Christmas Play & The Randolph Family Christmas

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, our preschool had their annual Christmas play.  Harrison is in the 4's class and they sing in the play on both days and Davis' 2 year old class sang on Tuesday.  They did a fantastic job and I have to agree with a friend of mine, that this was the cutest play they have done so far!  They have a new music teacher this year who seems very sweet and full of energy.  (She came back to run the play even though she delivered an almost 10 lb baby 2 weeks ago!)  My parents, Davis and I, went up to watch Harrison on Monday morning and he sang his little heart out!  It is so fun to watch him ham it up on stage...

He was really cute because he was over-enunciating every word and he would sing the songs that his group wasn't supposed to sing. 
Davis and grandmommy enjoying the music..

After the play, Harrison's class had their class party, full of snacks and treats.

Harrison with his teacher, Danette

 

...and his assistant teacher, Valerie

 Here is a video of one of the songs...he cracks me up with how much he was annunciating his words.  He clearly was too focused on that to do the hand motions too...

On Tuesday, both Harrison and Davis were performing.  It was so cute, because Davis came walking into the sanctuary, holding hands with his buddy Sam.

He was very somber throughout the performance with the exception of the song where they shook their jingle bells.

I thought he was just tired because I had to wake him up out of a deep sleep that morning, but we ended up taking him to the doctor that afternoon b/c he had a cough for over a month.  We found out that he actually had pneumonia!  Poor little guy!  He is such a trooper and is generally happy go lucky during the day, but was having a hard time sleeping at night.  He has been on antibiotics and an inhaler and seems to be doing much better now.  

 

Seeing his granddaddys at his class party cheered him right up!

My parents, little sister Elizabeth and her baby, Isabela and my aunt Mary came in town throughout the week so we had a nice time catching up and visiting.  Here is Harrison playing with his new Christmas present from Aunt Liz. (He is a pirate, by the way, if you couldn't tell)

The boys also had fun playing with their cousin, Isabela.  They were very sweet although we had to play defense with Davis b/c I don't think he understands that she can't catch yet!

That Saturday, everyone left and we headed over to Lance's parents' house to celebrate Christmas with the Randolphs.  I think everyone felt a little rushed b/c it has been such a busy month, but we had a great time getting to see everyone.

Harrison was Santa Claus and helped us pass out all the presents.

Brothers being sweet and playing with their new slinkie

Davis helped out as Santa as well for a little bit.  Unfortunately he would put presents in the right pile and then try to put them back under the tree.

Cousin James was in town for a few days to do a few stand up shows, so we were lucky to have him join us!  He was so sweet, and gave a big pirate ship to the boys and he even helped them assemble it (which was a nice gift in itself, for me!)

Davis also got a pirate ship from Aunt Jennifer, which was perfect, so they didn't fight over the big one!

We all chipped in and bought an iPad for Melodie, so she was in shock when she opened it!

Penny loved her tailgating supplies...

The boys got some funny new mustache toys to play with...

And some adorable new clothes!

And we somehow forgot to get a picture of their cool new racetrack from grandma and granddaddy that attaches to the top of a door and has an elevator to get the cars to the top to go down the huge ramp.

After we opened gifts, we sat down for a delicious meal.  Harrison didn't feel like eating and was just laying under the table.  He said he was hot so I had him sit on my lap, when all of a sudden I saw "the face".  I hopped up out of  my seat as quickly as I could and rushed him to the bathroom...unfortunately, we didn't make it all the way when a stomach virus surfaced.  Poor guy, was sick all afternoon and all night until about 2 am.  And when he stopped, I started.  Bleh.  I am hoping and praying that Lance and Davis do not catch it! Not quite the Christmas week that we expected.  Its putting a hamper on our plans for the week, but we are truly counting all of our blessings and are so fortunate in so many ways, so that is the focus! 

After everyone left, I got one last picture of Harrison with Granddaddy...this is his "I'm too sick to smile" look

And Grandma got out her Twas the Night Before Christmas book and CD and we got to listen to that sweet story. 

We hope that everyone has a very merry Christmas, full of health and happiness!

