Christmas Break

Our Christmas holiday has been full of so much fun.  Presents, Parties, Programs, you name  it....  Again, I have been so fortunate to be off with the kids for 2 weeks.  I think that's part of why this is my favorite time of year...I get to soak up every minute with my precious munchkins.

 

 

Jolly, our elf on the shelf, made his debut right after Thanksgiving. He was so nice to surprise the kids with pajamas upon his arrival, and even brought them back the Crocodile Hop game from the North Pole one night because of such good behavior.

 

 

Reese had her KDA Christmas Party at dance and we brought goodies for everyone.

 

 

The kiddos also had their Christmas Program at MDO. Reese's class was adorable and sang 'O Christmas Tree,' and B-man's class sang 'Jingle Bells.' They were both precious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reese and I went on the morning of the 23rd to see Rudolph at the WAC.  It was absolutely precious!  Unfortunately, we both had pink eye and therefore our pictures aren't too hot.  We still managed to have a wonderful time though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have truly enjoyed the holiday season and I always have so much fun dressing my kids for Christmas.  I think dressing them for church is my favorite. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent lots of time curled up watching Christmas cartoons in our footie pajamas on Mama and Daddy's bed by the Christmas tree.

 

 

Reese and Jack went to Mimi's one day to make ornaments for the tree and so I got to hang with this sweet guy all morning :)

 

 

 

 

He couldn't hang at Target....

 

 

We made cookies for Santa!  Thankfully, he likes LOTS of pink sprinkles.

 

 

For Christmas Eve, my brother and Brandi always host friends and family at their house.  We all wear comfy clothes, bring tons of food, and play games.  It's becoming a tradition after 2 years, and so much fun!!

 

 

I hope your Christmas vacation was just as wonderful!!

 

 

Birthday Parties and Graduations

We've recently had some exciting things to celebrate in between all the holiday fun. My wonderful Dad turned 59 on December 15, and he took the crew to Marketplace to treat us all. It was a great night! 

We also got to celebrate my beautiful cousin, Jocelyn. She graduated from the U of A on December 19 with her doctorate. She is now Dr. Bailey.  We are all so proud of her, I know she's worked her tail off!! We had a big party for her at Chris and Mike's house and were able to celebrate BIG!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas is my favorite time of year, but how blessed we are to be able to celebrate so many exciting things through the holiday season.



 

The Christmas Train

So, I'm not going to lie....I really wanted to get tickets to the Polar Express in Branson, but I waited too long to get them (like the end of November :0) and they sold out.  The thought of a train ride with the kids seemed so fun. After researching and asking around, I found that the Christmas train in Springdale does pretty much the same thing. So, we got tickets and over all it was worth it.

Reese loved it!! Brooks...he loved the first 45 minutes.  After that, Matt and I were both hoping for a stop at the pub. The train cars were decorated so pretty with Christmas lights and garland. The seats were a soft, deep green velvet.  It was very festive!  All the families sang Christmas carols, Santa came through handing out candy canes, and we were served sugar cookies and hot chocolate.  It sounds like the perfect Christmas evening...and for the most part it was. I think I probably should've waited another year or two for B-man to enjoy it, but Reese loved it and I'm glad we did it. Actually, I'm VERY glad we didn't drive all the way to Branson to do it ;) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's no secret that I LOVE this time of year!!  All the Christmas trees, decorations, Christmas music, and excitement around such a wonderful holiday.  I have to say that after having kids, it's gotten even more exciting and fun!  Our kiddos are still so little...they still have bedtimes, routines, etc.  So we don't stray too far from our daily dose, but we've managed to have a lot of fun so far this month. 

 

We started the first weekend of December off with a little tradition we started last year.  Dinner at the Catfish Hole and then on to the Fayetteville Square to see the lights, visit Santa, ride in the Cinderella carriage, and see the reindeer.  The weather wasn't too cold and believe it or not, it wasn't overly crowded.  Besides Brooks HATING Santa, it was a great night!!  :))

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next weekend we went down to the Bentonville Square and had dinner at Tusk and Trotter, then walked around and looked at all the lights before treating the kiddos to a small toy at the five and dime store and a little bit of ice cream. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We've had so much fun this month - thankful for all the time spent together!!