Bake, Decorate, Eat , Repeat

Schools out for Winter Break and we have about 3 more days until Christmas. Actually 2 seeing as how this one is nearly gone.  And make that 1 because Christmas Eve is really the start of it all.

So....with that reality check, we got moving on some Christmas fun.  First request: Cookies In The Kitchen.  The kid's favorite mess of the year!

Naturally, the girls were there from start to finish and Jack showed up just in time to decorate, eat and repeat.

I may have spent just as much time cleaning up as we did baking.  Can you say sprinkle explosion?  I was literally slipping on them on the kitchen floor.

But, we do have a few dozen cookies to share at Christmas dinner when we host the family.  Dessert...check!

We also squeezed in a festive Fr-amily {friends who are like family} Christmas Party.

And a very crowded visit to Stone Mountain Christmas. {hence the reason you are getting one picture of that adventure}

Now the wait for Santa is on!

Elf The Musical

Now that I've spent the past two posts bragging on my littles, it's time to get back to the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"!

As with all kinds of things around here, my trio are growing out of a few traditions.  Boo hoo!  I had to spice up our annual holiday show circuit this season.  Goodbye Rudolph and possibly goodbye Matilda {although I think I can squeeze that one in with the girls again}.

I didn't have to search far for a replacement, our season tickets at the our local theater got us into Elf The Musical.  I don't know about you, but the movie is a giant hit with my kids so I was sure the theater productions would be as well.

The show was adorable, Grandma joined us, we met up with friends and I was able to get two of my three kids dressed up...I call that a successful Christmas tradition!

And we came home to our very own little Elf...love this boy!

Jack In Black

Just dropping in to give a little "whoop whoop" to my favorite son in the whole wide world.

After 6 years of training, probably 624 hours of lessons, 3 pre-tests, and one non-stop 4 hour test, Jack earned his black belt in Karate.

Now that is perseverance!

I can't begin to express how proud we are of this boy.  The elation on his face made all those runs back and forth to the studio well worth it.

Jack's four hour test was behind closed doors, we only got to drop him off, pray a lot and then pick him up to find out the results.

And when we got there, our tired boy was standing tall with a black belt around his waist!

Way to go dude!  You AMAZE us!

Gymnastics Snow-Case

Even in the busiest of seasons, Lucy can find a way to squeeze in a little more gymnastics time.   Of all that Lucy has dabbled in in her busy 6 years of life, gymnastics seems to be her passion {this week anyway}.  Having a true gymnastics girl is new for me and I am loving and learning it as we go.

This weekend, Lucy entered the Gymnastics Snow-Case to basically showcase some of her skills- hence the name.  It was a precious opportunity to see all that she is learning and allow her the chance to show off {which she loves to do}.

In a series of rotations, we got see Lucy's floor routine, bars, beams, and vault and she even got to wear this adorable snowflake leotard to boot!  

We crowned our little gym princess with flowers and a teddy after she received her medal.  Only a momma could say this, but she kind of looks like a mini Olympian...

So proud that this little gal is part of our family.  She keeps life fun!  And I guess it's clear to see now why gymnastics equipment is first on her Christmas list.