Santa Claus came to town!

The Saturday night before Christmas, Santa Claus himself made one more stop to talk to all the good little boys and girls.  We were so happy that he chose to visit at Gigi and Boom's house!

Despite being sick as a dog, little Lila Lou was all smiles because she was so excited to see the big guy.

Before he got there, the kids got to decorate crafts and write letters to Santa.

I loved it that my closest childhood friend, Amanda, got to be there with her whole family. 

Lila's friend, Brooklynn, brought her parents and sister to our shindig...

and my friends, Emily, Hayley and Libby were all there, too.

Just a few hours before the party started, my Aunt Glenda and cousin Leslie arrived from California.  Yay!  We were so happy to have them here for Christmas.

Back in the day, it was us 4 at the Santa Claus parties, sitting on his knee and telling him all the things we wanted for Christmas!  It was really cool to have my childhood friends at the party.  Love y'all.

Meanwhile, my mischievious son was busy running like a wild man outside.  He had a posse of about 5 boys and they were all over the place--I think he could have claimed temporary insanity that night because he was so pumped up.

Back inside, lots of the little kids were playing and eating in the media room where we had set up tables just for them.  It was a much calmer scene!

Right before we went to look for Santa Claus, all the kids put on their antlers.  They were so precious.

We walked outside and sang Christmas Carols until we saw the lights on a firetruck coming down the street.  And guess who was riding shotgun in it!

You got it!  Santa stepped on out and said hello to all the kiddos.

He got lots of hugs and warm greetings from them...

and then we invited him inside to come and chat.

All the kids gathered around him and got to ask him questions and just talk with him for a bit.

This was as close as Lila got to him.  She talked a big game, but when it came down to it she said, "Mommy, you sit on his lap and I'll sit on your lap."

Jackson wasn't detered in the least, though.  Afterall, he and Santa are old friends.  Santa even told him that he'd been talking to Johnny, our Elf.  Very cool.

Maddie hopped on his lap after Jackson was done and surprised us all when she asked for Star Wars Angry Birds.  What in the world is that?!  A curveball, my friend, is the answer:)

Somehow we managed to find everyone for a quick pic with Santa.  Lila still passed on the chance to sit on his lap. She did let me hold her near him, though, which is an improvement from last year.  Baby steps.

 

The whole Raines/Hays/Bell crew!

After everyone had a chance to sit on his knee, it was time for Santa to head back to the North Pole.  Afterall, he had to make sure that all of his elves had the toys ready to rock and roll.

The party continued upstairs, with fierce games of foosball for the little guys...

and drinks and good laughs for the big guys. 

We had a wonderful time with so many of our good friends.  We missed those of you who weren't able to make it, but were grateful for those who were there.  It really is my favorite party of the year. 
The magic of Christmas is just unbeatable.

Turn that frown upside down!

Even though last weekend was kind of a downer, I think it's so important to always focus on the positive.  I wanted to take time to recognize all the good things that we have to be thankful for...

like four grandparents who support our kids at all of their activities.  They were there to see the Mavericks win their first game of the season!

I'm also thankful for my husband, who so patiently applied the first round of icing for our gingerbread house, and for the three kids who decorated it without hollering about wanting to just eat the candy:)

I'm thankful that we got to spend Sunday afternoon at the Cowboys game...

and to Adam and Hayley for taking us there!  Y'all are awesome--thanks again for a great time.
We had a blast cheering on the Cowboys in OT and even better that they won!

Sadie Mae

Saturday night we found our sweet Sade outside on the porch.  She was laying unusally still and I just knew that she wasn't alive anymore.  Even though she was 15 years old, we still weren't ready for it.  It was a hard night.  She was my dog--I'd gotten her for Christmas in 1997.  Jared adopted her right after we got married and she came to live with us in Lubbock.  She was high-spirited, to say the least, and tore up that rent house the first day we left her alone.  It really was like we lived the movie "Marley and Me."  It could just have easily have been "Sadie and Me," and it would have featured her chewing through door knobs, ripping up carpet, breaking out of her $250 steel cage and peeing in the middle of our bed whenever unexpected thunderstorms hit.  Ah yes, she was nuts.  She was terrified of any loud noises and despised fire works.  The 4th of July was not her friend! 

She was the craziest dog I've ever met, no doubt, but also the kindest, too.  She was the best dog EVER to have with kids because no matter what they did to her, she just let it go.  They could ride her like a pony or pull her tail and she'd just act like nothing strange was happening!  I hope she's having a ball in doggie heaven right now. We love you, Sadie girl.

