Christmas

On Christmas Eve we headed to my grandpa's house which is where we spend Christmas day.  We all wore the same Christmas shirts that we wore last year even though they were long sleeved and it felt like it was at least 85 degrees outside.   I think we got more compliments this year then last year and people kept coming up to us saying, "I believe." 

We went to lunch at Olive Garden like we always do and then we went to look around the mall.  We then got ready and went to church.

Last year I took Emma Catherine to the Dollar Tree to buy presents for everyone in the family.  We decided that she could give out her presents on Christmas Eve so that the presents wouldn't get lost in the shuffle of Christmas day.  This year I took both girls to the Dollar Tree to shop for our family and we again, let them give out their presents on Christmas eve.  We all have to hold in our laughter because the some presents they picked out were pretty funny.  When I took the girls shopping, they were each VERY certain about what they were picking out.  They were so excited to get each person their gift.

We ate our Christmas eve traditional dinner, Mexican, and we read the girls a Christmas book about the meaning of Christmas and then it was time for them to get to bed.

On Christmas morning we all woke up before the girls to make sure everything was ready.  Just as we were about to open a few presents of ours before the girls woke up, we heard them talking in their room.  We went in their room and took a good morning picture...hilarious.

They then ran to see if Santa came.  They checked out the cookies they left out and their stockings. 

 Next, the checked out their presents from Santa, and then we all started opening presents.

We had a fun morning and Bailey kept us entertained with lots of dancing.  We listened to the Jersey Boys CD most of the morning, with a little bit of Christmas music mixed in.

Happy birthday, Ryan

Not to be forgotten in the busyness of December is Ryan's birthday.  The girls and I try make Ryan's birthday special each year and set aside a day to celebrate him.  Unfortunately it doesn't always happen on his exact birthday because like this year, we were in Prattville on the actual day.  He chose to go to Buffalo Wild Wings and then we came home for cake. 

Christmas with the Causeys

We always celebrate Christmas with Ryan's side of the family the weekend before Christmas.  It is a fun time for the cousins to be together and thankfully the weather was pretty mild and they could do a lot of playing outside.  My sister in laws and I mostly stayed inside and visited with each other so I'm not sure all the things the kids did outside but I do know there was a lot of rock collecting going on. 

Christmas Performances

This year Bailey had a Christmas performance at school and both of them had a Christmas performance at church.  Both of Bailey's performances happened to fall on the same day, which turned out to not be a good thing.  Her first performance was at school and I was so proud of her.  She had to memorize a verse and say it by herself into a microphone.  I wasn't sure if she would say it when the time came but she did!

The other performance was that night at church.  Bailey sang some songs with the 3 year olds, then they sang with Emma Catherine's class and then Emma Catherine's class sang by themselves.  Prior to their performance they practiced all their songs and they did great.

Then the problems began.  Bailey's class went on the stage to sing and Bailey wouldn't stand on the right step with her class. 

Eventually she just sat down and then she turned around with her back to the audience for a couple of songs.  I guess she was over performing for the day.

Then it was time for Emma Catherine's class to be on the stage to sing with the 3 year olds.  Bailey started yelling I want to stand by Emma Catherine until they finally moved Emma Catherine by her.  If you notice, they are standing in different places in the practice photo and the one below.

Emma Catherine then got her turn and she did great.  She loves to sing and she always enjoys going to choir. 

Zoo Light Safari

I have heard mixed reviews on the Birmingham Zoo's annual Zoo Light Safari, but I knew that I wanted to take the girls this year because you have free admission if you are a zoo member.  I knew it would be crowded so we tried to get there when it opened but we didn't account for the amount of Birmingham area traffic, so we were a little late for rope drop (a little disney joke).  It was chick fil a night so their were cows everywhere.  They were also giving out lots of coupons and little toys. 

Bailey was scared at first of the cows and wouldn't go near the first one we saw.  She got a little more brave with her sister between she and the cow.  She also acted scared to see Santa.  She wouldn't sit on his lap but at least she would stand near him.

It was definitely a very cold night and the train ride line was rather long but overall, we had a good time seeing the lights and barn animals and we will go back next year. 

We never miss an Auburn photo op!

Ballet Christmas Parties

Both girls had Christmas parties at ballet last week.  They allowed the parents to come in the room to watch them warm up and the girls showed us some dances they have been learning.  After that they had a small party with treats.