Deck the Halls....

I know, I know, it's "too early" to decorate for Christmas, but I just couldn't help myself- everywhere I turned, it's Christmas- Sanat's at the mall, stores are playing Christmas music, everything is decorated..... On Saturday evening, we pulled out all the stops and decorated a full week early this year! To say that the kids were excited is an understatement!

Alden "helping" Daddy put up our tree- he was great at matching the colors at the end of each branch. This poor tree- it was $20, 10 years ago, and is actually starting to shed- guess it's time to look into a new tree....

Al "fluffing" the tree

Wish this wasn't fuzzy- Addie got giddy once the lights were on! And the lights are skimpy- there were 2 strings that worked last year, but didn't last night. If you know me, I wasn't about to stop- we would just make 2 strings of lights work instead of stopping and restarting the next day!

SO excited to have pizza for dinner, in the living room, watching Frosty the Snowman (their choice) and getting ready to put ornaments on the tree! They both told me it was a perfect night!

Let the decorating begin!!

I love them in the Santa hats- an excellent deal I scored last year- they love wearing them, too!

She kept wanting to give me this super-cheesy grin next to the tree! (Side note- Yes, Addie is wearing a band-aid on her nose. A few weeks ago, her nose got a scratch on it and since her glasses constantly rub on it, the sore never got a chance to heal- thus the band-aid!)

I love his cheesy smile- he was SO excited!!

Helping Mommy unpack the Nativity

She was so proud that she knew every character!

Silly boy!

Showing off her new snowman pj's!

Someone was DONE- ready for bed...

The promise of a candy cane if he smiles and sleeps in- yup, that's all it took to get that smile!

Saying good-night to baby Jesus and his friends....

Yes, I know, it's not 74 days til Christmas- but I love this sign and pic from last year.... We will be replacing the Santa pic hopefully next week sometime- the kids can't wait to see him!

Playroom decorated- Addie was devastated Sunday morning when she woke-up and the stockings had NOT been filled!! We need to work a bit more on the concept of the actual day of Christmas- and that it can't be every day....

Alden's tree- we are letting the kids have their own trees in their rooms this year. Alden wanted the red bows and a few of his special ornaments that his MarMar gave him.

Addie's tree- it was actually our first Christmas tree since our apartment was so small! She kept picking big, heavy ornaments to put on it, and then would get upset when it would topple over.... Finally, after some help from Daddy, she achieved her desired result!

We are SO blessed- and are looking forward to enjoying these decorations for a whole month!!

Christmas Card Attempts...

I had the cutest kids on the planet- but I struggle to snap the picture that reflects that.... Someone always seems to look away at the split second the shutter snaps. Or someone decides to be silly and NOT look at the camera.... Sigh....

Since I know that getting the pics I want can easily take time, I have started early. Here is what I have gotten so far....

Old Friends Reunited

This weekend we visited Delaware and spent time with our dear friends- Grayson and Avery (and their amazing parents, too!). While we lived in DE, Grayson and Avery came to our house while their parents worked- so our kids spent lots of time together and LOVE each other. When I told my kids where we were going, they went nuts they were SO excited!!

When we got to their house it was late so it wasn't until the morning that the kids saw each other, and when they did, there was approximately 30 seconds of just staring at each other. After that, they were playing together just like no time had passed- the best part was that there was no fighting!! They played together so sweetly- just happy to be back together!!

Us adults also had fun chatting- the men played golf and April and I even scored a few deals at the local Thrift Stores! It was a short visit, but SO worth it! I can't believe the next time we visit them, they will have had their new baby!

The boys pulled out the legos and played with them the entire weekend!

Addie and Avery played too, but the were more interested in the dolls.

The crew getting ready to check out the new playground in G and A's neighborhood! It was COLD- and in true DE fashion, super windy!

G and A on the see-saw- love the old-school charm that this playground had!!

Everyone loves technology!

A future snapshot, perhaps??

True men- fixing the kitchen!!

We had a great time- and look forward to meeting their new addition due soon!

Halloween

The day started off perfectly- there was crisp breeze and we were ready early for church!!

I took some pics of the kids and they turned out wonderfully!! Now if I can just get them to pose this nicely in Christmas clothes....

Sweet Pumpkin!

Suave Little Man!

After church and naps, we headed over to Addie's BFF Molly's house.

Time to rest-up for some serious Trick or Treating...

Checking things out as it's almost time to go!!

Family pic!!

And they're off! The Dad's took the kids around the neighborhood while Rachel and I passed out the candy- what a perfect evening!!

VERY pleased with their loot!! We had a great time and are so thankful for such great friends!!

WEAG's Fall Festival

Back in the Day- before we had kids- we attended a fantastic Sunday night service called Exile that was hosted by West End Assembly of God. Each year, WEAG hosts a HUGE Fall Festival- and it was at that festival, 7 years ago, that we met our now amazing friend, Karen. So, when Karen mentioned that this weekend was the Fall Festival, we were excited to join Karen and her family at the Festival!

My sweet Minnie Mouse and Handsome Firefighter ready to check everything out!!

Ready to go now that Hannah and Avery are here!!

First stop- hayride around the parking lot- hey, we are City Folk here!

The 3 musketeers off to check everything out!!

Addie saw this Mickey Mouse off in the distance and she literally screamed and HAD to get to him NOW. I have never seen her SO excited!! The rest of the evening she kept talking about how much Mickey must love her to come all the way from Florida to Virginia to see her!!

Alden would have happily spent the rest of the evening here- climbing and sliding on a FIRETRUCK!

Playing some games for candy!

Mickey came back to see Addie- but Alden was excited to see him this time- he was busy climbing and sliding on the firetruck before...

2 of the cutest scarecrows!

The kids had a blast at the petting zoo- no fear whatsoever!

Candy Treasure Hunt- About 50 2-4yr olds were all sitting on bales of hay waiting to be told to start when 1 kid fell in, and at that, ALL of the other kids jumped in and started bringing fist fulls of candy and straw to their parents- it was hilarious!!

Perfect ending to a wonderful evening- freshly popped popcorn!!