Christmas Eve

We enjoyed an amazing Christmas Eve service at White's Chapel.  The message of joy, love, and peace spoke to our hearts, and the children really liked the parachute candy and the snow machines at the end of service.

Before we could go to bed, we sprinkled the reindeer food across the front yard.  Hopefully they like glitter and oatmeal.  

Santa knew just what to bring the kiddos.  Bikes, dollhouse, foosball table, Shopkins, and lots of Under Armour!

Easter Sunday

He is Risen!

Christmas Eve

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is going to Christmas Eve service.  It is a magical moment that gets me every time.  I love to hear the story of Jesus' birth, and I am always wiping my tears before it is over.

At the end of the service, it started snowing in the sanctuary.  The boys loved it!

Ridley, not so much!

Before we could call it a night, the children sprinkled the reindeer food on the front grass, and we put out treats for Santa.

Easter

He Is Risen!

Blessed beyond words to find White's Chapel. - The message and fellowship this Sunday was very special.

Christmas Eve Service

Christmas Eve service is our favorite church service of the year.  It is so magical and special.  There is something about the combination of the story of Jesus' birth and singing Silent Night while passing candlelight to those you love.  

It also is one of the rare times we are all dressed "fancy". 

Ridley's Baptism

Our precious Ridley was baptized at our church on Sunday.  She was very intrigued with our Pastor John, and she looked absolutely adorable in her vintage gown.  It was wonderful to have family and close friends present.

Easter 2014

The Easter Bunny came to visit, and he left quite a mess!  There were footprints from the pool bath door to the fireplace and a trail of jelly beans.  He left books, kites, candy, and art sets.  Awesome!

Ryland made tons of Easter themed pictures over the past few weeks.  Our favorite picture was of an Easter basket with a hand written message.

Family picture of the Allison crew all dressed up for church. 

Christmas Eve

Our family traditions continued with a full day of activities.  We decided that Santa would like chocolate chip cookies this year, so we baked a batch of cookies in the morning to start our day.  I have to admit that a little cookie dough is an excellent way to get your day going.  The boys got a bit silly as well.

The afternoon was pretty lazy, just a bit of playing toys and puzzles.  We put on our "handsome" clothes for Christmas Eve candlelight service at church.  This is what really gets John Chris and myself in the mood.  It was a beautiful service.  Ryland fell asleep on one side and slept through the entire service.  He was so comfortable, he kicked his feet up on the sweet lady sitting beside me.  She was a trouper and simply placed her hands on top of his legs to keep them in her lap.  Reed made it almost to the end of service before he fell asleep on the other side of me.  As I sat with both of my sweeties peacefully resting on either side, I was overcome with emotions.  Couple that with the pregnancy hormones and the beautiful music, and I quickly turned into an emotional mess.  

We came home for dinner and put out some reindeer food in the front yard.  The boys sprinkled the glittery food and laughed with sheer joy.  They picked out a few chewy cookies and a glass of chocolate milk for Santa to enjoy.

Santa brought a bunch of fun toys and goodies for the boys.  We can't wait to see how the boys react in the morning.  

First VBS

We had a great week at White's Chapel!  This is the first year that we participated in VBS, and it was a ton of fun.  Ryland loved the crafts and playing with friends. Reed seemed to be happy as could be hanging out in the nursery.  They both were worn out by lunch and ready to relax at home, which I loved. I volunteered the entire time, and I was exhausted too.

We had so much fun our first year.  We plan to be back next year for more!

 

Easter Service

We had a wonderful Easter, and we really enjoyed the Jazz music at church with the boys.  After the service, the boys checked out the fountain.  I took about 25 pictures, and I was able to get one decent one of them both smiling and looking at the camera.

 

Most of the pictures looked more like this one.

