A walk in a snow globe December 9, 2010

Who knew that going to get a picture with Santa could be like entering another world? We do! Our Santa at the Willow Bend mall is housed in a snow globe which decorated in the Chronicles of Narnia theme this year. Very COOL, both literally and metaphorically! The boys had fun getting snowed on! Tate told Santa three things which each began with "a Buzz and Woody..." Santa was very sweet to spend time with each of the boys. He even discussed with Joseph which type of arrow would be the best for his bow:) Sam wanted a Nintendo DS from Santa with a game to go with it. It was also neat to watch Mrs. Claus helping Santa get situated for the picture. Sam went back to Santa while I was paying for the picture and gave him a great big hug and told him, "Thank you for my presents last year!" That melted both Santa's and my heart!

Boy Scout Awards Night December 5, 2010

December 6, 2010 We were proud to be with Joseph as he received his first Cub Scout patch, the Bobcat, on Monday night. Before we headed out to the meeting, we were able to stop and donate to Toys for Tots and meet the marines which was cool as Fox 4 news was also there recording a segment. Since Joseph earned the Bobcat patch, he can advance to the Bear level. He also got belt loops for reading/writing, archery, bb gun, and soccer. He loved the last part as he got a gift card (his was $10) for his popcorn sales. So thank you to all the grandparents and aunts/uncles out there for that one:) Sam and Tate's favorite part was learning the "cheers" the boys all shared on the stage--esp. the grated cheese and also the Aggie one. A cute aside was that the boys were told they had to do a good deed when they got home before their patch could be sewn on upright (it was passed out upside-down to them). Joseph sweetly decided to make me breakfast in the morning--he and Sam made me a breakfast parfait all by themselves--yum, yum. I like Boy Scouts better and better all the time:)

A visit from the Stewart family

December 4, 2010




We love any chance we can be with the Stewarts. Becca and Sarah were not able to come due to schoolwork and they were definitely missed. We took the opportunity to go to the Bass Pro Shop and "play" there as they have cool Christmas activities. The boys went straight for the shooting gallery area, of course! Tracy and I got an earful of "wishlists" from fellas who are only excited to shop in an environment like Bass Pro! Our evening was also fun with us making our gingerbread house and laughing at Tate who was strongly focused on getting the candy in his mouth quickly versus putting it onto the house. He wolfed down some major decor! ha! Sam picked out a candy green apple ring for our wreath which was a nice touch! It was so much fun with Aunt Se and Uncle Jeff and Caleb being a part of it all

Christmas Parade

December 4, 2010

We made it to one of our favorite traditions on Dec. 4th, the Dallas Childrens' Christmas Parade. This year Joseph's favorite characters to see were Anakin with the other Star Wars characters; Sam loved seeing Ironman and waving at Santa Claus at the end; Tate loved seeing Clifford, Curious George, and Spiderman. It was fun to share the good times with Uncle Jim, Aunt Tyra, Mary, Daniel, and Jacob. The kids shook many of the hands of clowns and band members as they walked by. We had bundled up and then it turned out to be very pleasant and mild weather. Joseph still managed to need his hat, mittens and a blanket. He ended up quite cozy sprawled out across several chairs watching the parade go by. By getting there an hour and a half early, we had a very good spot and the wait was definitely worth it!

Catchin' a Ride on Wylie's KC Holiday Express

December 2, 2010 We had a super-fun time meeting up with the Kansas City Southern Holiday train that made its 10th annual stop in Wylie. The hour wait was worth it as we met with Santa in one car, viewed a miniature train exhibit in another train car and a collection of Santas in another car. The boys got to visit with some of the elves and get a goody bag at the end. Our stop to downtown Wylie would not have been complete without picking up a gumball at Shoemaker and Hardt!

SOLAR SYSTEM FUN!

We took a field trip to the Ft. Worth Science Museum where the boys saw their first planetarium show which was TERRIFIC! They learned more about the planets and stars. We loved playing and learning in the children's museum area! The Dreamscape area was the boys' favorite! We played with a life-sized "lite-brite" as well as feeling a tornado forming and entering a giant kaleidoscope! We also got to see some Eygptian exhibits including a real MUMMY from Eygpt named Annie who was embalmed in the 600's. I was a little nervous as to how Tate would do all day, but he was a trooper and loved all of it!