Christmas Parties and Round 1 of Christmas

Ezra and Emersyn had their class Christmas party the last week of school. For Ezra, his class had a little party in their room where they got to have a book exchange between the students, watch a movie and bring a bag of goodies home from his teacher. After their class party, the whole school put on a Nativity play. It was so sweet. My little guy was a DOVE! Yes, he picked it and was so happy about it.

Opening up their books

Ezra, the Dove

The dove in action

His whole school after the play

Emersyn's class party consisted of lunch, a story, craft and some goodies. She has a sweet little class with great parent involvement. We are truly blessed by Ezra and Emersyn's schools.

Round 1 of Christmas began in Johnson City at my mom's house, which she had before getting married and moving to Houston. It's nice for us that she still has it, so we can all meet up and not have to truly travel too far.

We had a house full. My mom, Ron, Malachi and his family, Ashley and her family, Our family, my grandmother and Aunt with her husband. It was great. On Saturday we all hung around the house enjoying each other's company and SNACKING. We had chili and tamales later that night before we headed to the town square and PEC company to look at lights and get a picture with Santa. After light seeing, we came home to dessert and presents. We always have a 10 dollar white elephant between the adults, which involves a singing Christmas wreath. This wreath has been in the family for about 12 years and is always in the white elephant mix. Every year we forget who got it last, so it's kinda like walking egg shells opening up the gifts to see who is going to end up with the wreath this year. Well, we were the lucky ones to get the wreath this year. I am going to have to be creative on how to wrap it next year!

The whole crew

making sugar cookies

the finished prodcuts

Ashley and baby Townes

All the cousins with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Ashley and I had to be in the picture too. 

Elynn, my little gingerbread

PEC lights!

This year, for the first time in my family, we did the nativity "play" with the kids. My kids are used to doing this every year with Brent's family. This year, we just had the kids dress up in the different parts, read a nativity story and took pictures. As they get older, we will be able to act out the play. It is such a sweet, special and important thing to have them do each christmas. I feel like it gives them the TRUE meaning of christmas, and takes the focus away from TOYS!

A wise man, two angels, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus

Mary and baby Jesus

Mary and the two angels

We had such a great time with my family. I love getting to celebrate with them. I am truly blessed.

Our pictures with Santa

I cannot believe that Christmas is in ONE week! It just doesn't seem real. I am ready, well, have everything bought, now I just need to wrap. The weather is not helping my cause.

We have Christmas with my family starting this week in JC (johnson city). We will be home, just the 5 of us (wahoo!) on Christmas day and then head to Fredericksburg/Austin next weekend for Christmas with the Eilers/Lindigs. I am looking forward to just being around here and not having to travel far. I am excited about spending some good family time together and continuing traditions with our kids as they are getting older to catch on and appreciate them.

Before all the madness, I decided to post some pictures we took this year with Santa.

We went to Bass Pro to take a picture with Santa, and I got the BEST picture of Emersyn and Ezra, NO Elynn! So, here is a picture of all three of them at Bass Pro. 

We got to a christmas party every year at Brent's co-workers house. Santa stops by every time!

Ezra telling Santa what he wants: a basketball goal and an orange bow and arrow

Emersyn telling Santa what she wants: a talking Jessie and Woody doll and zoo legos

So sweet!

Elynn wouldn't have anything to do with him until I gave him M&M's to give her. She isn't getting anything for Christmas, I guess. ;)

Family photo

Ezra and Emersyn's picture with Santa at Bass Pro

A review of our November

My three little turkeys!

I know, I am WAY LATE in this, but here it is anyway. We had a great November and such a fun whirlwind week of Thanksgiving. Brent was on-call this Thanksgiving, so we decided to host Thanksgiving at our house x2! 

We had such a BUSY Thanksgiving. Ezra and Emersyn's school both celebrated with a Thanksgiving Feast. I am thankful for their schools. I am thankful that they attend school's that not only teach about Jesus but who LOVE Jesus and help instill that in my children.

Ezra's "little" co-op homeschool feast. For a part school/part homeschool program, they are a pretty big group. A lot of sweet families and kids. We have been blessed by this school.

Emersyn's preschool has the sweetest Thanksgiving feast you have ever seen. They set up tables on the ground in one LONG table for all the classes to feast together. Some of the classes are Indians  some are pilgrims and some are turkeys. It is super cute. They all bless the food together.