Christmas Cheer

We're getting close to Christmas and we have been soaking in as much Christmas spirit as we possibly can.  I promised myself this year that I would slow down to enjoy the holiday season and not stress over unnecessary things, and while I don't feel like I've slowed down, I have been finding ways to make the season festive for the kids.  It started out by picking out a Christmas tree a few weeks ago.  This is the first year that Harrison has been really excited about decorating for Christmas and once Thanksgiving was over, Harrison asked every day, at least 5 times a day, when we were going to get our Christmas tree.  We ended up going on Nov. 30th and met Lance after work at a local Home Depot.  These guys were such great helpers (and in an especially good mood after the sales associate gave them both lollipops!)

We picked out an 8-9 ft tree which is a little bigger than normal, but it was a beautiful tree so we decided to go with it.  Once we got home, the boys got their tools out to help Lance set it up in the tree stand.

Lance is a little obsessive about the lights, so he put up the lights that evening while the boys were sleeping and we decorated it the next day.  Here is Harrison putting the first ornament on the tree...

Lance got a surprise phone call that morning that his friend couldn't go to the SEC Championship game that evening b/c he caught the flu, so Lance headed out early to get the tickets and head down to the game.  The boys and I listened to Christmas music and decorated the tree and enjoyed the morning.  My bestie, Teresa, and her family came in for the game as well, so I watched her two sweet girls while she and her hubby, Lance, went to the game.  Teresa's daughters, Madeline and Paxton, are fairly close in age to my boys, so they played happily all day.  I only had to intervene a few times, so it worked to my advantage, where the kids played so I could watch the game.  I guess I should add a 'Roll Tide!!' since we won the game!  The kids thought I had lost my mind since I was screaming at the tv during the last quarter!
Paxton loved playing with the chalk table...

Little buddies hugging it out...

Davis came in to help me cheer on the Tide and snuggle for a few minutes (very rare these days - this 2 year old is on the go!)  He loves to say 'Roll Tide'.  He likes to play in his bed before he goes to sleep and after he wakes up, and I always hear him saying this to himself through the monitor.  It always makes me smile.

The kids enjoying a cookie snack

That Sunday, Harrison sang in church for the first time, but it was so crowded, I couldn't get a good picture.  He goes to choir every Wednesday and it has become one of the highlights of his week.  The kids go to choir and then we all eat church dinner with some of our friends.  Its so sweet to hear him singing all the songs he learns.  Thankfully, he also sang this past Wednesday at church dinner...you can tell by the outfits, which class was told about the kids singing at dinner and which wasn't!  Oops!  (Harrison is in the front on the far right)

bummer - the video won't load, so here is a picture...

I made Christmas pj's for the boys a few weeks ago, so I had to get a quick picture of the boys sitting by the tree in their new jammies.

Of course, sometimes dog boots and a Thomas helmet are necessary accessories...

Harrison and I have had quite a few projects and here are a few of them:
A few months ago, I had seen a blog post on using cabinet doors to hang your kids' art work (http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/11/basement-progress-playroom-art-display.html).  I have never had a good place to showcase all of the masterpieces that are sent home from school and this seemed like a great way to hang it, especially when space is an issue.
I happened to run across 4 mismatched cabinet doors at a thrift store, so I felt like it was a sign that I HAD to do the project.  It was fun and easy, it just took a few days for the layers of paint to dry.  It was also perfect timing for all of the holiday pictures we have been getting!

Harrison also helped me make some art work for our front hallway...I have been saying for about 3 weeks now that I am actually going to hang it up...we'll see if it actually happens before Christmas!  (these were fun, quick and easy by the way!)

In the spirit of Christmas, we have also been having fun with a little elf who visits our house named Mungojerrie...he has been quite entertaining this year and here are a few highlights so far...

This past weekend, we drove over to Alabama to spend the weekend with family and to visit Santa.  The Junior League of Tuscaloosa was having a breakfast with Santa in Alabama's stadium so we bought tickets and headed over.  Harrison is always talking about wanting to go to a football game so I thought this would be a fun opportunity for him to see the stadium when it isn't so crazy.  

