December 2011: Part 1

I thought I'd share a few of our December pre-Christmas memories before the picture frenzy from the holiday celebration is uploaded.

The month has been sprinkled with a few note-worthy events, both Christmasy, and some not so Christmasy.

To start off, we've begun the remodel of our new {1957} house.  It's going well, and Russ is doing a fabulous job!  I am continually impressed with his "handy-man" abilities and am so proud of all he's done thus far.

We are still living with his parents, but spend a lot of time there working, cleaning, riding bikes, playing, etc.

Lawson has proven to be very helpful most of the time...

The green carpet will be removed once the painting is complete.

Here are a few of your first peeks...

There was wallpaper in a few areas, and thankfully it had been sized meaning it was very easy to remove...

 

We've got a long way to go.  There were very few light fixtures in the house as they used lamps which were wired to light switches meaning Russ' job was a little easier... thank you, Lord, for the existing light switches.  With that said, none of the bedrooms had lights, nor did the living rooms, therefore Russ is currently installing lights.  And at this point in time, the three downstairs bedrooms have lights, and he hopes to "see the light" in the front living room and in the mile-long hallway today.  We never expected to be so excited about lighting! :)  I took a few before shots and will post the afters sometime soon.

Onto some Christmasy things...

As mentioned in the Dear Santa Claus posting, we visited Santa's Village here in Martin one Saturday morning.  It was so pretty. The parking was atrocious, but the crowd inside was thin so we were only there for about an hour which was plenty long enough.

An overview in pictures... lots of lights, Enchanted Forest, Christmas music with entertainment, petting zoo, giant slide, carousel, Santa's Lap, train village, and much more!

The petting zoo was a hit with the boys, of course.

A funny memory not captured by pictures... As we were walking up to visit the camel, it stretched it's neck out over the fence, and snatched the cup of feed right out of Lawson's hand. :) He laughed and laughed. I think it startled us more than it did him.

And once again, here they are with Santa.

***

Remember the bike riding mentioned above? Well, here you go... one day we were at the new house working when I heard Emmitt laughing in the other room.  I walked around the corner to see them riding together on Lawson's bike.  It was adorable!  Lawson told me, "I helped him up and then I just started peddaling".  It made my day!

Yes, there is more green carpet...
Green was Mrs. Julia's favorite color.

***

On another Christmasy note, we enjoyed Lawson's Christmas program the middle of December.  It was a sweet program, and as always, watching children sing simply warms your heart.  It was a very "crowded" program so the pictures are not great, but hey, we did capture a few moments from the big night.

Granny got to go and Emmitt wanted to sit with her... she loved that, of course! :)

And that's that.  

A short and sweet thirty-minute Christmas program with sweet boys and girls.

***

The Christmas tree went up and immediately little hands were amidst the ornaments... three broken up to this point. 

So thankful for Mrs. Jane's understanding of toddlers and for her laid-back personality.

Fully decorated Christmas tree pictures to come in the next post.

***

Free Freeze returned this year.  And yes, his name changed as our determined three year old insisted that his name was Freeze and not Free.  So, Freeze it is.  Who knows what next year will hold for this little guy.  In case you're wondering, Freeze had very little influence on Lawson.  He wasn't a very big believer in Freeze, although he liked him, and when we would remind him of Freeze's presence, he quickly told us that he coudn't see/hear him.  What to do?

And so we don't forget - Lawson and his daddy decided one night at bedtime that Freeze has three elf brothers named Icicile, Snow Flake, and Frosty. Funny boys.

***

The last portion of December 2011: Part 1 involves Martin's Christmas parade.  Now let me tell ya... this was a fun night, the kids loved it, it was cold and drizzly, and we brought home coat pockets of candy, but... I couldn't help but notice how different this small town parade was in comparison to the "big town" parades in which we've become accustomed.  It was kind of funny.  Every fire department and police department in the county was there, daycare groups, boy scouts, motorcycle riding groups, horses, bands, and a few floats.  I mean what else could you want?  The important people in this little community were recognized.  It was neat, and once again, memories from my childhood were brought to light.  And through the eyes of a child, it was magical! :)

That's all for now... I hope to post more Christmas tonight. 

Thanks for reading!