Christmas at Home

I know it's already the new year and I'm still wrapping up Christmas (haha!! no pun intended :) Our Holidays were super full with Christmas parties, Christmas performances, seeing Christmas lights, making cookies, giving gifts, the list could go on and on!!! Here are some pics of the last middle part of December (the first was filled with the Wizard of Oz and the last part we were in TX--pics to come soon :)

Emma with Mrs. Patti (one of her teachers) at their Christmas party.
Emma helping some of her classmates do bags of food for Santa's reindeer.

Ty's Mother's Day Out had a Christmas program and Ty had a SPEAKING PART!!! It was something we worked on everyday for weeks and I have to say he did an AWESOME job!!! He was so excited about his big day!! He picked out his own clothes (which he pretty much does everyday) which were black shoes, jeans, white shirt with tie, and a black velvet blazer. He wanted his hair in a faux-hawk ....he had a very rock star look going that day :)

Ty saying his lines.

Ty with his teachers, Mrs. Gina, and Ms. Amber

One of our traditions is to load up in the car with jammies on and hot chocolate in hand to go see Christmas lights!!! This year we went through our City's "Southaven Lights" which we all loved again, and then we went to see the house with about 100 blow ups!!! We had so much fun!!

Another tradition is making gingerbread houses. This year Grami sent us a beautiful house to decorate, but due to a minor mishap, we could not use the house. We used the icing and decorations, but we improvised with graham crackers for the house!! The kids had so much fun making their own houses and decorating them the way they wanted too. Em's even had a light post and mailbox!!

Em decorating hers.

We LOVE making cookies for Santa!!! Usually we are rushed at night to get them done and then get in bed, but this year our church didn't have a Christmas Eve service, so we had more time that day. So we made our cookies earlier in the day and got to enjoy it more. Here Em is licking her fingers after she finished decorating!!

Ty eating one of the one's he decorated!

Emma and Ty both decorating!

Before we set out Santa's cookies and tea (our Santa doesn't like milk :) we throw out reindeer food. The kids had both made some at school and we had tons of it. One problem this year was trying to get it onto the roof. Jeff had me cracking up, b/c he would stand behind Emma and when she threw hers he would throw some at the same time so she would hear it hit the roof. She had no idea she wasn't making it to the roof and so Jeff solved our big dilemma of getting it on top :) We'll have to be really creative next year if we're in a giant high rise!!

Ty spreading some food on the ground.

Putting some on top of the sign :)

Emma and Ty with their elves (Emily and Tyler) before they had to go back with Santa.

Christmas morning, EARLY (like 1 or 2) before we went to bed and before the kids were up!

Seeing what Santa brought!

Emma emptying her stocking!

Ty riding his new bike!!

Em and Ty blowing out our "Happy Birthday JESUS" dessert!! We did this on Christmas day.

Christmas with MiMI and PaPa

PaPa and MiMi came in town a couple of weeks before Christmas to watch Emma in the Wizard of Oz and we celebrated Christmas with them. Because they were going to see Em twice in the W. O. O. they spent Friday making Ty feel extra special. They let him pick where to eat and he chose Incredible Pizza. He loved being the center of attention and had a great time!!

Ty and PaPa on the indoor go carts.
Ty bowling!

Everyone looking at the book MiMi and PaPa wanted for Christmas!

PaPa opening the gift Emma got him at the school store.

Emma and Ty numbering their gifts b/c they were SO EXCITED!!!

Emma opening a digital camera.

Ty opening Gator Golf--although his favorite gift was his Nintendo DS.

MiMi opening a gift from Emma.

Wizard of Oz

Our lives have been in quite a whirlwind these last few weeks because of four little words "The Wizard of Oz". Emma had the INCREDIBLE opportunity to be a munchkin in one of our local theatres production of the Wizard of Oz. She auditioned in August. Practices started in Oct. and she has LOVED every single minute of it. Before their last performance (they were able to perform it 13 times) she even said, "I wish it wasn't going to be over, I want to do this every day!!" Never once did she complain about going to practices, long rehearsals, late nights, she loved it all. She was chosen to be a lullaby league munchkin, so she was in the scene (if you've seen the movie) where Dorthy lands in Munchkin land, she meets Glenda the Good witch and the Wicked witch of the West, is introduced. She also got to do a little ballet number with 2 other girls to represent the lullaby league. The whole thing was incredible and we are so thankful she had this chance!!

The munchkins playing on their DS's while waiting for their turn.
The shirt we were given for being in the show.

A performance they had at Borders bookstore, to promote the show.

More of the Borders performance.

Emma with Dorthy.

Before the show.

Mrs. Dana and her daughter Chelsea, came to the show!

