Decorating the tree

The kids had a great time decorating the Christmas tree this year.

 (as you will notice, I have no clue how to take those beautiful pictures of a glowing tree.)

Here is a before picture. Connor kept leaning into the tree. It must have tickled! 

Hanging some of the first ornaments

Haha!! I caught him leaning into the tree again. 

The excitement from decorating the tree brought out the silliness in these 3 (maybe I should say 4 because Macy wanted to be apart of the action too)

Snow days

Our first snow days in Dallas were very exciting for the kids. I'll admit that the first two days were exciting for Mikey and I too. Mikey worked from home and it was a chance for us to hit the pause button and just spend some good family time together. By day 4 and 5 though, I was about ready to bust out of the house!

I brought in icicles from outside for the kids to look at and they ended up eating them. 

Collecting more icicles

They couldn't wait to go play outside in the snow. Mommy wasn't as excited but I tried to be a good sport and enjoy it with them. 

Ava picked out her own clothes and outdoor accessories :)

Little guy wore big sister's cowboy boots again

Daddy was much more fun to play with outside than Mommy. Ava wanted to build a snowman and make snowballs but the snow was so compact, almost like a giant sheet of ice, so they mostly just ran around. We didn't stay outside for long periods of time though, the wind chill was coooooolllldd!

I don't think anyone enjoyed the snow more than Macy though! My sweet doggy!

Some of our indoor activities included dressing up and putting on performances

and drinking adult beverages at 4pm ;)

There were lots of snuggles and Ava and Connor loved all the extra Daddy time

There was play time in the bath tub

and Connor worked on his catching and throwing skills with daddy

Ava asked to do lots of crafts, as usual, so the kids painted christmas trees

and we also made the cute snowflakes hanging from our chandelier

It was a special time with my sweet family that I love so much! I'm thankful for days like this where there is no schedule and we can enjoy a slower paced day TOGETHER. Great memories!

Ava & Connor's birthday slideshow

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A few pictures from December

Gigi bought Ava this Hello Kitty purse and we found her sleeping with it one night

When the leaves fell from the trees there was a lot more outdoor excitement. 

Ava loved to make leaf piles and then jump in them. 

Connor and Macy quickly caught on to the excitement and joined in. 

It made the job of bagging leaves a little more difficult for Daddy but watching them have fun was worth it!

Ava loves to do ballet performances around the house so we bought tickets to take her to see her first real ballet,  "The Night Before Christmas". Mikey and I went to the same ballet at SMU when I was pregnant with Ava so it was special for us to be able to share it with her. We kept looking at each other and sharing smiles as we watched Ava just mesmerized by the performance. It was a special moment for us for sure!

Gigi and Bpop were also in town so we were so happy to have them come with us. (side note for the record, earlier that morning we bought a mini van (yes, can you believe it?!) so we proudly drove the mini for the first time to the ballet. It's a memory worth documenting so I had to mention it! ha!)

Bpop and Connor played stickers together

Ava and Gigi made some amazing Gingerbread houses

We had an early Christmas with Gigi and Bpop while they were here and one of Ava's presents from them is her beloved Elsa costume. She wanted me to braid her hair like her too. 

                                              And just a few pictures of pure sweetness...

 

Thanksgiving

This year Thanksgiving was spent in Beaumont at Gigi and Bpop's house.

The kids were both acting a little sick so I took them to the dr. a few days before we left. Connor just had a cold but Ava had an Upper Respiratory infection (I think), which required breathing treatments, and she also had an ear infection. 

Connor seemed to be the most affected even though he wasn't as sick. Snuggles from Gigi helped. :)

Ava helped Gigi make pies

Gigi, Bpop, Mikey, Jim, and his friend Kristen, ran the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning while I stayed home with the kids. When they got home Mikey made a delicious turkey.
Ava had fun playing with Emily


One of the highlights of our Thanksgiving in Beaumont was going to see Frozen with Gigi! 

Another exciting moment, for Ava at least, was going to see Santa! Connor was so happy while we were waiting in line, even wanting to cut in line to see Santa up close, but when it came time to sit in his lap he was terrified!

As always there was lots of riding on the scooter

and Connor was entertained by putting rocks in the bird bath

Sidewalk chalk 

And sitting by the fire with daddy

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are so thankful for all of our many blessings!