Santa Came!

Christmas was a lot of fun this year.  Cadence was really into the Christmas countdown and hoped Santa would bring her a Frozen bike.  This year she knew more Christmas carols and had fun helping us decorate.  It was cute to see Colin's reaction to all of the gifts Santa left under the tree.  Between Santa, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends, the kids were totally spoiled this Christmas!  It was a fun, full house Christmas morning too - Mom, Dad, Grandma, Poppa, Uncle Mike and Marisa were all woken up by the kiddos at 7 am sharp!

A week before Christmas, the local fire department took Santa for a tour so he could make sure to have the correct address for all of the kids!  I told Cadence that Santa had to learn where her new house was since we moved.  Colin was napping at the time; I was a little bummed because I knew he would've gotten a kick out of the firetrucks (but not Santa)!  Cadence was a little nervous at first, but warmed up quickly to Santa.

The first reactions seeing all of the gifts!

She couldn't wait to get on that bike!

To say Colin is obsessed with trucks would be an understatement.

Cadence is still getting used to the training wheels, but she's doing great on her new bike!

We headed down to Hamilton the day after Christmas to spend some time with Danny's family.

Colin's a pro with his basketball hoop!  Dunkin' already!

Cadence has a difficult time with the flash on the camera...can you tell?

First Christmas in our new house!

Colin loves the iPad just like his big sister!

I got an idea from Pinterest to frame a bathtime pic of each kid and hang them in the bathroom above their towel/hook.  Colin and I had fun the other night trying to get a good pic! :)

The kids had some fun in the toy aisle at Walmart the other day

Mom gets some pretty cute candid shots of the kids on Grandma Fridays!

Danny and I are slowly beginning to decorate our house.  We weren't thrilled with the decor from our old house and didn't want to rush into it either.  We found this nice piece from a local antique shop and had a neighboring company refinish it.  I love the way it turned out!

Holiday Festivities

Last weekend was jam-packed with holiday fun.  On Friday, Danny had his company party during the day.  That night, we rushed to the kids' Christmas program (we were a little late due to an accident that caused a bunch of traffic on the highway) and made it just in time.  The program was super cute.  Colin and his classmates were snowmen and they "danced" around to "Frosty the Snowman."  I use the term, "danced" loosely.  Poor Colin refused to wear the hat/hood and left his pacifier in his mouth.  He cried a little and then just stood there.  He was probably so confused.  They had "practiced" getting on stage, but this was the first time in front of an audience.

Cadence is a pro at the Christmas program now.  This was the third for her.  Last year she was the only kid not on the bleachers because she was too scared.  This year she was a little nervous, but was in the last row!  She did great remembering the lines in her songs and her Bible verse as well.

Click the link below to watch the kids in the program (Colin is the only toddler with a pacifier in his mouth [about 3:20 into the video] and Cadence is in the back row on the right [about 25:40 into the video]).  Enjoy!

The Gathering Place Christmas Program 2014

After the program, we dashed across the street to my company Christmas party.  We had a minute to take a few pics before we were on our way. 

The next day, we decorated a gingerbread house.  I learned my lesson from the last time and went with the pre-assembled one from Costco.  I thought Colin would be able to participate, but his participation was short-lived.  I was OK with him eating the candy, but when he started chucking it all over the floor, that was not cool.

Colin's new nick-name is Linus - he loves his blankie :)

The kids love coloring

On Sunday evening, we went to my mom's office party at the Columbus Zoo.  We were lucky that my mom was able to invite the whole family again.  We had dinner, saw some animals, and walked around to see all of the lights.  It was nice out too - normally it's in the 30s when we go - this year it was, like, 47 degrees!

Poor Colin is never in the mood for photos

Yesterday I was able to leave work early to join Cadence in her class Christmas party.  We had lots of yummy treats and the kids played games.  I helped out with the Pin the Nose on Frosty activity.  Cadence made an adorable Rudolph picture frame with her picture on it as our Christmas gift.  The kids also received a gift from the teachers and Magical Reindeer Food to put out on the lawn on Christmas Eve.  After the party, we were able to leave and Cadence started crying because she was having so much fun and didn't want to leave.  I guess it's a good thing if your kid cries when it's time to leave school, huh?!

I had to include a picture of Cadence and her buddy, Tyler.  According to Cadence, she has 3 BFFs (or boyfriends): Blake (who was not present for the party), Tyler, and Cameron.  I think Tyler really likes Cadence.  He stuck to her like glue whenever they were all on the red carpet together.  Last week when I arrived to pick up Cadence, Tyler told me that he thought Cadence was, "so beautiful."  Oh boy, are we in trouble!