Shrek on ICE/Snow tubing

Greg and I spent a wonderful half day Christmas shopping and hanging out. Then we picked up the kids to head to the Gaylord for more family fun. We enjoyed seeing all the Christmas decor and lights. The kids really liked all the dressed up reindeer. This is the first year Lex could really enjoy all the scenic views. Next we met up with our friends the Boltons for some Snow tubing and to see Shrek on ICE. Caleb was so excited to be able to go on the "big slopes" this year. He never tired going up and down the slopes, while Greg and I had to take turns going with him. I was exhausted afterward. Shrek on Ice was our last adventure. I am always with impressed with the ice artwork. It was super cold though! Caleb and his buddy Bo had to go down the ice slide a few times before we could venture on. Lex really wanted to touch all the neat characters, luckily the parka kept her from doing that or she would've been stuck. Something I wasn't able to explain to her. It was a very fun experience.

Santa Clause

We headed to see Santa Clause today on my day off with the kids. Caleb was not at all shy of course and went and sat on Santa's lap with no problems. Lex was excited, but not sure what she should do. She stiffly sat there with a worried expression on her face, but no tears like last year. She finally giggled some at our antics for the picture. She is starting to talk a lot more, and is just a bit bossy too. But she is so soft spoken when she speaks it's such a difference from Caleb's loud voice. She loves to sing, and often will put her daily routines into the song. Her current favorite bedtime songs are Jingle Bells, Rudolph, and Rock-a-bye Baby. She will not go to sleep without hearing them. It's interesting to see the differences between Caleb and Lexie, yet they love each other so much and most often enjoy playing together. I am so blessed!

Lexie turns 2!

Lexie's actual birthday was Thursday, but we had her party on Saturday. Thursday I had sent her class some cupcakes to help her celebrate at school. They must have sang to her a few times because she continued to sing Happy Birthday to herself most of the evening. At one point Caleb wasn't given her the appropriate attention so she continued to yell at him until finally he asked "what Lexie?". Lexie said "Happy Birthday Lexie", so Caleb once again said "Happy birthday Lexie". She replied "thank you bubba", as if she didn't just pressure him to say it to her. Lol! After dinner Greg put a candle in a yummy iced cookie, and Lex soaked up all the attention once again as we sang Happy Birthday to her. Saturday we had Gigi and a few close friends over to help us celebrate Lex's 2nd Birthday with her. She really just wanted to play with her balloons and eat cake. She did enjoy all the wonderful gifts she received and ultimately gathered all her goodies with her on her new princess couch. It was a good night for her.

Christmas Tree 2011

We finally were able to decorate our tree tonight. We bought a real tree this year on our way home from Brady. Since we didn't get in until late Sunday, we weren't able to get it decorated. Caleb has been begging us to do it for the past 2 days. So tonight we set the mood with Christmas music and hot chocolate, and dug into the ornaments. I got "shatter proof" ornaments this year, and so far they have lived up to their boast. Caleb and Lex dropped them several times during the decorating process. Caleb supervised, and directed Lex where to go. They were super cute. Lex is also potty training, so several times she would run to the potty and end up running around without pants on. No lie, we went to the "potty" 10 times in less than an hour and the child has only actually gone in the toilet once. Her ritual is to sit for few seconds, wipe all by herself (she's strict about this one), then put the seat down, flush, and wash hands for a very long time! My hands are already peeling from the constant washing. But she didn't let it stop her from doing her part with the Christmas tree. Finally the traditional tree topping event with Daddy concluded the tree decorating. I thought we did a pretty good job. I just love this time of year!

Thanksgiving 2011 at Gigi's

We headed to Brady for the Thanksgiving break. The kids were very excited to get to go to Gigi and Papa's house. Caleb kept asking every 30min if we were almost there, and its a 4 hour trip. We had lots of family to visit during our stay, so we were busy. That meant lots of good food though. We started at my grandmothers house, then headed to Gimme's and Brads house to see Greg's side of the fam. In between we hung out with my sisters family and my parents. It was good all around. Steph came in with my nephews at the end of the week and Caleb was estatic. His role model is older cuz Logan. They played and played from sunup to sundown.

 Lexie enjoyed hanging out with baby cousin Maggie, truely loving a real "baby doll" to play with. She got to sport her favorite purple boots, which she insists on wearing most days, even with her PJ's.

 Saturday night, we had a small birthday party for Logan, Dylan, Caleb, and Lex, since we weren't family wasn't able to attend the parties recently had. The actual party idea was from Caleb to celebrate Monte's birthday, our dog. He remembered it was in Nov, and thought he would enjoy a Batman themed party. So we combined the party. Lex really enjoyed her new horse, but I think it me a little small for her playing ideas. She decided to use the horse brush on uncle Rhett.

Lex loved her new princess potty she kept needing to "go to the bathroom". Lol! Happy Thanksgiving!

Soccer Trophy 2011

Today was Caleb's last soccer game of the season. It was a very chilly morning for a game, but the boys endured it well. Afterward, we headed to McDonald's for breakfast and the award presentation. The boys did such and awesome job. And the coaches were great to volunteer their time and energy to the team.