Christmas Festivities!!!

The last 2 weeks have been so busy and so fun! We love Christmas and we celebrated and celebrated and celebrated. I wish I had taken more pictures, but here are a few (not so good) ones to show what we've been up to.

Me, Chris, our kids, my mom, my sister, and my niece went to Holiday in the Park at Six Flags and it was so much fun. It's the BEST time to go to Six Flags - less crowds, lots of lights, Christmas music, cool weather, and even a snow hill to sled down. I've decided this will be a Christmas tradition.

Peyton and Kenley chatted it up while Wyatt and the adults took turns riding rides.

Grammy and her buddy riding the tea cups.

My friend, Ashley, gave the kids their presents early and the kitchen was a huuuge hit with both kids. I let them keep it in the living room for a few days and now it's upstairs in the playroom.

On Wyatt's last day of preschool before the break the kids did a little Christmas program and had a party in their classrooms. It was the cuuuuutest thing ever. When Wyatt first got on stage we watched him scanning the crowd looking for us and his face lit up when he saw us. Such a sweet moment. He did a great job and we were such proud parents watching him.

 

Sunday the 23rd we all went to my Dad's for his annual Christmas breakfast. Lots of family was there and Dad and Michelle spoiled us and the kids with so many gifts. This is the only picture I have. I'm sure Chris has more, but I didn't want to wait to get this post up. Wyatt is blurry because he was so excited, he couldn't even stand still. Cousins, Marnie and Devyn, are looking at all the gifts, too.

 

Christmas Eve morning we went to church for a great service. Wyatt did not want to go to his class because it was a different teacher than usual and he was so upset so we let him come into the service with us. I wish I could have recorded his face when he heard Pastor John say we would meet Jesus. He looked at me so excited and was convinced Jesus was coming right then.

I think Chris and I are making a rule for all these grandparents that buy the kids super cool gifts that need to be built - you buy it, you build it. Wonder if that'll work. ;) So, Christmas Eve during nap Chris and I rushed around building a hot wheels car. Then we headed over to Sasa's (Lori's mom's) house to celebrate Christmas Eve. There was great food, conversation, and lots of gifts there, too. After getting home and setting out cookies, milk, and apples (for the reindeer) and tucking the kids in, Chris and I got back to building. Bunny, Big Daddy, Aunt Maddie, and Aunt Kenzie gave the kids a "mini" trampoline. The picture on the box had the trampoline in an office. I was downstairs building a doll crib and Chris began the trampoline upstairs. He told me it was bigger than we thought, but I was in "hurry up and get this stuff done" mode and told him just to build it. So, when I finished the crib and went upstairs this is what I saw....

 

Ummmm... yes, it is too big. No, it can't stay inside. So I guess we will be taking it apart to get it out over the weekend. We had to cram all the other toys in the corner, but the kids sure were excited to see a huge trampoline in the playroom. Wyatt has been jumping in every time he walks by it.

Santa came and brought lots of new toys...

Wyatt LOVES opening presents and had a blast seeing all his new toys and was a great helper opening Kenley's for her. 

One of Kenley's favorite gifts was her magna doodle.



 

After opening presents from Santa, Mommy and Daddy we went over to Pap's house for MORE gifts and Pap's famous biscuits and gravy. Then we headed home for a short nap and then off to our last Christmas at my mom's house with lots of friends and family. Again, I have no pictures - but I'm sure someone got some good ones.

I almost forgot to mention that during naptime it started snowing, which was a wish come true for Chris. I was so excited, because Wyatt had been telling me that it snows on Christmas (I guess he just sees things in stores and on TV) and I guess he was right. Since it was rainy and then snowing we chose to not even show the kids Pap's present until the day after Christmas when they could play in it. and judging by the next picture I'd say they loved it....

We went to my mom's the day after Christmas for leftovers and to hang out and shortly after getting there my sister and I went shopping for a bit and left Grammy with 3 grandbabies. We returned to 3 happy kids getting baths. (Wyatt was in the shower.) Does it get any better?! Thank you Grammy! We like taking home clean babies. :)

And today (2 days after Christmas) I got to spend the day with my sweet, precious niece, Peyton. Her initials are P.B and I'm Aunt Jo so we are PB and J. Love her! She had so much fun she's coming back tomorrow. Her Daddy usually works nights but their holiday schedule is different so I get to spend time with her the next few days. Look at these cousins playing sweetly together...