Mrs. Cindy, Mrs. Amy, and Lauren, came to see Emma too!

MiMi and PaPa, Emma's biggest fans!!

Emma giving an autograph--you know she LOVED that!!

Another friend, Lauren at the show!

Emma with Mrs. Patti, one of her teachers, who came to the show!

Madelyn and Mary Kaitlyn, at the show!!

All of the Munchkins, Dorothy, and Glenda!

Seeing Santa and Decorating the Tree!

The day before Thanksgiving we went on our annual trip to the mall to see Santa. We've decided this is one of the best days to go because everyone else is usually traveling and there isn't too much of a crowd at the mall. Thanksgiving night we set up our tree. The kids, especially Emma, really got into it this year and she had a great time helping! Ty helped some too, and it was so cute b/c he piled all of his ornaments on the front of the tree right even with his height.

Ty helping.
Ty and Em helping together.

Emma doing a great job helping!

Our pic with Santa! He was a great Santa too! He took time with each of the kids and really talked with them about what they wanted.

Thanksgiving 09

This Thanksgiving we stayed at home and had so much fun with just the 4 of us. In the morning we got up, watched the parade and I cooked!! We ate lunch, went to the movies, then Old Navy was actually OPEN on Thanksgiving so we ran in there to look around. After that we went home and set up our tree!! It was a fun and relaxing day!

Me with the kids and our Thanksgiving lunch!

Jeff with the kids and our scrumptious meal!!

Ty and Em watching the parade!

Ty as a 5yr Old!

Before I show you all of the pics of Ty's bday I wanted to tell you how special he is. Ty is one of the most giving and caring kids I know (I can say that b/c he's mine :) For example, the other day Emma was losing at a memory game. Ty was willing to give her his turn so she wouldn't be sad she was losing. He always thinks of others and when others are crying or hurting he will go to them and love on them. He never complains about sharing the things he has been given with anyone else. He is my snuggler and loves to sit in my lap in car rider line and read books together. However, he is ALL boy too. Right before we read we have to get out of the car and play a game of football in the grass by the curb. I have loved watching him develop his own football game. He crouches down, say hut (and a few other things) and then throws the ball to me or I throw it to him. Whoever catches it runs toward the other one and then we "tackle" one another!! He loves to play EVERYTHING..superheroes, sword fighting, any sport, the wii, if it has to do with other people he wants to do it. He is very funny about all of us eating, or doing the same thing. If Emma is tall enough to ride a ride somewhere and he isn't, he doesn't want to ride another ride while waiting for her, he would rather just sit and wait for her b/c he wants us all to stick together.
One thing I have realized this year about Ty is that he DOES NOT like change!! When the weather started to get colder and we had to start wearing jeans and long sleeves, it was very traumatic for him. He would worry each night about what he was going to wear the next day. And then cry trying to make a decision about what new clothes to wear. Finally, now that he has worn most of his new clothes he is ok with it. Still he asks about the weather at night so he can prepare in his mind what it will be like the next day. He sometimes is very concerned about his appearance and knows which clothes he does and doesn't like to wear. He LOVES to wear his hair in a faux hawk and wears cowboy boots almost everyday.

I am so thankful for the incredible young man God is shaping Ty into, I can't wait to see how he changes this next year!!

Ty's Birthday!!!

Ty's birthday was pretty much a week long affair. On Tues. before his bday he didn't want me to take cupcakes to MDO, so we made candy bags to take (our boy LOVES candy). Then on Wed. I fixed him special bday pancakes, for lunch Jeff and I took him to Chuck E. Cheese (where he was treated like a king) and then that night, he DID want strawberry cupcakes taken to AWANA. On Thurs. PaPa, MiMi, and Grandpa all came in for the big bday party. He opened family gifts that night, and then Friday was the big party. Ty wanted to have a Batman Bowling Party, and asked everyone to dress up like a superhero. I need to tell you, he ONLY wanted Batman b/c of Robin--he wanted to be Robin!! The kids had a BLAST!!! (not sure what the bowling alley people thought of us :) Ty had a GREAT 5th bday, and I can not believe how big my baby boy is!!

Some of the kids from the party.(some had already left) :(

Ty blowing out candles!

Bowling!!

The Cake!!

Ty and his best buddy from MDO--Jakob!

More bowling!

Emma asked Ty if he wanted her to be Violet (from Incredibles) or an Indian. Thankfully Ty chose Indian, our Violet costume was about 2 sizes too small!!

The set up!!

Ty with his cake, in which he told us where he wanted all of the superheroes on it!

Opening gifts.

At Chuck E Cheese.

Seriously treated like a king, sticker, free drinks, tokens, and the number 5 to sit on our table to show where the pizza was to be delivered!!

Ty and his bday pancakes!!