Holiday partying

Tyler's work Christmas party was last Friday. It was at a fancy hotel downtown. The theme was Vegas so they had buffets all over and casino games. We enjoyed playing blackjack, but the other games were over my head! We had fun eating, winning raffle tickets, and chatting with Tyler's team. There were SO many people there. I enjoyed people-watching. :)

Picture of a picture!

It was a fun night - different than our normal outings so that was exciting. Thanks to Gigi and Poppy for watching the kids! They loved having a "half sleepover!"

Fall in December

Our tree is realizing it is way behind on losing its leaves. We finally had enough for a little pile and the kids were so excited!

Millie was getting a little frustrated that Max kept messing up "her" pile, so she gave Max a ball with a few leaves on top to play with. Ha! She thinks she is so generous.

Little things

I put some chicken wire in this frame I use for banners and Christmas cards. Can't wait to fill it up with family and friends!

Millie loves to cover the ottoman with books and make them fit perfectly. It's like her own game of Tetris or something. So funny.

Playing with light sabers at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Max's first selfie! 

Millie has seen me crocheting a lot lately for Christmas gifts. The other day she said, "Why don't you ever make me something?" Pack up Mom, you're going on a guilt trip!! It was raining the next morning so instead of running I whipped up a hat for her with colors she chose. She insisted on these flowers, which I'd made for other hats but had made mistakes on. Oh well, she likes it!!

Still loving bubble baths.

Everything ready to ship to the Westons! Don't show your kids, Linds!!

Poor Max finally caught the cold the rest of us had and was falling asleep everywhere for a few days.

Going running in 38-ish degree weather! Feeling crazy!

Max was having a cranky morning, crying behind these sunglasses. It was sad but hilarious!

I had the nicest helper doing the back yard for what is hopefully the last time this year!

Pics from Tyler's phone

Some sweet moments with Nana and Botz recently.

A Sunday walk in chilly weather 

I think Millie was showing us owies on those two fingers. We couldn't stop laughing!

Max went through this little phase of only being able to fall asleep in Tyler's or my arms. Really sweet but I'm glad it didn't last long!

Thanksgiving 2015

Our Thanksgiving was a little different this year. It's a long story of how it ended up this way, but we spent the day just the 4 of us. After a lazy morning we went for a bike ride around Bridgeland, stopping at a few different playgrounds as we explored. 

After lunch (for the kids) and naps, we got a little dressed up and headed out to find somewhere to eat. No way was I going to spend hours cooking a huge meal for just Tyler and I (because we all know the kids wouldn't touch it).

After driving around in amazement at all the places that were closed (it was like a ghost town!), we ended up at Denny's. I know. But we thought the kids would be more likely to eat there than at Cracker Barrel, our other option.

So somehow we ended up ordering breakfast for Thanksgiving dinner. In retrospect, if we were going to break tradition like that we should have waited to go out til Friday and then we could have had Mexican food or something else we actually wanted! But our breakfast was yummy and we had fun being together.

We finished the day off with some Black Friday shopping, which was a small disaster with a little success too. 

I am big on traditions, so usually a holiday like this would be disappointing to me. But honestly, I was just so happy to be with my 3 favorite people and reflect on our blessings and gratitude for them that I didn't even care about not getting any mashed potatoes. So I'm calling it a success!

Santa visit 2015

Last Wednesday we went to the Woodlands for our annual Santa visit at Grammy's mall! We had such a fun day with Grammy, Heidi, and Gigi.

First up was the Santa visit. I had a feeling Max would scream this year, and sure enough, the closer we got to Santa, the tighter his legs clenched around my waist. Poor guy!

Millie was so calm and sweet about it. I heard her tell Santa she wants a Doc McStuffins coat and Doctor kit, and a Merida bow and arrow. She rehearsed it several times leading up to it and it was so cute to hear her!

After saying goodbye to Santa we had to go and see the "ammals" Max had been talking about nonstop. That mall has the cutest little pet store and we stop there every time.

Then it was time for the carousel and lunch.

After lunch we stopped by the Disney store so Millie could show everyone the toys she had asked Santa for, and somehow both kids walked out with a new toy. Gigi made their day!

Then a stop at the playground.

We said goodbye to Gigi and Heidi and headed to the movies to see The Good Dinosaur! The kids loved it.

And thus ended our super jam-packed day of fun. We feel so grateful that our kids have spent time with all their living great-grandparents and that we live close to both sets of grandparents! Lucky kids for sure.

Also, let's just take a moment to remember our previous Santa visits.

This wasn't a tradition either of us had growing up, nor is it one we really planned on having, but now it's just part of Christmas for us!