Christmas in the Most Magical Place on Earth

We are on our way to this place:

Disney's Wilderness Lodge

to meet this guy...

to have great fun like riding in the front of the monorail...

to have super fun treats...

to hug some of our favorites...

to see awesome parades and shows...

to have special meals...

and to make incredible memories as a family.

My Christmas Obsession

I have been seeing a TON of adorable crafty Christmas stuff all over the internet this past week and it made me realize that I am just not that crafty of a person. And I'm ok with it. It looks much better if I just buy something that is really cute rather than attempt to make it myself. So, I will just ohhh and ahhh over all the pretty Christmas decorations I have seen online. And go on buying stuff to decorate my house with- Seriously, I'm ok with that.

In fact, these Texas Darlings do have something special we decorate with each Christmas. You could say it is my little obsession. You know, Matt has soccer- I have my Department 56 houses. It started about 12 years ago, when my mom gave me a few pieces. Ever since then, we have added a house (or 2 or 3) each year. I have many retired pieces and special additions pieces that are no longer available. At last count, we are up to 32 homes- yikes!!

I love taking taking the houses out each year and setting them up. Most of the time, we have little collections all over the house. And it becomes a pretty big deal as to where they all go and how to light them all, put them on timers, etc. (I leave that part up to Matt- hee hee!). This year, the kids wanted to help take them all out. As they are made of ceramic and our floor is tile, we had a few minor contusions, but nothing the super glue couldn't fix.

There is something so magical about putting up our houses- I can't explain it- it just is so Christmasy to me.

And when we light them up- ahhh- I just love it!! I feel like a kid again!


And I just love the detail that goes into each of them. They are priceless to me.

We got this set the year that Sis was born- so sweet!
And my newest favorite! The star on top of the manger even lights up.
You know it is Christmas when my houses are out. Just don't be around me on New Year Day- that's the day I have to pack them all up- and that, my friends is not fun.

How many people does it take to feed a baby?

Our sweet Bubba Boy is now eating solids!!! We fought with him for weeks to eat his rice cereal and he hated it. Constantly spit it out, so I would give him a week and try it again- no luck. Until he met the green bean. Now he gobbles up his green beans and rice and wants more! This boy likes something with taste in it!!

We "caught" the big moment on tape and while watching it back, noticed how funny we all look trying to feed the baby- the camera is flashing as if he is a rock star being chased by the paparazzi, his older brother is constantly asking questions, and he is totally distracted. Yet he manages to get some of the green beans down. Despite the bitter face, he still wanted more:

Poor baby got a little constipated with all those green beans mamma was shovin' down his throat and we had to resort to a little prunes on Thanksgiving. His reaction was a riot!

So, now my Bubba is a great eater- we have just started peas (we do one veggie a week, then move to fruits). And for those concerned about the prunes....they worked like a charm!

The Countdown Continues....

We are in the homestretch. Just 10 more days til we head to Christmas in Disney World. As we are preparing for the fun here, just a few more highlights of our trip in 2006 for your enjoyment.....

As the kids were 5 & 4 when we last went, we did not spend as much time in Epcot as we would have liked. There is a ton to do there that we hope to take advantage of this trip. We enjoyed all the different countries that are represented in the World Showcase. At each one, the kids made a craft that attached to their passport. I hear at Christmas time, each country has storytellers and demonstrations on how they celebrate Christmas. Should be fun.

England in the World Showcase at Epcot

One of our favorite rides of the whole trip was there, Soarin'. It is an amazing ride that simulates a hang gliding over California, complete with the sounds and smells of the beaches, evergreen forests, and orange groves. My kids still talk about it! Here is a cheesy stock photo I found online of it:

And the last of the 4 parks at Disney World is Disney's Hollywood Studios. It is a fun park to see lots of great characters, ride Movie-themed rides, and go behind the scenes of several of your favorite movies. It is a fun park for all ages.

In 2006, Cars had just been released, so my kids were so very excited to "meet" both Lightening McQueen and Mater. Love it!

Matt was also picked out of the crowd to re-enact a "Pearl-Harbor" type movie for the crowd. He did a great job with the over-acting bit!!
And one of the kids favorite spots is the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playgroud. Totally out-dated, as my kids have never even heard of this movie, but who wouldn't want to slide down a roll of film ("What's film, mom?")?
We are counting down the days here.......thanks for reminiscing with us!

The Sweetest Touch

The sweetest part of our Thanksgiving this year wasn't the pumpkin pie. It wasn't all the sweet baby hugs we gave Bubba. It wasn't all the "thankfuls" we proclaimed all week either.

It was this:

It was my Aunt's gift to us for hosting Thanksgiving this year. Here is my Aunt, my mom, and my cousin with the 20 lbs of chocolate.
All of us gathered around soon after our big meal to see what the 'sampler' had in store for us!
It comes complete with a directory. Do you want a Chocolate Whip or a Cashew Cluster?



We will have enough chocolate to last us until Christmas!

Time to Get Thankful

Thanksgiving is a few days away and I have always hated how quickly we pass this holiday by to move onto Christmas. So to celebrate the meaning of Thanksgiving and to have my kids spend a little time reflecting on being thankful, we have been putting together a list of our family's "thankfuls". It started 2 years ago, when we asked our extended family what they were thankful for. As the emails started pouring in, we would write them down and post them in the kitchen for us to reflect on each week.

In 2007, we had a Thankful Turkey:

In 2008, we had a cornucopia of thanks:

Our kids have learned that we have lots to be thankful for from good health, to grandchildren, to God, to good grades, to trips to Disney World (I am sure that will be on the list this year). It is important to us that they understand that all of our blessings come from God and for this, we are thankful.

Here's wishing you a very thankful thanksgiving this year!

Disney..only 2 1/2 weeks away!

A little over 2 1/2 weeks from now and we will be at Disney World. And we are getting Super Excited over here!! As part of the countdown, here are some highlights from our trip in 2006.

Let's head on over to our favorite park of the trip, Animal Kingdom. We thought this was going to be a "disney-fied" zoo, but it is so much more than that! We enjoyed the way guests interact with the animals in the park, though tours on jeep to habitat walks, to amazing animal shows. And of course, there are a few great rides sprinkled in there too.

The first thing you see when you enter the park is the Tree of Life. It is amazing- these pictures don't do it justice!

We could stare at this tree for hours and find all kinds of new animals. 20 artists carved into the trunk, branches, and roots over 320 animals.

Sis's jaws are just about as big...

We loved the street entertainment, where I just had to prove to my kids how good of a hula-hooper I was...

We found that just because we were at the "happiest place on Earth" didn't mean you were always happy....

Our favorite ride at Animal Kingdom was the Kilimanjaro Safaris, where we saw tons of amazing wildlife straight out of Africa.

One of our favorite shows, Birds of Prey, featured several amazing birds.

What other park can you find Pocahontas?

It's a short week here with only 2 days of school and then we are out for Thanksgiving break!!