The Alley Christmas Sing-along!

I am not sure I have mentioned before but our Alley Friends are amazing! One of the fun things that we do each year is have an Alley Friends Christmas Sing-along! The sing-along started 3 years ago and has become a wonderful tradition! This year the Gilliams hosted and it was a blast! As the kids get older, more cookies, more wine and more pizza is consumed! Scott and Anna are so lucky to be surrounded by our amazing neighbors! I am so thankful we moved here and have been blessed with such great people for our children! (and for us!)

As it has been in the past the favorite song of the night was Feliz Navidad! Dave grabs the guitare and the kids follow him as he marches through the house and through the house and through the house. Needless to say, there is much silliness and laughter!

Jeanie, Christina, Abby (1 1/2) and Katy

The Chenets, Denuo's and the Gilliams!

Hiking to Nannie's!

On the weekend of Thanksgiving, Scott and I had some time to ourselves. In that time, we decided to take a trip to Nannie's house! We had so much fun and it wasn't sooo miserable. (as Scott would say) I am sure it is implied that Winnie had a blast! She got to go to Nannie's for the first, and I think only, time. She was a bit overwhelmed with the "energy" that she had once she broke into the back of their yard. Bunny was not amuzed!

I can't wait for many trips to Nannie's with the kiddos! There is not need to drive because they live so close!

It's Christmas time

In the Gilliam house! Anna got this from the Bowersox family for her birthday. Anna and Scott had so much fun decorating.

I think that they have a future in art design!

Undefeated!

Scott plays on the USTA Youth Team here in Southern Village and he went undefeated this season! Go Scott! You should keep this up because chicks like tennis players! :)

We have lost a tooth!

Scott has finally lost his first tooth! It was a HUGE deal as he appears to have been the only one in 2nd grade that had not lost one yet. At least, that is what he claimed. We are so excited! I wonder if it will take 10 years to loose #2!

Halloween Anna

Isn't she pretty?

My Grandmother always said "pretty is is pretty does."

I am not sure what "Ma Ma" would say about Anna in this picture.

Gilliam Brunch at Breadmens

Soaring!

Scott is 7 years old and he LOVES basketball! He worked really hard this summer to up his game. I am not sure you can use a rock to jump off of during games but it is super fun (and scary) to watch! He made this shot often. I have to say I was surprised! He was as far away as a 3 pointer would be for an 8 foot goal.

Go Scott!

FOOTBALL!

This was a great day for Scooter! We went to Tar Heel town. Scott was so excited because we were there in time to cheer the football players as they walked to the statium! He was THRILLED! He also looked very small giving those big guys a high 5!

Go HEELS!

Birthday Brownies and donuts!

Anna had a the MAC DADDY birthday when it came to food. For breakfast she had donuts, at lunch she ate brownies and for dinner she had a big waffle! It was an awesome day! We all enjoyed sharing the yummy food with her. Thanks for letting us, Anna!

Anna is 5

I can not believe that "baby Anna" has turned 5!!!

Dear Anna,

You spent your first 10 months of life screaming as if you were in the most pain you could ever be in. It was so difficult to watch and soothe you as you were so unhappy. Luckily, that phase did not last past 10 months. Since then, you have been an absolute joy. I can not believe how fast the 5 years have come and gone. You are such a lovely little girl. You are in your last year of preschool which is absolutely crazy to me. Next year you will join your brother at Mary Scroggs Elementary. That is insane! Right now as I watch you play on the floor with your dog ,Winnie, I am reminded of how much you love animals. You roll around on the floor with Winnie and just giggle. You absolutely love this dog. Winnie's birthday is in a few days and so her puppiness and your love for her are a perfect match. You both just laugh and lick and chase and play! It will be fun to watch you grow up with this dog. When you come home from school, the first thing that you do is make a bee line for Winnie. It is such an unconditional love that I love to watch. I can not wait to watch you and Winnie grow up together!

