All Aboard!!!!

A couple of weeks before Christmas, the kids put on their pajamas and we all climbed aboard the Polar Express for a fun filled evening.

McKayla, is watching for Santa as we arrive at the North Pole.

While riding the train, we were all served hot chocolate and cookies,

visited with santa and his elves. Morgan's favorite elf was 'Snow Sparkle', who promised to put in a special request for a special toy Mo wanted.

We even saw Mrs. Clause. Of course we heard the story of the Polar Express and sang Christmas carols along the way.

We all left with a bell souvenir, for those that truly believe. It was a fun night for all aboard the Polar Express.

Weekend getaway

For Christmas, Angelo surprised me with a weekend getaway in Vegas. After the initial shock and "what will we do with our children?" I got very excited about it. Ang had set up all of the arrangements (including a babysitter), without me having a clue about any of it. This was the first time in 13 years we have gone somwhere for more than 1 night without children. A real big stretch for me.

We stayed at my favorite hotel, the Wynn.

Our room had a beautiful view of the strip.

One of my very favorite things at the hotel are all of the beautiful floral arrangements.

We went to a couple of shows including Phantom and Cirque du Soleil- Mystere. We also went to the Titanic exhibit which gave me a much greater appreciation of what the passengers went through. What a well thought out, touching exhibit.

Of course we enjoyed all the sights and sounds and all of the delicious food. Especially the Wynn's hot chocolate....I just couldn't get enough of the sweet, whipped cream covered, candycane sprinkled, goodness! ha ha
We had such a wonderful time (by the way our kids did too).

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

One day I took a look around and realized with the first big snowfall,

the Christmas performances,

visits with santa,

our annual Christmas card photo,

decorating the Christmas tree,

gifts from wonderful friends and loved ones......

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Wishing you a wonderful and meaningful holiday season.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was hosted at my house this year. It is always such a wonderful time to reflect on all of the many things we are thankful for. It is always wonderful to have the family over and just spend time together. We ate, laughed & talked, ate, watched football, ate some more, played cards til late in the evening (I still think Bryson was cheating) ha ha, ate yet again then went to bed. What better way to spend the day with family!

Happy Birthday Bud!

Jordan recently had his birthday.....where have those 13 years gone?! He had such a good day. And was even surprised to have his friend from St. George come and visit.

He decided to invite a few friends to Jump on It. This place is quickly becoming a family favorite. I did have to laugh at some of the warning signs, though.

Do you think they are trying to tell us something?

At the end of the day everyone had a great time....and no injuries, well major ones anyway. ha ha

FYI

Just a side-note. If you are wondering why Jordan is M.I.A. he wasn't in any of the recent pictures. If you know him well enough you will know he avoids the camera like the plague. On Halloween he was off with friends - no Halloween costume this year and he missed all the excitement. His birthday is soon and I will definately have a post all about Jordan, whether he likes it or not. Just don't want anyone to think I have forgotten my main man!

The royal treatment

For Halloween my girls were in for a HUGE surprise. Our friend had asked them what they were going to be for Halloween. McKayla was going as a cheetah. Kamryn and Morgan were going as princesses. With that in mind, he told me every princess needs a horse-drawn carriage, and started the task of finding one for the princesses and royal cheetah cats!

The looks on the girls' faces were priceless as they opened the door expecting to see trick-or-treaters and saw Angelo and Rod dressed as royal footmen ready to wisk them away in their royal carriage. They definately acted the part with accents, tights and all! (It takes real men to pull off outfits like these)

At every house the girls were 'escorted' from the carriage and walked along a bright pink carpet to go knock on doors for candy. When they returned they were 'escorted' back into the carriage to be wisked away to the next house.
They had such a wonderful time. It was so sweet of our friends to go through all the time and effort to make it a memorable night for the girls. They told me it was the best Halloween ever! Morgan talks about it all the time and how she felt just like Cinderella.