Christmas Pictures!

I had a bajillion pictures taken again this Christmas! And then I couldn't decide, so I bought them all of course! These are the ones with the Christmas tree background...

Breakfast With Santa!

This past Saturday was the annual Breakfast with Santa at the mall. Karen & I brought all the cousins and 2 of Emma's little BFFs joined us as well. The kids were all really well behaved while waiting in line. And then the big guy in the red suit showed up! Emma was so excited to point him out, but was unsure about actually approaching. TJ ran right up for a hug and Lucy, of course Lucy, had to inspect his beard for authenticity. Emma DID eventually run up for a hug with Sophia & Hayden but of course my memory card ended up being full right at that point, so I missed getting the shot! Figures. Anyway, the kids all got a goody bag full of trinkets, a muffin, and a juice pouch for breakfast. Then they got to paint ceramic ornaments. Emma made me laugh as she painted her CHRISTMAS ornament to look like a HALLOWEEN jack o' lantern! That kid is funny. After that, Karen waited in line for 45 minutes (ridiculous) to get balloon animals and face painting for all the munchkins while we started their scavenger hunt. That's always lots of fun. Each kid is given a map with breakfast and the have to visit 8 stores to get a stamp & a goody. When they complete the whole thing, they turned it in for a prize - a little Santa mug with candy canes. We finished up the morning with a photo at Santa's workshop. I had originally told Katie & Lucy that they were welcome to come along but would not be expected to sit for a picture. Karen told them I lied and to get up there and smile. Lol. So we got them all in a group shot. It took forever to get the final pictures (some kind of computer glitch) but ended up getting some free copies for our troubles. Not too shabby for the morning.... ornaments, breakfast, goodies, treats, balloon animals, face painting, extra pictures, and it didn't cost a penny. That's what I call a good morning!

Ducky Fun!

Emma & I met up with Erin and Sophia at Ford Park a couple days ago. The duck were very cooperative this time and the girls had a blast feeding them lots of bread scraps. We had the DST time change last week, so it got cooler and darker earlier, but that also meant the ducks were out and ready to be fed rather than hiding out on the island like they do during hot days. We had a good time.

Park Fun!

I brought TJ & Mikayla along with Emma & I to a park playdate last week. The swings were the big hit, as usual. Surprise surprise. "Push me higher Mommy! Higher!!"

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We had a good Halloween this year. After all her choices, Emma decided to stick with the Belle dress for the actual big event. TJ was a skeleton. Creepy lil kid! We went over to Tim & Jenny's house to trick-or-treat with their kids and Emma had a blast. She loves running around with all her bigger cousins. There were 2 houses though where there were teenagers wielding cardboard chainsaws and gory masks. They scared the bejeezus out of Katie (which was HILARIOUS). But we were 3 feet behind at that point and Emma freaked out. She climbed up me and into my arms supe rfast and decided that she was done with Halloween. So we called it a night. She still got more than enough candy for one little girl and we had lots of fun. To top it all off, Tim cooked an early Thanksgiving dinner, complete with all the trimmings. Yum! So we had a delicious meal before heading out. Totally shames my pizza dinner from last year's Halloween.

Pumpkin Carving!

We finally got around to carving our pumpkins last night. It was a gooey, slimy, fun mess! Emma was more into gutting and carving hers (surprise, surprise) while T.J. thought it was kinda gross. But he got in there and helped as well. Emma was irritated that she didn't get to do more of the actual cutting and carving, but she did a great job with scraping the guts and helping design the face. I think they both turned out really cute. The kids were so proud of their creations!

Bass Pro Shop Halloween!

Karen & I spent yesterday afternoon at Bass Pro Shop with the little ones. This store is so awesome. You could spend hours walking around in there and not even spend a penny... although there is plenty to buy there if you are so inclined. I keep telling Karen that going here is like a trip to the children's museum (crafts), the aquarium (giant fish tanks, duh), the museum (taxidermied animals), and library (kid corner with comfy chairs & books to read) all wrapped up in one! She is less impressed than I. :)
We still had a lot of fun though. The fish tanks, animals, and glass evelvators are always a hit. Emma & T.J. got to make and paint balsa wood bridhouses in the shape of pumpkins. I'll never understand how my daughter can actually get paint on her back while doing her craft! She has also informed me that she wants a wooden pop gun for Christmas... and a $300 quad. Yeah right, kid. Focus on the gun. You are more likely to get that one! We also got their picture taken (for free!) with a Great Pumpkin backdrop which was so cute. I love how it turned out.
We finished up the day with dinner at Joe's Crab Shack where the kids got to play on the playground after their dinner while we ate in peace. It was a fun afternoon.