Favorite Holiday Traditions

This time of year is my favorite...and part of it is because I love traditions.  I enjoy some of the traditions that I have done for a long time....and I love the traditions we have started as a family.

One of the traditions we have started as a family is shopping for a child/children off of the Angel Tree.  I want me kids to know what this time of year is all about.  We pick kids that are the same gender and age as our kiddos so that they know that there are kiddos that aren't as fortunate as they are and that we as a family can help!  I love this tradition...picking out the kids we will shop for...heading to Target to buy all kinds of fun stuff that will ensure an exciting Christmas morning for those children...and delivering all the goods back to the mall!  Katie had a blast doing that this year too!

Of course another tradition I love is putting up our Christmas tree.  I love pulling out all the ornaments and remembering all the memories associated with each of them!

And this is our second year doing Elf on the Shelf...this was Alvin's first night at our house this year!  And he brought wrapped books for each night leading up to Christmas!

 Here is the stack of books.  We did this last year and Katie loved it!  I added new books for this year - Katie loves unwrapping a book each night before bed and seeing what we will read at bedtime!

 And of course waking up to see what Alvin is up to  is always exciting!  

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was adorable!  You glue a cotton ball on each day and when Santa has a beard, it is Christmas Eve!  And it has the cutest rhyme on it!

Another tradition I love is the annual GNO dinner and ornament exchange!  Last night was our outing and it was super fun!  This year was our Fifth Annual Ornament exchange....wow!  And I got a beautiful ornament for our tree!  Another post on this fun event with more pics will happen soon!

Another fun tradition is the trolley ride!! My brother pays for a trolley and everybody gets together and visits before loading up and heading out to look at Christmas lights!  It is so fun - and a great way to see some neat lights displays around town.  And of course it is fun to visit with family too :)  This picture is from last year's fun!  We are heading out on the trolley on Sunday for this year's adventure!

And a tradition that has been done in my family for as long as I can remember is reading the Christmas story from a family Bible and having the same candle lit.  My grandfather lights the candle (that is probably about 45 years old) and reads the Christmas story out of the Bible that has been in the family since before the Civil War.  We also go around and talk about what we are thankful for and what we are looking forward to in the next year.  This is such a special time that means so much!

Of course I love all of the time we spend together over the holidays too...Brad usually takes the last two weeks off for Christmas and New Years, so we have lots of time together!!  And this year, Katie is really getting into everything, so it is definitely even more fun!

Family Zoo Trip

Oh, how I love a fun trip to the zoo!  Over the week of Thanksgiving (yes, I am still trying to catch up!), Brad took the week off...and one day, we went to the zoo!  Katie was so excited!  I love a fun family trip to the zoo.  And the weather was just right (as evidenced by dresses, short sleeves, and even shorts on the little guy)!

This was the first time Katie seemed interested in crawling into the little area to get an up close view of the meerkats.  But she also wanted Brad to come too...that was entertaining!

Sweet girl ready for some fun at the zoo!  I have to say this is one of my favorite dresses on her - so sweet!  And I have pants that go with it for when the dress gets a little short :)

Katie especially likes when Brad goes so that she can ride on his shoulders!  

And this little guy loved it too!  I couldn't get over how adorable the matching hat was with this outfit...could just eat him up!

And here are a few more pictures of the fun we had!  The flamingos were all really close to the fence.  Katie had fun brushing the goats (but she was sure to remember the one that tried to eat her dress last time)!  And when we were leaving, the meerkats must've thought they saw something in the trees...they were ALL standing up and looking in the same direction...so strange!  Katie loves the carousel, so we had to make sure to allow time for a ride on there!

We can't wait to go back to see all the animals!  There was an area that said it was going to feature kangaroos early next year - so neat!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Wednesday, we meet again!  Good grief time sure is flying.  So glad we are all decorated for Christmas - and I love hearing all the music too!  Anyway, here's what I'm loving today!

I'm LOVING that I have more than 100 followers now!  I obviously took this screen shot when I had 100 - and thank you!  If you read this in Google Reader or some other format, please jump over to the actual blog and become a follower!  For those that already are...thank you!!  There might be something exciting coming for the followers *wink*

I'm LOVING coffee...and this print.  I got a Keurig for my birthday and I think I can officially say it has converted me to a coffee drinker...at least in the cooler months!

 I'm LOVING this little nook that features the kids' artwork and a gallery wall and children's space!  So cute!  Makes me want to find a place to do something like this...

 I'm LOVING this scripture countdown to Christmas.  It definitely helps remember the reason for this wonderful time of year.

I'm LOVING that the barn is back!!  Well, the structure of a barn...the real one that was there was damaged in a storm so they tore it down.  The landscape this time of year wasn't the same without the barn's Christmas scene.  I am amazed that I got a decent picture on my phone while driving.  There was no one around me when I took it - don't worry.

 I'm LOVING all the arts and crafts to do with the kiddos this time of year.  This candy cane looks really simple - and I think Katie will love doing this!

 I'm LOVING the family fingerprint reindeer....adorable!!!  We will definitely be doing this!

 I'm LOVING taking a plain circle-shaped sugar cookie and turning it into Santa!  May have to do this for something sometime soon...

What are you loving today?? Link up HERE!

Eye Doctor + Other Funnies

Last week, I took Katie for an eye exam!  We had taken her as an infant and they recommended coming back at age 3, so I scheduled it for last week.  Which, by the way, if you have a baby younger than 12 months, I encourage you to take advantage of the free eye exam through the InfantSEE program - click {here} for more info and to find a provider near you.  Thankfully, the eye doctor Brad and I go to is also a provider, so we can all go to the same place!  Katie did great and is right on track with her vision.  Apparently they want three year olds to be slightly farsighted so that they end up with zero prescription once their eyes develop, etc.  She read the letters to them and actually had to get her eyes dilated.  We made it "magical" saying it would make her eyes pink like Pinkalicious - whatever works, right?!  She was so proud and couldn't wait to pick a toy out from the treasure chest!

