Back in November (did I mention I have been procrastinating...) Toby and I took the kids for some pics at the park near our house. We had planned to use a pic for our Christmas card.
It was cold and was quickly getting dark so we had to move fast. We got a few keepers and then headed off for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant :) Fun start to the Christmas season...
Next up was our visit with the REAL Santa... My cousin Chelsi's, cousin Amy (are you following) is a photographer and was having mini sessions with Santa. The girls were SO excited to give him their lists. Leighton wrote hers out and brought it to him. So adorable.
The pictures turned out SO cute so we scratched our park pics and went with Santa for our Christmas card.
This was the best way to meet Santa, each kid had individual time and we got SO many adorable pics. We even snuck in a cousin pic to surprise my Mom.
And of course Hayes and his BFF got a pic together. We joked that we will be making them take these pics every year and at some point I'm pretty sure they are going to get annoyed with us hehe. I am so excited these two get to grow up with each other. Hayes needs a bro after spending so much time around his sisters :)
In between all our fun we managed to wear some Christmas clothes :)
Leighton is missing from these pics because she wore all her outfits to school and the Lord knows I do not have a spare second before school to snap a pic ;) (Are all houses as crazy as mine on school mornings????) Just believe me she looked cute hehe.
We also had an early Christmas in Corbin (Toby's hometown) but I forgot my camera and only managed to take a few pics on my phone.
We had a great time and the girls loved sleeping over at Toby's Aunt Jenny & Uncle Mark's house. They love their big cousin Mollie!
A couple weeks later we headed to a cookies with Santa party for the Toy Chest (is anyone still reading?? HI MOM). It was in Lexington and my girls had so much fun. There is nothing they love more than cookies :)
They made reindeer food and have reminded me no less than 548 times that we can't forget to put this in the yard on Christmas Eve (tonight is THE night).
Leighton was the only one who wanted to sit on Santa's lap (Gracen said no way...). Lei did say, "Well this guy is not the real Santa. Must be a friend. I don't need to tell him my list..." This child...
We're getting closer to the actual Christmas...and unfortunately this is when the sickness hit our house :( When I met Leighton at her Christmas party at school she looked sick. And she definitely wasn't acting like her happy self so we headed to the doctor. By the time we got there she had a fever of 102 (an hour before it was normal) and the doc was telling us it looked like the flu. BUT we had been vaccinated I told him... Thankfully her flu test was negative (maybe we got a batch of the good ones hehe) but unfortunately it appeared to be a virus and nothing really to do but let it run its course :( She basically had a fever for four days!!! 105 when it was at the highest BOO!
My parents and sister, Kylee, came up on Sunday for an early Christmas and she seemed to be on the mend. HOORAY! We had a day of family fun, eating and opening presents. Things seemed to be looking up!
The girls loved their gifts. Leighton got a baby monkey doll and she has been busy taking care of it since. Isn't it a tad creepy!!! Gracen got a tumbling mat (perfect for the wild child) and they got more magformers (best toy ever). Of course Grammy & Poppy outfitted all three with new wardrobes. I'm not even kidding.... It was a great day!!!
By Monday night everyone seemed well (yay!) and we headed out on a Christmas adventure. Everyone got in their PJs and we drove to Lights Under Louisville at the Mega Cavern and watched The grinch in the car.
The lines were insane! We went late (about 8:30) and we didn't go in until 10! All three were sound asleep by the time it was our turn haha. I woke them up right before we went in and they just stared out the windows with a glazed look in their eyes. Soooo not the most successful adventure but we tried ;)
Gracen woke up the next morning with a fever of 103 (oh noo) and it's still hanging on strong today :( So we're officially on Christmas quarantine until it breaks and missing our favorite Christmas Eve festivities with family :( So bummed but trying to make the best of it. Little Elf left the kids PJs and a Christmas movie this morning and Santa comes tonight! YAY!!!
Today Toby is taking Leighton to the Christmas Eve service at our church so she can give her $19 she has saved to the offering (she wanted to give it to someone who needed it this Christmas) and Toby told her he would give his money too. It's a sweet reminder that Christmas isn't about presents or Santa or even family festivities. It's about Jesus. And to see my sweet 5 year old grasping this and filling her spirit with the REAL meaning of Christmas makes my heart so, so happy.
Looking back, this season has been full of fun and the pictures remind me how truly lucky I am to have my family. Sickness and all we are going to have the best Christmas EVER!!!
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. --Isaiah 9:6
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