Life Lately and Merry Christmas!

This baby.... Ohhhhh I love him so.

Reid was crying over something silly so Phil was trying to make him laugh... it didn't work.  Haha!

We went bowling after church the other day... it was really fun!

Jackson was so sweet lining Reid and Emmett's little ramp up for them so they could better hit the remaining pins.  

We went to see Santa on my birthday... If I had known it was going to go so well I would have dressed them all up cuter!  Lol!  I had expected everyone to be a little shy and maybe not even want to sit on Santa's lap.  We were the only ones there and the three boys just walked up to Santa and talked to him like he was an old friend.  Even Reid.  He was so adorable... "Hi, Santa!  Merry Christmas, Santa!  I want a buw-do-zer!"  :)

Jackson and Emmett brought their lists and Santa read them and put them in his sack.

 He was a very sweet Santa.  Even Davis sat with him for a few pictures.

But then after a few minutes D got a little freaked out.  :)  Luckily we already had a few good ones by that point!

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Tree and Baking

Well, we originally weren't going to get a Christmas tree this year since we will be at my parents' for Christmas and all of our ornaments are (still) packed away, but then I felt a little guilty about not getting one and the boys REALLY wanted one. So we loaded up for the Home Depot parking lot one evening to pick out a tree.  We ended up getting the one that several people held up and then put back... saying, "Nope, this one's too fat."  I felt like that was my kindred spirit tree, so we took him home.  Lol.

We bought a few strings of colored lights and then the boys and I made some of that construction paper ring garland to string on it.  It actually looked really cute like that, but then I decided to have the boys make some salt dough ornaments so I could keep their handprints from this year.  And also so I we could check off the "handmade Christmas ornament from school" box, since our house is the only "school" this year.  It was actually really easy to do and my "anti-craft-project" boys loved it.  

 

They were so happy with the finished tree.  

Then a few days later we made gingerbread cookies.  Also a favorite activity, especially because of the flour on the counter.

And then there's this video.  I laugh every time I see it.  Lately Emmett has had a habit of sticking out his tongue when he's really concentrating on something (often resulting in licking his lips and causing really chapped lips in cold weather... but I digress).  Here he was cutting some red strips of paper for our tree garland and was obviously concentrating VERY hard on his cutting.  (And yes, he is holding the scissors incorrectly... I helped him with his hand placement a few times and every time I walked away he would put them down and pick them up again the wrong way.  Lol!  We will keep working
on it.  :)

IMG 3759 from Heather G on Vimeo.

Thanksgiving

Another wonderful family holiday on the books!  The boys had been counting down the days for a month until we left to go to my parents'.  They are in heaven there and spend every possible moment outside.

My aunt, uncle, and cousin (and cousin-in-law)  :) from Jacksonville came down on Thanksgiving to celebrate with us.  My cousin just had a baby boy a few months ago and this was my first time to meet him.  He is the sweetest, most easy-going baby and just perfectly adorable.  You can see how everyone in the living room there just could not resist crowding around to coo at him!  He is precious.  

I just love being with my family.  We just laugh and laugh and have such a good time.  I didn't get too many pictures, but here are a few...

I was so happy that my Mimi was there to celebrate with us, too!  And Davis was happy to meet his newest cousin.  

On Saturday we decorated my parents' tree.  We will be there again for Christmas because our house won't be ready.  (*sigh*) (that sigh was because of the house not being ready... not because of going to my parents' for Christmas, of course... lol)

You can kind of see here how the tree is only decorated on the bottom.  Haha!

Cousins!  The boys always have so much fun with their cousins and grandparents!  We can't WAIT for Christmas!