And Wyatt absolutely could not wait for Daddy to get home to build his model car so I finally gave in and we built it together. Sorry, Daddy - I guess we will have to get another one for you to build. He was so proud and so excited. He said he wanted to "build it so he could go zoom it." Then thanked me for helping with the "awesome" car. Sometimes the things he says are so cute. And sometimes I have no idea where they come from. The other day he told me "that is whack." What?! Where did that come from. 

What a whirlwind few weeks, but such a blessing. We are exhausted and trying to get back on a decent schedule, but we wouldn't have changed anything (well except for moving Bunny and Big Daddy and the girls to Texas).

Happy birthday, Jesus! In all the fun things we did, we remembered YOU.

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Getting So Big {Kenley}

Miss Kenley Kay is getting so big so fast. She is the sweetest, toughest little girl ever. She wants to do everything her brother does. He is her favorite person to play with. She is pretty much walking full time now. And climbing on anything and everything.

She is one determined little girl. And loving independence.

After Stroller Strides we play at the park and Kenley loves it! She climbs up the steps all the way to the slide. 

And then slides down. And does it over and over and over again.

She usually stops at the bottom for a bit to wait for brother and tries to climb back up.

 

My most favorite thing to do is watch my babies learn new things and explore. I could sit and watch them all day long (especially places like the park where no one is mashing on my computer keys, pulling down my decorations, or ripping up my papers).

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Sunshiny Day in December

Last weekend was such a pretty weekend (even though it's way too warm to be December). Chris decided to work in the garage cleaning things up and moving things around. Kenley helped. She loves any seat that is her size. She was so proud to find this spot to sit and was swinging her legs laughing.





Chris made me a little table for wrapping Christmas gifts for family (you can barely see it in the next picture). And we got out toys for the kids to play with. There are some big kids that live down the street and one of them comes to talk to us every time we are working out there. Chris calls him our little Dennis the Menace. He's not a bad kid, he just likes to talk and ask what you are doing, ask what everything is, and tell us what his dad would do. Haha. It cracks me up watching him hang out with Chris. Wyatt felt so big because his friend came to play with him. They played with everything. Here they are pillow racing.





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Happy Birthday, Jesus

Last Friday night Chris, my mom, the kids, and I went to Toys R Us to finish up some Christmas shopping. Before we paid we were all standing at the front talking and Wyatt was looking through the cards that are at the front of the store. Finally, he pulls one out and tells us we need to get it for Jesus' birthday. We agreed that was a great idea. I tried to have him pick out one of the Christmas cards that was on the endcap, but he was set on this one and told us it HAD to be a BIRTHDAY card.


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Our Weekend

I had several cute things to post from last Thursday through Sunday so I decided to just group them all together as "Our Weekend." My mom watches the kids when I tutor in the evenings if Chris has to work late. Last Thursday, she had something special planned.

Here's Kenley finishing up her dinner and I'm sure looking at all the candy in front of her.

Did you know that they sell rice krispie treats SHEETS?! They do and it was perfect for cutting out Christmas shapes to ice and decorate. Papa joined in the fun, too. And Miss Peyton got to watch.

Wyatt, did a great job decorating. He made several, but his favorite was a one-eyed pirate that he made out of the gingerbread man. Silly boy! They even saved 2 cutouts for me to decorate when I got back. I just might love my moms surprises as much as they do. 

Friday night a family friend was Ariel in McKinney Youth Theater's The Little Mermaid. We picked up Uncle Garrett, his friend, Jacob, and headed out to see the show. I love The Little Mermaid!

 

We got there about 30 minutes early - too early! Wyatt had to have a few chats about sitting still and being quiet because he gets super excited when he's with the big kids. Here they are waiting for the show. The kids always sit in the front on the floor. I thought this was sooo cute. Uncle Garrett is such a good uncle.

After having to go outside for a(nother) chat when Wyatt was back inside again I told him he was doing a good job. He gave me 2 thumbs up. 

Maddie Grace did a fabulous job as Ariel. Isn't Scuttle cute?

After intermission the big boys had to sit in "time out" against the wall where we could see them. Haha. They were getting a little restless by the end. Wyatt is happy to be eating his candy. They all had candy, but I made Wyatt eat his after intermission so it would keep him still during the show. :)

On Saturday we went to a birthday party for a friend and made gingerbread house. Each family got a house that was already made and the kids had a blast eating candy and decorating their houses. 

After this party I got bad about taking pictures, but we then went to church and then had dinner with my dad, stepmom, and stepmom's sister and her husband at Olive Garden.

