Christmas Fun

Christmas Day was so much fun! Bebe had her house all decked out just for the girls and they loved it! Unfortunately not all of the decorations staying nice and in their spot...they were carried around by a few cute redheads! We had a busy day but it was Fun!

My favorite pictures...the girls "waiting" on the stairs to see if Santa came. As a child I remember that we would wait and my mom would run downstairs and then bells would start ringing...Santa had just flown away! So fun!

Reese dashed down the stairs first and we all had to tell her to wait on her sisters.

The pure joy and excitement over a princess flashlight...wow was that all we had to get? The girls loved all of their presents...but the best part is that Hadley calls them "Presidents".

We headed over to Myrl's house for Christmas lunch and lots more presents...we got a FEW stuffed animals...and you know who was buried in them.

Reese with her 2nd cousin Ryan...this picture cracks me up...I was trying to get their picture and Ryan did that face and Reese was giving me her "I'm too cool right now mom because I am playing with my older cousin face".

Little Bryn loving on her sweet Great Grandmother Myrl...you can tell Bryn is smiling because her cute big cheeks are lifted up!

We got to enjoy the Christmas story thanks to Uncle Jonathan...he once again got all of the younger grandchildren and great grandchildren to act out the story. Here Reese is as a shepherd...she did great...Hadley was a "missing sheep" and Bryn was baby Jesus!

After Myrl's house we headed over to my dad's where missy here got a Minnie outfit...she was not happy that I put her ears on...but she is so darn cute in them.

So, my pictures are skipping around a bit...here is Bryn eating up the Christmas Lunch at Myrl's.

Bebe and Aunt Ashley with the girls! The girls are set to be dressed to the "nines" with all the cute clothes that Aunt Ashley got them!

The girls and Pop

The Hansard Crew at Myrl's house

Bebe and her girls! We are so grateful for our Bebe she let these three wild girls take over her house and they kept her up late and got her up early! We rotated during the week who got to sleep in Bebe's room! We had a wonderful Christmas and more than any gift we or the girls got...we are blessed to be around friends and family and to take time to remember the reason we are all here and why it is we celebrate Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus!

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Pre Christmas Fun

Wow...I can't believe it has taken me so long to write anything about Christmas fun! We kicked off our family fun with a visit from Grandma Shirla, Grandpa Dennis and their dog Fritz! We had a great time and the girls loved having so much attention thank you for coming to visit!

The whole gang At Zoo Lights Safari

These girls LOVE riding the carousel

Playing in the playroom...wearing their Christmas Tree shirts made by grandma Shirla!

Fun Christmas decorations and sporting their reindeer shirts that Grandma made!

Little Bryn with Grandma...she loved some grandma time.

Making cookies..and eating too much dough!

The girls got princess umbrellas for Christmas and the loved them...we walked down to the park and Grandpa Dennis and Grandma got suckered into this ride home!

Christmas crafts and fun

So...I am a little behind...we have been busy for the month of December cooking up some Christmas crafts...some edible some not! I always say I am not a creative person...but I can copy some creative people...maybe not well...but I can try!

Our felt Christmas tree for the playroom. I actually saw a felt Thanksgiving Turkey in the Pottery Barn magazine and got this idea. Soooo easy...just bought a yard and half of felt. Reese and I cut out the tree...stuck it to the wall with ticky tack and then we cut our ornaments and presents that they can move around all day long!

Now this, I am pretty proud of...not saying someone else out there has not done this...but I did totally come up with this on my own. What do you get with two odd pumpkins and a Styrofoam ball?

Bibbity Bobbity Boo...a Snowman Pumpkin for YOU!
So next year don't throw out your pumpkins add a little paint, glitter, felt and a carrot!

Reese and Hadley both had Christmas parties at school...I helped out with Reese's! Check out the cute snacks...we had so much fun baking!

A little snowman craft...she is a very serious worker

The hanging Santa in her classroom were so cute!

The class with Ms. Lindsey...Reese adores her teacher, can you tell?
We have been having quite a few "movie nights" with all of the fun Christmas movies that have been on TV...Bryn has even gotten in on some of the action!

We had to do gingerbread houses of course...and of course these two ate more candy than they put on the house!

Reindeer cookies with chocolate covered antlers...sooo yummy and so easy!

