Another Step Closer!

On Friday, December 2nd we put our I-800 in the mail---FINALLY!!! To many, I know much that doesn't really mean much, but to us it means that we are another HUGE step closer to getting out precious Addy-Kate! 

Praying this will be approved quickly!

Sophie is ready to meet her sister;)

Christmas Tea

Saturday afternoon, I attended our church's annual Christmas tea. 

From the moment you walk into the room you are surrounded by Christmas elegance. All eighty tables that fill the space are beautifully decorated by a different lady from our church. 

Each table is unique and special.

Oh, how I just LOVE walking around the room, admiring all the lovely Christmas decor. It truly is a beautiful sight to behold! Last year was the first year my mom and I decorated a table. We really enjoyed doing it, so this year we decided...why not do two.  We needed a little extra help though, so we recruited my Grandma to decorate with us as well. It truly became a family affair;)

The first table we did was a replica of last years. We went with our whimsical gingerbread theme again, and had lots of fun decorating it!

The second table was much more elegant in nature. 

We used my Grandma's beautiful china which has the prettiest winter landscape on it. My friend, Melanie let us borrow her lovely lantern, which served as the perfect centerpiece. 

And even though this was an afternoon fit for a lady, many gentlemen were on hand as well. These men graciously gave up their time on a Saturday afternoon to volunteer at the tea as servers. 

My sweet Daddy and brother Tim were two of those volunteers!

I was so proud of them;)

Of course, the food was divine...

 BUT the company was even better!

This year, gathered around our table, was my three sisters, my mom, grandma, friend Juli and her daughter Leah!

We had THE BEST time!

After our afternoon of elegance was over, it was time to race home, throw on those jeans, grab that white elephant gift, and head on over to our Sunday School class Christmas party.

This year, we decided to go with an "ugly sweater" theme for the party!

 Shane and I didn't really have an "ugly" sweater sitting in our closet, so I thought it would be fun   to make us matching reindeer sweatshirts instead;)

Some of our friends though, did a fantastic job coming up with really great attire for this theme!

Our good friend, Reggie literally had an entire Christmas mantle sewn onto the front of his sweater. 

It was AWESOME!

He won the best sweater for the guys...

And his wife, Jessica won for the girls. Her sweater was great too, but I must say...even in that ugly sweater, my sweet friend still managed to look ADORABLE!!;)

Our good friend Bryan, did an incredible job being the MC for the night. 

He kept us in stitches the entire evening!

Seriously, I haven't laughed that hard in a L-O-N-G time! It was GREAT!

And as I looked around the room that night, I couldn't help but pause and thank the Lord for giving us  such an amazing church family and blessing us with so many wonderful friends!

It's truly is a privilege to "do life" with these sweet families!

Better watch out, better not cry...

Better not pout, I'm telling you why...

 Santa Claus is coming to TOWN!
And not only was he IN town this weekend, but he joined us for breakfast at the mall on Saturday;)

Our neighbors (and dear friends),the Robinson's, invited us (minus Cor because he was at a sleepover) to join them for a morning of fun-filled Christmas festivities at our local mall.

We had never participated in this event before,

but it will be on our "MUST DO" Christmas list from now on;)

 

Thanks to chic-fil-@, the first 100 guests enjoyed a FREE chicken-mini kid's meal breakfast!

How AWESOME is that-right!

There were tons of activities for the kids to do, and immediately after finishing breakfast they were off, ready to check everything out!  

 Riley had written a sweet letter to Santa earlier in the week, and he brought it with him to give to Santa personally during breakfast. When we got to the mall though, Santa had a BIG mailbox set up right in the middle of the food court. Riley excitedly placed his letter inside!

Sophie had colored Santa a special note too and was excited to send it off to the North Pole as well!

The kids also got busy decorating little gingerbread men cookies!

With bowls full with candy, sprinkles, frosting, and treats, the kids had no problem creating a very yummy Christmas cookie!

 Sweet Hudson needed a little extra help from Daddy!

Riley, who is my little artist/perfectionist, patiently created his masterpiece--one sprinkle (literally) at a time;)

Bless him;)

 Sophie, on the other hand, couldn't get enough candy or sprinkles on that cookie of hers!
{Grin}

The more stuff, the better!
Her gingerbread man was piled sky high with every sugary morsel and treat that was available;)

After our sweet treats were made, it was time to make a snack for Santa's reindeer!

The kids each received a Ziploc bag and had fun filling it with the things reindeer like to eat. 

Did you know Rudolph and his friends enjoy popcorn, dried oatmeal, marshmallows, cheerios and raisins?

Who knew...
We'll make sure to sprinkle our reindeer food on our lawn before bed on Christmas Eve.

Santa's reindeer are gonna need a hearty snack in order to re-fuel while they make that long trek around the world that night:)

The "Daddies" were great sports and enthusiastically jumped right in to participate in a fun Christmas game!

How many balloons can you stuff in your shirt in only ONE minute!

Apparently, Santa wasn't the only one walking around with a little too much "jelly in his belly"--HA!

This was the last booth we visited and I thought it was an AWESOME idea! The kids had the opportunity to thank our troops by writing/coloring a Christmas letter and then mailing it to them!

Soooo many of these men and women will be spending Christmas far away from their friends and family.

I can't imagine, BUT I do deeply and sincerely appreciate their love, sacrifice, and service to our country!
Shane served as a Marine for six years, so the people in the military hold a very special place in our hearts.
You know what they say right...Once a Marine, Always a Marine!"

Anyway, I hope our little letters to the troops bring a small smile to their face and a little Christmas cheer to these wonderful, selfless individuals!

And with that our fun morning came to an end, BUT really our day of Christmas fun was actually just beginning. We still had two wonderful Christmas activities planned for the day, but those details will have to wait for another post...

Welcome December!

Our little elf, Sam, is still causing quite the ruckus at our house. 

He seems to be excited that December is finally here, and decided to leave the kids a jolly Christmas greeting this morning!

And because December is here, the kids got to open a little gift from my sweet Grandma.

These packages have been sitting on the counter just teasing them for the past few days!

 Each year she buys them a special advent calendar.

This year, the calendars are filled with...

 CHOCOLATES!!!

 Now that's my kind of calendar;)

One thing I do know...

The promise of a chocolate candy waiting for them each day this month is a sure fire way to get my kids to jump out of bed in the morning!

 THANKS GRANDMA!!!

 Sophie got to put the first puff of white on Santa's beard yesterday!

Hudson didn't quite understand that he and Sophie had to take turns putting a puff on each day.

{Insert Hudson's meltdown here}

He was less than thrilled with the fact that Miss Sophie got to go first, 

SO from this day forward... 

 each puff will be split into two parts. 

That way everyone is HAPPY-ha;)

 And I'm sure your just dying to know what our first activity was on our Family Advent Calendar-ha!

 Well... we made and decorated popsicle stick snowflakes.

 I love a little project that everyone gets excited about...

 AND one that everyone can do without much assistance from me.

My kitchen table and floor were literally COVERED in glitter and sparkles, but the results were worth the mess;)

 Who knows if we'll see any REAL snowflakes this Christmas season, 

but at least we can enjoy a few flurries sprinkled through out the house;)