Sunday, we went to another birthday party that was Mickey Mouse themed. Wyatt loved it!!!

It was a busy weekend full of family, friends, and fun. Chris and I even had a little date Saturday morning that I will blog about separate.

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Kenley and Corn Dogs

Okay, so I have totally mentioned Kenley's love of corn dogs before. Yes, I realize she shouldn't be eating corn dogs and she doesn't eat them all the time although she would eat them every meal if I let her. She LOVES them. If she even sees one (like today when I gave her plain noodles and Wyatt had a corn dog) she screams and reaches out her hands for it. Really?! Wyatt felt bad and gave her his and I made him a new one.

She loves that it's on a stick. Maybe I should put veggies and fruit on a stick and see if it's as exciting. I'll be trying this soon.

Even Wyatt hasn't figured out that the little piece of batter on the end is the best part but Little Miss sure has.

She started showing off as I was taking pictures. :) 

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My Heart Melts

When I used to work and Wyatt went to daycare I always used to say that there's nothing better than that moment when you go to pick your child up and they see you. I have always loved how Wyatt's face lights up and he comes running. Now he's in preschool twice a week and it's still the same. With an added "Mooooommmmmmyyyy." So sweet. One day when he's in middle school I'll look back at this post as I'm sure things will be a little different... sadly... but hopefully at the same time.

I've been telling people that Kenley misses Wyatt on Tuesday and Thursdays. I can just tell. Well, after his sprint to me and the long Moooooommmmmmmyyyyy, he always says hello to Kenley. Today he knelt down and she wrapped her arms around him so tight and just hugged and hugged. It was the sweetest thing ever. My heart melted. It was one of those moments where you think  - I totally wish I had my camera ready, but I know it'll be over before I get it out and I don't want to miss the moment. Well... I was thinking that and the hug continued, and continued, and finally I decided I had time and I was still able to catch the ending of this sweet embrace. I wish I had a better picture, but it's something I'll remember forever.


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Northpark Day

My mom and I have made "Northpark Day" a tradition with my kiddos and I LOVE it. Northpark Mall is so big and has tons of fun Christmas-y stuff going on from the end of November through December. 

Our first stop at Northpark Mall was the pretzel place. We were early for Santa's storytime and who doesn't love pretzels for breakfast?!

Sweet sister's eyes were a little puffy (we all have allergy issues), but not quite as puffy as her pretzel filled cheeks. 

I asked Wyatt to look at me with his pretzel and this is what I got. His pretzels were cinnamon and sugar covered - can you tell? He was so excited that we were having a "picnic."



Me and my sugar coated boy waiting for Santa.

 



He made it! Santa came to tell us stories. Now, Wyatt loves Santa, but this kid is not a real fan of stories. Yes, we read to him and yes, we practice sitting still and listening, but it's not always easy. His teachers would agree. Sigh! He is getting better though. Anyways, about halfway through the storytime he noticed that the Disney store (his fav) was close by. He whispered to me approximately 372 times that he needed to go over there and see if they had Woody. AFTER storytime we went and there aren't any pictures because he sped around the store like a lightning bolt looking at all the cool toys. The Disney store at Northpark is WAY bigger than the one at Stonebriar. 

We walked around the mall some and Wyatt saw a pair of shoes he was interested in at a shoe store. Let's stop here for a second. This kid is sooooo picky about his shoes. They are too tight, too loose, too something, or too everythying and so on and so on. He only likes his crocs (a very specific style of croc even at that). It's C-R-A-Z-Y. He's had a few different kinds of shoes and sometimes likes them ok - usually it was after lots of persuading by myself or my mom. So, if the child is interested in "real" shoes then so are we. We headed to Nordstrom and let him have his pick. When the guy brought out several pair Wyatt knew which ones he wanted.  They were "exercise shoes" (what he calls shoes that aren't crocs, even his Vans) and of course, ones that "look like Uncle Garrett's." The pictures from Nordstrom are a little out of order.

 

They had a fish tank and coloring station.

Kenley looking hard for some shoes. I think she will like ALL shoes equally.

 



Wyatt wanting to make sure Kenley gets what she wants. She's bare foot here, but we got her shoes a few weeks ago. She has a few pair of shoes, but they all have pink and I thought they looked silly with this outfit and since she rode in the stroller for the majority of the day, she was barefoot. Check out Wyatt's new shoes! 

They both got a balloon (and Kenley is playing with another little girl and her balloon). 

The cool new shoes. They are Nikes and super fast! 

