This week, we transitioned Ashton from her crib into a big girl bed! So far, she's made it through every night without getting out or even a mention of her old crib. She inherited the beautiful bed from her uncle jordan, who grew up sleeping in it. She LOVES it!

So, we just didn't get around to sending out a Christmas card this year. Mainly because we couldn't seem to get a family picture together before the holidays. We fully plan to get back on the christmas card train next year!

To supplement, here's a snapshot of what daily life is like in Hackettville.

Happy New Year!

New Years was hilarious. We spent it with our dear friends Jen and Dan Fease, their new baby Ada, and the lovely Ms Christina Cairo. We cooked a delicious dinner and sat down to enjoy. Well, Ada wasn't really interested in sleeping at that exact time so she got fussy, and Ashton didn't want to eat but she didn't want to play by herself either. Drinks were spilled. Glasses were broken. Babies were being soothed. I don't think between the 5 of us, we were all at the table together more than 5 mins! The only pic I took was this one of Dan enjoying his meal in the middle of all the chaos.

It's times like these that a parent looks at their life compared to pre-kids (we would have been in a bar, cocktail in hand, me probably dancing on a table somewhere - ha ha) and just has to laugh and appreciate the insanity!

The best part of the night was that we got to Facetime with Jake and Amber. They rang in the new year with us from the west coast!

Then, we were all asleep by 12:15!

We had such a great Christmas! Ashton was at the perfect age. She had no expectations of gifts, santa, etc. She just enjoyed the ride and was full of excitement and wonder as each present and Christmas tradition came along.

You'll see pics from our time at home in Atlanta - Ashton and I made cookies, and we hung an advent calendar so she could count down the days until Christmas. Each pocket in the calendar contained a note, toy, or treat each day that she LOVED opening.

Then we flew to Ohio for Christmas. Ashton really loves to fly and got very excited about going on an airplane again. She got to see her Nana, Papa Frank, Danpa, Unlce Jake and Auntie Amber, Great grandma and grandpa Hackett, Great grandma and grandpa Chimento, plus all of Brendan's aunts, uncles, and cousins!

We all had a blast, and are now trying to recover!

Order pics here

Today, Adeline Clare Fease was born to our dear friends Jen and Dan (next door neighbors). She was 9lbs 7 oz and 21.5 inches long! They are calling her Ada, and Ashton has already deemed her "precious".

We were very thankful to be with family and friends this Thanksgiving. Danpa came down from DC, a tradition. He took Brendan and Ashton to pick out our Christmas tree, another tradition. And we spent our 7th Thanksgiving dinner in a row at Lovey's house. Ashton loved the mashed potatoes, noodles, and especially the chocolate cookies auntie Cairo brought for dessert!

Order photos here

Ashton's teachers had been preparing the kids for a month. They made turkey hats and practiced one song over and over and over again- "The wheels on the bus go round and round... all Thanksgiving day...".

For weeks, Ashton had been belting out this song at home, in the car, and in the bathtub.

Finally, all of us parents gathered to watch the Thanksgiving play with palpable excitement!

It took about 10 whole minutes to get the kids on the stage and facing the right way and lined up. Then they started the song.

Ashton's turkey hat kept sliding down her face. She refused to sing along with her class. Instead, she busied herself with keeping that hat pushed up on her little forehead.

Then it was over! And everybody had a lollipop.

Order photos here

It was Ashton's first real Halloween where she could actively participate and experience how fun it is to trick-or-treat!

Although her grandma's provided the cutest darn costumes you could ask for (a blue M&M, a cow, AND a lady bug), Ashton insisted on wearing her weekend uniform of her favorite ballet "outfit". Hopefully we can get her in those other cute costumes soon and we'll post the pics for you to see!

She quickly got the hang of knocking on doors, yelling "trick-or-treat!", grabbing the loot, and yelling "thank you!"... then off to the next house!

When I asked her what her favorite part of Halloween was, she said "Lollipops!"

Order photos here

Our neighbors Dan and Jen's baby is due on Dec 6th, so we couldn't wait to shower them with presents to prepare for the arrival! The Swan Coach House is an Atlanta institution, and it's a special place to me - I had my bridesmaid's luncheon, Ashton's baby shower, and my mom and I celebrate Ashton's birthday there each year.  It's a girly place to celebrate the arrival of a sweet baby girl!

Photos courtesy of Jessica Arnold. Order here

2 weekends before Halloween, we were lucky enough to be able to attend a special behind-the-scenes tour at the zoo! The morning started with breakfast (Ashton couldn't believe it - breakfast at the ZOO!), then we watched the gorillas being fed. Then we got to go into the elephant exhibit and see where the zookeepers hang out. The zoo was also celebrating Halloween, so all the kids wore their costumes and the zoo staff handed out candy. Ashton had a blast (as she does most of the time - she is excited about pretty much everything! It's so fun).

Order photos here