Anna, You love your brother so much! I am not sure how long this will last but you can not wait to see him after school and you love to play with him. Luckily, he likes to play with you too! I could say that 90% of the time you both have a blast together! It is amazing to watch and hear as you both giggle your heads off upstairs! Your brother can also be very protective of you. There were two events this year that showed me how much he cares for you. The first event was when you broke your elbow. Scott was so worried and concerned. Winnie was a really young puppy and one of the things that you were really worried about was if Winnie was going to jump on you and nip at your arm. You were so scared. Scott looked at you as we were driving home from the doctor "Don't worry Anna! I will get in the way so Winnie will jump and nip on you. I wont let her hurt you. " (my heart was melting!) The second thing that happened was when you were walking down our Alley and you fell smack on your forehead. Scott could not see you but he heard you scream and cry. As soon as I got to you I saw Scott sprinting around the corner to check on you. He was so concerned. He grabbed all of the things that you dropped while falling and helped you carry it all inside. He also said he would protect you from Winnie. I have to say, that boy LOVES you. It makes me so happy and I hope that you both understand how special it is that you have each other!

Over the past few months you have shown an excitement about letters and words. You always ask to "do your homework." This usually consists of you practicing to sound out words that you write. I give you the letters and you write them down and work on sounding them out. It is really cute to hear! I love watching your little mind work. You get SO excited when you figure it out too. Right now it is mostly 3 letter words but you have done 4 as well. I think you will be ready for Kindergarten in no time at all! I can't wait to watch you shine!

Another thing that I have noticed about you is that you love to sing. You will belt out songs in the car or upstairs while you are playing. You absolutely love it! I think that you might even be on key which makes your daddy VERY happy! I can't wait to see if this love of music continues. It is such a fantastic talent to have and I look forward to watching it mature. You just never know!

Anna, your Daddy and I love you so much. We want you to be able to be anything in this world that you would like to be. Well, except a Duke fan. Your Daddy and Grandaddy would never have that! Other then being a Duke fan, the world is your oyster. I can not wait to watch you navigate your way through it. You have such potential and are such a kind soul. You love to take care of your friends, animals, plants, brother....it is so beautiful to watch.

Speaking of friends, below is a picture of you and Will at age 5! As we have noticed over the weeks, you have a major crush on this amazing boy. What is intersting to me is there is a background story. Will was your first friend ever. You may not remember this but you and Will had the same Due date. He was born a few weeks before you but you spent your first year together practically every day. His mother is one of my very good friends and we would spend many days together before we moved to Chapel Hill. After we moved, I brought you back to Epworth in Durham to go to preschool. Leigh and I were SO excited because in your last year of preschool, you guys were put in the same class! What is amazing is that we never prepped you two to become friends, it just happened. You both gravitated to each other and love each other very much. It is almost inate that you are suppose to be friends. I have to say, this makes my heart melt because not only are you friends with Will but you have mentioned that you want to Marry him! That would make Leigh and I very happy. Let's work on this, OK?

Happy Birthday sweet sweet girl. I know that you will continue to shine and I can not wait to watch! I am blessed to be your mother and I could snuggle with you all day every day!

Keep being sweet!

Mommy

Anna and Will on her birthday.

First love.

Anna at 4 days old.

I am not sure it gets any sweeter then this picture.

Best Thanksgiving EVER!

Does this rug make me look fat?

It shouldn't because I have lost weight! Ever since that dog came into the picture, my waistline has slimmed. Thank you Winnie for forcing me to diet by eating my food every day and making me exercise! I do not like dogs and I do not like exercising.

Anna's 5th birthday party!

Happy Anniversary!

On November 3rd we celebrated our 9th Anniversary.

Thank you, Dave for sticking with me so long! I am excited for the future and am so thankful for the past!

Halloween before and After

Southern Village is the BEST place to live for Halloween! Scott (AKA Tyler Hansbrough) and Anna ( A pixie fairy butterfly) had the best time trick-or-treating! I think that we had over 600 people stop by our house for candy. Now THAT is a crowd!
As soon as Scott got home he wanted to count and coordinate his loot! Anna was quick to help! I think they were successful in their organizational pattern.

What is love?

Love is every bit of this picture! Winnie is 11 months old and completely loved by Anna and Scott. The first thing they do when they get home from school is snuggle and play with Winnie. She is one lucky animal! Scott is almost 7 1/2 here and Anna is almost 5! Time is flying!

Seasonal clothing a must

Dear Anna, I may have matched your clothing to most of the seasons in your first years of life. I am not sure you will let me when you are 15 but you looked pretty cute at 4!

All

Scooter is cool like that.

He is kind of cute but may have a problem finding a date if he keeps dressing like this!

Score: Dog 1 - Daddy 0

One of Daddy's major rules when we got Winnie was that "no dogs will be on the furniture." Well, I guess you can see who won that battle.

The Gilliam Mini Milers!

