Christmas Happenings

 I absolutely LOVE this time of year! Yes, the days can be full and busy, but everywhere you look there is JOY and EXCITEMENT all around. From the lights on the trees, to the red and green sprinkles covering my kitchen floor, it all screams CHRISTMAS!!!

And this week, we've not lacked in opportunities to celebrate this wonderful advent season!

On Tuesday afternoon, as soon as the kids arrived home from school, we rolled up our sleeves and got busy making our gingerbread village--hence the reason why sprinkles are covering my kitchen floor ha!;)
Of course, I'm sure more candy was actually eaten than used for decorating, but hey...it's Christmas, right!

They all had a blast decorating (and snacking) and were so proud of their finished (and very festive) creations.

 This week has also been filled with several school Christmas programs as well.

I mean, is there anything cuter than
 hearing precious little voices sing "Happy Birthday to baby Jesus"...at the top of their lungs!?!?
Pure JOY I tell ya! 
Hudson's preschool class put on THE cutest little show EVER!
And I know I'm bias, but I think Hud looked so handsome up on that stage!

And the JOY just continued as we also had Riley's school Christmas performance to attend that same day too!

Riley had a speaking part in the play and did a GREAT job. It was just a one liner, but he practiced it like he was the star of the show;)
It was the last line of the night, and he nailed it!
I love that boy...
and I LOVE this time of year!!

Girls Weekend

 Shane and Corban were at a soccer tournament in Atlanta for the weekend, and my sweet mom had Riley and Hudson over for a sleepover! 

The girls and I had a full weekend planned and enjoyed our "JUST girl time" together!!

A very rare and welcomed treat!

 Friday night, we headed to my sister's house to celebrate my niece's 4th birthday--Frozen style! 

These sillies always have so much fun whenever they are together.

Cousins=Best Friends Forever! 

Saturday morning, we headed to a "sip and see" for my dear friend, Serena. 

Serena just welcomed her FOURTH baby girl into the world and Sophie's BFF, Zoe, is a big sister again!!!!

Sophie was in HEAVEN lovin' on baby Charity!

After the shower, the girls and I headed to a BEAUTIFUL Christmas tea for the One7 girls! 

What a blessing it was to be a part of this beautiful day.

My AMAZING friends did an outstanding job hosting this event.

It was such a sweet afternoon filled with delicious treats, lovely decor and precious friends--both new and old.

What a blessing to celebrate the Christmas season and birth of our Savior surrounded by these amazing girls!

The Wiseman Shoppe

This week, I got to accompany this sweet boy of mine and his TK class to the Wiseman Shoppe!

A Christian school in our area hosted this fun event where kids could come and purchase inexpensive gifts for their parents and siblings for Christmas. 

 Hudson was so excited. He had his list made and his money ready!

 It was time to SHOP!

It took a while to cross everyone off his list, but after making his final purchases, each gift was neatly wrapped by the sweet ladies at the shop.

They were ready to take home and put under the tree!

We usually don't put gifts under the tree this early in December because we've got some nosy little ones around here. Hudson laid down the law though and told his brothers and sisters there was absolutely NO peaking until Christmas. We'll see if he sticks to it.

Our Elf is B-A-C-K!

Since 2008, Santa has graciously sent one of his little helpers to our home to spend the Christmas holidays with us! The kids anxiously await our elf, Sam's, appearance each year, and can't wait for him to make his much anticipated arrival! 

 He always appears the day after Thanksgiving, and usually brings a very special North Pole breakfast with him! 

I just LOVE seeing my kids faces light up when they see Sam, and all the Christmas surprises he  brought them!

It's Christmas magic at it's best;)

 And now that Sam is officially here for the holidays, it's time to get the house ready for Christmas!

The "littles" did a great job helping me trim the tree, while the "bigs" worked with Shane on getting the lights up on the outside of the house.

It was a "all hands on deck" kind of day, but thankfully we got it all done!

And after a day of hard work, we celebrated the beginning of this joyous season by roasting marshmallows and making s'mores in the backyard.

 It truly is the MOST wonderful time of the year!

Thanksgiving 2014

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. 

