Finally! A Christmas Post!

So I know that I have been promising a blog post from our Christmas events.  I have been blogging a little of what's on my heart lately, but no cute pictures of the kids.  And lets get honest, a blog post without pictures really isn't that fun, is it?  In fact, one of the reasons I fell in love with blogging is because I have a good friend that used to blog and she had the most precious pictures of her family.  She made you feel like you were peeping into the next issue of a Southern Living Magazine.  But sadly she hasn't blogged in forever!  (Dear friend, if you are reading this and know who you are, I miss your blog posts.)

I digress...

As for our Christmas events, it was pretty much the same huge work load for the business as usual, but I managed to get some great Christmas memories in there too.

We started our Christmas season early by heading to Silver Dollar City for their Old Time Christmas Festival.  We decided we wanted to make a tradition of bringing the kids there every year or every other year if schedules get too busy.  

The last time we went to Silver Dollar City, we were preggo and didn't know it, so Aubrey Lane had never been. We actually stayed in the exact same cabin we stayed in 3 years ago.

I was so excited for Jude and Aubrey Lane to see the lights and hear the sounds of Christmas, but I was no where prepared for how COLD it was going to be.  We were literally walking around in 20 degree weather.  One night it got down to 12 degrees!  I would tell the locals and tell them that where I'm from, schools and businesses close when it gets this cold.  They would laugh like it was really a joke, yet I sit here blogging on the eve of the second Louisiana Sneaux Day in a week and schools and businesses are definitely closed for the next couple days.... Anyway because we were all so cold and so bundled, I didn't whip out my camera like I thought I would.  I am really bummed that I walked away with only pictures on my iPhone (which I dropped and broke there).  Lane even bought me an external flash for my camera since he dropped and broke it last year.

Anyway, the trip was great, and both the children were awe struck at the Christmas festivities everywhere.  Jude loved the sounds and Aubrey Lane loved the sights.  We heard "Oooo! Look at dis!", "You see dat?", and "You hear dat?" everywhere we went.

We also went to the Dixie Stampede- best meal the whole trip, and out to Branson Landing where we met Neal McCoy- he was THE NICEST MAN.  He sang to the kiddos and offered us free tickets to his show that night, but we already planning to go to Dixie Stampede.

On the way home, we stopped in Monroe to visit some sweet friends and of course go by Duck Commander.  

I didn't hop in the picture because camo, hunting- just not my thing.  And YES, that is a duck call my daughter is blowing.

After we got home from vacation, Thanksgiving was only a couple days later.  We kept the tradition of getting our Christmas tree on Black Friday, but we didn't hop over to Home Depot this year.   We have always had a real tree, but we decided that we would start cutting our own tree as part of a tradition.  So off to the Christmas Tree farm we went.  

We normally get around an 8 foot tree, but this year I wanted something small and easy to decorate.  A tree that was fun, not stressful.  So we found a 5 foot tree and fell in love with it.

Aubrey Lane announced that she was going to pray at the Christmas tree.  Not sure why, but she did.

So Lane chopped it down and home we went to decorate it our little 5 foot cypress Christmas tree.

I could have honestly made a whole blog post on the Christmas Tree farm.  The day was so beautiful and fun. 

An awesome photographer and sweet friend did a quick session for us for Christmas card pictures.  The pictures were beautiful; I want them all, but these were the two we put on our Christmas Card.

Lane worked nights on the day before Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, so Santa waited until the day after Christmas to make his appearance, and the children didn't know the difference.  They were so happy!

This was our first experience with Aubrey Lane starting to anticipate the excitement of the season, and it was contagious.  Jude had a blast too!  I can't wait for next year.