Holly Jolly Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was our very first time to have Christmas with just our little family of four. I wish we could have been with my fam or Eriiks too, but it was still really great! We did all of our little traditions like going to Danville Farm to cut down a tree, Eriik made homemade cinnamon rolls, and the kids helped make sugar cookies to decorate. This year we added the tradition of doing the advent nativity (from their aunt Kelly)...which we all really enjoyed. Alec also decided a few days before Christmas that he wanted to have a hot cocoa stand in front of our house. I was a little hesitant (because I thought no one would be home), but how could I say no..he was soo excited about it, and I loved that he thought of it all on his own. So, I sent an e-mail to our neighborhood, and lots of people stopped by...it was really sweet. Alec was overjoyed that he made $4.75, and I had fun visiting with neighbors! Christmas Eve we took cinnamon rolls over to our neighbors and the kids sang Away in the Manger to them. When we got home we let the kids open a joint gift from MeMa (we picked it on purpose) It was the Nativity story that my Mom had recorded her voice reading it to them...really special! The kids were so excited when they opened the book and heard her voice! Christmas morning the kids actually slept in a little...Alec was the first one up which was unusual and he woke up Ava. They came out to see a few gifts that were left unwrapped, and were thrilled....we took a little break to eat a cinnamon roll and then went back to the gifts. By the time we were done with gifts the breakfast casserole was done baking and we ate the rest of our breakfast. Then I got to baking an apple pie, sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole to take over to the Ziesemers where we would be having Christmas dinner. We went over around 2:00 and had a great time with them as usual!

The kids with their nativity

Right before going to bed Christmas Eve

One of Alec's favorite gift from Nanny---an Alien Creation Lab.

Did Santa eat those cookies????

A dolly from MeMa

Over at the Ziesemers after eating

Prego pic taken Christmas night after getting home from the Ziezemers. Little Addison is coming in a week!

Sing We Now of Christmas...

We took our annual trip out to Danville Farm to get our Christmas tree a couple weeks ago..I'm just a little behind on blogging. We went out the first weekend in December and it was already pretty picked over..almost all the big trees were gone. They said they got cleaned out the weekend after Thanksgiving! With a lot of searching, we were able to find a pretty good one though, and had a great time as usual.

The kids also had their usual Christmas programs which are always entertaining in one way or another :) Ava had her Prep school program last Wednesday morning. And Alec and Ava sang a couple songs with the 3year old- K group at our church last Sunday night. Ava was a hoot at her preschool program she was sort of doing this little dance and I thought she had to go potty, but she was just "feeling the music" I guess! I was really nervous about the church preschool songs because I was leading them, and Ava had decided that she was going to be difficult and not cooperate for her mommy. The night of the program she did sing though, so I guess she just needed an audience! I posted the Prep School video, at the bottom along with some pics. The church program video wouldn't post because it was too big...but all the kids did really great!

The "keeper"

The stuffed panda bear that Ava is holding was mine as a little girl..she is becoming just as attached to it as I was :)

The annual hayride with our tree in tow.

Alec wanted his ornaments to be way up high this year.

Hanging Christmas ornaments before bed

Ava with her teacher Mrs. Sheila after the program

Every year we eat lunch at this same place downtown after the Prep Christmas program. This was our 4th program...and first one without Alec.

A San Antonio Thanksgiving!

Well, we had a great Thanksgiving in San Antonio this year! We trade Thanksgivings with Eriik's fam and mine most of the time, but this year I got to see both! It was our year to be with Eriik's fam, but his dad was stationed down in south TX for his job for a few weeks. So, the only way we would have been able to see him is to stay in TX. My sister lives in TX and my mom had come down to San Antonio to spend it with us too! So, it was great. We stayed at a time share that had a put put golf course, arcade, and an indoor/outdoor pool so we had plenty to do at the condo! The day before Thanksgiving it was 85 degrees and so I actually layed out by the outdoor pool in my swimsuit! Crazy! It was a very non traditional Thanksgiving and we ate Thanksgiving dinner at Ryans Steakhouse :) It was good and we had a great time with fam! We spent a day at the river walk, the childrens museum, ate at the Rainforest Cafe, and saw the Alamo with my fam and Eriiks. Eriik and I also got a chance to celebrate our 7th anniversary while my sister watched the kids on our last evening in San Antonio. I think one of the best things that happened on this trip was that my sciatic nerve suddenly stopped hurting me! We were on our way down to San Antonio in the van and at one of he rest stops I realized that the pain was completely gone! Talk about perfect timing!

