i'm in love.

I'm sitting here looking at photos from the house we saw last night...

and Aaron says I'm glowing.
It was unbelievable. historic, charming, so much character, updated though {so not too old}, 3 bedrooms plus an adorable study, 2 baths, all original windows and doors, lots of other preserved features and built ins, 2 stories, stone tiled bathrooms and backsplash...it's on a corner lot, and there's a giant tree in the front yard, a TREE! {to my tennessee readers, this is harder to come by west of the mississippi.}

exactly what Aaron & I would love to call our first home.

Of course, there's always a drawback... we're going to have to go back in the daytime to survey the neighborhood. there were some gorgeous restored {and way pricier} houses on the street, and just across the park down the street is a very nice restored residential area {yes, a park!}...but then, there were others that we still questioned. That's just how downtown Oklahoma city is. ...and of course, with home built in 1925 you don't always get everything that modern conveniences provide - but this one actually has a garage in back! {which is very rare...and something we didn't see until we drove by} the garage would need a little tender loving care, but I think that's definitely not too much to ask...for all you get in return. & there's nothing 'cookie cutter' about this area at all. ...and most importanly of all, we could afford it. ....and now even.

Both Aaron and I were swept off our feet. Literally, Aaron kept picking Melody and I up to peek over the fence in the backyard to get a better look. Yes, we haven't even set a foot inside. Just looked in all the amazing windows. and saw these photos from my daily real estate update.

So, anyway, I haven't seemed to find the time to post about all the hustle-and-bustle-Christmas-goings-on lately...but I just had to take a sec to give you a peek at this find!

be of good cheer.

A very merry christmas to you and yours! Lots of love and laughter in 2009.

-the chaloners

Ho Ho Ho.

so, I haven't had time to post any pictures lately. or update for that matter. but, what are we all doing these days...?

...christmas shopping. christmas decorating. christmas baking. christmas cards. watching christmas movies. trying to stay warm. listening to {and dancing to} XM Holly. making homemade apple cider and hot chocolate. ...pretending our humble little two-bedroom apartment is the north pole.

so, here's an accurate representation of our cozy little quarters. we spent last weekend making every last corner very merry. This is what happens when you ride to work together...I had to stay a little late today, so Aaron had to wait on me in his car. and used his time to craft this. a pretty remarkable memory if you ask me. maybe you'll get some real pictures sooner or later. speaking of photos, anyone able to sneak me a copy of photoshop? is that possible? clearly, it's not quite in the budget. {or in accordance with copyright laws...} I have PS Elements, but it's kind of like getting one potato chip. you just end up wanting more. especially when all your talented friends can do so many creative things their chips!

you guys stay warm & have a happy weekend!

Come, ye thankful people, come.

hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! it was a quick trip to Tennessee, but as always, we crammed a lot into our three days back home. We cruised in and hung out with mom & the boys for the first night. & of course got to see this big kid that we hardly recognized! She was up to all kinds of new tricks...crawling, for one! and waving, smiling and laughing, and pulling herself up on the couch. what a little overachiever at 6 months old. She actually will give the camera a little smile after she sees the flash go off. so cute.

let's get her signed up for culinary school.

We spent the morning hanging out around the house (Mom and Emma slaving away in the kitchen...) before heading over to the big spread at my great-grandparents house.

& here's another little one thats growing up too fast as well!

We had a delicious Thanksgiving meal at Mama and Papas and spent some time visiting with family. I can't even begin to recount the tables of food that had been made...it's so impressive. and so delicious. I think my mouth was watering the entire 600 mile drive thinking about Mama Bowman's dressing.

There's always a crowd...i think about 30 people this year. with great-grandparents you know there are plenty of branches to the family tree. It's the tradition (for any holiday) that's been in my mom's side of the family for, well, longer than I've even been around. It's so special, which needless to say, will be a hard gathering to miss this year, for my first Christmas Day away from Tennessee. But, I have a lot to look forward to with the Chaloner family and making our own new traditions!

a growing family. [the picture above. not below, ehm.]

A holiday out in Holladay, TN is always wrapped up at Grandma's house down the street with a bunch of games & cards. We have a record of 14 one year. still not sure how we ever did that... I'm not sure we slept.

The next day we headed over for Thanksgiving with my Dad, or "pop-pop", as he's soon to be called. With this photo, he could be a hip city blogger or maybe even cool enough to work at starbucks.

cutest little Mommy.

Emma showing us how she can crawl. and look tough. Dad had little aprons made up for all of us. We spent the day taking turns in the kitchen, playing games, and decorating the tree. Because I can't possibly bring myself to delete a photo with Emma's precious face, you can find more photos here.

I think I even snapped the photo before every dish made it on the table. a real good meal.

Oh, and I hadn't mentioned that we were sick [and not from overeating]. For the whole trip I felt like I was in a fog. That part kinda sucked. I think from a sinus infection. I managed to pass it along to Aaron and other loved ones. Sorry for sharing guys.

We spent the next day watching the Bedlam game, going bowling with the family, and watching Four Christmases. [pass on that one. stick to your ABC Family's 25-days-of-Christmas instead. What, you mean you don't have Christmas movies recording on your TiVo every hour of the day?...I can thank Aaron for that, Mr. Christmas himself.]

well guys, I can forsee a bit of an absence here in the blog-o-sphere... It stinks, because I've really enjoyed this page, and I enjoy following others. but, the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is upon us, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed! Blogging is something I tend to do when everything else is done...after dinner when Aaron's sitting in his big comfy leather chair studying away in the evenings. A good low-key evening is a frequent necessity in this household. But, at least for now, the evenings are becoming quite full with shopping, cooking, wrapping, decorating, good tidings, comfort, joy. you get the idea. [not to mention, we also met tonight for the first time to organize our plan of attack to study for the genetic counseling boards. ahh!] ...So this week we have some lovely family coming through town, birthday's to celebrate, and a swanky holiday party coming up at the historic farmer's market on Friday evening. put on your dancin' shoes! All in delightful fun, but sorry, buddies, you get the back seat this time. I'll peek in when I can!

Take care & enjoy the lovely season.