And of course mommy had a little holiday fun...the 7th annual Ornament Swap! I love all of these girls and we had a great time. We missed the ones who could not make it this year...but there is always next year!These are by far my favorite thing we have made this season! S'mores cups! OHHH...I can not even tell you how good they are! Graham cracker crumb crust, chocolate, half a jumbo marshmallow, a little more chocolate! They are amazing right out of the oven...and still great days later!

A Ballerina and a Hollywood superstar!

Reese is doing ballet again this year and she really loves it. Their class had a little Christmas party and they performed a few dances for the parents.

This is how they start each class...in a circle and they sing the sweetest song "Make me a good ballerina, Lord" and say a prayer! Precious!

Reese LOVES cats...so the cat dance was her favorite by far!

She was really good!

After about 30 minutes Hadley was past her point of being ok sitting in the stroller! I am so proud of Reese...she did so well and is so sweet with all of her friends and she listened intently to every word her teacher said! I love my beautiful ballerina!

Here comes Hollywood...the best thing about this picture is that it is at 6:50 am in the elevator on our way up for Hadley to have tubes put in her ears and her adenoids taken out. For some reason she insisted on putting on her glasses...and she kept them on.

She wore them while getting her "vitals" taken...the nurse could not stop laughing and about 5 more nurses came in and they all started calling her "Hollywood"...she just smiled like "so"?

In her wagon "riding" to have her surgery very preoccupied by the bracelet they put on her.

She did great...I was waiting on pins and needles the whole hour she was gone (only 25 minutes in surgery...the rest in recovery) When she came back to the room she just smiled at me and said "I want my drink". Poor little thing had not had anything to eat or drink since 7 pm the night before. She got a drink and a Popsicle and she would not let them go! She really did not eat the Popsicle but she would not put it down!

I did not like that she was having to have another set of tubes put in (she had her first set put in last October) but one tube was coming out and the other ear had blocked the tube and she was having a lot of problems with that ear. The great thing was she woke up on Saturday morning like a new person. Jason and I could both tell she felt so good!

10 months

Brynlee Noel is 10 months old! Can you see that determination! Like I mentioned in our Thanksgiving post, Bryn has started crawling...and now there is no stopping her. She is still her laid back little self, but when you put her down she makes a beeline to wherever the action is going on (meaning where her sisters are)! She is trying to pull up on things but she is not quite there and she has had a few tumbles!

She is getting so big as you can see...I think she weighs right at or under 18 lbs! Her red hair is coming in more and more...I think it is going to be straight like Reese's. She has 5 teeth now...and she can and will eat anything! She loves bananas, of course, and peas, carrots, chicken, applesauce and any kind of bread!

Bryn still loves being with her sisters. She has started "trying" to say Reese's name. When we ask her to say Reese, she grins and says "sssss" as loud as she can! I promise she is trying to say it. Hadley used to call Reese "eese". She of course says "dada" all the time...and an occasional "nana" for mama. Bryn loves music and anytime music comes on she starts moving her feet and hands. She is always happy so when she is not we know that something is wrong! She is just getting over a virus that has not been fun and she has been pitiful to watch. But, thankfully we are on the mend.

Happy 10 months to our sweet baby Bryn!

Mistaken Identity

You know him...

I know him...

They know him

SANTA!

But, it can be confusing to the little ones! You see, Jason and I took the girls to see Santa yesterday. Reese was sooo excited, Hadley was excited from afar and Brynlee really did not care for him and was confused as to why he was holding her.

Things went relatively well during the whole "sitting with Santa". We went to Brookwood Village, because I like that Santa...he was so chatty with the girls this year! But, the drama of Santa unfolded after they sat on his lap!

You see, this was the first year that Hadley was really too in the whole Santa thing, last year she was only 16 months old! So, she was just catching on the the white hair, red coat idea!

After the girls sat with Santa, we walked right across the mall to eat at Chick-Fil-A. Things were going fine. We could actually still see Santa from afar. It was as the meal ended...

I was cleaning up our table...and Hadley began to say "I want to see Santa...I want to see Santa". To which, I told her that we had, had our turn but we could walk over there and "see" him again in a minute. But, then the next thing I know she is standing in front of someone with her arms up saying "I want to hold Santa"! I was horrified!

Why, You may ask? It was an elderly lady with long white hair, wearing a very long, very big red coat! Yes...you are correct...Hadley thought she was Santa...and wanted her to hold her! As quick as I could, I scooped Hadley up and just smiled at the lady...and we headed the other direction. That pretty much sums it up...it is honestly really funny to me now (ok...it was kind of funny at the time) but I did not want to girls to catch on to that!