 Speaking of eye doctor, Katie apparently thought she needed money to get her eyes checked.  She found some, a-hem, feminine hygiene products and told me they were money to get her eyes checked.  Just about every day last week she hoarded them in her bed and under her bed.  What a mess!  And yes, I completely ignored her asking what they really are.  She's only 3 for goodness sakes!  She would always keep one with her book in her bed.  Oh  me.

My Christmas List: Show and Tell Monday

I have just finished coming up with ideas (which really wasn't that hard for me, let's be honest) for my Christmas list.  It does help that my birthday is in November - I try to make a list for both!  So here are the things on my list this year...

this Pandora ring (I know I have enough rings...this could be cute for a middle finger right though, right? :) ha!)

Coach Poppy Blossom perfume

Vera Wang Princess perfume

Clarisonic

You can never go wrong with a gift card!  I got a few lululemon gift cards for my birthday - I want more!  Love that place!

Target gift cards!

LOVE this necklace!

...and a monogram necklace!

I am totally a girl, no?  Jewelry, shopping, and perfume!  

There are a few other items I want....they are higher priced items (naturally).  

A new deck for the house.  

A swingset for the kids.  

We need a bluray player for downstairs.  

I want a cute cake stand (ours broke when we moved into this house).

We need new towels for our bathroom.

So...basically house stuff.  Oh, and I want to go to the Caribbean with just Brad for a week. HA!  That is a good one, right?!  I didn't say all of these things were realistic!! (while we are on unrealistic gifts, I'd also love some diamond earrings...)

But really? What it comes down to is the fact that I have my friends and family.  I have a roof over my head. I have food on the table.  I am blessed.  The other stuff? It is most definitely not as important...I want my kids to really know the true meaning of Christmas.  Sure, the stuff is oh so fun.  But I want to make sure we do a good job remembering what this time of year is all about!

A Little Catch Up...

I have definitely been slacking in my weekend recaps as of late.  So this post is going to be a hodge podge of posts about various things we have done over the last month or so!  

We went to a nice dinner with friends to celebrate a birthday!  Here are the girls...

 And the group.  We all live in the same neighborhood...I went to high school with the guys that are not my husband....I was roommates with both girls at Auburn (one was freshman year, the other was sophomore and junior year), all of us but Brad went to Auburn...so fun!

 And Brad and I had an impromptu date night to go to dinner and see Skyfall.  It was really fun - and nice to see a movie!

There was a major construction project in our bonus room!  It was the biggest tent I've seen...king sheets and blankets and lamps and pillows...so fun!  Brad and Katie had a blast with it!

 Jack played with some loop toys on the playmat - while sitting up!  He is doing so well with supported sitting!  Before too long he will be sitting all by himself to play with toys! 

 We have enjoyed mild-weathered weekends!  Love this outfit.  And how did Katie get to looking so big?!

Speaking of looking so big....this guy and his sweater vest.  I could eat him up.

 And some bedtime stories.  This picture makes me so happy.  All of my favorites snuggled in together!

There will be a few more recap posts to come so I can be caught up on everything!  I cannot believe it is already December.  We are decorated and finished shopping - now we can enjoy the holiday season and all it brings!  Happy Monday!

Reading + Writing

I think Katie is going through a developmental storm...she is learning and doing new things on a daily basis!  Makes me so excited for her, but it also makes me realize that she is a little girl - no more baby or toddler here!  She has been showing signs of wanting to learn how to read (the very first steps, of course), wants to learn more about telling time, and is writing letters - especially her name!

We have been reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar at bedtime the last couple of weeks.  Of course there are nights Katie prefers to read her library book.  Or nights where she is just too exhausted to read.  But that has been the overall winner for a while.  Well, we went to read it recently, and guess who read it!  If you guessed Katie, you guessed correct.  Now I use the term "read" loosely...she recited the book to us.  But she got every.single.word right.  The only thing she had a little confusion with was a few of the days of the week.  Brad and I were astounded!  She has done this with the last few books we have read regularly at bedtime.  Does this mean she is ready to start working on sight words?  Or reading early learner books?  Or does she just have a really good memory?  One thing is for sure - I was very impressed!  And I want to take advantage of her momentum and eagerness for books!  I bought the first two collections of BOB Books at Costco the other day and will start on those with her soon....

She also has been doing some good drawing!  On my birthday card, she drew her first "stick person"...she said that is mommy and hair on top and arms out on the side and the two circles are - yep, you guessed it...boobies - and then the big circle in the middle is my "butt" - bellybutton - and then legs!  I almost wet my pants I laughed so hard!  But it was probably my favorite thing I got this year - Katie's first real person drawing!  And I love it!

 When we went to my mom's house to celebrate, Katie said she wanted to draw her a picture too!  So she drew this person with hair and arms and legs and a bellybutton.  And the squiggle on the right is an apple.  And then she wrote "Cee" at the top for Cee Cee and then signed her name at the bottom.  Wow!

 And after too much TV was watched earlier this week, I got Katie a pen and paper out and suggested she practice writing her name.  And she loved it!  This was one of the times she did it.  And she did it all herself...she would do one letter and then spell her name to realize what was next and then write that letter.  Amazing! 

I am one proud momma...and I know I need to capitalize on her eagerness for learning and art and all that!  Art is definitely one of her favorite things to do, so drawing and coloring are always out "go-to" activity!  And she does love reading books too.  I can't wait to see all of the things she will figure out and learn over the next few months!