Psalm 28:7 

 

My heart is so full this Thanksgiving that it actually might burst! I have so many blessings to be thankful for! My deepest desire is that I live a life that displays this gratitude, not just TODAY,  but every single day!

May my life be a living "thank you" to Lord for all He has done, and continues to do for (and in) me!

I am BLESSED beyond measure, for sure! 

 This Thanksgiving was just a little different than ones we have had in the past. My parents and siblings all headed to Michigan for Thanksgiving this year, so our plans for the day didn't include our usual family gathering.
But we stilled enjoyed a sweet day filled with family, food, and FUN!

We got up early, and after a quick "turkey" breakfast, we bundled up and headed into uptown to watch the Thanksgiving Day parade!

It was super CHILLY out, so in an attempt to stay warm while we waited for the parade to begin, we enjoyed walking around and looking at all the beautiful Christmas decorations.

Love my peeps!

After the parade, we headed out to lunch. 

We planned to go to Cracker Barrel, but it was PACKED, so we ended up HERE! 

Definitely not your typical Thanksgiving spread, but, hey, it was still yummy!

Later that afternoon, we joined several of our dear friends at One7! One7 in a local inner city ministry, and we had the privilege of serving Thanksgiving dinner to some of the kids there!
Our family had the BEST time playing, laughing, eating, loving and serving together! I really can't think of a better way to spend our Thanksgiving Day. Our prayer was to be a blessing there,  BUT we were definitely the one's who left feeling BLESSED!!!!!

Our Trip to Disney (day one)

 A few weeks ago, our little crew hit the road and headed to the "most magical place on earth"!!! To say we were excited would be the understatement of the year. We were ecstatic!! We had only been saving and talking about taking this trip for like... well, for years!!!!
Finally, the day arrived, and we were Disney bound!

 We stayed on Disney property at the Allstar Sports Resort. Staying on property allowed our family  to participate in the "free" dining plan...which was AWESOME, by the way! I don't think we could EVER do Disney any other way.

 Our first night there, we enjoyed dinner at the 'Ohana.

The restaurant is located at the Polynesian Hotel and is known for it’s Hawaiian-style, all-you-can-eat feast, of grilled meats and Hawaiian specialty sides.
It was absolutely DELICIOUS and the perfect way to kick start our week of FUN!

The next morning, we were up bright and early and ready for our first park day!
 Magic Kingdom...here we come!!!

Orlando had unseasonably cooler temps than what's normal for that time of year, so we were glad we had some winter wear with us to keep us warm;)

 Cooler temps didn't hinder any of the fun though, and our crew had a blast riding so many of the iconic Disney rides!

The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan's Flight, Seven Dwarf's Mine Train, and, of course,

 Dumbo the Flying Elephant were just a few of our favorites!

 Although, Addy-Kate would be quick to tell you her favorite ride was "It's a Small World"! 

She was completely mesmerized the entire time and asked to ride it again and again!

 We planned on spending two days at the Magic kingdom, so day one was devoted to Fantasy Land. That's where it tends to be the most crowded, and where rides can have longer wait times. Thankfully, my sweet friend, Juli (who is the ultimate Disney guru) planned my entire trip for me and knew how to guide our family through the park(s) with ease and avoid as many long lines as possible.

 Lunch that day was at the Crystal Palace where we enjoyed a buffet style meal with Winnie the Pooh and gang!

Character meals were one of the BEST parts about our trip. We LOVED meeting the characters (and met almost 30 of them) all while enjoying a nice sit-down meal!

We LOVED having the characters come to US instead of waiting in long lines to greet them.

 And what characters we didn't meet during our meals, we got fast passes to see!

The kids LOVED meeting Rapunzel...

 and going under the sea to meet Ariel!

And what would a day at the Magic Kingdom be with out watching a parade (or two)!

 Such FUN!!!!

 By early evening, we decided to call it a day, and head back to our hotel for dinner and a swim. It was only about 40 degrees out, but that didn't stop my crew from suiting up and enjoying the heated pool.

I, on the other hand, sat on the pool deck all bundled up, sipped my hot cocoa, and savored all the sweet smiles on my kids (and hubby's) faces.

My Girls! My heart!

Blessed beyond measure to call these two MINE!!!