Christmas...a month to get here and it's gone in a flash!

 I love Christmas! But it gets a little crazy juggling all the parties, shopping, baking, and cooking for a family of five. I had to make myself stop and smell the Christmas tree each night so I would not wish the season away. It is my favorite holiday and I will not let it be sucked away by the details. It is all worth it for these three below.

 I never thought I would be able to find matching jammies for the kids with their ages being so varied, but I did. Crazy 8 had these peace jammies that are so cute!

Tate (in the white scarf) was in the Holly Springs Christmas parade with her dance school. It was fun but it rained at the end, so we made a mad dash to the car.

We had a fun night out with our best friends at Sullivan's. What good food! Aunt Emily was awesome and watched the kids. She was even more awesome for being so understanding when I side swiped her car in my driveway. What a mess I was! I am so lucky to have the best sister-in-law. 

We went to Pinehurst to celebrate Garrett's birthday and Christmas with Scott's family. Dinner was nice and the kids had a great time opening gifts. We have quite a gang of kids now with Stacey's two, my three, and my nephew Connor. I love seeing them play together. I have great memories with my cousin, so I love that my kids have cousins so close.

My mom and I took the girls to the Christmas Eve service at church. They had a great muppet show about the meaning of Christmas. Just what we needed. The guys stayed at home with Dane.

Here are the girls after feeding the reindeer, setting out Santa's cookies, and saying their goodnights on Christmas Eve. Can I say EXCITED!

Christmas morning...Tate got the iTouch she asked for and a karaoke machine.

 Paige got a camera, MarioKart, and an ice cream machine.

The Sanders' Christmas we usually have on Christmas Eve is on New Year's Eve this year, so my parents made the trip up to spend Christmas with us. It was great! Neil was in sunny Puerto Rico. We missed him!

 Here is our annual end of the day Christmas Day family photo. I love traditions and this is one of ours.

And last but not least is my little man....Dane's first Christmas! Here is the football taggie Scott and I got him. The girls each have something special they sleep with and I thought this would be a neat thing for him (which means he probably won't like it since I do). I can't imagine our family without him and Christmas was made even more fun with him around.

My favorite Santa moment this year happened all Christmas day. As Paige opened each gift, she would look at it and say..."Santa touched this." It happened over and over and I loved seeing the magic in her eyes as she imagined the big guy. The day before, we tracked Santa on the computer as he went from city to city (thanks Laura for telling me about that site) and Paige wanted to know where he was and when the day would finally end. I love seeing the magic of Christmas in action. I love the excitement and the happiness it brings. Tonight when Paige and I made ice cream with her new ice cream maker from Santa, she said, "Santa touched these sprinkles, mom, I hope he washed his hands." Priceless!

The last three months in pictures

Having Dane and two kids in school has sucked my time dry....when to post. Every day I see and think about cute things the kids do with the intention to write them down for all to see and share but time escapes me. So here is my solution for now....the last three months in snapshots and captions. Hopefully from this point forward I can take some time to jot down the fun daily.

I decided to take a picture of Dane each month on the 20th on our blue couch. Stay tuned to watch him grow.

Labor Day trip to the beach and Dane's first visit. The girls always say he will be the last to do things, but he is the youngest baby we have taken to the beach.

September 20th!

A fun family day at Phillips Farm...corn maze, pumpkin launcher, cow train, corn sandbox, hay stacks, etc.

Paige's first soccer season was awesome! She scored a goal and got that trophy she has been wanting.

We said goodbye to our wonderful neighbors, the Staffords. Anna and Paige are great friends! We were so sad to see them go.

October 20th!

Halloween fun! No more princesses in the Brennan house. The girls wanted to be scary so we have a witch, vampire, and the cutest skeleton around.

Connor turned two!

Self portrait of my first time on a horse....marked one off the bucket list. My horse decided to take a roll in the creek with me on her back....yes, I got soaked but luckily not dunked.

Tate on the trail ride. Her horse was much nicer. She stayed dry.

Scott's first 5K. He was super fast and did it in 23:35.

The girls and I did the one mile run. They ran the whole way!

My little man! November 20th

Thanksgiving at our house. Why do I look so much taller than Scott. He sunk with all that turkey in his belly.

Decorating the tree

Our fifth annual Gingerbread House decorating party was a success. The houses are getting so nice as the kids get older.

Paige Turns Six.....seriously!

Wow this post is late! I feel like we are finally getting into a groove as a family of five and now I am trying to catch up and get back to posting. Paige turned six on September 14th. This year she celebrated her big day in school with cookies and cupcakes. We provided the cookies and her friend Dani brought cupcakes since they share the same birthday. We took her to On the Border for dinner. She wanted to use the Taco Bell coupon she got from school, but I talked her into going somewhere else for tacos. Scott and I got her inline skates. Her birthday party was at Paint Your Pot. She and ten of her closest friends painted pumpkins, butterflies, dogs, cats, etc. We feasted on a Barbie cake made by me. B and Pop Pop were there too! She had a great day. I just can't believe how old she is getting. Her face is losing its round cheeks and she is getting so tall. It is amazing to watch her grow before my eyes.