Night in Bethlehem

Tonight as I watch the news about the horrific tragedy that took place in Connecticut, I am even more thankful for precious time with my family.  It is simply unimaginable to me that someone could do such evil, especially to defenseless little kids.  As a mother of a kindergartener, my heart just breaks for those sweet kids and their parents.  There simply can be no greater loss than that of a child.  I pray to God that I never know that kind of pain. 

We are so lucky to be able to enjoy lots of family time centered around the meaning of Christmas.  Last Sunday night, Jared and I took the kids to "A Night in Bethlehem" at Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church.  We didn't really know what to expect and were blown away by the production of it all.  We've read the kids the story of Jesus' birth and talked about it at length, but this was a way for all of us to live it for an hour. 

We began by checking in with the clerk in Bethlehem.  She asked for our family name and the number of members in our family.  She then asked the kids if they had any animals with them, and if they did, they would need to pay taxes on them.  After that, we walked to another lady who gave each child 5 gold sheckles to use in the marketplace.  They were hooked right then and there.

We arrived at the Bethlehem Marketplace next where the girls were given these cloths to wear on their heads.  Maddie thought it was neat for a few seconds, but then remembered that Cole Squires was there and got self-conscience, I think!

We started to check out each booth and discovered some very cool things.  Jackson got to make something out of clay...

while the girls enjoyed rolling dough and then buying their own loaves of bread for 1 sheckle each.  There were about 10 stations in all: jewelry making, pottery, instruments, woodworking and weaving, too.  During our time there, we were entertained by dancers as well.  So cool!  After that, we were lead down the hallway and treated to story time in a few different rooms. The kids were encouraged to sit on the pillows that were on the floor and listen to the stories.  Our first story was told by a shepherd who had been in the field with his sheep when the angel appeared from the sky and told him that Christ had just been born.  Then, we went to another room and listened to a lady tell of how it was her grandparents' inn that was out of room when Joseph and Mary came to it.  She told us that they made a place for them out in the stable, bringing in fresh hay, and how her grandmother helped deliver baby Jesus. 

After the stories, we were treated to a group of carolers singing and then went into the sanctuary to hear the story of Jesus' birth once more.  This time, though, it was with a real live manger scene--Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus were all there, right beside the donkey and some goats.

It was such a cool experience and one that I hope we get to do again next year. 
I love Santa and the magic that he brings to our kids' lives, but I hope to balance that excitement with a love for Jesus, too.  Afterall, God is the reason that I am able to hold my beautiful babies each night, read them stories, tuck them in and sometimes still rock them to sleep.  They are my miracles.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

December 7th was a more fun friday than usual.  Why?  It was dad's birthday!

He got a great big hug from both girls before he went to work...

and then met the whole fam at Pappadeaux for dinner that evening.

Lila and I made him a cake that was enjoyed by everyone:)  I almost bought a "32" to put on it, but then remembered that he was turning 33.  Good grief!  That's getting awfully close to mid-thirties!

Happy Birthday, Babe.  We love you.

A Rockin' December

Man, have we been rockin' and rollin' this month!

My girlfriends and I got together for dinner and an ornament exchange and had the most fun girls night out to date!  And I came home with a new pretty ornament, too:)

On December 1, Johnny the Elf came back!  We found him that morning taking a marshmallow bath.  He's such a goose.  The kids were stoked to find him and to read the note he left for them.

Maddie and her friend Chloe performed a little tap routine at the Wylie Arts Festival.

She did so good, too!

We finally made it to Top Golf and met Jackson's friend Cole and his parents.

It really was Jared's perfect night and I loved it, too.  Golf, great weather, college football on all around us, and good food and drinks with friends.  Doesn't get much better as far as we're concerned.

We keep finding Johnny all around our house.  He's always up to silly things, like getting into our chocolate chip cookies!

Guess he wanted to see what the Christmas story was all about, too.  We found him reading this book one morning with his buddies Bear and the Grinch.

We got to watch our first Christmas movie of the year the other night.  Rudolph!  It was a calm evening around here--so rare!

Then last Saturday night we all went out on the town.  Lila went to a Christmas party with Memaw and Poppi, Jackson and Maddie went to the Rockettes show with Gigi and Aunt Colleen...

and Jared and I did rode around town in this awesome limo celebrating Emily's 30th birthday! 
We really did feel like rockstars, for the night at least!

Jackson is also the Star Student of the Week, so we had to make a poster that encompassed his life.  How hard is that?!  Birth to present in half a poster board.  I could barely fit it all on a whole poster board, so that just had to do.  He's loving being the center of attention at school this week.