Christmas Fun

Once I got through the Giving Machine opening, I was able to focus on decorating and prepping Christmas. Even though Chris was still gone to Virginia, the kids and I decorated the tree. 
They are tall enough now that the ornaments get pretty  well distributed around the tree. 

The tree turned out beautifully and I was grateful for the help. 
I love this time of the year!

On Saturday the kids and I went to Bella Vista to meet up with some friends and ride the North Polar Express. This is one of our favorite traditions. You get to ride this fun "train" and they play parts of the "Polar Express" movie. Then you arrive at the "North Pole" and see Santa. 

This is a free event that is put on by the Lyon's club and you can donate money at the end. 
We always enjoy this fun tradition!

I also added something new to my Christmas decor. 
I spent some time picking out nativity pictures and had them printed. 
Then I framed them and displayed them on my mantle. I absolutely love how it turned out. 
The pictures illustrate the nativity and each picture speaks to my heart. 

Aunt Laura came to visit during the second week Chris was gone and she helped me balance all the school events and outings. 

She also babysat for me one night so I could go out with some friends. 
We went to this really cool underground bar that was totally decked out for Christmas. 
It was called "Miracle on 2nd Street" and it was awesome.

We all wore our tacky Christmas sweaters and ordered virgin drinks. 

 

This place was so over-the-top Christmas that we couldn't stop laughing. 
The drinks all had fun names and they were yummy. 

We had a great time and I'm so glad we made time to try this place out. It's only around during the Holiday season and it required a reservation. We will have to make it a tradition. 

We also got to attend Tanner's Christmas concert. He had Jazz Band concert and normal symphonic band concert. 

Later that week we attended Bailey's Christmas concert as well. 

Poor Aunt Laura and Benson were so tired, they fell asleep. 

But Bailey did great and looked so pretty. 

Benson was also named "Star Student" this last week and that was pretty exciting for him. 
I was able to be there for the announcement and he was so excited. 

The teachers always write why they pick that student and Benson's "Star Student" qualities included: 
"a great friend to all, a kind heart & a calm demeanor".

I love hearing about times when my kids are kind. The world just needs more kindness and I hope my kids can help with that. 

Another night we got to go to the Centerton Christmas Parade. We haven't been to a Christmas parade in years, but this year we got to go watch Tanner march with the High School band in the Centerton parade. 
The band did great. They played "Grandma got ran over by a reindeer" and "Jingle Bells"

We had a great time watching him. It's always fun watching my kids do their thing. 

That night Chris came home from Virginia. We were all so happy to have him back. 
It was a long two weeks without him. 

Once he got home we did some more of our favorite activities. 

We went on our "Minivan Express" ride. The kids found their pjs and tickets under the tree. Chris punched all their tickets while I handed out hot chocolate. Then we drove around looking at Christmas lights. It's one of our favorite things to do during the Holiday seasons and there are some great neighborhoods around here that go all out. 

Another night I hosted a "Pjs and Board Night"

It was pretty cute. Everyone came in pjs and brought a different kind of charcuterie board. 

There were so many yummy boards and so much delicious food. 
Chris even snuck out of the bedroom at one point to make himself a plate. 

We all just sat around talking for hours and eating all the food. It was so fun and I think it will definitely be a tradition I want to keep up. 

Another fun thing we did was have a "Home Alone Movie Night"
We watched "Home Alone" and ate mac-n-cheese, cheese pizza and drank pepsi. 
I had some cute printables too. Like "Little Neros Pizza"  and an "Attack Plan" map. 

We were also cracking up at the "mac-n-cheese" prayer from the movie. 

After we finished dinner we made ice cream sundaes. 

We always love watching "Home Alone". It's one of our favorite holiday movies. 

Then today I got to attend Benson's class Christmas party. 

The party was cute. The kids ate their Christmas snacks and then did crafts and games. 

The last activity was the book exchange. It was pretty cute to watch. Ms. Skinner read a little story and it was full of the words "left" and "right". So when the kids heard those words they would pass the books left or right. They were giggling so much and it was adorable. Whenever the story ended, whatever book you held is the one you got to keep. It was pretty fun.

Tonight we are headed up to Branson to spend the weekend at "Big Cedar" with Nanny, Papa & Aunt Laura. We are looking forward to it. Stay tuned.