Christmas Eve 2009

Well, this week has been GREAT! Spending every day with Brooke has been so fun and she is learning more and more every day (she is a genius you know). She has started saying da-da again...not sure exactly how that happened, but we can fix that...lol. She smiles all the time, showing us her two teeth on the bottom. Big News...she is now getting her top four teeth all at once! Needless to say, we haven't had much sleep this week, but that is fine. Enter 5 shots on Monday and sleep was not in the cards for Brooke. Although, selfishly it has been great for me because she has been extra clingy, which means lots of big hugs and kisses.


Last Friday, Brooke had her school Christmas Party. Jeff fed her an oatmeal cookie...yum, yum, yum. She played with all of her friends and we all had a great time. I took her home afterwards and she was WORN OUT! Party Girl!


We spent some of the weekend finishing up last minute Christmas shopping and spending time together. This week we ran a few errands, but mostly stayed close to home, baking cookies, wrapping presents and watching Blue's Clues and Kai Lan. Her personality is really starting to show and she is definitely a people person. She loves to be out in public and interact with everyone walking past. At first she acts really shy, smiling and turning her head, but then she quickly turns into a social butterfly, smiling, waving and talking.

Jeff, Brooke and I went to Opryland last night to show Brooke the Christmas lights. She pointed at everything. She especially liked all of the trees lit up outside the hotel. It was a long night and she passed out on the way home. Although she woke up at 1am and was up until 3am. Needless to say, we were all tired this morning.


Every Christmas Eve everyone gathers at my parents house to open a couple of presents. This year, everyone received one from PaPa and Karrothead and one from Secret Santa. Unfortunately, the kids won't be able to make it due to the winter storm making its way across the midwest...I think my dad has been out smowblowing at least three times already. Of course I have called several times to let them know it is 65 here in Nashville. I am pretty sure my dad is packed and ready to move to either TN or AZ...LOL. I wish we would have had at least a dusting so Brooklynn could have had a white Christmas. Oh well, maybe next year.


Tonight, for Christmas Eve, we are all opening one present and drinking the traditional frozen orange drink my dad has made every Christmas Eve (orange sherbert and ginger ale)...this will be Brooklynn's first tradition. We will end the night reading T'was the Night Before Christmas" narrated by Mimi and Pa, another new tradition. Tomorrow we will open presents and then go to mass. The rest of the day we will play with all of her new toys, or the boxes, whichever she likes best.

We are so thankful for all of our family and friends and wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Also, we will soon be welcoming a new addition to the Harrahill Family - Jenn and Tim, we can't wait to meet your precious new baby girl in January (unless Baby H has other plans and decides she wants to give you a break on taxes in 2009...lol).

Love: Jeff, Christy and Brooklynn XOXOXOXO

Brooke and Daddy

Carried off stage in style

Jamming on her air guitar...I mean guitar filled with air...

The Holiday Program was a success...I think we have an actress in the making (Broadway or the movies...we can't tell this early on...)


Her Grand Entrance













She also plays a musical instrument (she is so talented)

Pictures from this weekend:

This weekend was pretty quiet. Jeff and I went to his Christmas party on Friday night at Watermark. We had a great time and actually ate a nice meal without having to pick up puffs off the floor. And I could taste what I was eating, which is rare because normally we have to inhale the food so we can get her out before she starts getting "antsy". Our neighbors Alan and Mary watched her and had a fun time. They said she was so excited that they let her stay up a little later than her normal bedtime...which worked out great for us b/c she slept until 7am Saturday morning.

Dad has become a lightweight as of late because he was in bed most of the day Saturday with a hangover...tee hee. Brooke and I finished decorating the tree and ended up with only one casualty (she threw a glass bulb across the room and it landed on the wood floors...of course). Other than that she has only tried to grab at the bulbs a few times, so far!

She picks up my cell phone and puts it to her ear now, which is really cute. She also does the "roll the dough" actions when we sing "Patty Cake". We are teaching her to say "please" and "thank you". She is doing "OK" on the toddler foods. I guess everyone needs to go through this transition period.

As I was wrapping gifts on Saturday night, I realized her birthday is coming up so soon. OMG - I need to start planning because it will be here before you know it. I think I am in denial that my baby is turning one year old...I want her to stay little, and keep giving me kisses and saying "Hi Mom Mom". Oh crap, Jeff and my dad's birthday is on December 29th. And my niece Tasha's 18th birthday is today! It is safe to say that I will be poor the months of December and January from now on.

Tonight Brooke has a Holiday Program for school. I can't believe I am actually going to a school Holiday Program and she is only in the Infant Room. I tried to bribe her, but she has already practiced all the moves over the last week, so I guess we will have to go. On the bright side, her bedtime is 7pm, so we have a good excuse for leaving early!

Hope everyone has a great week! Love, Christy, Jeff and Brooke