The boys get excited for any opportunity to see their grandparents and cousins, so they were pumped when I told them where we were going.

We got to Tuscaloosa on Friday evening and the boys had a little time to run around before they went to bed.  My parents are still unpacking/rearranging furniture, so the boys were sooo excited when they happened to run across Granddaddy's train!  This has always been their favorite part of my parents' house.  They are either playing with the trains or begging to play with the trains.

The breakfast with Santa was in a part of the stadium called The Zone, which aside from the skyboxes, is the best place to sit for the games (although I wouldn't really know).  If you pay lots of $$$, you can get Zone seats, where you get seats in the endzone, but you also have access to this big indoor area with food and drinks and air conditioning, so you can also watch the game from inside!  It was beautiful!

We got the picture with Santa first (it will be mailed in a few days)...Harrison was excited...Davis...not so much!  I can't wait to see it!  After we got our picture taken, we headed upstairs to the breakfast.

Davis was in awe!

The kids got to make reindeer food, which was a hit

Harrison forgot to tell Santa about a few of the gifts that he wanted, so when Santa made one last stop upstairs to say goodbye to all of the kids, he made sure to tell him his last few requests...

 One last picture in the stadium

The boys also had a great time playing on the docks and hanging with Trey and Jack...

Harrison and Jack playing on the deck...

Granddaddy also bought a new tractor when they got the house and we got to test it out for the first time.  I think these smiles say it all!

What a fun weekend, thank you Grandmommy, Granddaddy, Aunt Julie and Uncle Walt!  We had a great time!!

This week is all about trying to wrap presents and finish up a few gifts.  Next week is the boys' school play and we still have some holiday baking to get done.  Time isn't slowing down, but we will soak in as much as we can!  Happy holidays everyone!

Fun In The Month Of November

I keep thinking about how quickly the last few months have gone and I didn't quite realize why until I sat down to blog about Thanksgiving!  November was about so much more than Thanksgiving for us, which sent us into a tailspin, in a fun, busy sort of way.  It was definitely a month filled with family and friends!
The month started with a me going on a much needed weekend away with some sweet friends from our Sunday School class.  A friend of mine has an aunt with a house in the mountains in NC so she invited a few of us for a fun weekend away from everything.  Of course, it went way to quickly and of course, all of us moms were still up by about 7:30 everyday, but it was nice to get to wake up on our own and just sit with some beautiful views, coffee and friends.  We spent the weekend talking, checking out the mountain and stables and we went to the local winery.  I wouldn't mind waking up to these views everyday:

The winery was beautiful and I would love to go back for one of their festivals one year!

Next up were the boys' Thanksgiving parties at school.  I am the co-room mom for Harrison's class so I was in charge of his party.  I put together a cute scarecrow craft for the kids to do and we had a mini-feast for the kids.  Unfortunately, I was so busy making sure everything was set that I forgot to take pictures with my buddy. In the chaos of that, I also forgot to bring a snack to Davis' class.  Thankfully, I did remember to get a picture of Davis!  They made Turkey legs with cheese balls inside.  Davis loved it, but was mostly interested in taking it apart so he could eat the cheese balls!

Next up was Harrison's first dentist appointment!  I have been meaning to setup the appt all year and I finally got around to it!  I didn't tell him ahead of time because I didn't want him to get nervous about it.  He was a little timid all morning once I told him where we were going.  I told him it was okay to be nervous about things that you've never done before.  Mommies and daddies get nervous sometimes too, but this visit to the dentist was going to be fun and he was going to get treats.  That seemed to settle him down and he marched on in fairly excited.  He looked like such a big boy sitting in the chair and following all of the hygienist's directions!

He was very excited about his new tooth brush!

Super cool kid in his super cool new tie-dye t-shirt!

 And of course, after you get home, you have to find a fun game to play, while wearing your mom's boots...

