Just a few days ago I posted this photo. I took it (and enlarged it) because I love those perfect, pretty teeth and wanted to preserve that stage of her childhood.

Good thing.

This was my Maggie at 8am. The tooth fairy paid for TWO teeth last night.

And this is Maggie at 11:45am.

I guess the Tooth Fairy won’t be buying that beach house any time soon…

Some of my sweet photography friends challenged me to come up with my nine favorite photos of 2009.

In addition, I have to come up with THIRTY photographs for my gallery opening in March. For a multitude of reasons, this ain’t easy for me. I can be really hard on myself. Maybe I should simply hook all of you up to my Flickr page and have you pick for me. Now THERE’S a contest!

What would this list be without a photo of cotton? I like the blues and grays in this one.

You know, we really thought she’d only pet the chicken. Good thing the Avian Flu has been replaced with the Swine Flu.

I love how you know what she’s doing here just by seeing that green and yellow blob.

And I love how he takes the time to make her happy.

What I don’t love is that we did not plant peanuts this year for the first time in… well, since peanuts have been planted in the United States, I reckon. It truly was heartbreaking for me

My sweet, sweet little Shelby. I hardly ever get a natural look from her – she loves to cheese for the camera. This one is special to me and therefor lords over our dining room in a print far too large. I don’t care.

And this one because a few weeks later one of those pretty little teeth fell out.

I lvoe the sweetness in this one.

And my baby. My sweet little boy with the impossibly long, dark eyelashes. How is it that boys always get the prettiest eyelashes anyway?

I still have a ton of presents to wrap.

But I have made my final batch of cinnamon rolls, survived my first party of the season and have all the beds ready for allllll of the Cotton Husband’s sisters, my mama and whomever else wants to spend the night here. We’re like a Howard Johnson, y’all.

Merry Christmas to you and yours! I love ya all!