Kansas City Christmas

Sutton was so excited about the trains all over Crown Center and Union Station. He squealed with delight all day long.

Natalie and Ethan looking at every little detail for the gingerbread houses.

Natalie's little arm wrapped around Ethan's back...

Discussing all the great things about this display.

Writing letters to Santa at Union Station with Selah.

Just a regular outing for this group. Couldn't help but stop and photograph how blessed we all are to have this many sweet kids in our families. The way the big kids help to look out for the smaller ones is so great to me. These last minute outings with great friends is something I will miss desperately when we move.

Santa's Lap

"I want a bitty baby that looks just like me when I was a little baby."

Oh Family Tree, Oh Family Tree...

how lovely are your branches!

Call me biased, but these have got to be 2 of the best branches on our family tree thus far! :)

Sunday Before Christmas

I love the Sunday closest to Christmas. All the little kiddos decked on in there Christmas best.

One of Natalie's classes, seriously cute.

They don't call 'em Cozy for nothin..

I brought the Cozy Coupe in from the garage and it is by far the #1 toy in our home.

Sutton is getting the gas pump for Christmas and I am so excited to see all the make believing that will go along with that addition...

Dippin in the Dippin

Natalie helped mom do the pretzel/chip/oreo ball/etc dipping this year. She was great at dipping the sticks, adding red and green sprinkles and peeling the finished products off the wax paper. But, her best work was done as taste tester of everything.

Notice the tiny bite out of the mini ritz bitz pb sandwich...

During one of our goody making sessions Natalie reminded me we needed to wear our aprons so we wouldn't get all messy. I took my cutesy Christmas one out and she told me how beautiful it was and that she wished SHE had a Christmas apron. I reached back into the pantry to reveal the Christmas apron I'd bought for her after Christmas last year and her response was priceless. After covering her mouth in surprise and gasping, her exact words were, "Awwww, Thank you, Mommy. You're the best Momma in the whole world" with arms outstretched to give me a hug. Love that kid.

Yay for Scrabble

The love of making words has trickled down from Mommy to the kids.

It's good for hand-eye coordination, right?

Sutton's obsession with all the letters and placing them just so on the board was really a proud moment for me. :)

I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus...

and decided to give it a try.

Putting up the tree has always been one of my favorite Christmas traditions. It's like I'm in my own little Hallmark commercial as I reminisce and hang each ornament. What made it even better this year, was having Natalie help me. She LOVED hearing stories about the ornaments, especially the ones about her. Sutton liked the ornaments too. We could tell by the way he grasped and pulled each one within in his reach right off the tree...

Just Sutton

Ready for church.

More of the yardwork Grandad talks everyone into.

Riding the tiny Polar Express train in Mayfaire.

Smell That?

It's Natalie Glenn basking in the rottenness that Granny and Grandaddy created of her when she spent a whole week in NC all by herself! Scroll down to see a few ways she was completely spoiled by the time we arrived to take her back to reality.

New bike seat, just for her. She just grinned and grinned and grinned...

Helping Grandad blow leaves (somehow grandparents make chores seem more fun than parents do).

A kite and

a few sandcastles. I'm surprised she couldn't talk them into letting her swim. I just knew I'd see a toddler-sized wetsuit on her in one of the many photo texts I received throughout the week. (Thank You Granny K!)

Kid-sized Nativity that sings. Can't beat that.

And I can't think of any vegetables that turn your tongue blue, can you?

Luckily, there's always a little education while you're with the grandparents. It might be learning how to hold a drill with grandaddy or how to bake cookies with Granny, on this occasion it was learning to ride a 3 wheeler! She was SO proud to show Mommy and Daddy and Sutton when we arrived.

Then there's the sweet lovin of Uncle Russ. You can never be sure WHEN he's gonna just pop right in and get your sugar, but you CAN be sure it will happen!

Apparently turn about is fair play.

Chowing down on Thanksgiving dinner. She loved the sweet potatoes and collards! That's Mom's girl!

A little project with Grandad...

...a turkey centerpiece.

Decorating a tree. Not sure what the flashlight was for, but I'm sure it was TOTALLY NECESSARY.

Another "projick," this time with Granny.

Tea time.

At Granny's you even get to hold the real China and serve yourself. If you want to, that is. Otherwise, you will be served without delay.

More yardwork with Grandad.

Looks like those leaves came alive. (I love this photo. That happy little face.)

She even had her own kid's Christmas music playing in the van when they picked us up at the airport. As if I wasn't already gonna think she was the most adorable thing I'd ever seen after being apart from her for 6 days, she started singing, "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas."

Dear Santa

Natalie officially wrote her own letter to Santa. Here's how it happened: The American Girl catalog came in the mail. Natalie intercepted it. She quickly narrowed her selection down to one item: a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Bitty Baby that looks (in her words) just like she did when she was a baby. She later reminded Granny that she didn't think Santa should bring her the brown baby, because she didn't think she was brown when she was a baby, was she? She cut the baby out of the magazine and glued it to her letter. Granny told her how to spell Santa. She addressed it and that's the whole story.

"See Santa, I'm even keeping my nose clean."

P.S. I wasn't sure this year how I felt about doing Santa. I always thought we just would, that's how we were both raised, but after answering questions that made me feel less than truthful, I thought I'd try and tell her it was a fun fairy tale, like Cinderella. I obviously wasn't remembering that my audience was a 3 year-old girl when she responded, "Mom, Cinderella IS real. She lives in Disney World." How she knows this, I am unsure, but I was had. Cinderella is real and so is Santa. She's already seen Santa this year and will most likely get to see Cinderella sometime in her future. Maybe we'll revisit this conversation next year, or 5 years down the road. For now, we've mailed the letter and are crossing our fingers that Santa will bring us an itty Bitty Baby that looks just like Natalie. :)

Sharing Everything

Sutton has his own chair, but it's much more fun to share with Natalie. Especially when she's already got a bowl of Ohs she's willing to share with him.

They really seem to be starting a pretty good little friendship here...most days. :)