Happy Birthday Sweet Ella!!!

My sweet baby had her first birthday December 8th! I cannot believe she is already 1. She is growing up too fast! And now she's walking....everywhere! We had a very low key birthday for her. She opened her presents in the morning and we had a family dinner with cupcakes before heading to the kids Christmas program at school. She really didn't even like the cupcake but ate a little bit of it. She loves playing with her big brother and big sister and is really such a sweet baby. She smiles and laughs all the time....sometimes, we are not sure what she's laughing at! Here are a few pics from her birthday......

I promise to catch up on everything by the end of the weekend!

Wiggles is back!

Our friendly Elf, Wiggles, is back! He showed up Thanksgiving night. The kids absolutely love him! Colton named him 2 yrs ago when he first arrived. Every year, he appears while we are reading his story Thanksgiving night. They totally get it too....well, Colton does! They love to see where he is in the morning. This picture is where he is today...hanging upside down from the light in the dining room!

Emma gets excited too, but she doesn't get that your not supposed to touch him. Every time she sees him, she says, "oh, he's so cute...I want to hold him!"....MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!!!

Christmas is by far and away my FAVORITE time of the year!!!! We have put the tree up and I have started shopping! I am by no means clost to being done but slowly and surely I'll finish. Everytime Colton sees a commercial, his little list gets longer! Here are a few of the items Santa will be bringing this year.....

I just cannot wait to see their faces!!!!

Thanksgiving!!!

We decided to stay in town this year for Thanksgiving. I hated to not go home but we are going in a few weeks for Christmas so it was just too much to go this weekend. Nate's family came over and we had a nice dinner. Nate cooked a turkey and it was absolutely delicious!!! I made Mimi's cornbread dressing and some gravy and mom's spinach Madeleine. Nate's mom brought some other stuff and it was a great day! Here is a pic of Em helping me make the dressing....

We really just hung out the rest of the weekend since we've all been sick and decorated for Christmas!!!!!

Fall trip to the zoo!

We did a fall trip to the zoo one Tuesday with Jill, Sophie, Ashley and Jack. The kids had so much fun and the weather was perfect! They had fun running around and seeing the animals. We also rode the train which was fun because it was all decorated for boo at the zoo! Here are a few pics from the day!

Catching up.....a few pics!

We have been super busy these last few weeks! Neilson getting married in the beginning of October kind of started our world wind few weeks! When we got back from that trip, we had Halloween on the horizon. We took the kids to this free Halloween thing the night before Halloween and they had a blast! There was a hayride and trick o treating. Emma did NOT like the hayride! But the second we got off, she said, "that was fun!"....we met Jill and family there and the girls got to play for a few minutes before the rain got us...unfortunately, no pics as I forgot my camera! Oh, and I also forgot Ella's costume...she was dressed in all black with no punkin costume...she looked like a bank robber! Here are a few pics from the haunted house the kids made to trick o treating!

update this week, i promise!!!!!

thanksgiving....a birthday to plan.....lots to update....coming soooooooon.....