TN christmas - gingerbread train

Every year we try to do some sort of gingerbread activity. This year the girls picked a train. As you can see, Addison did most of the work.

Of course Michael and I lent a helping hand when we were needed.

Morgan wasn't far away though. She sat there the whole time, but had more interest in coloring and hanging out with Nana.

However, when it came time for the candy part, Morgan was all about it. She won't pass up a chance to eat a piece of candy.

And there you have it. One gingerbread train.

We moved it to the fireplace mantle where it made a beautiful decoration during out visit. Then I'm sure it got tossed in the trash.

the rest of the long weekend

Zarkle still comes on Thanksgiving night, even if we are at Grandma's house.

Since we were in Gainesville on Black Friday, we carried on the Santa tradition too. For some reason there is never a line and we walk right up. So much better than fighting the long lines and people here in Jacksonville. Plus, he's a pretty good Santa. Addison asked for a grown up jewelry box and a light up hula hoop. Morgan asked for a leprechaun house. I seriously thought she was joking, but nope. She was dead serious. What exactly is a leprechaun house? (More on this later.)

 

A visit to Westside Park is always on the agenda when were in Gainesville. The girls ride this merry-go-round the entire time. Complete with sassy girl pose and all. I don't know how they do it. 

 More Zarkle adventures.

Morgan discovered the cinnamon roll. I think it's safe to say she's a fan.

 On Saturday we headed home to find the perfect Christmas tree. We found it!

So what if it took up half of my living room. I didn't care. It was the perfect tree. Switching over to a real tree a few year ago is one of the best moves we've ever made.

thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving at my mom's and then headed to my Aunt's house for a little backyard fun.I was so happy that I got to spend the day with this little turkey.

You know when you pick up a baby and your body just starts to rock from side to side. The mommy sway. I think it naturally occurs in all mothers. I still got it. I swayed baby R right into her turkey coma.

And just like most holidays, we ended up at my aunt's house to visit with first, second and third cousins and eat dessert. There's always some swinging.

And some teeter tottering.

Tractor rides from cousin Ben were a fan favorite.

There was a little sliding.

And a little mothering. Morgan loves when there are kids younger than her. She takes such good care of them. It's sweet to see this side of her and Dylan loved every second of the attention.

I'm thankful for so many things. My friends, my family, all of my many blessings. Especially these two.

My family means the world to me. I'm thankful that Michael puts up with all of our shenanigans.

And last but not least, our Thanksgiving tradition. You can't finish the day without watching Elf.

I love Will Ferrell.

merry christmas

From our house to yours...

Merry Christmas!

kindergarten pow wow

It's that time of year. Time for all of the fall activities at school. The Kindergarten Pow Wow is something special. I remember Addison participating in Kindergarten and I was amazed at how much work went into this thing. It doesn't disappoint. Things kicked off with a tribal dance by Chief Chets Creek.

Then it was time for the kids to do their little dance. 

She did all the motions and sang all the songs. And she checked to make sure we were watching the entire time. There is not a shy bone in this child's body. She was all smiles.

I love her sweet face. She was so excited about the Pow Wow and couldn't wait to participate. I heard Indian songs being sung for weeks.

I wasn't able to spend the day doing crafts with her, so I gave her a big hug and kiss and told her how proud I was of her.

I'm lucky to have a couple of mom friends in the same class. They sent me pics from the day. I was a little sad I had to miss it, but it looks like she had just as much fun without me.

Leading up to the Pow Wow they had the build your own longhouse night. Morgan was the Iroquois tribe, same as Addison. So I was very familiar with how to make a long house.

And let's not forget the Indian. We had a good time making this thing together. In the end we decided Morgan's Indian name would be "Luminous Creator". We just went with it.

The second and last Pow Wow has officially come and gone. Thank you Chets Creek for making this day special.

4th of july

Let's pretend it's July 4th all over again. This was actually the 3rd, but she looked so cute for camp I had to get a picture.

The morning of the 4th was low key. My dad and sister came over and we had our own little cookout in the backyard. Then the ice cream truck came through the neighborhood. Aleyece showed us the proper way to eat a popsicle.

 Later that day we headed to our friend's house for a barbecue. The kids did a little swinging.

Then we took a break and had some dinner. As usual, the girls ate nothing.

Then we had some fun with the sparklers. Those cups as hand protectors were a brilliant Pinterest idea that wasn't mine.

The girls rolled around in the grass some and I took pictures. Look at this toothless grin. I just love it.

We all sat around and watched as some of the grown ups lit the fireworks.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to tackle the beach and the traffic this year. It had been a long day and all of us were tired. But I made myself (and Michael) do it for the kids. We loaded up and headed East. We stopped a couple of blocks before the beach, parked and literally walked half a block. The girls were fine sitting in the grass right behind Publix. I was happy to have an easy getaway.

See. Perfect view.

We're still learning how to sit like a lady. I guess it doesn't matter though when you're sitting around in the dark.

The best part of the night was Morgan waving the flag and yelling "Happy America" to everyone that walked by. I was cracking up.

I'm glad we decided to go. The girls had a blast and slept like rocks when we got home. Morgan made it 2 minutes when we got back in the car.

Happy America everyone!