Tulsa Snow Days!

We got hit with lots of snow in December!  School was canceled and the kids were fired up to go sledding!  It was COLD.  I mean REALLY REALLY COLD.  Like 12 degrees!  I wouldn't let the kids go outside until it was a warm 23 (warmer than 12, right!?) degrees in the afternoon.  Anna was the only one with unofficial snow gear.  I found Adeline's old size 24 month snowsuit and layered her up in 4 pairs of pajamas, socks, and the snowsuit.  William and Adeline were bundled up in their snowsuits so I didn't worry about them getting as cold quickly. 

Before taking the kids outside to sled down our front hill, I warned William that we may not be out there as long as he would like because of Anna.  But, I promised to bring him back outside for a long time once Dada got home early from work.  William was thrilled with the idea.  He is SO good about understanding his baby sister's needs and accepting compromise.  I am really proud of him.
 
So the 4 of us bundled up and waddled outside for a little bit of romping in the snow.  Unfortunately, the snow was not the best for building a snowman, so we stuck with sledding down the hill.  Oh my goodness, Adeline HAD A BLAST.  She LOVED the sled. LOVED IT.  She'd climb on the sled and William would stand behind her and give her a big ol' push down the hill.  She'd laugh and fall out of the sled at the bottom of the hill.  Then she could barely stand up in her boots!  It was hilarious to watch.  And, it was so fun to be out there with my kids.  We had the best time throwing snow around and Anna even enjoyed tasting it! About 30 minutes later we were back inside to warm up.  Anna was pretty much done and needed a break.

When Dada got home early from work, I took William over to our neighbor's house.  They have a bigger hill and William wanted to give it a try.  The streets were covered in ice and snow and there wasn't a soul around.  It was just us.  I treasure the small moments with kids and this was a highlight for me.  I love being with William and it's rarely just the two of us alone anymore.  We had tons of fun and I watched him sled down the neighbor's hill 100 times.  We'd hoot and holler and I would time each of the sleds so he could try and beat his record.  It was great!  We played outside until it got dark.

Although the snow was lots of fun, it also meant school was cancelled.  The girls were home for several days in a row and the roads were too icy to try and go anywhere.  We made the most of the situation and played with every single item in the house.  Thankfully, there was a light at the end of the tunnel and school resumed!

It might be FREEZING outside but we sure had fun!

December at the Devon Building with Bebe and Pops 2013

The Devon building in downtown OKC hosted a wonderful family friendly holiday party.  Bebe and Pops invited all the grandkids to the event so we packed up for a morning with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Devon set up different stations inside their lobby and children could rotate through them as they wished.  There was a craft center for making paper gingerbread men and Santa beards, you could write a letter to Santa and mail it, and you could color scenes with a holiday theme.

In another space was a giant sleigh to climb on for pictures, an area to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, and outside, Devon had a kiddie train taking children for rides.

Our group loved the train ride.  It was cold outside, but they were determined to ride the train!  I am so glad we went early because the train line was short.  When we left, there were people wrapped around the trees waiting for a turn.

Adeline and William loved the craft area.  We stayed over there for a long time so they could rotate through the craft stations and take their time completing the projects.  Anna fell asleep when we got there, so she spent the entire event asleep on Dada's shoulder.  I think the loud noise and music was the perfect sound machine for her!

The line to meet Mrs. Claus was really short, so I grabbed Adeline and William and we headed over there.  I really thought Adeline would be nervous and not want anything to do with Mrs. Claus.  Boy was I wrong. She marched right up to Mrs. Claus and with a huge smile on her face, she just chatted away with her.  It was like two gal pals having a gab session.  William was really proud of Adeline for being brave and having fun with Mrs. Claus.  He kept telling his sister what a good job she did.

Once we conquered the train and Mrs. Claus, the kids climbed in the sleigh for some pictures.  Then we all headed outside to run around and look at the ENORMOUS red ball ornaments in the Devon courtyard.  Anna snoozed away inside with Dada.

The cousins ran around playing tag outside by the ornaments.  When Anna woke up, Dada brought her outside to play too.  She was so funny.  Anna watched everyone running around and then she would repeat their moves about 50 steps to late behind them.  She would hoot and holler and giggle and laugh as she tried to keep up. 

After a few hours of fun, we all went for a pizza lunch.  Thank you Bebe and Pops for kicking off our OKC Christmas week!  We had such a good time!

A visit from our Elf 2013

Our Elf comes to visit us around the second week in December.  He surprises the kids with a North Pole breakfast and Christmas pajamas.  William was on pins and needles waiting for Elf to arrive.  He asked me every single day when I thought Elf would come to our house and did I think Elf forgot about him this year!  I tried to keep a straight face and just told him I wasn't sure when Elf would come, but I hoped it would be next day, or the next day, or the next.....the suspense!

This year was Adeline's first year to see the Elf and really "know" he was here.  Last year, she was a baby and just thought he was a toy doll.  This year, William told her all about him and how he flys around and lands different places in the house.  He told her the Elf is very kind and she can touch him and take him for a stroller ride with her dolls.  So with the debrief on the Elf, Adeline was really looking forward to seeing him.

Anna Baby is of course obivious.

One Saturday morning in December, we woke up to our North Pole Breakfast.  William was the first one downstairs and yelled, "I can't believe it!  He came back!  He made us breakfast again!"

Adeline got a real kick out of her reindeer waffle and Anna laughed when she saw the Elf hanging on the chandelier.  William loved the whole sha-bang.  He thought it was so much fun!  The kids ate their breakfast and opened up their Christmas pajamas.  Everyone got snowman pjs!

All December, the kids loved playing with Elf.  He went for car rides and slept in William's bed every night.  In the morning, they would leap out of bed and search the house to find Elf.  Their favorite morning was when they found Elf sitting in Anna Baby's shoe trying to sled down the white towels in the bathroom.  Oh they laughed so hard!

Thanks for coming to see us for Christmas 2013 Elf!  We sure love our North Pole Breakfast and all the smiles you bring to our kiddos!