The kids had the entire week of Thanksgiving off of school, so my sister made a visit with her boys for a few days.  The main thing on our agenda was to visit Lego Land!  Of course, all of the boys were so excited!  I didn't tell Harrison that Jack and Trey were coming, so when they rang the doorbell, I told Harrison that I thought it was daddy and asked him to open the door.  I think he was in a state of shock when he realized it was two of his favorite people on the planet!  He asks me every week if he can see them, so he was in Heaven!
Jack was excited to see Oakley - they were buddies all weekend!

  The boys had a fantastic time at Lego Land, especially Jack and Trey!

Jack and Trey loved building Lego towers, but Harrison and Davis were mostly interested in playing in driving their Lego cars that they built, down the ramps and playing in the big play structure. 

As my sister and her boys were leaving, Lance's sister, Jennifer and her family were arriving for the week. On Tuesday, we headed down with everyone to Stone Mountain. We had a picnic and then climbed the mountain.  I climbed it with Mama Randolph, Jennifer, Anna and Harrison.  Poor Harrison had the shortest legs and wanted desperately to keep up with Anna, but he just couldn't. I was so proud of both Anna and Harrison though.  We made it up to the top in about 30-40 minutes, all with energy to spare!  We rode down the mountain to save some time and then had dinner at the Randolphs.  The kids had so much fun spending time together and being silly.  Davis was a big helper making sure Laurel had her paci!

On Wednesady, we met daddy for some BBQ (HJR wanted to pose with the pig)

 and then we headed over to a local yogurt place for some frozen yogurt.  This is one of the kids' favorite things to do!  (HJR was apparently now over posing for pictures)

Thanksgiving finally came and I started the day off running the Gobble Jog.  I saw a few friends that made it even more fun!

Since our oven was broken, Lance took the boys to his parents' house to bake our casseroles before our marathon day of eating.  I finished my race, went home to change and then met Lance at his parents' house.  We all headed over to Bill's house for lunch with the Eley side of the family.  Its a fun, wild and crazy bunch which makes me feel at home, as that is how I grew up.  The kids played outside they whole time and had fun building leaf piles and jumping in them, and throwing them.

He has a target in mind...

 

getting closer...

Watch out Sam!

The other favorite activity at Bill's is playing with the big tree out front

Come on guys!!  Let me up!

Go Anna!

Harrison's turn

 Say cheese!

Enter at your own risk Grandma!  (I told HJR to go tackle Grandma...I didn't think he was going to take me seriously!  Oops!)

The boys had fun playing football for a while.  I just love watching them having fun together!

 

After lunch, we headed back to Lance's parents (after changing into comfy clothes!) and had dinner with the Randolph side of the family.  The kids gave the dinner a thumbs up!

 After dinner, it was time for some sherbet.  Davis is allergic to milk so Grandma is so nice to stock up on sherbert for the boys.  They all got so excited about dessert that they started dancing. I had to take a video b/c they danced for a good 10-15 minutes!

 

It was a beautiful Thanksgiving and I am so thankful for my family and the amazing family that I married into!

The weekend after Thanksgiving was the weekend of the Alabama vs. Auburn game.  We headed to Tuscaloosa and were planning on taking the boys to tailgating.  My parents were gone for the weekend but were generous enough to let us stay at their house with Oakley.  Unfortunately, Harrison got sick on Friday night so I ended up staying at the house with the boys on Saturday.  We had fun, but I think Oakley had the most fun!  This was her first visit to my parents' house and it was like dog torture when I took her down to the gazebo on the lake.

This is what you get when you try to get two boys and a dog to pose with no one to help.

 

Oakley had so much fun all weekend, just sniffing around.  She was such a good listener and stayed by me the whole time.  She loves to swim, so I was so afraid she was going to try to get into the lake.  Of course, at one point, I forgot about her and when I called her name, she had found the lake and was walking around in it up to her stomach.  Needless to say, she got a bath!  They lowered the lake for the month so the home owners can work on their docks, so it was a little muddy.

The boys and I spent the day playing outside, watching the football game and getting lunch.  Harrison was so tired from his rough night that he took a 3 hour nap during the game.  It was a fun weekend, we were just sad that grandmommy and granddaddy weren't there!

It was a fun month, and these were the highlights (that I can remember anyway!)  Happy  belated Thanksgiving to everyone!