Christmas Morning...here are Weston and Addison walking out to see what Santa left for them!
I love these next pictures of the children opening presents from us and from each other. Jesse, our elf, also left something special for both of them. And, opening the stocking stuffers is always a favorite, too!
Later in the day, we headed to my parents house to celebrate with my side of the family!
And...a perfect ending to Christmas Day 2010 -- it started SNOWING! Our first white Christmas since 1963. So exciting!! And it snowed a good bit of the next day, too! We've had a great Christmas holiday and hope that you have, too. We have lots to be thankful for over this past year and are looking forward to what God has in store for us for 2011. Happy New Year, friends!
On the eve of Christmas Eve, we decided to go to one of our favorite spots to see beautiful Christmas lights....Christmastown, USA, also known as McAdenville, NC. As always, we had a fun night and the lights and decorations were amazing!
On Christmas Eve, we celebrated with Bob's side of the family! We went to his sister, Hope's, house for lunch. The food was delicious...then it was time to read the Christmas story and for our gift exchange and then our annual "Birthday Cake for Jesus". After all of those festivities, we all got ready to head to Christmas Eve service together. We came home after service and the children put the reindeer food out that they had made weeks before with Gram and Grandfather. Then, we opened our traditional "one gift on Christmas Eve" of new pajamas and also put cookies and milk out for Santa, and our elf, Jesse! Then, we always read Christmas stories. I love all of our little holiday traditions...they are such fun!
Eating... Reading, opening presents, and celebrating Jesus' birthday...
Some posed pictures before heading to Christmas Eve service at church...
Back at the house that evening, here are some photos of the children spreading the reindeer food, opening new pajamas, leaving the cookies and milk out for Santa, and reading Christmas stories! I'm glad I set the timer this year on the camera, so that I could get a shot of all four of us in our Christmas PJ'S!
Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days of the year! And Christmas Day is, too! I'm going to do a separate post next of our Christmas Day 2010.
Weston was in a Christmas play this past Sunday evening. The play was cute and the children were even cuter!! I loved this time of focusing on the true reason for the season...the birth of Jesus Christ. Weston played as one of the three wisemen. Here are some pictures and a video clip.
Monday evening, we had our monthly supper club and we had planned a progressive dinner for this month. It was so much fun! We started at our home for appetizers and then moved to the other three homes of the couples in our club. There is never a shortage of good food or laughs with these friends!
Yesterday, I enjoyed taking Weston and Addison to see the movie Tangled. This was one of the first movies that Addison was really excited about. She loves princesses and her attention span is finally getting a little longer where she can sit and watch a movie. It was a cute film!
We've really been enjoying our "family time" this week. I love having Bob and Weston home with me and Addison. We've been staying up a little later than normal and then sleeping in each morning. That is definitely the schedule I prefer, but when school is in session, we have to do the opposite - early to bed and early to rise. So, it's a nice treat not to have to be on a schedule or have somewhere to be all the time. We are enjoying lots of down time, food, game playing, naps, etc. Tonight we are going to go see more Christmas lights and we are looking forward to doing Christmas with Bob's family tomorrow! We hope you are enjoying this week of Christmas as well... Much love,
Just trying to play catch up...so this post is going to be all over the place! :)
First, I wanted to share this picture -- one of Bob's co-workers made personalized cookies for us and I thought they were so cute!
This past Friday, I took the kids to Gram and Grr-Daddy's house for Ginger Bread House making! Here are some pictures of us building and decorating...
Then, on Saturday morning we had breakfast with Santa at Chick-fil-a...Addison wants so badly to sit with Santa and is so fascinated with him, but every time it comes down to it...she is just too nervous and scared to sit with him. :) Well, this time Santa asked if Mommy wanted to sit in his lap so that Addison would be more comfortable...so I did. Which made for a fun picture. Ha!
This past weekend, we also enjoyed riding through a Christmas Light Display. There is a "Winter Wonderland" where you can get out and walk around and they offer various activities and photo opportunites. The children loved seeing all of the lights!
And finally, here are a couple of pictures of Weston and Addison that I took before church yesterday morning. They looked so cute in their festive outfits!
Next up: pictures and a video clip of Weston's church Christmas play! Love,
Weston was so happy that today's winter weather only resulted in a 2 hour delay and not a cancellation because he didn't want to miss having his class Christmas party! To be completely honest, he really didn't even want the 2 hour delay because he was eager to get to school...he just loves it so much! Addison and I joined the fun at the party, too! Here are some pictures...
A very special visitor came as well...Weston was so sweet to give Santa Claus a hug after opening the gift that Santa brought him and Addison got the closest to Santa she's gotten all season and we even got to tell him what she hopes he brings her for Christmas! Santa told the children that he's been hearing all of the reports from their elf at school and their elf at home and he even had their class elf come sit with him! He also read a book to the class and called them each by name to come and talk to him and to give them each a present.
