A picture hodge-podge

A hodge-podge of pictures from the last month.

Cora thought that she was SO funny, refusing to give her spoon back after bites.

When I wear my slippers, she comes up and slips them off of my feet and onto hers.

Poor Pearl - ever since we took this picture, Cora has been chasing Pearl around the house with the antlers. She's been trying to put them back on her.

Pearl is a good sport.

Santa probably needs to brin Cora some stacking blocks for Christmas...

Keegan has gotten so big!!!

Keegan came over and gave Cora a kiss. Everyone kept trying to get him to do it again for a picture... everyone except Landon. Landon did not think that the kiss was funny. At. All.

Oven mits.

Merry Christmas from the Messal house!

The first morning that Cora saw the Dicken's Village, she immediately noticed it.

If I could only train her to sweep everything into a pile rather than out of the pile, my life would be a lot easier!

Our first game of hide & seek. Landon was upstairs taking the picture. Cora kept trying to find him - she got really excited when she looked up and realized he was up there.

We ended up in a Messal family pillow fight while changing the sheets.

This was Cora's first glimpse of the decorated Christmas Tree. I love this face!

I'm not sure how this happened...

When I am out of town, Landon always dresses her in what he calls conservative grown-up clothes.

Ho Ho Ho!

Santa arrived at Cora's daycare in his firetruck on Friday.

Cora remained unimpressed until it was time to sit on Santa's lap.

Cora decided that she didn't want this fella to bring any presents to her house.





Her Dad & Mom could only think of one thing to ask from Santa this year... a way to freeze time.

Creche Festival

Each holiday season, Mepkin Abbey in Monk's Corner hosts a Creche Festival (in case you didn't know, and I didn't, creche is synonymous with crib, and is another term used for nativity scene). Landon, Cora, Dad, Mom, and I headed out to Monk's Corner for this year's festival. The event boasts nearly 100 different depictions of the nativity from around the world. Afterwards, we joined Sandy and her daughter Caroline for a picnic by the river.

Sandy & her daughter, Caroline.

These trees fell during Hurricane Hugo. The monks took the fallen debris and made it into something amazing.

Landon's favorite creche: a turqoise blue creche, with all of the figures depicted as ghost-like. Our interpretation is that the large ghost-like figure overshadowing the entire scene is what other scenes depict as the baby Jesus.


Dad's favorite: a large scene made of hammered copper.

Mom's favorite: a scene carved into a wooden wall hanging of a shooting star. I think that her favorite part of this particular one was the depiction of the sheppard. He kind of looked like a coal miner, and he had a beard.

My favorite: a small wooden carved nativity, non-descript in every way except that the baby Jesus was being nursed by Mary rather than laying in the manger. I loved it.

Beautiful weather, perfect day. Cora was snoozing before we even made it to the main road.

Puttin the brakes on for the Cozy Coup

Jim and Mary Jane gave Cora an early Chirstmas present on Sunday morning before they left. The girls put the coupe together the night before. This following video is of Cora seeing her new pink Cozy Coupe for the first time. Her head rocking forward as she tries to stop her momentum cracks=up Carrie and I.

As for the Cozy Coupe, she loves it!!!