New and Old Christmas Traditions

We have been continuing and starting some traditions around here this holiday season. We started the season with going to the mountains to get our Christmas tree. It was a fun adventure and the girls were able to play in some snow. We also attended the Davidson Christmas Parade again this year and the girls had a great time! Ellie and I attempted our first Gingerbread House together and we had a family movie night watching "The Polar Express" and drinking hot chocolate and eating popcorn. We also went to see Santa and ride the train through the lights as we do every year and enjoyed seeing the lights again in McAdenville. It has been a busy season but one filled with many memories.

 Snow at the Christmas Trees

 Our Family With Our Tree

 The View From The Tree Farm

 Buddy has also been visiting this month!

 Christmas Parade

 Lollipop Time

 Sissy Love

 Our Gingerbread House

 Movie Night

 Train Ride

 Santa! Quinny was not into it!

 Ellie loved him! She said she didn't have anything she really wanted, so we told her that is the best kind of list because she will be surprised and happy with anything Santa brings. She has such a sweet heart!

The girls put on their jammies and we headed to McAdenville!

One of many homes with lights as you drive through Christmas Town U.S.A.!

Thanksgiving 2013

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with my parents. We enjoyed some awesome food and great time together. We played and celebrated Ellie's birthday with her grandparent party which Ben's parents joined us for. We also did lots of shopping and Nana and PopPop did some great crafts with the girls. Quinny has also found a favorite buddy. No one can hold a candle to her PopPop. She would climb up with him and cuddle and he is all she can talk about. When you ask her if PopPop is her buddy she says,"Buddy, PopPop Buddy". It is the sweetest thing. Ben and I always say there is something about my Dad that no kid can resist. We were so happy to have them here and get to see Ben's parents for a part of the holiday as well.

 Sweet Quinny!

 Crafts!

 Her true love!

 Thanksgiving Shirts

 Ellie got an umbrella among many other items!

 Giving Check-Ups!

 Using her new sleeping bag!

 Using her gift from Uncle Drew and Miss B with PopPop!

 She had to be just like Sissy and try on the dress up gown too!

 Traditional Thanksgiving Craft!

 Best family photo we could get with kids this age! :)

 More Crafts!

 PopPop and his girls! (and yes Ellie is in a new dress up gown!)

 Grandparent Birthday Party for Ellie

Super Smart

We have been missing from the blog for a little while due to the fact that our last computer, with all our pictures, crashed. My super smart husband saved the entire hard drive and just needs to get all the information off of it and we just got our new computer this week as Ben was waiting for exactly what he wanted for us at the best price possible. So, we are getting back to blogging and I am hoping to catch up with our life over the past month before Christmas. I need to sort through all our Thanksgiving photos, but until then here is a little look at someone else in our family that is super smart.

 Our sweet Ellie and I do "school" every morning during the week. She is a little sponge and she has really taken to writing and when I sound out the word she knows the letter to write. Usually every morning I write down words dictated by her for our sound of the week. A few weeks ago she asked if she could start writing them and of course I said "YES!". She is so proud of herself and is doing so well. She is even writing her thank you notes this year all by herself as I sound out the words for her. I get so excited to watch her grow and learn and Ben is always blown away by how smart she is and the new skills she learns every week.

Thinking of a letter.

Got it!

 Writing it.

Great Work! Our letters are not perfect, but are great for being 4.

Little Gardeners

Ben did LOTS of yard work in the past couple months. He completely ripped out our entire front yard as it is on a slope and struggles every year. He rented all the machines, tore the whole thing out and replanted the whole yard. I think it looks GREAT! It is very green. He, of course, is his biggest critic and sees all the holes, but I don't. He then freshened up all our mulch this Friday and told Ellie they would plant a special garden in a place he had ripped dead plants from. She wasn't supposed to tell me about it, but she said I could know they were going to make the garden but not what plants would be in it. (Apparently, Ben told her not tell me at all.) Sometimes she is great at secrets and sometimes not. :) Ellie got all ready with her gardening gear and tools and they did some great planting. Quinn was upset she could not help, so I let her go out for a little while and Ellie shared her rake. Since it is the fall, there is not much to show of the finished garden as the rose bush is not in bloom, but I will be sure to post when their garden grows.