'Tis the season! Getting ready for Christmas..

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Doing things to get into the Christmas spirit was a tiny bit more difficult this year with a little bebe, but we still did a pretty good job! 

I think a few of these activities are becoming traditions!

 

Just a picture of the cuties all bundled up before school!

ICE at the Gaylord was The Nutcracker theme this year!  (We left Benny at home with Grandma so he didn't FREEZE!)

 ICE slide!!  Brrrrr!!

 Outside of the ICEC exhibit, the Gaylord hotel is filled with beautiful Christmas decorations!

 Hanging the first few ornaments on the tree..

 Prairie LIGHTS!  We took Ben along for this one and the line was so long I ended up having to take him out of his car seat and feed him in the car!  UGH.  But it was fun!

 Such a handsome fella!

About to do some Christmas shopping with Mommy!

Three stockings this year!

Pajama day at school for Jesus' birthday party!

Ready for Christmas program at school!

Breakfast with Santa!  Ben did soooo good!

One of my favorites- three years in a row we've built a gingerbread house!!

Thanksgiving 2013!

What would Thanksgiving be without family??  I remember my childhood Thanksgivings, having a blast playing with all of my cousins while the grown ups talked and did their grown up things.  Makes me happy to see my kids having fun with all of their sweet cousins!  This year we decided not to travel with the baby, so we had lots of visitors on and around Thanksgiving.. from my side and from Brian's side!

These first pics were taken a few days before Thanksgiving.. my sister Hilary and fam drove in all the way from Virginia and we were having horrible weather when they got here (cold and ice).  My mom's electricity actually went out for a bit so they came over to our house to warm up!  So glad we got to spend that time with them!!

Aunt Hilary feeding Ben..

Sweet boys about to play a game of "hit stuff with stuff".  haha

 

Thanksgiving day, we headed over to my mom's!  Here is Brian's brother, Uncle Danny, with Benny on his first Thanksgiving!  Uncle Danny found out recently that he and his wife, Tiffany are going to be parents, so they had a lot to be thankful for! :)  They were here from Casper, Wyoming, for about a week.  We had so much fun, even went to see the Curious George exhibit and the Fort Worth children's museum!

Aunt Tiffany is a tickler!! 

Best family shot we could get :)

Playing with cousin Avery!

Center of attention!  Play time with Aunt Hilary, Aunt Alison, and cousins..

You think he is spoiled???  Naaaah!!

 

A picture with Uncle Danny and Aunt Tiffany just before they left!

 

Guess who got here the same day Uncle Danny and Aunt Tiffany left?  Aunt Pam, Uncle Jeff, Anna, Matt and Joey!  They could only stay a couple of days, but we packed in a lot of playing and park time, and the kids had a BLAST together!  Anna and Lilly played with their dolls, and the boys did boy stuff like looking for bugs, digging in dirt, and wrestling! 

 

All huddled around their newest cousin!

Took some pictures for my mom of all of her sweet grandkids together.  Oldest is 16, youngest is 3 and a half months!

 

Another picture of cousins from the other side!  MOST of Grandma Diane and Papa Dick's grandkids.. Just missing one sweet girl, cousin Emily!  But she is coming to see us after Christmas in December!

 

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE all these sweet kiddos!