 

This fountain was built in memory of a young girl who passed away, and her parents traveled the world to research the design and materials used.  When I first heard about their story, I thought it was a big waste of money and a bit showy.  I thought there had to be a charity that would benefit more from a donation than a massive fountain built in front of our sanctuary.  Since it has been completed, I have completely changed my mind.  Children, families, and lots of people have crowded around for pictures, make wishes, and to pray.  Seeing my boys run around it and attempt to get in the water gives me so much joy.  I also have felt the comfort and presence of God at this site during a difficult time.  I am sure this gives comfort to the parents who lost their daughter way too soon.

Christmas Eve

We had a Christmas treat for breakfast to get us all in the mood for Santa.  Ryland and Reed were so excited to see Santa on their plates.

 

 

I found the Santa pancake idea on Pintrest, and John Chris and I had fun putting them together.

 

 

Later that afternoon when Reed and John Chris napped, Ryland and I worked on a little baking.  We have the cutest gingerbread cookie cutters that assemble to create a three dimensional reindeer, sleds, snowmen, and trees.  Since the dough had to be chilled for a few hours, we were really excited to get started.  After a few failed attempts to cut out the shapes, we decided to go another route.

 

Reindeer poop!  It was so obvious to me at this moment that God knew what he was doing when he blessed me with boys. Ryland and I laughed hysterically and couldn't wait to try them.

 

We all got dressed in our "handsome" clothes and headed to church. Unfortunately, church was packed when we arrived, and the sanctuary was already at max capacity.  We decided to come back for the next service, so we had about an hour to burn.  Just enough time to swing by the grocery store for Vanilla Bean ice cream and deliver a few gifts.

 

The later Christmas Eve service was completely full as well, but we were there in time to find seats.  The music was beautiful and the lighting of the candles to Silent Night was absolutely breathtaking.  It is my favorite moment at church every year.

 

We headed home to get the last little things together for Santa.  Ryland and Reed spread the reindeer food all over the side yard to make sure the reindeer were full for their long night.

 

 

One last attempt to capture a cute picture of the boys in their Santa pajamas and rain boots 

 

 

We headed out to take another look at the beautiful Christmas lights.  Reed requested to see Santa, so we drove to the over the top house in our neighborhood.  They have a huge Santa sitting in a chair with about a million lights all over their house and yard.

 

Ryland was out.

 

We couldn't go to bed without leaving Santa some delicious cookies and a Coke.  Lizzie and Pops had a Christmas Eve present for us to open, and it was a cute glass plate just perfect for Santa's treat.  Ryland also wanted to leave Santa the pictures he and Reed had colored earlier.

 

 

 

WCUMC Christmas Festival

We had a wonderful afternoon at the White's Chapel Christmas Festival.  The boys started with the snow tubing hill before the line was too long.  Reed jumped right in with no fear, and he was laughing the whole way.  Ryland was a bit more timid, and he actually didn't want to go until Reed went first.  He did slide down and ended up very happy.

We headed on to the carnival games, so the boys could win some trinket prizes.  John Chris and I were shocked to see that Ryland wanted to play every single game.  Reed was more interested in getting in the bounce houses.

 

We ended the evening at the fountain, and I snapped my favorite picture of the boys.  The true meaning of the season.

Have a New Kid by Friday

I started a parenting class at church tonight that is based on Dr. Lehman's book, Have a New Kid by Friday. I was pleasantly pleased at how funny and upbeat the class was and how many people were in the class. It is one class a week for six weeks, so I really won't have a new kid by this Friday. I guess I can look forward to the end of February!

Christmas festival

I bundled up the boys for afternoon/evening of fun at our church's Christmas festival. White's Chapel holds an annual festival, and they go all out. Bounce houses, a petty zoo, pony rides, games, a laser light show, and more. Reed was a trooper as he took it all in. He laughed and giggled at all the sights.
Ryland loved all the cool bounce houses and games. He could have stayed all night in the cold weather.

John Chris joined us after work for dinner and more festival fun. Ryland and John Chris checked out the animals in the petting zoo.

