Giggle

After the boys were tucked in bed, I found one of Ryland's little man's gun.  Pretty ironic for a little toy gun to be found on the Parents magazine that is full of great parenting advice and tips.  It gave us a giggle!

 

Christmas decorating

The Christmas decorating iwas in full force this weekend.  We set up and fluffed the red tree in preparation for the ornaments.  The boys were very intrigued with the process, and they wanted to be right in the middle of the action.

 

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The glass ornaments were hard to keep our hands off of.  Something about being breakable just made them even more fantastic.  The boys loved hanging them on the tree and talking about their meanings.

 

As soon as the tree was finished, the nutcrackers found special places throughout the house.  Ryland and Reed love the nutcrackers and wanted to play with them all.  John Chris told them what each one was and when he got them.  It was a wonderful day of sharing traditions and making memories.

Outside Christmas decorations

The lights are up, and we are decorated for Christmas!  The outside that is.  We pulled out all the outdoor decorations that we haven't used the past two years and added lights to the house.  So very merry!

Gaylord

We have been looking forward to going to the Gaylord Texan to see all of their Christmas decorations and the ICE exhibit. I had showed pictures to the boys, and they were so excited! 

While we waited to enter ICE, we snapped a few pictures with the cool sphere tree.

 

It was an experience just to get our coats on to enter ICE, but we all thought Reed looked so funny in the huge coat.  We were all bundled up and ready to check it out.

 

The Merry Madagascar theme was cute and kid friendly.  It is kinda sad when corporate sponsors take over though.

 

Papaw, Reed, Nana, and Ryland grin in the frigid temperatures, because they were having a blast. 

 

Ryland was first to go down the ice slide.

 

Reed was quick to follow his brother's lead.  They both loved the slide!

 

The very last room was a huge ice nativity scene and angel like they had the first year ICE came to the Gaylord. There wasn't any flashy colored ice or load music.  It was beautiful!

 

Even though it was 9 degrees, Ryland was all smiles.

 

After we finished the ICE exhibit, we went for a few rides on the indoor snow tube.  Reed was too short to ride, so we took turns.  In my time with Reed, we played like we called people.  He wanted to call Santa, and he was shocked when Santa answered.

 

On the way out, we ran into a very tall toy soldier.  The Gaylord was beautiful and was a great way to kick off the Christmas season.  Thanks for a great time Nana and Papaw!

 

Pergola wrap up

We finished up the last little part of the pergola, and we are so happy with the finished product.  We went ahead and added cedar to the covered porch and replaced the lighting.  It makes the space feel bigger and brighter.

After

 

Before

 After

 Before

Happy Turkey Day 2012

After the turkey was smoked and carved, we had a little taste tester ready for a bite.  Reed scooted his stool over to the counter and climbed up for a nibble.  Yummy!

 

We have so much to be thankful for this year.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Organizing the attic

It was time to get the lower attic together, and I had two awesome helpers.  Ryland was intrigued by the box of bobble heads we found. He pulled out every single one and lined them up, so we could talk about each one.  It was a great distraction, and I was able to get through several tubs uninterrupted.

 

 

Reed got bored with the attic, so he moved on to the toys.  I finished the attic and quickly realized I had a new mess to conquer.

Tree lighting

For the past few years we have watched the lighting of the Christmas tree in Town Square.  In the past it seems like we stood around waiting forever, so we came prepared this year.  We had the double stroller packed, only to be there for about 45 minutes. I was worth the trip though, and it really gets you in the spirit.

 

 

Reed, Benton, and Ryland liked all the lights, but they really just wanted to roll around on the grass. I tried so hard to get a cute picture of them.

Knights

Ryland's friend, Charlie, spent the night, and the fun continued on the next morning.  After breakfast they both dressed up as knights and chased around the house slaying dragons.  There was a lot of screaming and chopping.  The knights decided that our dog, Cooper, looked just like a brown hairy dragon.  A chase took place, and only the knights came back downstairs.  He was unarmed but hiding pretty well.  Smart dog.  Crazy knights!

 

Twilight

This evening went crazy and my plans were completely altered, and I ended up in Colleyville at the Twilight premier.  I am not a fan, and I had never seen or read any of the previous movies/books; however, my friend is a huge fan.  Huge!  After getting stuck in ridiculous traffic, we headed to a sushi bar and then walked over to the theater.  Somehow we were able to get a seat after running into a friend. We enjoyed the movie with a group of crazy women that we didn't know, and by the end of the movie, they wanted the entire theater to take a photo.

I still don't get the whole vampire thing, but the movie was tolerable with a few drinks.



Paradise Pond party

The boys and I celebrated Keegan's 4th birthday at Paradise Pond.  We always have a blast playing with all their awesome toys.  Ryland was quick to recognize that this was were he had his party, and he said he wanted to have his next birthday here too.  Between a huge climbing structure, slides, bounce house, and tons of other play stations, the boys were in heaven.

 

 

Reed's favorite play station was the dress up area.  He is really into super hero masks but just needs a little help putting them on.

Feast

Ryland had a festive Thanksgiving feast at school.  All the kiddos wore their handmade attire and chowed down on all the goodies.

 

 

Our class mom did a fabulous job decorating their tables.  The turkey centerpiece was filled with popcorn.  The kids loved it!

 

Ryland chowed down on nuggets, mac'n cheese, corn, and fruit.

 

I just had to get a full shot of my Running Eagle.

 

The night before his big feast, we worked on wrapping his teacher gifts.  It was a great opportunity to talk to him about giving thanks and showing appreciation.  We glued the pretty berries and feathers on the boxes, and I wish I could have bottled the moment.

Raiding the pantry

The boys looked so darn cute in their matching fire truck pajamas tonight.  They are getting pretty mischievous and feed off of one another.  The pantry is their latest hot spot.  I am constantly telling them to get out, and I think I will have to add a lock.  Who can be angry with such adorable boys?

Dinning room

I started re-decorating the dinning room months ago, and it has been a very slow project.  I knew I wanted something different, but I just couldn't find what I had pictured in my mind.  I fell in love with the rug and the drapery fabric, so I went with it.  I am happy with the monochromatic feel and the variety of textures.

 

Botanical Garden

We enjoyed the afternoon with Lizie and Pops at the Botanical Garden in Grapevine.  It was a beautiful day out, and it was really nice to watch the boys run around.   They loved running, climbing, and rolling on the hills.  We learned about ancient trees, composting, and observed the huge fish.

 

School pictures

 

The proofs of Reed's school pictures crack me up.  He is such a goof ball, and they told me he was so easy to photograph.  He definitely goes into picture mode pretty quickly and turns on the smiles.

 

When I opened Ryland's folder from school I about fell down.  His school did pony pictures with a real pony, which is so cool.  I just think they went a little overboard. Considering that my little "cowboy" went to school in jeans and a green Polo shirt, I think he looks legitimate.  I am impressed that they got him on the pony, because he informed me that he was "not getting on that horse".   I think his hair tickles me the most, because it is perfectly fanned back on each side.

Last day with Brown Bear

Brown Bear's last adventure with Ryland was our weekly play group.  Today we made "My Little Soles" items for Christmas.  I selected a plate with the boys' footprints as reindeer heads with a cute strand of lights.  I can't wait to see how it turns out!

 

Playing quietly

It was really quiet in the family room tonight.  Usually when it is quiet, it means there is trouble.  Not tonight.  Ryland and Reed were both playing with their toys and far off in their imagination lands.  We sat for a bit to enjoy the moment and watch them play.