The next stop was The Trains and this was the main event of the day. Wyatt could hardly contain his excitement. He walked in and had the biggest eyes ever and didn't know where to start (and this was just by the ticket booth with a few train models set out to purchase and one moving train - not even the big exhibit).

 

Inside where the exhibit was there are tons of trains, little cities, little people that move, every detail you can think of. It's so impressive. Of course, Wyatt found a "red car."

Kenley loved it, too. 

Thomas and Percy and friends were even there and I'm positive Wyatt spotted every single one. When it comes to toys (cars, trains, etc.) Wyatt catches every. single. detail. Every one. He has about 30 different Lightning McQueen cars (I swear some are the same) and he can tell you which one is which and HE KNOWS. I love his enthusiasm and excitement as he tells us all about the trains and wants to show us everything. 

Such pretty detail in the colors and everything. 

This year we purposely planned our trip so that we could check out the gingerbread houses they had on display. This was my favorite event of the day. I love making gingerbread house and these ones were so creative, neat, and all resembled something. There was "Baby Ruth" stadium, "Beta Eta Pie" frat house, and so many more. So cute!

I know this is the longest post ever, but I have to add this funny story and memory. My mom always teases me and calls me a bad date, because I always forget my wallet when I'm with her. In my defense, it's because she drives and if I don't grab my keys I don't grab my wallet. I've taken her out to lunch and forgotten it (more than twice), went to get groceries with her and forgotten, and the list goes on. Well, Kenley had been pulling my wallet out of the bag over and over again and finally I thought she was done and got busy with something (which might have been sitting on a bench sending a text while she and I waited for my mom and Wyatt to meet up with us). When it was time for lunch (that I said I was buying) my wallet was not in my bag! Ok, so I was totally freaked out, but stayed calm (it wouldn't help to freak out - but let me just say if I lost my kids I'd be not calm and I kept thinking while I searched for my wallet thank you God I knew where my kids were - I'm paranoid about this). I told my mom that I lost my wallet just then so I didn't have to pay for lunch. I walked where I had been since Kenley was playing her little game (even though I was certain I had it while on the bench). I called both mall lost and found numbers. Then my mom asked the super nice custodian, who then radioed security who had just spoken to the people at Sonic who had a wallet. What?! Whew... that was a near disaster. Okay, so maybe I really gave the Sonic people my wallet so I didn't have to pay. Maybe. Anyways, I had to got to pay for lunch in the end.  

 

After lunch Wyatt and I got a little Paciugo (which he liked so much he stole mine when he finished his). Kenley has quite the temper when she sees food and it's not hers. Luckily she has the sweetest big brother ever who (almost always) is happy to share.

 

P.S. We are "bow training" Kenley and after putting the bow in 17 times, I gave up at the very end of the day. Any suggestions in bow training would be welcomed. I can do sleep and potty training, but bow training is not going so smoothly. 

When we got home Aunt Sarah and Uncle Garrett came over for the night. This day was the perfect day and so much fun. After we all ate dinner we played around for a bit. I have several frisbees and we started "skating" around on them on the carpet. Super dangerous I'm sure, but super fun. Try it. 

Then we went to Starbucks to get drinks. I don't like coffee at all, but I like unsweet iced tea so I got a drink, too. Sarah and Garrett love Starbucks and they got some fancy drinks, which then turned into Wyatt getting whipped cream and chocolate drizzle on his chocolate milk. Thank you sweet girls at Starbucks for helping avoid that meltdown. It has been a long day and that was not a battle I was in for. 

Happy kids ready to go find Christmas lights in Deerfield.

Thomas was there, too!

Chris and Garrett's favorite. See the deer feeder.

And the camo Grinch. 

After Wyatt and Kenley went to bed the rest of us hung out outside. Chris has been promising Garrett he'd help make his airsoft gun camo and he has been really busy so why not do it at 10 pm. We let them play dangerous frisbee skating, have some kind of double something chocolate Starbucks drinks, and why not hang out outside at 10 pm. We are a COOL brother and sister-in-law. Haha. Now, when I came out in my zebra footie pj's (which I love) these 2 were laughing at me. I took a picture of them riding pillow pet racers and said that they cannot laugh at my pj's while playing on those. Right?

The cool big brother spray painting the airsoft gun. Also note, that this is not MY kid's airsoft gun that looks like a real gun. We will worry about those decisions later. It's looking like I've got a tough battle ahead. 

It was a fabulous, exhausting, wonderful day with my family and I feel blessed.

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