Monday, January 21, 2008

Christmas Cheer

December kept us extremely busy, but we managed to still have a blast during the holidays. Here are a couple of activities we did to spread the Christmas spirit within our family.

A friend of ours works at an art museum in Memphis and invited us to one of their kids' nights which included lots of holiday crafts and games. Though very crowded, we were able to find some hot chocolate and cookies, make snowflake ornaments, play in fake snow, and win a drawing for a free Christmas tree and a trip back to the museum.

Aaron's friend, Lucas, invited us to a Christmas parade one night. Of course, we couldn't pass up the offer. The boys love watching parades, catching candy, and running around with new friends. Here they are!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Time Flies When You're Havin' Fun!

It's been almost 2 months since we've updated our blog, and so much has happened since then! We've celebrated Thanksgiving, my 28th birthday, Nana's 50th birthday, Jeff's 29th birthday, and Christmas. With all this going on, we've attended numerous parties and parades, baked dozens of cookies, and travelled thousands of miles. Hopefully soon, this blog will be completely up-to-date with all our new pictures and stories of our many, many exciting adventures.
Here are just a few random pictures of where we've been and what we've been up to . . .

While back in our hometown for Thanksgiving, we were able to join with Jeff's brothers and sisters to throw a surprise 50th birthday bash for Nana. All the grandkids-12 last time I counted-had fun gathering around the table and helping blow out the candles.


The week after we returned home, it was my turn to have a celebration. The boys took me to Spaghetti Warehouse in Memphis; and after dinner, we dug into a huge brownie topped with ice cream, of course! As you can see in the picture, Jonathan, Aaron, and Caleb were enjoying the finger-lickin' yummy dessert!

As soon as all these birthdays rolled by, it was time to start preparing for Christmas. What better way to get ready for Christmas than to meet some of our favorite wintery friends. Caleb's school was fortunate enough to get a visit from Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. To top this off, the kids boarded a winter train and took a short ride to a petting zoo full of live animals. They thought this was so much fun and weren't quite ready to end their day, although hot chocolate and cookies were waiting inside for them!

Caleb's class wasn't the only one gearing up for Christmas. Aaron and his buddies from school had activities every week it seemed. We made a stocking at home to hang on the fireplace in the hall at school. His class also made ornaments and painted Christmas t-shirts to wear for their party. Many other moms and I volunteered to help with painting so I was able to capture the moment on camera. Aaron loves for me to come to his school to help, and I love to be such a huge part of his Kindergarten experience! So it works out well.

Jonathan's class didn't get to play quite as much as the other two. He's in second grade, and they have a little more work to do; so I don't have any pictures of him at school. He did, however, have a Christmas party; but, much to my utter disappointment, the camera's battery was dead when we got ready to snap some pictures.

I hope these pictures will suffice for now until I can get the time to post again soon! Keep checking back for more Christmas pictures and for our vacation pictures.