More December events...

Mason had a birthday this month, too. We had a dinner at home on the night of his birthday and then went to Scoops for ice cream. We had a party later, but I'll have to post those pictures on another night. He was so excited about his present. He knew it was a big box because he'd seen it earlier in the day. He thought it was the aircraft carrier that he'd asked for but Daddy wanted to give him something else. This was the anticipation of waiting on Daddy to get home from work.

He was so excited when he opened his gift. He couldn't wait to get it opened and try it out. He and Christian had picked out this scooter at Toys R Us the previous weekend. I wasn't sure who wanted the scooter more...Christian or Mason. I was told it would hold up to 220 lbs., so my bet is on Daddy!

The perfect picture of Mason. (Check out the extra head in the picture!)

Mason felt like a big boy on his new "ride". He couldn't wait to get to church and tell all of his friends. He did really good his first time riding. He didn't fall and kept his balance really well. It didn't take him long to figure out where the brake was on the scooter. And, yes, he does ride with his helmet. We were just in a hurry to get to Scoops and church this evening!

Our annual trip to the tree farm for our massive tree! We went to a different farm this year and found a few trees that we liked. This one seemed perfect...big but not too big. We had to walk about 1/3 mile to get to where these trees were on the farm, so I was exhausted when we finished. The kids helped cut down the tree this year, although Mallory wasn't that into it. She tried but found it hard to push the manual saw.

Everybody making sure Daddy was doing it right!

We made two trips to the site where the trees were that we wanted. The first trip was unsuccessful and we didn't find one we liked. About 1/2 way down, this tree-hauler got a flat tire. It wouldn't have carried anything out of the forest. So the kids and I stayed with the trees and Christian took this hauler back to the store. He came back with the green plastic one that the kids wanted to ride on like a sled.

Daddy obliged, and rode them down the rows. I was afraid that it was going to break and we were going to have to make three trips. The kids had a great time riding and we were able to get the tree this time.
Mason was checking it out, but this was about the time he started to complain that he had ants in his pants. Check out the ant hills next to the tree!

I love this picture! Mallory didn't help cut it down much, but she really wanted to help Christian pull it out of the forest. Mason only wanted the toy that the tree worker promised him when he came out of the trees.
We got the tree home and Christian was able to get it in the stand and in the house. But that was about all that happened to the tree that night. We determined that a strand of our lights wasn't working right, so Christian got out of putting the lights on the tree. A few days later, the kids and I spent our evening getting the lights and a few Christmas balls on the tree. I was exhausted after I got the lights on, so I let the kids have free reign on where they wanted the decorations to go. They, of course, didn't get very far up the tree but that was okay. At least they had a good time!
Mason couldn't quite figure out where to hang the ornaments. He wanted to hang them on the very end of the tree branch but after two balls fell off and broke, he decided they needed to go a little further inside the tree.
Mallory was so proud of herself. I wish this picture was a little clearer, but she moved about the time the shutter closed. She had just put that red ornament on and was proud that it stayed on.
My little monkeys and their first tree (that they decorated)! They had a good time and it was sweet to watch them decide where to put all of the decorations.

We had lots of fun this December! Can't you tell?????

December at a Glance!

December flew by really quick! My mom has been asking me for weeks to post to the blog. When I have had spare time, I've been exhausted. The last few weeks have not been very restful for this very pregnant woman. So...I'm giving you our lives this past month at a glance (in no particular order):

We took the kids to ride the Macy's Pink Pig and have their picture taken with Santa Clause. It was probably the best picture we've gotten with both kids. Then they had the opportunity to tell St. Nick what they wanted for Christmas. We took Nanny and Papa too, and they had a good time watching the kids with Santa.
A quick pose for GeeGee. She had been asking them to take a picture together without a goofy face. I think there was actually a threat attached to this picture. But it did turn out cute.

A front row seat on the Pink Pig. The kids look forwad to doing this every year and they talk about it throughout the year. Mason is still amazed that we rode this ride when we were kids, and even that Mom and Dad rode this as kids. He's had a hard time understanding that the ride was once suspended in the air over a building. This was the first year that the kids rode by themselves. Such big kids!

The kids spent several weekends at GeeGee and PeePee's house so we could get things done or attend a Christmas party. On this particular occasion, they convinced my Dad to build a fire and roast marshmellows. The kids really love doing this. Mallory loves to burn them but doesn't want to eat them. She cooks more than she eats.
Mason took his turn to burn his marshmellow. He loves to eat them!

Back in early December, the kids rode in the Christmas parade in Covington. The church sponsored a float to advertise the AWANAs program. The theme for the float was "AWANA Hippopotamus for Christmas". The kids were so excited and they did a great job staying with the group. There were about 15 kids that rode on the float.

The boys were on one side of the float and the girls were on the other. We had to see the float at two different times during the parade to get a picture of both kids.


The kids from GCA put on a Christmas drama on December 1st. Every child in the school had a part in the play. Mason and Mallory's class formed the Nativity scene. Our friends, Margaret and Roy, came to see the kids in the play and they brought their granddaughter, Gracie. She and Mallory are buddies.

My little angel and my goofy shepherd!!!! Ms. Janie picked their parts perfectly for them.

Mallory, and the other angels, had a small speaking part: "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, peace and goodwill toward men." They were so cute when they said it. Their small voices were perfect for this part. She was so proud to wear her costume. They had a dress rehearsal day and she came home so excited to have put on that halo.

Mason was very "in to" his part. Apparently had had to keep the other shepherds together. They also were in charge of the animals (the 1st and 2nd graders) which Mason thought was very cool. It was really heartwarming to see the kids participate in a Christmas program and do a really good job. Mallory is still singing the songs.


It was a really busy month. We knew it would be, especially since the baby would be coming soon. I'll post more pictures from our Christmas events soon.