Christmas Spirit

We got ourselves into the Christmas spirit with a flurry of Christmas activities. Andrew decorated the gingerbread house and helped clean up the backyard. 

 Everyone was working hard... wait, who let this guy take a break?!

Next came the tree. Since we don't have the room to accomadate a large, stately tree, we usually head to Home Depot. Definitely goes against buying local and all that jazz, but you just can't find a 5 foot tree in tree lot. And chopping down our own is not an option. Just one of the many lessons learned from the Griswolds. So we head to HD and Andrew picks one out. This year, he did a great job. 

Andrew was really excited about decorating the outside of the house with Christmas lights, something we have never done before. So Taylor put on his best Clark imitation and went to work. Turned out nice, too.

I forgot to take a picture at the time, so this one is actually from last night, hence the snow.

Our first Christmas party was the Polish American Society's Wigilia dinner, where there is lots of good food and fellowship. And Saint Nicholas too. (Santa #1, if your counting)

Another Santa sighting at Overton Square's tree lighting!

(Santa #2)

DSAM's annual Holiday Party is a lot of fun every year. The big man makes an appearance there too!

(Santa #3 - for the record, Andrew asked for the same thing each time: a blue monster truck. And, since Noah is the silent type, Andrew spoke on his behalf and assured Santa that Noah would also like a monster truck - a green one.)

Andrew wrapped up school with the big 4K Christmas Program. There were mice, dancing dolls, toy trains, and elves. Andrew was a toy soldier. Based on last year's performance, we fully expected him to stand up there with his class, paralyzed with fear. Not this year! He was a great toy soldier, and even sang too. A Christmas miracle!

On the first day of Christmas break, I took the kids to Noah's preschool (Special Kids and Families) to have breakfast with Santa...

Santa #4! Noah is over it at this point, and even Andrew is a little worn out, I think. Did Santa bring the monster trucks? to be continued...

Thanksgiving Trip

Since Christmas is almost here, I suppose it's time to wrap up Thanksgiving! We did something a little different this year. After two Thanksgiving meals on Thursday, we skipped the malls, packed up the car, and headed to Nashville. It's a quick three hour trip. Easy, because not much planning is required, but far enough away to feel like vacation. Our first stop was the Ice exhibit, where we bundled up in parkas and enjoyed some beautiful winter scenery. And there was an awesome slide too.

Next stop was the Opryland Hotel, which is amazing at Christmas time. You can wander from atrium to atrium, admiring the millions of lights and poinsettias. Even Shrek was there to appreciate the view.

We ended the day with a yummy dinner at Cock of the Walk and headed to the hotel, which was actually the boys' favorite part of the trip, I think. I guess when you're four and two, spending the night in a hotel is the coolest thing ever. Sometimes it's the little things.

The next morning, we took the boys to check out the Adventure Science Center, where they explored space, transportation, and of course, slides.

We wrapped up our quick little trip with a visit to Trader Joe's. There isn't one in Memphis, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a little shopping, since we were so close. The boys enjoyed the kid-sized shopping carts.

Overall, it was a very nice little trip and a great way to start the Christmas season. We drove home worn out, but happy.

Outdoor Living

November was great around here. The weather was fairly mild, but we had enough cold days to bring some beautiful fall colors. We tried to stay outside as much as possible. A few examples…

Corn maze: this was our second year to face the challenge of the corn maze. We started with enthusiasm, picking our paths with confidence and determination. Either we were really good, or the first half was really easy. Success was somewhat harder to find in the second half. After walking in circles one too many times, we retreated back to the half-way point and bailed out to the bouncy pillow. Noah stayed home for this outing. I learned last year that a stroller in the corn maze is a bad idea.

Rock-n-Romp: our local kid’s concert series was having an event at Overton Park, on a beautiful afternoon. We took a blanket and enjoyed the great music, fun atmosphere, and for some of us, the adult beverages. The kids had fun too. Finished it up later with a little front-yard badminton.

Shelby Forest: The fall colors were peaking this weekend. We enjoyed a nice walk in the woods and burgers at the general store. (I didn’t get a picture of the burgers, but they were delicious. If you go, get the seasoned fries – yum!) Thanks Anna & Shannon for the inspiration!