We took the littles to visit Santa today at the same studio where we've done Santa pics since Grace was 8 months old...I love tradition!
But oh my, why is it that any official picture day = cRAzy around here???! I mean seriously! The littles were WILD this morning, fighting and picking on each other like there was no tomorrow. But thankfully the promise of candy canes helped them do a 180° and we got some sweet smiles after all.
We went to lunch at one of my favorite lunch places...Newk's! Newk's Favorite Salad = DELISH!! If you have a Newk's near you and you haven't tried this salad, you are missing out! Go now! Your taste buds will thank you.
I took the littles on shopping trips today. Separately so they could pick out a little Christmas gift for each other. Grace went with me first. Poor thing. She is so animated, just talking and dancing and twirling and not watching...next thing I know this happened:
Yup, it was Grace v. the Old Navy buggy. The buggy won. It started swelling right away. Thankfully a bottle of Fiji water made for a great ice pack...and Rainbow Magic Fairy books make *anything* better. Love this sweet little pumpkin. She was a trooper and didn't want to go home.
She said we had "important things to do", so off we went to a few more stores. She did great picking out something that I know Hudson will love.
And as we were walking around, I saw them. It was love at first sight. The little pumpkin declared them "soft like but-tah" and "the perfect caramel shade to go with everything". Those were her exact words and then she told me to take a picture and send it to Daddy - ha! She is so her mother's daughter!
We turned the corner and then she spotted her fave. She doesn't have bad taste!
And then I took Hudson with me. He has such a great big heart. He kept finding more and more things "that I know my sister will like"..."I have to get this for her, it will make my sister smile." So cute how he doesn't use her name when he is talking about her to me. It's always "my sister" or "my sister Grace", but never just Grace.
But don't ask him to keep a secret! I told him we wanted to surprise Grace on Christmas morning with the gift he picked out, so we couldn't tell her what it was. And as soon as we walked in the door he ran to her excitedly, gave her a great big hug and told her what he'd gotten her. Oh well...it's the thought that counts, right???
We stopped by Bath & Body Works on our way out and that is where I found heaven in a jar. Oh my, seriously. No words. I've now had this candle burning a couple of hours and our whole house smells DIVINE! Must.go.back.for.more.tomorrow. Thank you Hudson for wanting to smell every.single.candle. That is how we found this little gem!
And I have a new crush. A serious, can't-get-it-out-of-my-head crush. An I've-already-created-a-brand-new-room-around-it crush. This. Swoon! Need!
In a whiny, three year old voice, "But San-ta...I've been really, really, really, REALLY good this year!!" hahahaha! Happy Saturday!
Can't believe it's almost December!
So much to be thankful for...God's grace and mercy top my list. I'm so undeserving, yet I'm loved beyond measure by our Heavenly Father, as are you and you and you and you. When we think about it that way, our problems don't seem so big, do they?
Today was bittersweet for me because my mom and stepdad were out of town at their other home, serving in a food kitchen so I didn't have all of my family together but I love how they chose to bless others today instead of stay at home and cook a big meal.
And then there is my sweet grandma who is not doing so well. Will you pray with me that God will continue to hold her in the palm of His hand and that when her time to go home comes, that He will keep her from suffering anymore than she already has from the terrible disease that is advanced Alzheimer's? Thank you!
Here are a couple of phone pics from our day...
Lance snapped this one of the littles and I right before we left to go to Mimi & Pop's...so that I could send it to my Uncle Pedro and he could show it to my grandma and tell her we were the ones sending her a great big hug. I was able to talk to her on the phone and my uncle said she even tried to utter some words so at least I know she knew in her heart we were loving on her, even from afar.
The littles keep it real around here. They were not in a picture-taking kind of mood. You can see the forced "cheese" smiles - ha!
We didn't host any gatherings this year, but that didn't keep me from setting up fun little place settings throughout the week to make even spaghetti + meatballs more festive! The littles love any little effort I make so it definitely makes it worthwhile...makes my mama heart happy.
We made chocolate chip cookies to share with our sweet next-door neighbor who had shoulder surgery recently. I asked Grace to make her a little card and I went to take a shower. I love what she came up with and I hope it brought a smile to our sweet Mrs. D!
Thank you for hosting Thanksgiving lunch, Mimi & Pop!
The little pumpkin waiting for lunch and drawing some of her "thankfuls" in a diary Mimi gave her...
...and then some funny post-dinner cartoons! he he he
I think I forgot to share this cute story Hudson drew for his class using Native American symbols during their unit a couple of weeks ago. Drawing is not his thing, so I LOVE having this little treasure to keep! Thank you Mrs. P for coming up with this assignment!
I hope you had a cozy, family-centered Thanksgiving. If you were lonely or missing loved ones, I hope you felt God's love surrounding you in a special way. May God's mercies shine upon you and bless you every single day of your beautiful life.
This time of the year I love seeing all the pictures of my friends' littles dressed up in thanksgiving costumes! I love all those sweet Pilgrims and Native Americans!! This is a pic of Hudson's class and our partner preschool class...
Love all the Native American names too!
First Day of School pics, Thanksgiving Costume pics, Christmas cards...these are all things that make me H A P P Y. I'm a simple girl at heart. And don't even get me started on preschool crafts!! {maybe I missed my calling?}
Is there anything cuter than preschool programs?? I think not! Yes, I'm the obnoxious parent sitting up front snapping pics while at the same time trying to video the whole thing with my phone. And I probably have watery eyes too. Don't hate.
There's our little turkey!
Cuties!
Hudson is such a loving little boy. He is affectionate and sweet and gives A M A Z I N G hugs. Love you, Hudson!!
Hudson's preschool class had its very own "pilgrimage" to a nearby park, where we met our partner preschool class from another local school and had a nice Thanksgiving Feast al fresco.
Playing on the "Mayflower"...
Time for the feast!
The other preschool class set up all the decorations and I thought everything looked so cute! Perfect for preschoolers!
Let's eat!
M'mm m'mmm....
So cute, and oh my, the conversations!! ha!
He doesn't like sweets or anything...
My favorite little Pilgrim!
Who knew Pilgrims loved Legos??!
Such a fun day!!
The little pumpkin's class didn't have a thanksgiving feast per se, but they did have a fun snack...homemade carrot cake cupcakes {thank you, Solomon's dad!}...even if it fell on the same day as the school-wide pizza slice + Coca-Cola day! cRaZY!
Cute favors from one of our sweet classmates!
Gobble, Gobble!
My little helper!
Sweet, sweet girls!
Our two biggest blessings from God...
Happy Thanksgiving!