We had a fun time! Weston also enjoyed handing out all of his gifts to his teachers and treat bags to his classmates. I tried not to forget anyone this year...and hopefully I didn't...as it takes so many people each day at school to help our children...classroom teachers, related arts teachers, administrators, nurses, office workers, etc.! I want them to know how much they are appreciated!
So far this week, two highlights have been Addison's preschool Christmas party and attending our local Christmas parade!
Addison is already out for her Christmas break but not before enjoying a celebration with all of her classmates! I enjoyed helping with her class Christmas party...the children are so precious at this age. :)
It was SO cold the night of the Christmas parade, but we still had fun and the kids loved it! We enjoyed a warm, sweet treat after the parade with our friends Jonathan, Ashley, and Kamryn...Krispy Kreme doughnuts! The hot, fresh doughnuts and the time with friends warmed the evening up. :)
Tomorrow is Weston's class Christmas party, so more pictures will soon follow!!
Our elf on the shelf, Jesse, arrived on Weston's birthday, November the 13th. This was his first ever appearance at our house! He just brings a little fun to our house during this holiday season. (Weston also has an elf in his classroom at school named Mr. Poole, so he is being watched wherever he goes! ha) Here are a few pictures of where we have found him lately! (he moves throughout our house every day after flying to the North pole each evening to report to Santa)
We found him in the laundry room one day with a note tucked under his arms...
Another day we found him inside of the china cabinet in the dining room. He had brought back some snow to share with us from the North Pole!
And most recently, we found him in the shower! He left us a note on the mirror to let the kiddos know that they were getting close...
Just about every day lately, I've been wanting to snap Addison's picture in the morning, because she has been wearing lots of "festive clothing"! And I want a picture of her in each cute outift! :) Some of the clothes are hers, and some have been loaned to us and they are all so cute!
There's 18 more days 'til Christmas...which means there will be more Christmas Wear photos to come!
Bob and I recently went out to dinner at a restaurant that we had never been to. We had a great night. For starters, we were enjoying the rare and much needed alone time and the food was delicious as well. Our great night got even better when we asked our waitress for our check and she returned to our table and said, "your tab has been paid for...you are free to go"! What a pleasant surprise that somebody gifted us with.
During the holidays, we often times think of the birth of Jesus, but this particular evening I thought about Jesus' death. After finding myself in this recent situation, and how nice it was for our waitress to tell us that our bill had been paid for, all I could think about was how much greater of a gift that Jesus Christ gave us. God sacrificed His Son on the cross and paid the ultimate price for us. Jesus paid for our sins. And offers us the gift of eternal life. All we have to do is accept His gift. I pray that we don't lose sight of the real meaning of the season and that if we feel His prompting, that we'll get a chance to share our faith with somebody this Christmas season...afterall, that would be the best gift we could ever give anyone!
We had a great Thanksgiving and the craziness, ahem, I mean fun of December is already beginning! I'm hosting a party at my house this coming weekend and one the next, so I will do my best to post some in between the hectic schedule of December. Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving weekend...we enjoyed lunch at my parents with my family and dinner at Bob's grandmothers with his family. Thursday night Bob's mom spent the night with us so that he and I could do a little middle-of-the-night Black Friday shopping. Then, later in the day on Friday, sleep deprived and all, we went and picked out our Christmas tree and then decorated it that night. The next day we took the kids to the movies and watched the Gamecocks beat the Clemson Tigers in football which made the weekend even that more sweet!!! I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with family fun and yummy food...
I'm a SAHM to two wonderful children, a boy and a girl. Weston is 7 years old and Addison is 4 years old. I stay busy with my kiddos and also enjoy traveling, scrapbooking, our church, working out, hanging out with friends and our large extended families, and date nights with my husband. I have been married to Bob for 8 years. Bob is an elementary school principal. He has a passion for education. He also enjoys sports, watching ESPN, playing with the kids, and reading John Grisham books. This blog shares little snippets of our lives...so that we can stay connected to you, our friends and family!
Weston is our firstborn, he is 6 years old, a delightful son, and a wonderful big brother. He is a helper, loves life, is adventurous, enjoys eating, playing sports, swimming, group hugs, giving kisses, and riding roller coasters. He loves school, reading books, is quite inquisitive, and adores his little sister. He is a rough and tumble boy with a kind and gentle heart. He is a daddy's boy!
Addison
Addison is our darling, strong-willed, spirited, 3 year old daughter. She tries to keep up with her big brother. The saying "big things come in small packages" fits her well! She is determined, loves her baby dolls & strollers, balls, and all things princess. She enjoys baths, sleeping, and has a sweet tooth. She has a fabulous sense of humor. She is a mommy's girl!
