Houses Sweet Enough to Eat

Here are our annual gingerbread houses! We meet up with the Drakes and the Carters every year at grandma and grandpa's house and the kids each make a candy-filled creation. Seven houses take a lot of frosting, candy and graham crackers, and make a BIG mess. (Grandma says she doesn't mind though.) We started this tradition several years ago and the kids look forward to it every year. It really is lots of fun. I have always added some of my touches to the youngest kid's house. Emma really wasn't wanting my help this year, so next year I may have to make one of my very own! Drake, Emma and Jack with their "sweet" houses.
Drake working on his roof.

Jack ate more than he decorated.

Emma did not want any help this year!

Winter Wonderland

Every year since Drake was little we have gone to Winter Wonderland to see Santa. It is one of our favorite Christmas Countdown activities. The scenes are wonderful and remind me of when I was a little girl and my mom took us to a place in Toledo every year. Just like my kids it was one of my favorite things at Christmas. We love the different scenes and have fun finding the hidden mouse in each one. We really love Mrs. Claus baking cookies in the kitchen, Santa's workshop and the Christmas train.

The kids also get to visit with Santa each year. They tell him what they want for Christmas and he tells them stories about the reindeer and what kind of cookies to leave him. Several times "Santa" has known our family personally so he calls the kids by their names and talks to them about people they know. The boys still talk about the year that Santa asked them all about their grandpa. He even knew his name!

It is a wonderful place to see the magic of Christmas in your children's eyes.

Drake, Jack and Emma in front of Canyland.
The kids with Santa.

The Christmas Parade

Adam, Jack and Emma enjoying the parade.

Drake and his friend Carson drank about three cups of cocoa each.Last Thursday night was the Jonesboro Christmas Parade. It was our Christmas countdown activity for the day so, despite the cold, we headed out to enjoy the parade! Drake met his friend Carson there and they enjoyed A LOT of free (thank you to a local boy scout troop) cocoa. Our favorites in the parade were the Grinch float, the Jonesboro High School marching band, and of course, Santa, who came at the very end. It was really cold, but we were glad we went. We had a great time!

Here comes Christmas!

The turkey has been eaten and the pumpkin pie is gone. It is time to jump into the wonderful Christmas season. I started shopping about a month ago, and today we are decorating the house. Adam and the kids are outside putting up lights and decorations and I have been taking care of the inside. We will not put up the tree until the first weekend in December. I just can't do it before then, not to mention the fact that a live tree gets pretty dry if we get in to much of a hurry.

I love this time of year. It is filled with tradition and family and all the memories of Christmas past. When Drake was three years old, a friend shared her idea of a Christmas Countdown. Everyday you do something to help get ready for Christmas. I started it that year and have done it with the kids every year since. The kids get up every morning excited to look in the pocket and find out what special thing we are doing that day. Our countdown includes everything from The Christmas Parade, to making gingerbread houses at grandma and grandpa's, to putting up the tree, to filling an angel bag for a needy child, to baking cookies for Santa. It is one of my favorite things, and I treasure every memory it has allowed me to make with my kids during this special time of year.

So, get ready, because here comes Christmas!

Time to Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is approaching quickly and it seems to be the time to reflect back and give thanks for the wonderful year we have had. As I think back on this past year, it is with a bit of sadness as I realize how quickly the years seem to be passing. I told Adam the other day that I wish I could somehow magically freeze time right now. I love this place in time. I love that our family is complete and we have the kids with us and still small. It makes my heart skip a little to think that in just a few years Drake will be driving, and then before we know it gone... I guess I wouldn't mind freezing MY age either.

Things I am most thankful for:
1. My wonderful husband. Adam and I celebrated our 15th anniversary in June, and I love him more than ever.
2. My kids. They are all I ever wanted and the best thing I have ever done.
3. My parents. They have been there my whole life to support me and to love me and they are the best grandparents I could ask for.
4. My sister and brother and their families. We are very close and I am so thankful that they are my best friends.
5. My father-in-law. He is the best. Could not have asked for better.
6. My job. I love what I do.
7. Good friends
8. Good health
My list could go on and on.

I wish a Happy Thanksgiving and God's richest blessings to all!

Bonfire Time!

It is November and it is finally getting cold! Saturday night we had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows at Adam's dads house. It was really cold but we had a lot of fun.

Breakfast with the Ballerinas

This morning I took Emma and my niece Caroline to Breakfast with the Ballerinas. My niece Molly is in the Nutcracker again this year, so we went to see all the beautiful ballerinas in their Nutcracker costumes. The little girls started Stepping Stones, which is the beginning ballet class, in August and they love dancing together. Molly has had a part in The Nutcracker for three years now, so we have become big ballet people. The show has been wonderful every year, and we truly enjoy going to see it. Emma was in love with the "prince" and waited very patiently (well, pretty patiently) to get her picture made with him. It was so much fun and I really enjoyed the "girl time" with Emma.

Happy Halloween!

Last night was Halloween. We went to Jim and Shawn's house for dinner and trick-or-treating! Their neighborhood is great because almost every house gives out candy. The kids spent two hours going from house to house getting way too much candy!
This was the first year Drake wanted to be something scary. So, even though I still think of him as a dinosaur or a sweet fireman, I gave in and he got a scary skeleton costume. Jack was his favorite character, Jack Sparrow, from Pirates of the Caribbean, and Emma was Snow White. (She has loved Snow White ever since meeting her at the Princess Breakfast at Disney World.) Adam and I even got into the Halloween spirit. Adam wore a mullet and I was a "nice" witch.
Everyone was completely exhausted, especially mom and dad, but we had a very Happy Halloween!

Emma's favorite places

Emma has two favorite places to eat right now. She doesn't ever want to go anywhere but her favorite places "Berber King" and "Chuck-fil-A". It's not that she loves the food at Berber King and Chuck-fil-A. Oh no...it's all about the play areas. She doesn't even really eat when we are there. She just wants to play. She cannot understand why the rest of us don't always want to eat at her favorites. Can you??

Pumpkin Hollow

The kids and I were out of school yesterday so Jackie and I loaded up all five of our kids and headed to Pumpkin Hollow. We fed the animals, (they even got to grind the corn for the chickens and turkeys), played on the hay stacks, went through the corn maze, picked a little pumkin from the pumpkin patch and took a hayride. Then of course we had to pick a big family pumpkin. We had a wonderful time. I think this will be new family tradition!