Hoop it Up

Last week the dad of this whole operation was called away on business. Now for those of you that have never traveled for work- although it is not so great to leave your loved one's behind for a few days there are some perks. Like a hotel room that someone cleans for you, or trying out the local hot spots and discovering some new favorite dishes. There are downsides as well, like loads of work that still needs to be done even though you are not "in" the office... All of which I know too well, as I spent quite a few years with roles/jobs that required me to pack my suitcase up and hit the road.
One of the perks that Mike got to enjoy was a free night out-- during the week. The during the week part is the unheard of part in this territory. Any who- with a night to himself and no business company to entertain he and his buddy had a whole evening free of responsibilities. They decided that they would splurge for tickets to see the Dallas Maverick's play. They were super excited by the great seats they scored... and who would have thought, they also got to see Khloe and Kim K. court side.


If you look real close in the center by the entrance you can see the K sisters.
Mike's fav Dirk running by...

I am so glad that Mike got to get out and create such a fun memory for himself.

Life easier...

Aren't we all looking for ways to "make life easier".... I know that with the hustle and bustle of keeping our family focused, organized, and just moving through the day- I sure am always up for some helpful tips! I came across this blog post and absolutely had to share...
Alderberry Hill

Take a peek over ... there are such clever ideas like removing the hull of a strawberry with a straw and one I will definitely try this year... using baby powder to remove sand from kids skin while at the beach. So grab a cup of your favorite coffee this morning and sip your way to some helpful tips to make life a little easier for you!

Alls well that ends well...

It started off as the perfect evening... it was Daddy/daughter date night. These two got dressed up and headed out for a sweet night of crafts, candlelight, and chicken nuggets. They then made a trip over to the pet store to see all of the animals. Meanwhile, the little Rockstar and I finished up baking some treats so we could all meet up with our Sunday school friends to go for a sweet night of caroling. We met up after their date night and headed over to church. We got to sing to several sweet families (and a few closed doors!), just before chaos in sued.
And here is the result. My precious angel had to learn the hard lesson early in life.... The shoes can definitely make the outfit, but we sometimes pay the price for their cuteness.

She ended up tripping on a curb in her sparkly dress shoes and we all ended up calling the night early and making our way over to the on call docs (that I happen to love by the way!). The princess ended up having to get 4 stitches and was the bravest little button I have seen... no crying, no peeps- she was a great patient. And it was mightly precious to hear her brother saying "I'm right here. Bubbie's here for you".

And here is the after... She has healed beautifully and for that we are thankful. In the end, still goes down as a great night... and definitely a memory maker.

Other Christmas traditions continue...

Our Christmas traditions are continuing over to another post (I have quite a lot of catching up to do!).So to kick us off...Daddy-- and the 1/2 stache. That's right folks-- the brains of this whole operation thought it would be a good idea to challenge his work team for a little competition. One that lasted the month of November and part of December. Grow your facial hair, then take a chance with luck, roll the dice and see how you have to groom your face (and carry it off for 2 days). Lucky us, he got the 1/2 mustache. Boy that was a fun dinner out- I don't believe our waitress made it through the meal without giggling a time or 2.
We also made our annual gingerbread house. This year we decided to do a gingerbread neighborhood (and included ours in on it as well), so that everyone got to decorate their own house. Why do they never taste as good as they look?

The Z man participated in his school play-- as a lead reindeer dancer. Because all reindeer like to cut a rug or 2.

We also made a trip out to the Bethlehem Walk. This by far is one of our most favorite family traditions. This church pulls off an amazing evening and so worth the wait. Love this more that I could say!

Of course the movie monster of the family loves to see a movie while on break from school. This year he scored a father/son date (and a load of popcorn!)

Of course the holiday's wouldn't be complete without our many trips around the area checking out Christmas lights. By far - BEST. MEMORY. EVER this year was hearing the little rockstar of the group squeal with delight- each and every time we saw any lights. He absolutely loved it with everything in his little body-- and nothing can make mom and dad giggle quite like his infectious laugh. What joy!

And who doesn't grow out facial hair during the holidays?

We had a such a wonderfully blessed holiday season this year. It was so special because we got to spend some wonderful time with those that we love. We also scored a couple of date nights- like going to see the David Crowder band with dear friends -- which totally rocked. And an Italian evening with the closest of friends that we love dearly, and ate way too much-- fellowship at it's best.

Best Christmas Eve ever

This year for our Christmas Eve service at church the children got to participate by singing songs that they had been practicing for a couple of weeks in Sunday school. This was the first year that the Princess and the Pea (cause he is so tiny!) have gotten to go on stage and participate. The kids have been so excited about this- as they have seen their big brother on stage a couple of times (most recently this year as a dancing reindeer at school- busting his break dancing moves!). We didn't know until we got at church what the dynamic duo would choose as their costume-- we felt like it would be between a wise man and an angel and the wise man won out.

It was so special to see all the children participate-- we had 3 groups that ended up going up

and it was so sweet to see them all singing.

It was most special to be in our church with our church family and to have Ga-Ga, Ricky, and Pop-pop with us. What a blessing that they came. We also had cousin Chris and Aunt Leslie to come out as well. We all came back to our house and feasted on a yummy Christmas eve dinner. It was so nice to fellowship with friends and family and celebrate the meaning of such a blessing to us all.... the birth of our Savior. The kids and I finished the evening off with making a birthday cake for Jesus.

In a flash

It seems like I blinked my eyes and December came and went. I realize that it is the "fastest" month of the year for my family, but this year seems that it went quicker than in years past. So much so, that I didn't even have time to blog about it-- shame, shame. I will do my best to get all caught up on the memory making that we did throughout the month- and how we ended the year.

We started the month off with volunteering at the Angel Tree area in one of our local malls. It's something that we have made a family tradition. It's a great way for us to start the season off with a servant's attitude and heart. This year was the first year that the little one's were able to escape the stroller and be put to work! They were hard at work as you see below.

He's Baaack....

Let me introduce you to this feisty little guy.... Chippy. This guy only makes an appearance after our house is nice and festive for the Christmas season. Even though the kids don't really do the whole Santa experience, they certainly love looking forward to seeing what Chippy is up to next. It's always a race to see who can spot the clever one first. Last night, the Chipmister decided to heckle a bit by marking up some family photo's. This guy- what a piece of work.