Saturday, December 26, 2015

Christmas Memories at Home

Will and me with our "littles"

Weston and Mommy
James so excited about his present
Connor saying, "No way, no way!!!"
Weston excited about his very own Kindle
Two happy boys
Weston's Nativity
Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and a shepherd with a toothpick staff
James and his stocking
Three brothers

Hannah and her big brothers
James, Weston, Hannah, and Connor
Weston, Connor, and "Sweet-Sweet"
Santa came
 

James on his new bike
Boys checking out the Storm Trooper ("Stormy")
Me and Stormy
James in his clubhouse bed tent
Jolly James
     This Christmas has been our best to date!  Besides starting off Christmas break with a trip to Disneyworld and Will having his Master's degree behind him, it was our first Christmas as a family of six.  Our Jesus Tree lit up the sunroom windows, and we read from a new Advent devotional book.  After the readings each night, we made a candlelight processional to the boys' room, singing a hymn as we went to tuck them in. We discovered the old hymn, To Us a Child of Hope is Born, and it was so beautiful.  Another favorite memory from this Christmas was when Weston made a Nativity scene out of paper scraps.  He worked so diligently, and it was absolutely precious.  He even used a toothpick for the shepherd's staff.  I love that his heart was thinking about the true meaning of Christmas. 
     On Christmas Eve, we made a new homemade sugar cookie recipe, and the boys decorated them for Santa.  We went to the Christmas Eve worship service before going to Mimi and Grandy's for dinner and presents.  Weston and Connor were so excited to open their very own Kindle tablets.  James got an awesome clubhouse tent for his bed.
     On Christmas morning, the kids woke up to find that Santa had come.  Connor, of course, was first to sneak out of his bedroom to see.  He came back and reported to Weston, "You got a Storm Trooper!"  I'm pretty sure Weston told Connor to go look and report back to him.  Connor got the Vtech watch that has a camera and games. James's big gift was a Thomas the Train bike.  For Hannah's first Christmas, Santa brought her a baby doll and a princess castle play set. 
Mimi and Grandy came over for Christmas dinner at our house.  We topped the big day off with a homemade chocolate chip skillet cookie for dessert.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Christmas in Georgia

With Nana, Granddaddy, and cousins
James kissing on his baby sister
Connor opening a big present
Weston tearing into one of his
Daddy helping James
Connor's spy video glasses
Connor in spy mode

Christmas Disney Vacation

James so happy when we arrived at the resort
Hannah dressed to go see some princesses
Our precious little princess
Mommy and Hannah at the Magic Kingdom
 

Boys acting tough in front of the castle
James with his giraffe balloon at Giordano's
Connor with the S'mores pizza for dessert
Weston as Darth Vader with a light saber
Connor as Vader
Jolly James
Connor dressed for Jedi Training
Going to learn to be Jedis at Hollywood Studios
Connor in action
Darth Vader
Connor fighting the Jedi hunter
Weston takes a turn
Weston takes the light saber to the head
Using the force
Connor and Weston with their certificates
Lunch time at the Carnathans
Connor and Evie Kate
Eight little Carnathans and Parrotts
Making rockets at the resort
Connor ready to launch his rocket
Noah and Weston
Daddy and Weston working together
Mommy and Hannah in the United Kingdom at Epcot
 

Love Connor's sweet face in this pic
Mommy plus all four
Daddy and Hannah
Mommy and the Hannah Doll
Hannah, 6 1/2 months old
The Magic Kingdom at night
Connor devouring a turkey leg

The boys in James's "too-too-tain" at the resort
Daddy and James having fun
Ice cream and fireworks
Funnel cake for a midnight snack
Dinner at Benihana
We took a last minute trip to Disneyworld the week before Christmas.  We wanted to celebrate Will's completing his master's degree and spend some quality time as a family.  The weather was perfectly comfortable, in the mid 80s the whole week.  We stayed at the Westgate Vacation Villas.  James loved all the Christmas trees and decorations.  There was a huge outdoor tree outside our condo.  Every time we went somewhere, James would say, "Bye-bye Kit-tuh-tee." He was so sweet and full of joy all week.  After all, Disneyworld is the place where dreams come true.  Abby gave him the nickname Jolly James after spending time with him. 
We spent our first full day at the Magic Kingdom.  Hannah was all dolled up in her princess dress and ready to see some princesses.  Hannah even got to ride some rides.  When the park closed, we enjoyed dinner at Giordano's for pizza.  They had the best pizzas, and they had a balloon artist that made fun figures for the kids.  We even ordered S'mores pizza for dessert. 
On our second day, we arrived at Hollywood Studios 30 minutes before the park opened, so Weston and Connor could be a part of the Jedi Training experience.  It was the highlight of their day.  Of course, Weston took the Jedi role very seriously and Connor was very brave, too.  We ran into my friend Candace and her family as we were leaving for a mid-day nap.  We returned to Hollywood later that night to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights.  We ate burgers and shakes at an outdoor restaurant near a street dance party.  Weston and Connor entertained all those who passed by with a sort of breakdancing with light sabers, with Weston throwing a few athletic agility drills in the mix of his dance moves.  They were hysterical! 
We spent our third day in Pierson at the Carnathan's house.  The kids had so much fun playing together outside.  The next day, Abby brought her kids to our resort for rocket building and swimming in the pool.  Will took 5 kids to the arcade, while Abby and I took Hannah, James, and Atlin back to the condo for naps.  After the Carnathans left, we made a spontaneous decision to head back to the Magic Kingdom.  It was our best night all week.  We stayed out till 1 AM!  Hannah was loving being in the park at night.  James eventually fell asleep, but he was a trooper, too.  
We spent our last park day at Epcot.  The boys did the Agent P mission, because they are really into being spies right now.  We enjoyed dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel.  We timed our dinner reservation perfectly so that we could see the Illuminations show from the wall of windows by our table.  It was spectacular!  We also got to meet up with our friends Thad and Lara Vincent and their boys after dinner.  We had such a wonderful Disney vacation!