"God bless us, every one!"-- A Christmas Carol

This December, our family made sure to do some major celebrating of the Christmas season! One afternoon, Bill and I took the kids to the Opryland Hotel to look at all the beautiful lights and decorations. We decided to really soak in the sights and stay for dinner. It was so much fun and really helped to put us all in the Christmas spirit.

Afterwards, we went next door to the Grand Ole Opry to watch the Rockettes in their Christmas Spectacular show. Due to the fact that they don't allow photography before, during or after the performance, I wasn't able to snap many pictures. However, I did try to take some on the sly. Below is my feeble attempt at taking pictures from my lap with my flash off. (I was lucky to get what photos I did because the woman watching our section had her eyes on me like I was her prisoner and she was my guard! Seriously!)

Not really knowing what to expect, we were impressed by what the Rockettes are famous for--kicking their legs high while in their line formations. They came up with so many clever ways to dance and perform that we looked forward to each time they stepped onto the stage to begin a new number. Now having been, I don't think we'll go again, but it was really nice to see it together as a family at this special time of year.

 Luckily, this was just the beginning of holiday reveling! More posts to follow...

Santa's Newest Recruit...Nala!

William was playing around with Nala this afternoon and decided to dress her up as a Chicago Cubs fan. But, then we all realized we had a much better accessory for her to wear--one much more suited for the season. It looks perfect on her!

What a face!! Isn't she gorgeous?!?

Wait for it...wait for it...

Ah, yes! Absolutely perfect!

A Visit with the Big Guy--SANTA!

Since the children had the day off from school, Bill and I took them to visit the Big Kahuna--Santa. This tradition has always been one of my favorite things to do this time of year. Being there today got me reminiscing about all the years past. The kids have really grown. It all goes so fast! Below I've included photos from some of our previous visits. I plan on including the photos from when they were babies as well, I just have to find them first. I'll go digging through their baby books tomorrow.

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

It's Elf Time Again!

It's that time of year again that is magical around our house. The elves are back and full of good times & mischief. The kids are wonderful with them. They take Sam Elfie and Caroline with us everywhere so that the elves don't miss out on anything. So sweet! We are so thrilled to share the holidays with them and we're looking forward to what is in store for us all. Below is a picture of them with us at church.

Yes, they are dressed for the occasion!
Anna & William take very good care of them.

Vroom! Vroom!

I have been wanting to take William to a car show for some time now. That kid loves cars! All kinds, every kind. Anna and I are constantly amazed at his knowledge of vehicles. We can point out a car a mile ahead of us and ask him what kind of car that is, and without hesitation he shouts out the answer. He's always right!

When my dad mentioned to me on Saturday that there was an Auto Show at the Nashville Convention Center downtown for the weekend, I couldn't have been more thrilled. So, on Sunday the kids and I loaded up and headed down for what turned out to be a fabulous time. We walked every inch of that convention floor. We sat in just about every car and even played the game, "This is My Car." I think Anna and I had just about as good a time as William. It was so much fun.

Afterwards, we decided to stay downtown for lunch. We walked the streets downtown until we found a place we all liked. As we ate, we discussed our favorite cars and the cars we thought looked the coolest. Below are some of the pictures we took enjoying the cars.

Next up, we went to the downtown public library (we always love going there because Nashville has one of the most beautiful downtown library buildings). Although the books we were there to check out were already with other patrons, we decided to stay and put on a puppet show. Yes...that's right...a puppet show. Anna and William discovered an unused puppet set with an array of puppets, so for me and a few little people that were milling about Anna and William got to work and created a fascinating tale.

Storytime with Anna & William

 

William's Class Thanksgiving Treat

William's class decided to celebrate Thanksgiving last week. Some of the moms got very creative--check out that turkey--everything is edible! And, as for giving thanks...the kids were DEFINITELY thankful for the huge sugar cookies. (I need to give a "shout out" here. A few of the kids have food allergies in William's class. So, one mother discovered a fabulous bakery that makes treats that are peanut-free, dairy-free, egg-free and tree nut-free. Everyone was able to enjoy the same treat and, best of all, the cookies were absolutely fabulous! If you are interested in checking it out for yourself, follow this link: http://kateelayne.com)

Of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without watching "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." I was lucky enough to enjoy it all with the kids as I was their substitute teacher for the week! Yep! I was William's teacher while his actual teacher was out sick with a horrible virus. I have to say that even though it was exhausting managing 20 nine-year-olds for seven hours, it was one of my best times ever! Go figure!

Dinner with Friends

Anna & Caroline

William & Cate

Just about every Friday after school, Anna and William bring home a couple of friends. It is so great to get to meet their classmates/friends. Here are some pictures from late October. Anna's friend is Caroline. They are partners in Forensics and have really become the best of friends. William's friend is Cate. She sits next to him in his class and are best friends. Since they're so good about not talking during class, we decided to give them an afternoon to talk all they wanted. Life is good!

Forensics

Anna decided to join the Forensics team this year. She is loving it! For those who may be wondering, "What is Forensics?"---here is my best answer: forensics is the study of a written piece of literature (poem, play or screenplay, novel or novella, drama--which includes improvisation and song) and preparing it for performance.

Competitions are on Saturdays and last around five hours. Anna has two categories that she participates in: Duet Acting and Improvisation. Anna didn't choose these, but was assigned these by her Forensic Coach. She was also assigned her partner, Caroline, for Duet Acting--about this Anna couldn't have been more thrilled. She and Caroline are best buds and always have a blast together.

The girls have become very good at their piece. They have even received medals and placed in the competitions--which include a number of schools from around the Nashville area. Below is a photo from one of her first competitions. Caroline is front center and Anna is next to her on your right.

Accepting their awards!

Trick or Treating

Some quick photos from our Halloween night. As you can see, a good time was had by all! Thanks Bill for taking all the pictures. Next time we promise to get one of you too. To all those who weren't there with us, Bill played the role of the Grim Reaper~a role he tries to avoid while caring for those in the ER!

Studio 54! Right on, man!

Don't make me slice you!

The uncle of all uncles.

Prettiest cat girl ever!

Mad as a Hatter!

Forces of evil working together.

Zombie time!

Candy time.

'Waz up, Uncle Sammy?!?