!
How cute are these caterpillars that cousin Erica made for Ethan and Nina! So cute and they love them - thank you Erica!!!Nina sporting Daddy's new bike helmet from Carl and Jaime - he got a bike for Christmas/BirthdayThis is a funny story...after Ro Ro's visit in October, she left this vest hanging in our laundry room. I forgot to tell her she left it...so when Mark was talking to his dad about what she wanted for Christmas, he told Mark that she wanted a new vest because she had lost her blue one...I then remembered it was hanging in our laundry room - so I wrapped it up and gave it to her. It was a Ro Ro moment for sure!!Ethan singing for us with his new microphone - I thought you were supposed to imagine your audience in their underwear...not actually do it yourself?!?!
Nina LOVED playing with the bows and paper - cheap entertainment

Pa and Ro Ro gave Ethan a sit and spin
Ethan's surprised face
Pa helping Ethan as fast as he can open the new tractors
On our way out the door...Happy 2008!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

We started off our holiday weekend at Mark's office. I had stayed up until 4am making all kinds of goodies - sugar cutout cookies, 7 layer bars, fudge (Mark made that), peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate and spritz cookies. Mark was on early shift that week, so I was literally getting into bed as he was getting out of bed. We took the goodies to the office (buttering up his boss and the schedulers) and Ethan got to hang out in the simulators for awhile. He loves going to FedEx.
The week before my family came into town I decided to get the guest room in shape.... I made this bedskirt and we got the room painted - it's a really pretty green..although the picture looks different. Mark wasn't too happy with me for wanting to do a major project the week before Christmas! Oh well!! Here are the kids enjoying the project completed!!!
Aunt Courtney and Nina
Poppa and Nina

This year was Courtney's year to come home for Christmas and we are almost equally distant from my parents and from Courtney in Texas...so everyone decided to come here this year. It was a great idea when we were talking about it months ago...but the closer it got the crazier it sounded and it was A LOT of work. We are glad that everyone got to come - especially grandparents. Courtney and Landon arrived first and we enjoyed getting caught up with them before everyone else rolled in. Then Poppa and Nona arrived with Papa, Nana and Mema. We had a fun and extremely busy weekend - it went by too fast. We ate a lot of great food including some Corky's BBQ (a Memphis landmark). My grandparents had a great time watching Ethan and Nina with all their toys from Santa and watching them open their gifts too. It's always nice to have them around.

Everyone left around 11am and it was sad to see them go. The rest of our Christmas Day was quiet, but nice. We finished opening our presents and just hung out the rest of the day in our pjs!

Stockings have always been my favorite part of Christmas morning. Mark has big shoes to fill because Santa at the Justice house is always GREAT! This year he put gorgeous citrine earrings in my stocking that match the ring he had bought me for my birthday. I was surprised! The best surprise though was that Mark had gotten Courtney Wells' phone number off my phone and called her and had her make a necklace for me. He just told her to make something she thought I would like - and I love it! She has an incredible eye for making jewelry and I love everything she does. I think he was a little upset when I emailed her and placed an earring order to match the necklace - said I was stealing his thunder or something....That is probably one of the sweetest and most creative things he's done for me - usually I tell him what I want and he goes out and gets it...he isn't the best at thinking outside the box. Mark works well working off a checklist...imagine that?!?! The necklace was my favorite Christmas present!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. It was so nice for all of us to be together and we are so thankful we have each other. It's the things that aren't under the tree and in our stockings that are important - family and friends - and we are so fortunate we have both! Ethan getting to open his stocking from Mema on Christmas EveA tradition around Christmas...coke in a bottle...and Ethan thinks he's big stuff getting to drink this on Christmas Eve And he's making sure he gets every last drop!!!

Getting cookies, milk and bottled coke ready for Santa Santa came!!
Ethan was excited Santa came - but everyone was already up, dressed and waiting for him... so when he walked in he turned around and tried to go upstairs saying he had to go get dressed - he thought he needed to be out of his pjs. It was quite funny! It didn't take him long to realize who had come to his house in the middle of the night and what he brought!

Nina enjoying being held by Papa
Showing off my surprise necklace made by Courtney Wells!!

My mom bought their Christmas pjs....does anyone else think his shirt is funny?????

Santa moved a little furniture around because he knew we had a lot of people in the house...and during his moving of the furniture, he found Ethan's Blue Angel that he had been searching for, for months. Ethan was quite amazed that Santa left this for him!
Ethan loves his new camera from Santa
Nina enjoying her stocking contents

As my parents were leaving, they took this picture - our only group shot of the weekend.