on the polar express

santa left tickets to the polar express for us in our stockings this year.  so today we took the magical ride to the north pole.  the kids were in awe the entire time.  after having hot chocolate and cookies, getting their tickets punched with the words "love" and "hope" and meeting santa, they each got to hear a story about which reindeer their bell come from.  macie's bell was from the sweetest reindeer of all, prancer.  and brax's bell was from the fastest of all the reindeer, comet.  it was the first time either of them had been on a train ride... or to the north pole!

gingerbread 2015

another year of gingerbread houses is in the books.  we added one more house this year and let brax decorate.  he had the most fun picking out his candy at the candy store and then eating more candy than what he was putting on his house.  chichi and blake struggled a little this year.  chichi had some structural issues and by the time she got her house to stay together i think she was too worn out to put much heart into decorating it.  blake got in a little over his head with the lighthouse and ended up only decorating the front side before he pooped out.  macie is becoming quite the gingerbread house decorator and did a great job designing, shopping for candy, and decorating her house this year.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!

we've had lots of contributors to our christmas decorations this year.  a few shout outs... to my cousins for the adorable reindeer that has found his home as the centerpiece on our island... to my principal for giving us a tree for all of the kiddos yearly ornaments... and to my sweet husband for spending multiple days every year putting up and taking down the outside lights.  

i wish our house could like this year round!

halloween 2015

... and we're all going to bed with tummy aches!