Merry Christmas from The Carothers

From our family to yours have a very blessed Christmas!  

Christmas Card Pics

We got pictures made by our favorite photographer for our cards this year.  We haven't had family pictures done before so we thought this was a perfect opportunity since we wanted pictures on our Christmas cards of the whole family.  Joe did a wonderful job again (he's the same one that did Aiden's fall pictures) and he has the best assistant (his wife Rhonda).  They are so sweet because I wanted the pictures outside (this was the first weekend in December), but I didn't realize it was going to be SOOOOO cold.  They were troopers and didn't complain once about how cold it was.  Poor Aiden was shivering!  That was when I decided it was probably time to go.  You know when Jonathan (the most hot-natured person I know) complains about it being cold that it's time to go inside somewhere warm!!!   So here are our pictures......(here's Joe's blog for any of those in Nashville)

Visiting Santa...

Last Friday Aiden and I went to see Santa for his first time.  We stood in line for almost an hour, but it didn't seem to phase Aiden.  He ran around checking everything and everyone out.  He had his blanket and some snacks, so he was happy.

Still checking everyone out.  Everyone else's kids waited patiently in their strollers or right by their parents side, but not Aiden.  I didn't even bother bringing in his stroller because I knew it would just be another thing I had to keep up with.   He would never just sit in his stroller if we weren't moving.  Oh well, he had fun!  
And finally, the picture with Santa. ( I had to take a picture of the picture because we don't have a scanner.)  Well he really didn't get the full Santa experience, which I'm kind of sad about now. He was actually sitting in my lap, but it looks like he is sitting on Santa's and they just cropped me out.  

Last week at the Carothers...

So we've been pretty busy lately (just like everyone else) so I haven't been blogging much.  But here's what we were up to last week.  (We went to Arkansas for Thanksgiving and I managed to get no pictures...oops!  But we had a great time seeing family and friends.)  

All Aiden wants for Christmas is my cooking utensils!  He has been obsessed with them.  He doesn't just want a few, he wants to play with them all.  He has the biggest smile in this picture because he's so excited that he can't contain himself.  (I think this picture is funny because Erin used to always make fun of me smiling and showing my tongue and Aiden is doing the same thing I used to do when I smiled.  So Erin, this picture is for you!!)

Aiden is finally fitting into these cute puma's I got him a couple of months ago.  I got them at a church consignment sale for $3!!!  Gotta love a bargain!  
This is him trying to make a get away while I'm making his lunch in the kitchen.  That little guy is fast.  We call him our little wild man......very appropriate these days!  
While Aiden was at Mother's day out on Tuesday I stood in line all morning for Rachael Ray's book signing.  This is me and my friend Julie with Rachael's newest book "Big Orange Book" or as Rachael likes to refer to it as "Bob".  I love her and it was so fun to actually get to see her in person.
You couldn't get a picture with her while she was signing your book, though.  You could only stand behind this robed off part to take a picture.  She signs like 1,000 books in 3 hours....crazy!  So I guess I understand why she can't stop to pose for 1,000 pictures as well!  
Then on Thursday we got our first snow!  Totally unexpected.  It started coming down around 4:30 and didn't stop till about 7.  It was so pretty.  I was bummed because we missed Jonathan's work party because the streets were too dangerous to get out on.  But I guess we always have next year!