Below you have a stunning picture of Fleet Feet's newest Mini Milers! Fleet Feet is a running store in the area that offers programs for all ages and all running levels. We are thrilled that Scott and Anna are old enough to join in the fun this Fall! They are learning to be better and more efficient runners! They even did hill running last class! It was very impressive and they are learning to love exercise! What a fun gift we can give to our little ones.

These kiddos are making their Mama very proud. Little do they know but they are going to jog in a 5K this weekend AND do a small run on Sunday with Fleet Feet. I am sure it will not be pretty but it is a start! Details to come!

Scott (7) and Anna (4)

2nd grade baby!

Scott has arrived! We are so happy that he made it into the 2nd grade. We were a little concerned there for a while but it all worked out! As a result of his new grade, we put a desk in his room and he was so excited. He told Daddy that he can now "Read, Write and Discover" with his new desk. I think our boy is going to be alright! 2nd grade...he he comes! (he comes with his watch dog too!)

Piggie Tales and Preschool

On Anna's 3rd day of school she was the Leader for the Day! She picked out her own dress, bows and shoes for the big holiday! I just had to share how adorable she looked as she went to school that day. Too bad you would think I was pulling her teeth out one at a time as I put these adorable piggie tales on her head! I keep telling her that beauty hurts! She has not grasped that concept yet.

Will bike for beer.

Some guys will do anything on the first night of Carolina Football season!

It ain't pretty.

For the love of Winnie

These children LOVE their sweet puppy Winnie. Poor Winnie gets big time neck hugs which could be sweet but the breathing part becomes an issue for her. She is so loved. Hopefully they will learn to hug and release soon!

Last year of Preschool!

School has not started yet for Anna but we did make a visit to her new classroom! She is super excited and will be in a combined 4/5 class. They call it Pre K where she will do tons of fun work with writing, reading and playing! She is going to have a bunch of adorable little ones in there and I am excited for the year to start in a few days.

Let the games begin. First stop, Preschool..next stop college!

Princess Anna

Today, I needed to get my eyebrows waxed (fun) and since Anna is still out of school, she got to go with me! She must have looked pretty cute sitting in the front area as I went to the back because I came back to this scene below. Anna had Megan, my front desk friend, and Mike, my hair cutter these days, painting her nails! I have never had that kind of treatment. I guess I need to learn how to bat my non existant big brown eyes and wear big pink and white polka dot bows! I am pretty sure Anna will want to join me again..what do you think?

Today, we were outdoorsie!

When you have neighbors like the Denuo's you accidently end up being more active and outdoorsie! Typically, we Gilliams lean towards the "I could lie around all day and just be lazy" side of things. Luckily, we have started to change our ways over the past few years. We happen to have very active neighbors that make us feel like unhealthy humans if we lean towards the comfortable lazy side of things...so what do we do...we hike, bike, swim, run around, play and run. What does that make us, you ask? MUCH MORE FUN! So, thank you Denuo's for teaching the lazy Gilliams how to be better as a family. We hope you stick around for a while because we kind of like you!

David, Maizie, Dave, Anna and Winnie.

Hiking/adventure day!

Silly car tricks

Don't worry, I was not driving while creating this fine picture.

Gilliams being silly after a trip to the gym.

Big kid - Big bike!

Scott got this bike from his Daddy for his 7th birthday. I am so excited that we decided to do this because he has LOVED biking! He wants to ride everywhere and is so cheerful doing it. Today, Daddy and Scott rode their bikes to school and Scott greeted everyone he saw.

"Good morning Nelsons! Good morning Heiligs!" He is such a happy camper.

A walk in the park!

This Summer we did not do as many camps. When that happends, I need to be creative in thinking of things to do. Since creativity does not come naturally to me, I decided that we should walk the paths in our neighborhood and take Winnie along for a ride! It was a fun adventure that ended with a romp in the dog park. The kids were NOT very thrilled about that part. Winnie and I really wish they liked the dog park more then they do. Unfortunately, the kiddos were upset when they got to the dog park for the first time and there were no slides. They thought it was NOT a very fun park and make it difficult for me to get Winnie some play time!

Just not right.

Dear Scott and Anna,

Your Dad can be the such a dork sometimes. Below is a great example. As I look at the picture, I am guessing you think that both of us are dorks as we have the same shirt on! We did NOT plan that and never do but it always happens. We always come out of the room and have practically the same colors on or the same shirt. It freaks your Mama out some times!

Love,

Mom