This was taken before our trip...Alec came home from school like this ...so cute!

This was taken the night before our trip..so that's like 33 weeks...I'm 35 weeks now and boy has Addison been growing! In four weeks we will have our baby girl with us!

MeMa and Nanny with Alec and Ava

Rainforest Cafe

Alec, Alana(cousin from Eriiks side), Sydney(cousin from my side), and Ava on the Riverwalk

The whole crew walking to the Children's Museum. Alana was attached to Alec's side the whole visit.

Children's Museum

I think this was he best we could get of the four of the Rowland cousins. Alec had kind of gotten tired of smiling by the time we got both girls cooperating at the same time!

The Rowland side (minus Poppy..he only got to be with us for two days)

The Hendricks side in front of the Alamo

The night that Poppy got in from his job, the fell asleep together on the couch...so sweet!

A roll in the leaves!

I LOVE fall! Not because of Halloween, or football...but because of the beauty of the trees and the crisp cool air. It is so welcomed after a long Texas summer! Last week we were dropping off Alec at school and I said "wow kids, look at the pretty colorful trees" Alec replied in a super goofy voice that he uses quite often "It makes me feel like my heart is full of love!" I laughed and said "where did you get that from". He giggled and said "just made it up." He's my funny little guy these days. Anyway...I love the Oak trees in our front yard...they are so beautuful in the fall, and are the first on our street to start turning color. I didn't take a picture of it early enough this year to capture the multiple colors when it's super bright, by the time I got around to photographing it, it was all red, but still pretty. Anyway...the kids had tons of fun last week raking up piles and playing in the leaves. It was a chilly day too...ahhhh fall!

One week before the leaves fell.

Alec and Eriik raked most of the pile, but Ava had to have a turn too!

I just love that smile!

Leaf fight!

Uh oh....they turned on me!

Halloween Fun!

Well, our Halloween celebtations stretched out over five days this year! We had Ava's halloween parade at Prep School on Wednesday, her party the next day, Alec wore his costume to school on Friday, we had his school fall festival on Saturday, and the Farm Fair at our church and trick or treating on Sunday! It was a lot of dressing up for one week! But the kids had a blast, and so did Eriik and I. Here are tons of pics from last week...if you are wondering why there are more pics of Ava at the farm fair it's because Alec was running around with his bud Carson and his dad most of the time, so we didn't see as much of him there. He and Ava both got their faces painted towards the end of the Farm Fair and I didn't get a pic of it, but they looked really cute before heading out to do a quick round of trick or treating in our neighborhood before bed!

Sir Alec...Knight of the Rowland clan and his princess Ava :)

Ava at the annual Prep School parade...She's holding hands with the preschool director. The parade made it on the 6:00 news this year!

Ava with some of her little preschool friends.

Alec at his school cafeteria, I brought him some chick fil a so I could see him dressed up with all his friends. All the boys are sitting on the other side of him, but that pic wasn't as good.

Alec and Ava at Alec's school carnival. Love their poses...I think Alec is doing some kind of Karate/ Ninja thing.

Ava really wanted to hold her pumpkin in the pictures she's such a little poser!

Here she is at our churches Farm Fair. She had no intention of holding this chicken, it freaked her out a little.

Ava with some of her church girlfriends.

Luciana with Ava...our small group worked the games in the preschool area at the Farm Fair.