We had a wonderful time, and the evening was finished with a laser light show. As I sat in front of the sanctuary with my family waiting on show to begin, I was in awe of the beautiful fountain. This was the first time I had seen it at night, and it was just absolutely striking. What a wonderful reminder that Jesus is the reason for the season!

MOPS

I am really enjoying my MOPS group this year. I have met so many great women, and I look forward to our bi-weekly meetings. I am thankful for the awesome steering committee that graciously give their time to create a fun, relaxed, and spiritual environment. At times I feel a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility I have taken on, but I am somehow always reminded of the impact we have. Today was one of those special days. I continue to look forward to where this group is going, and I treasure the friendships I make along the way!

Reed's Baptism

Reed was baptized today at church, and it was quite the funny experience. After our pastor finished the ceremony, he took Reed so that he could hold him in front of the congregation. He does this all the time, and it is usually so adorable to see the babies with him. Reed was infatuated with Pastor John, especially his microphone. Reed grabbed the microphone and pulled it off Pastor John's ear. Everyone could hear Reed breathing over the sound system. It immediately went in Reed's mouth. When we pulled it out, the soft microphone part was missing. I had to stick my finger in his mouth and dig it out. He gagged, and it was broad casted over the sound system. I was able to retrieve the missing piece before he swallowed it. What a wonderful way to get a laugh out of the entire church.
Reed, John Chris, and Ryland

A family picture outside the sanctuary in front of the beautiful fountain.

Date Night

Our church held a Date Night tonight, so John Chris and I were able to enjoy a relaxing uninterrupted sushi meal. It was awesome to dress up and get out of the house with my husband. We were able to catch up and actually have a conversation.
We knew the boys were taken care of and having fun also. They played with friends, had a pizza party, and watched a movie. Too bad the church doesn't do this once a month.

Fountain admiration

After leaving my MOPS meeting, we headed to the truck to go on about our day. When we walked past the fountain in front of the sanctuary, Ryland stopped. He stood there in complete silence and admired the beautiful fountain. It was a moment for me to stop as well. We stood for a bit taking in the amazing weather and the relaxing noise of the flowing water.

I couldn't help but think of the family who donated this masterpiece after the loss of their young daughter. Here my precious toddler stood looking at it, probably thinking about the logistics of getting in the water, but all I could think about is how very blessed I am. The pure joy and smile it put on my face was a reminder to me to slow down and enjoy every moment.

Rain boots

Typical Sunday morning at our house involves a lot of hurry, hurry, hurry. We sleep as long as we can before jumping up for showers and clothes, and then we head to church for early service. This morning was like any other Sunday morning. We were in a hurry, and we were getting ready as quickly as possible. I am busy putting Reed's clothes on when I see Ryland come in with my polka dot rain boots.
He informed me that I should wear them instead of the heels. When I decline, he slips them on with his pajamas.

Looking might fine! Walking is a bit difficult for Ryland, but you know what they say. No pain, no gain. This is an awesome look for church. Tool pajamas with polka dot rain boots.

Easter 2011

The Easter bunny left baskets for the boys. Ryland ran to his basket and started digging through it to see what new stuff was left for him. He grabbed the boat and monster truck right away.
Reed was a bit more laid back about his Easter basket. I love his expression. He is like "whatever".

After church I tried to take a few shots of Ryland, but he kept giving me frownie faces. Awwwww, how sad.

I finally got a cheese out of him!

We changed out of our church clothes and got busy decorating eggs.

We had a great time coloring and decorating the eggs. We talked about all the different colors and put lots of stickers on the eggs.

Ryland took a nap, and the Easter bunny came back by the house to hide the eggs. As soon as he woke up, we headed to the yard to find them.

Cooper wanted in on the fun as well. He would try to snatch the eggs that Ryland was hunting. I guess he thought they looked like balls.

He is so proud of himself!

John Chris bonds with Reed while recording Ryland hunting for eggs. How cute!