we like to Party

Christmas party that is.  We had two today and more to come this week.  This afternoon it was just my little buddy Mitch and me.  I love getting to spend one-on-one time with this kid, especially when he is in a good mood :)

The rec-center here had a darling little Christmas party today with Santa, games, prizes, balloons, crafts, cookies, a bouncy house, and face-painting (or in Mitch's case "arm painting" cause he was a little nervous about the whole thing.) I love going to the rec-center because it is right by the water in a darling neighborhood with lots of southern charm.  They always have fun/free holiday parties for little kids (like non school age).  It doesn't get overly crowded like most free kid things tend to be.  And it's amazing how relaxing it is to go somewhere fun with just ONE child.... I can actually enjoy it!

After the party we rushed to get the other two from school, rushed off to Basketball practice, and rushed home to get ready for the next party.

 

This is Scott and I in our holiday sweaters at Scott's work party.  We had a great time and actually got something good from the white-elephant exchange. (well good for the kids, Molly is happy with her new bath toy). 

It was a busy day with lots more partying to do this week.  I love this time of year!!

Jingle Bells

Can you tell, someone is just a little bit excited for Christmas this year.

He loves to sing Jingle Bells, but wants to be the only one singing, and gets a little mad if anyone trys to join in.  It has kinda been a problem, but he's just so cute :)

We had a Visitor

Grandma B came for a visit and we had so much fun showing her around town.

We went to Pitt St bridge one morning, which is one of our favorite places, and we saw dolphins swimming right under the bridge.  I have never seen Dolphins so close in the wild before, it was so neat.  They swam right underneath us and even though I was snapping away on my camera I couldn't get a very good picture :(
 

We went downtown to Market St. to do some Christmas shopping.  We got stopped at least 10 times by random people from Ohio because of the shirt Mitch had on.  Go Buckeyes!! (there are A LOT of people from OH here)
 

We went to the festival of lights which was AMAZING.  It was so much fun.  There was a darling carousel, the kids got to meet the real Santa, we went on a train ride through the enchanted light forest, and then roasted marshmallows to our hearts content.  And all this with no crowds and no waiting, it was FABULOUS.
 

 

We took Grandma to the aquarium.  This is Mitch with his buddy, the ring-tailed Lemur.   

On Saturday we went downtown again and took Grandma to Glazed.  They have the best Donuts I have ever tasted.  So So So Good.
 

Then we went on a carriage ride through downtown.  Mitch is still talking about the Horsey ride he went on and he has now become very obsessed with everything Horse related 

 

Pinnapple fountain in Waterfront park
 

Afternoon on the beach
 

Mt Pleasant Christmas Parade, with spectacular fireworks show.  It was even better than the forth of July.  Oh and notice how we are in Shorts with no Jackets.... It's December!  Crazy but I love it.  Although some days it does feel weird to listen to Christmas music with the AC blasting. 

Thanks for coming Grandma we had so much fun!!!

Christmas time in Charleston

There have been so many fun Christmas things to do here in Charleston.  And it doesn't hurt that the weather is so nice (most days).  I love that people are not afraid to say "Merry Christmas!" here.
The Christmas radio station here doesn't just play the same annoying Mariah Carey songs over and over again, but they play actual Christmas Hymns.  Even in the kids school, there are Christmas trees, and decorations, and they even sing Christmas songs at music time.  Now this might not seem like a big deal to you, but after being in Cleveland where you feel like you have to be SOO careful not to offend someone, it is a nice change.
  

 

Charleston "Palm" tree lighting

 

I finally broke down and gave this kid his "first" hair-cut.  I cried a little and miss his blonde curls, but he couldn't be happier with the new do.  He loves it, and I think he looks way too grown up now.

Thanksgiving

I know it's been almost a month since Thanksgiving, but I've been meaning to update so here it is. (mom this is for you)
We went to NC to visit our cousins for Thanksgiving and had such a wonderful time.  Our kids all have a cousin their age to play with, and they all get along so well, so it was actually a nice relaxing time for everyone.

Priya was my kitchen helper.  She was very fascinated with cleaning and prepping the turkey. 

All the kids at the park.  You think with this many kids it might get a little wild, but they all got along so well.  It was just fun, fun, fun all weekend long.

 

We had some nice family time too

 

Like I said it was very relaxing... I even got a few naps in :)

This week

Last week was beautiful weather and we were out everyday enjoying the sunshine. 

you can't tell in this picture but his "spots" are all over his hands, arms, and back too.  Poor little guy.

This week we have been trapped indoors with sick kids.  I am used to being trapped inside with kids, but not when the sun is shinning and the weather is nice.  It really makes it that much harder. 

Thankfully this girl has still been healthy and gone to school everyday.  Here is a picture of her Turkey that she had to disguise for school.  Meet Cinderella peacock-turkey 

 I had to post these cute school pictures.  I thought they turned out really good.

BYU vs Georgia Tech

 A few weeks ago we drove to Georgia to see my baby brother Danny.  The kids were beyond excited to see him and immediately jumped all over him, hung on tight and wouldn't let go.  When it was time for him to leave Molly burst into tears.   



Friday night at the devotional



Game Day:  Played hide-n-seek with uncle Danny at his hotel in downtown Atlanta, walked around the city, Ethan lost a tooth on the playground, got to ride the train to the game.

We were lucky to get to go to such a fun exciting game.  We had great seats, and got to watch uncle Danny get an interception.

 

Mitch and Molly are obsessed with Cosmo Cougar now.  We probably went down 10 times to give him a high five.

 

 

We had such a fun weekend in Georgia with Danny. Go Cougs!

Halloween

 

It was quite the procces to pick the perfect pumpkin that everyone was happy with this year, but we did and his name was Frank.

carving up Frank

Mitch at the fun community Halloween carnival.  He loved the pony ride with Mr. Smartie pants

Angry bird, Ariel, & Shark

This is who Ethan dressed-up as.  Not "super duck" which is what a few people thought he was.

 

Trick-or-treating with friends

Happy Halloween.  It was so nice to not be layered with winter clothes for once

family pics

 A few weeks ago my friend took some family pictures for us in beautiful downtown Charleston.  I LOVE the way they turned out and minus me having a bad hair day, molly up all night throwing-up, sleeping in, canceling and then re-booking the shoot, she did a FABULOUS job.   Charleston is really the most beautiful city.  I absolutely love going downtown. There is so much to look at and so much history.  We are having such a great time here and I'm so glad we got these pictures done so we can always remember our year in South Carolina. 

 

 

 

 

 Scott says this one is going on the Christmas card.

Here are the out-takes from Scott's phone.  Thankfully my friend was taking pictures, because this is what it looks like when we try.