Gingerbread House Decorating

Luke and I had tried years ago to decorate a gingerbread house. It was a disaster.  This year, I wanted to make a new family tradition.  So, I did what any normal non-Martha Stewart would do...I bought a pre-assembled house.  It was the ONLY way to go!  The kids had fun decorating it.  We used only the candy it came with and it turned out really cute.  I think we'll do this every year as a Christmas tradition.

Christmas Parties at School

A year ago today, I was sitting at home enjoying the quiet and wondering what my life would be like after the kids.  Well, today I spent it with Nana at the school for their Christmas parties this morning.  Asia's classroom was full of parents and pandemonium.  They had cookies, donuts, crafts, and music.  It was a little much for me!  We barely had time for a few pictures.  Robert's class was a little calmer without all the sugar.  They had several craft stations and even decorated cookies.  He made a snowman ornament for Nana and decorated a cookie with her.  Bless his heart, you can tell he is still a little under the weather.  It's amazing how much can change in a year!

Luke's 1st Electric Party

Since I have been so sick, Luke decided to take the kids by himself to his office Christmas party.  We got them all dressed up in their Christmas attire and took some quick pictures before they left.  They had a blast at the party.  They chowed down on some BBQ and even got to meet Santa for some presents.  Luke said they did great!  

Branson

After spending time in Neosho, we loaded up and headed to Branson.  Dana and Melanie joined us there.  We went to Silver Dollar City.  This was our 2nd time to do this as a family at Christmas.  Last year, it was just another visit.  It was neat to see everything come full circle.  Asia joined Nana, me, and Melanie in a cooking class while the guys went and checked out the cave.  After class, the kids hung out with me and Luke.  They loved riding the rides and watching the parade.  While watching the parade, I finally got what people say in experiencing Christmas through a child's eyes.  The kids were waving like crazy at the parade people without a care in the world.  They couldn't wait to see Santa either.  We ate pizza at SDC and enjoyed looking at the lights.  We spent the rest of the weekend in Branson enjoying shopping, eating, and seeing Jonah- which everyone loved!

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving the Sunday before the actual holiday.  It was the kids first Thanksgiving with us.  They did awesome!  We started the day with a craft- making vests out of paper sacks.  They had never done this before.  Kingston, Robert, and Asia ended up coloring for around an hour working on their sacks.  The weather was perfect, so the kids spent most of the day outside riding scooters or playing in the sunroom.  We had all the food ready early this year.  I'm still not sure how we did that!  We had Turkey, Ham, Sweet Potatoes, Dressing, Mashed potatoes, Gravy, Broccoli Casserole, Corn Casserole, and a ton of desserts! After dinner, the kids made a craft with Aunt Linda.  They were so proud of their gift boxes for their teachers. When I asked the kids what they loved the most about their first Thanksgiving with the family- it was the pumpkin pie....which was store bought! LOL!