Christmas

The kids are "writing" their letters to Ho Ho on Christmas Eve.

Our den after Ho Ho's visit was out of control.

I had been collecting parts to this train set since I found out I was having a little boy. Everytime there was a sale at ToysRUs I was there adding a piece to our collection, which I kept stored in our little attic over the garage. I didn't realize how out of control it had gotten until that night. I kept pulling boxes and boxes out of the attic, all of which had to be cut out of their displays and put together to make one big connecting train set. We started putting the thing together at 10:00 that night after the kids were asleep, and we didn't get into bed until 1:30 that morning. Tim was pretty annoyed, and I'll be honest, I was a little embarassed. I prayed really hard that night that he would actually like the darn thing! He did. It was a big hit. And it is a big, permanent monstrosity in our play room now. I tend to do things big. I'll go ahead and admit that now.

Dear Dad

These pictures are for you...since you have been missin' my blog lately :)

December was a very busy month. We wrapped up swim lessons for a little while. My little fish have been missing the pool here lately, but I am enjoying the break. We will get our fair share of the pool as soon as the weather starts to warm back up I am sure.

Addie found a letter from Ho Ho that told her to look in her Mamaw's garage for a special present he brought her early since Mamaw would not be there on Christmas morning to see her other gifts. She was so excited! She slept with that letter for days afterwards.

Hayes really got into unwrapping gifts this year. He wanted to tear into everyone's presents!

Addie was mighty proud of the stack of gifts she had at Mamaws! She would smile so big when her name was called, and she loved building a mountain with the unwrapped boxes!

Christmas is magical again with little ones...it really is. They make it so much fun!

This is what breakfast looks like at our house. They sit in the same seats and pretty much each the same stuff each morning. We are creatures of habit.

Once again we enjoyed the Great Bridge Christmas parade here in our town. Hayes loved the motorcycles and police cars. He can't get enough of sirens! Addie loves the cheerleaders and dancers, and of course, the people who pass out candy!

Last year when we were at the parade, it started snowing. It was so cold. So this time I made sure everyone was nice and warm. It was a bit much. It was much warmer than we expected! Still, they looked adorable in their winter gear!

Addie and her Mamaw and I went to a Christmas ballet together. It was such a nice time. Addie was in awe of all of the beautiful costumes and sat mesmerized the whole time. It was fun to get all dressed up and do something girly together!

I have many more pictures to share from Christmas, my favorite time of the year for sure. I won't wait so long to post again, I promise!

Happy Birthday to my Memaw!

Her birthday was actually Wednesday, but I am off to visit this beautiful lady today and celebrate with her in PERSON! I cannot wait!

I love you Memaw!

November on the run...

WOW! The month of November just slipped away from me! I'm not sure what happened. We have been busy celebrating birthdays and preparing for the holidays around here. Addie is working on writing the alphabet at school and still struggling with a little separation anxiety. She is such a fast learner, and I must admit, it makes me melt when she tears up at the classroom door because she says she is going to miss me! How will I ever put her on the school bus next year? YIKES!

We finally got a "real" hair cut this month....5 whole inches of hair came off, and she looks adorable with her new "do"!

Hayes is still the sweetest little man I ever knew. He tells me that he is "mommy's baby" when he wants an extra snack or doesn't want to nap :) That makes me melt too! He is still having a hard time with his skin and not sleeping extremely well at night. He has become his Daddy's nightly bed buddy around 2:00 am. Tim hasn't complained yet!

Their Mamaw bought them these fun hats for the winter. Hayes wears his and roars at strangers as they pass by us, and Addie just thinks she is the cutest little thing in her Hello Kitty hat!

I love the holidays with my babies. I hope they always have fun memories from these times.

My Birthday this year...

was FABULOUS! And very, very, well celebrated! I had a nice dinner out with friends, and my book club ladies treated me to lunch. We had a great steak dinner at Mom's, and finally, Tim and I had a night away that included the best meal I have ever eaten and the largest slice of peanut butter cheesecake I have ever seen! I was spoiled rotten this year. Did I mention the Ipad Tim gave me? Yeah, it sleeps in between us at night. I love it...already. AND...my bedroom got a makeover.

Don't you just want to curl up in that bed and snooze the day away? I wanted to get away from the dark, cozy feel and make it more soothing and calm. I love how it turned out. Thanks to Tim for painting on his days off, and to my mom and Dave for the bedding. (Do you all know how much I love Pottery Barn?) And thanks to Dad and Julie for the curtains.....(shhhhhh.....we'll just pretend they came from Walmart!) Doesn't it look sensational?

Of course, these two little munchkins helped make my birthday special too! They are so rotten!

Halloween Night

As always, Halloween fun was had by all! The magic of the holidays come alive with little ones...that's for sure!

Addie's Halloween Parade at School

For Halloween, Addie decided she wanted to be a fairy. We have been watching Tinker Bell over and over here at our house, and I believe she fell in love with the little winged characters. Her mamaw bought her a set of fairy wings and a magic wand, and we found the perfect fairy dress in her dress-up box filled with hand-me-downs from friends. She made a beautiful fairy.

Halloween Day I was a volunteer at Addie's preschool for their little Halloween party. I decided she would like it if I too wore a costume to school that day. They also had a parade for the parents that day at school where the kids all got to show off their costumes. I forgot that I had to attend the parade in full costume before I headed to the party. It was a little embarassing when I walked outside to stand in line for the show and the other parents thought the parade was starting....."No, no...it's just me...a crazy mommy...all dressed up as Dorothy, complete with sparkly red shoes.." I blushed a little.

Here comes our little fairy...

The party was so much fun! I decorated halloween cookies with the kids, and I even managed to make some cookies that Addie could eat too! The icing and sprinkles were a MESS!

I am so lucky to be able to do things like this with her!