Snow Day!

This year we were so excited to have a white Christmas here in Texas!  Not only was it wonderful to stay all cozy and warm on Christmas day, but it was also a blast to play in the snow the following day!  Jacob and daddy had so much fun making snow angels and having a snowball fight.  The snow only lasted for a few days, but hopefully it'll snow more later this winter!!

Christmas 2012

This was one of those Christmases that we will always look back and say "That was the BEST Christmas ever!".  Nathan had to work in the morning on Christmas Eve so the boys and I stayed busy around the house until he came home.  We baked cookies for Santa and even finished up wrapping some gifts!  After getting ready, we headed to Mim and Poppa's church for Christmas Eve service and then back to their house for a dinner of chicken enchiladas and all the Mexican trimmings!

When we got home, Jacob opened a gift from us (new matching pjs!) and his gift from Jonah (Chutes and Ladders).  We put out chocolate chip cookies, milk, a candy cane and carrot for Santa then he got all ready for bed and we went to work getting everything ready for the morning.

New pjs from Mommy and Daddy!

Chutes and Ladders from Jonah

Leaving treats for Santa

Jacob came into our room around 6 because of a thunderstorm and climbed into bed.  We got up around 7:30 and got ready to go downstairs to see what Santa had left!  We spent the cozy morning opening gifts, eating a yummy breakfast, watching Christmas movies and enjoying a warm fire! 

Patiently waiting

The loot!

Several hours later we started getting ready to go to Mim and Poppa's house.  We noticed that the rain that had been falling all morning had turned to sleet and then snow!  We decided to leave a little earlier than we had originally planned to get there before the roads got really bad.  While there, we enjoyed time with cousins, yummy food, and more present opening!  By the time we were ready to go home, it was quite late and we were all exhausted!  It was so wonderful to see the streets and neighborhoods blanketed in white and we'll never forget our white Christmas!

Sam read the Christmas story...

...while Jacob and Levi laid out the characters

Jonah got in cuddles with Poppa!

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus!

Birthday/Christmas at the Lake

After school on Friday, we headed to the lake to celebrate Christmas with Nathan's family.  We arrived kind of late, thanks to a late start (trying to pack everything you need for an eight month old is overwhelming!) combined with bad traffic, it was after 8 o'clock!  We stopped at the house to say hello and then headed to the condo. 

Because we would be there on Jacob's actual birthday, we decided to have a little family party at the condo we stayed at on Saturday morning.  We usually do a really special activity on Jacob's birthday, so we wanted to make sure we set aside special time just for him! Nathan's dad had picked up donuts in town and we enjoyed some time opening gifts.

Later in the day, we went to the house to hang out, play, and open gifts.  Jacob had a blast playing with cousin Kaya and Jonah had a blast getting in to everything!  We left to come home on Sunday morning and were glad to be home to enjoy the rest of the holiday!

Jacob absolutely loved playing with cousin Kaya!

His favorite treat-donuts!

Ready to open all of his birthday gifts!

So excited for lots of new Hot Wheels!

Opening his gift from Jonah

Twister Trax!

Seeing his gift from Mommy and Daddy for the first time

A new bike!

Opening Christmas gifts at Grandaddy and CiCi's

Jacob got Lightning McQueen Hawk from Grandaddy and CiCi, which he had been talking about for months!

Jonah patiently waited for his turn to open gifts!

"Wait...I'm allowed to tear the paper??"

"Ooooo...fun!"

Having a blast with a few of his new toys!

Knight Party

We enjoyed absolutely perfect weather for Jacob's fifth birthday party on Saturday afternoon!  The house was full of great friends and family and it was a great time to laugh, play, and celebrate our little boy!

The invitations were sent out about a month before the party due to the busy nature of the holidays!  Jacob absolutely loved the knight's helmets and real feathers!  In my opinion, invitations are extremely important because they set the tone for the celebration long before the guests even arrive.

A play castle and figures greeted guests and is now in our playroom getting lots of good use!

Our (almost) five year old was so excited for his party!!

Along with the delicious cake from Hands on Designs, we served some of Jacob's favorite snacks- granola bars, rice crispy treats, Goldfish, and popcorn from Mom and Pop Corn (yum!).

We rented a very special activity for the day.  It was supposed to be a watchtower bounce house, but the company delivered the wrong thing and we lucked out with this awesome slide!  The kids had a blast!

Jacob loved getting sung to!  Too bad he doesn't eat cake!!!

Cheese!

These adorable Thank You notes were perfect to send to all of our wonderful guests.  Everyone was so incredibly generous and Jacob loved all of his new toys!  (the drawbridge folds down to reveal the note of thanks)

Now the big question is...what is the theme for next year????