A picture of all the kids with folded hands, praying!

Elynn enjoying the feast!

The busy bees as indians. 

Me and my sweet little indian. 

Brent's family came over for the afternoon and dinner on Thursday. We had about 20 people. Everyone pitched in with a side dish and Brent's mom and dad brought the turkey and ham. All we did was open our house to everyone. I am so blessed with Brent and his family. They truly love God and each other. It is so easy having them over. It is always relaxed and everyone helps!!

A thankful house, full of family!

the food and kids table

We had no breaks in between. On Friday, my sister, her family, and my brother and his family arrived. I love when we are all together. It seems like it doesn't happen that often, but when we are together, it's like we never left. It was such a good day and night of just hanging out with my siblings, their spouses and niece and nephews. We stayed up late playing games and talking.

The next morning, my mom, her husband and my grandma came for the rest of the weekend. We had our Thanksgiving meal Saturday afternoon. I am excited to all be together again in about a week for Christmas. How is that already here?!?

Uncle Malachi and baby Townes

Trying to get a picture of all of us

Townes, Ezra and Emersyn

Trick Or Treat

This Halloween year was so fun. Ezra and Emersyn were so excited about it, that we had a count down of "sleeps" until it was Halloween.

This year, Ezra and Emersyn had strong opinions of what they wanted to be. I wasn't able to persuade them into anything else. Luckily, they picked pretty good costumes; ones they will wear to play around the house in often. Ezra was batman. Emersyn was Jasmine, from Aladdin (her favorite princess). Elynn was a cheetah. For her costume, I just bought ears and a tail for 5 bucks and she wore all black with her cheetah shoes. Simple, but Oh.So.CUTE!

The morning of Halloween started off with Emersyn's school fall parade. I let Ezra and Elynn wear their costume to her parade also. There are two very precious school functions at Oakhills Preschool, 1. fall parade and 2. thanksgiving meal. During the parade, all the different classes parade around the upper mall area in their costumes while mom/dads/grandparents/siblings, etc pass out candy. Ezra was pretty excited about being able to help pass out the candy. He thought he was such a big kid. Elynn, on the other hand, just tried to eat each piece of candy we were trying to pass out. At one point, she had eaten the wrapper off the top of a tootsie pop sucker, so I just let her have it!

My great friend, Ashleigh (who is a teacher at the preschool) was Tangled 

Our friend, Bethany: Rapunzel

Our friend, Kate: UTSA cheerleader

Mrs. Valerie: Brave. All the preschool teachers dressed up as a Disney Princess

My sweet Emersyn: Jasmine

Oliver, the knight

Collecting her candy with her class

Sweet brother passing out candy to Emersyn

Another friend, Harper: Dalmation

Emersyn's Busy Bee class

Emersyn and her besties: Addison and Brielle

The rest of the day was spent in anticipation of when we were going trick-or-treating. We started trick-or-treating around 630. Out neighbors across the street, and one of Emersyn's little friends, Addison, and her family (they live in our neighborhood) met up with us to all go together. It was fun. The kids LOVED running up to the different houses to shout Trick-Or-Treat and grab candy.

Had to get a picture of her tail

The crew all ready to go

Love these boys!

Family photo. By this point, Elynn was ready to take her tail and ears off. Oh well.

Had to get a picture of him pulling the wagon. It just made me smile.

He is such a good sport!

Halloween 2012

with our friends trick-or-treating

Although they had fun getting candy, I really think their favorite part was coming back to the house to pass out candy to the older kids. They loved being in control of how much candy to give, looking at the older kids costumes and staying up a little past their bed time. It was a great day/evening.

Oh, ya. Brent and I dressed up at the last minute. Ezra had begged Brent for a while to be batman also. He didn't want to get a costume though, so our neighbor across the street lent Brent his batman outfit. Ezra was super pumped about it. Then, since Brent had a costume, they said I HAD to have a costume. Emersyn really wanted me to be Jasmine, but there was no way I was going to be able to pull that off. Then, my friend, Jenn, let me borrow her kids batman mask and cape, so, I was Batgirl with black leggings and a black shirt. It was fun. Just seeing how excited the kids were that we were dressed up, made it worth it.

Batgirl

Batgirl and Batman