Raleigh NYE

We drove up to Raleigh for New Years Eve. We went to the annual Harris NYE party (see here for last year). It was so fun to see so many of our old friends and catch up with everyone. We also stayed in a hotel this time around and had a fun swim day with our friends. We also went to the Durham Life and Science Museum before we headed home (it's our favorite museum). We love our Raleigh friends and we are always so happy to go back to visit!

Sleeping beauty. She tried to stay up for the NYE countdown, but didn't quite make it. 

These two

Bath buddies! I'm going to cry the day they have to stop taking baths together.

Christmas 2015

We were lucky enough to have my parents come visit us for Christmas. It was so nice having them with us for a few days (wish my siblings could have been there too). 

One evening we went to the McAdenville Festival of Lights (aka Christmas Town). This was our first time going and it was a good experience. It was crowded, but we were able to walk through and see this whole town decked out in Christmas lights.

Yummy chocolate treats from the Corbetts -- we were so excited to get these in the mail! 

Christmas Eve

We had our annual homemade pizza for dinner. The kids love helping out. We love this little tradition! 

 

Another tradition -- opening up Christmas jammies and a new ornament for the tree

In our Christmas jammies -- Grammy & Grandpa Corbett are so fun to send us these matching jammies!

There is nothing that makes my heart more giddy than getting ready for Christmas morning! We try to have one homemade Christmas gift every year and Logan rocket it this time with building the kids a sandbox. 

Christmas morning

The kids were up bright and early! They were so excited to see what Santa brought them and also open up their presents from us and their grandparents.

My parents got the kids this awesome indoor trampoline. They love it! 

 

Video: Hudson on his new pedal bike from Santa!! We were so impressed with how well he did for his first time (we owe that to his balance bike).

Christmas Day dinner -- so yummy! 

A few days after Christmas, my parents watched Amelia so we could take Hudson ice skating for the first time. It was really fun and Hudson was so brave for trying something new. 

Pre-Christmas events

I love getting our family ready for Christmas. It's such a special time and we really like to focus on family and our Savior during this time. We also squeeze in a few fun activities and events too.

One of my favorite things we did this year was pick out our real Christmas tree. We started this last year, and we did it again this year. I think we will always stick to a real tree. I love how it fills our home with the Christmas scent. It's so magical! We found the cutest little Christmas tree lot really close to our house and went for family night to pick one out. Hudson was the cutest and wanted to pick out the best tree. We looked and looked, and then Hudson finally found THE one! He was so serious about it and kept saying, "I'm guarding our tree so no one takes it!" while Logan went to get someone to help us get it to the car. The kids also had fun running through the trees and playing tag. It was too fun. 

Our church hosted a Community Nativity Festival. There were a bunch of nativities from around the world, evening performances, and fun crafts for the kids. It is one of our favorite events and I'm so glad we were able to go. 

Logan's company had their annual holiday party at the Filmore. It was a fun night of dressing up, eating delicious food, getting to visit with his co-workers, and being part of a toy-drive for charity. So fun! 

We got an annual membership to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and went one evening to explore the place. I wish I would have known Santa was going to be there (I would have prepped the kids and gotten them dressed a little better...oh well). This place was all decked out in Christmas decorations and lights. It was beautiful and we all had a great time! 

We joined a new ward in September (see here for more details). Since that time, we have been welcomed into a great, new ward with lots of new friends. We were invited to a Ugly Sweater Glam party a few weeks before Christmas, and it was a great time hanging out with these new friends (without kids) and getting to know everyone a little better. We also participated in the white elephant gift exchange (we brought a beta fish -- so funny). Also, Logan was the best sport ever because I could NOT find a outfit for him at the last minute, so elf pajamas and women's knee-high socks for the win! 

We made gingerbread houses for family night. I think we ate more of the candy than putting candy on the house, but that is what is suppose to happen. :) Oh, and prior to gingerbread house making I let the kids play with markers and color on a box. Great idea, right? Well, the kids sure thought so (they ended up coloring on each other's face)!

Hudson's Christmas program at preschool was the cutest thing ever. Logan couldn't make it because of a meeting at work, but Amelia and I had a great time watching the program. Hudson was adorable and did such a great job! 

Video: Away in a Manger