Christmas with the Stegalls

my parents' tree on our Christmas morning together, 12/26

target practice with the new BB gun: Mark, William and Will

our biggest Stegall Skating Spectacular-- 51 family members!

Mama Ann celebrated her 88th birthday on 12/24

my attempt at delicious Tuxedo Cake tasted good but fell apart

cousins of 2010: Henry and Alice

Glass Ornament making at Orbix Hot Glass

On December 28th the "big kids" drove up about 45 minutes to Orbix Hot Glass to make our own ornaments. It was so fun for my parents, Mark and I, plus my siblings and some of their children to select our colors and blow our own ornaments. Mark and I saw glass-making in Murano, Italy 7 years ago and really had fun getting to do it ourselves. I chose daffodil and blue/green mix, Mark chose red mix and celadon. What a fun memory and experience!!

Caroling with Daniel Cason

My brother surprised us with such a special treat on the 26th: Daniel Cason came to the house and played piano before dinner. Daniel has a special place in the hearts of my family. He played in the wedding for each of us kids, my grandfather's funeral and my grandmother's second marriage. He's the soundtrack to our most special days and plays with such skill, passion and love for the Lord. Check Daniel Cason Ministries link for more on his music and inner-city ministries in Birmingham, AL.

Atlanta Christmas with the Holmes

Mark, Emalee, Alice, Poppy, Virginia, Gigi, William, John, Elizabeth, Abby, Mark B.

Christmas Eve Service at PRUMC

Alice with her cousins, Virginia & William

Christmas morning fun - Alice loves her train, bus, bunny slippers and more!

Brother has a name!

 We are thrilled to have Sawyer join our family in February! Alice revealed her brother's name to our families in a Christmas card. Everyone loved it and so do we.

we got a great reaction from Mark's parents on Christmas Day

A Day with Grandaddy in DC

 My dad is staying in DC for work meetings through Wednesday this week so Alice and I joined him for a few hours today. We visited the Smithsonian Castle, trains and cars at the American History Smithsonian, airplanes at Air & Space, and ate a yummy lunch at the Native American Museum. It was fun to have Daddy's business partner, Clyde, with us too. Thanks for spending the day with us, Daddy! Alice and I enjoyed it (and Mark needed the time to finish final projects in his last week of graduate school). We love you.

A few of Alice's favorite things

outside, in the yard, with a stick, near the dog

Thanksgiving Weekend

Mark, Alice and I flew South on Thanksgiving morning to join Mark's family in Union Springs for a day of family and feasting. There were 31 folks at lunch and great weather to enjoy the afternoon outside. Late in the afternoon we spent time with a smaller crowd while we enjoyed catching up with more family. We forgot to take pictures so just imagine cousins, casseroles, and Alice playing on tractors in the backyard.

Saturday morning we enjoyed the warm weather with Mark's brother's family at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It was so fun to see Alice delight in the children's garden and the company of her cousins. 

Sunday we joined in the Advent fun for kids at John & Elizabeth's church. My architect designed a charming gingerbread house while Alice tried to eat the pieces. There were ornament crafts, making cards for the troops, gift bag making for the homeless, advent wreath making and fun on the playground.   

Happy 6th Wedding Anniversary

Mark and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on Saturday. We spent the morning at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and that night Mark made surprise reservations for dinner and bought me a cute dress to wear. It was so fun to have an adult date night and feel so special. I'm a lucky lady to have such a great husband who is delighted to be a father to our child(ren).

We ate at Parish Restaurant in a restored pump house with amazing seasonal food and cool atmosphere:
appetizer: mushroom cheesecake with pecan crust
Mark's entree: whole trout, roasted apples, sauteed kale with spaghetti squash cakes
my entree: butternut squash gnocchi, spicy turkey meatballs with sauteed kale in a delicious broth

Our dinner was followed by dessert at a favorite, Cafe Intermezzo. We had Nutella hot chocolate, Oreo cheesecake, and key lime cheesecake. . .each was delicious.

Edisto Beach, SC weekend

Claire, Lillian, Paulie, Mark & Ade walking to the beach

Alice's first beach trip 10/2011

family sunrise walk on the beach

Alice loves the sand, water and shells 

Claire and Alice

Last weekend we joined Chuck & Claire's family on Edisto Beach, SC. It's an old-school beach with tons of sand, quiet streets, bike paths, and a fish shop nearby to make a great dinner at home. We really enjoyed our time!

Alice's first trip to the beach was a real success. She LOVES the sand, shells, and chased the waves back to the ocean because she loves the water so much. Daytime temps near 80 and cool evenings are just my style at the beach--no sweltering heat or fear of really getting sunburned. It was fun to watch Alice enjoy everything, despite some chilly wind.

One week after our trip and I'm sitting at home in October and it's SNOWING. What strange weather!

We're having a baby BOY!!

Mark and I are excited to be expecting a boy in late February. Our ultrasound earlier this month showed a healthy little guy and we're so thankful. The 4D picture above of his face is so interesting to see because the forehead is familiar yet we don't know what he'll look like.

At this point in raising a daughter and son I believe boys are easier. I have felt good for so much of this pregnancy. What a great change from my pregnancy with Alice! Naming our son has been the biggest challenge to date. It's good we've got 3.5 more months to figure it out :)

Fall at Longwood Gardens, PA

Mama is visiting for an extended weekend and we had such a great excursion today to Longwood Gardens. We met Anna, little Samuel and Anna's mom, Robin, to enjoy the beautiful weather, fall flowers and beautiful grounds, a delicious lunch and all-around great day. Robin took more great photos we'll share later. Mama has wanted to go to Longwood for many years but was never in the Philly/Delaware region with an excuse to spend the day. It's great to have her here, enjoy time together and see such beauty!

the main conservatory 

a few of the orchids

500+ pound pumpkin

Mama and Alice watching the trains

Football Tailgate - Go Orange & Blue!

Mark and I joined our friends Claire and Chuck and their kids Saturday afternoon to tailgate before the Maryland/Clemson game. We skipped that game to come home and watch the Florida/Auburn game on TV. I was stuck between a rock (my husband) and a hard place (my mom) watching the game because they're for opposite teams. I cheered for Orange & Blue to keep everyone happy! Alice just enjoyed playing with the football:

tailgating with Chuck & Claire's family

Emalee, Alice, my mama-Mimi, and Mark