December

Dearest Jackson and Colton,

December was filled with some of our favorite traditions!  After decorating the house, we spent a lot of time hanging out by the tree watching holiday classics.

ELF!  (And notice Senji staying in the middle of it all!)

We did something new this year by visiting the Arboretum for their 12 Days of Christmas event.  It was so different than our other arboretum experiences because it was both cold and dark, unlike every other time we've been.  

 Of course, we made sure to go to Bass Pro and see THE Santa Claus!

Our neighborhood had their annual holiday party and we hung out with Santa's helper in between games and dinner.

A few days later, another "helper" came through the neighborhood and complimented your afternoon chores!

 Another fun party took place at el casa de Rabalais with props, cookie decorating, and a 19-person-selfie (which is such an oxymoron!).

 

 

On Christmas Eve Eve Eve you two stayed with Grandma & Grandpa while we went out to celebrate Brandie's birthday.  Group dates are the perfect time to try new things.  On this occasion, we tried glass blowing!

Our ornament was fun to make and will be a great memory to hang on the tree year after year!

Then we toured the town before eating dinner at a unique new (to us) restaurant.

The holiday spirit was alive and well so I fit in one more fun outing and took Grandma to a local painting studio where we created these adorable snowmen.  

 

Last, but not least, we went to Christmas Eve service with Grandpa and Grandma before putting finishing touches on our cookies for Santa.

The excitement is real during Christmas Eve's bedtime!

 Christmas morning was as fun as ever!

We had computer Christmas with the Fort Wayne family.

And then we spent the rest of the day at Grandpa and Grandma's house.

Next up, it was Dad's turn to be celebrated.  We invited our smartest friends ;) to join us in an Escape Room.  Good news:  We escaped!  Bad news:  We did it by accident!  HA!

Then Mother Nature forgot that it was the middle of winter so we had the perfect chance to go practice with your new present from Santa.

Learning to ride a bike calls for an ice cream celebration!

And, after a month of non-stop socializing, we rang in the new year a little differently.  It was just the four of us and a big puzzle and it was perfection!!!  I wouldn't mind making this an annual tradition...

 2016 was one of the best!!

November

Dearest Boys,

As much as I love Octobers, I think I'm equally thankful for Novembers!  Your sports schedules started to wind down and we all got a well-deserved break.  We (Mom and Dad) took that break opportunity to road trip down south and rent a house with our besties as we celebrated a few of them turning 40.  If you're reading this and thinking that number sounds old, let me tell you - not only is it not that old, but it gets to you quickly!  And, boys, if you think your friendships are fun now then just wait -- they seem to just get better the older you get!  We spent our afternoons out on the porch reminiscing thanks to a music station filled with hits from the 90s.  We stayed up late playing games.  We almost got kicked out of places for laughing so loud.  And we even had a few dance parties thrown in there for good measure.

Find yourself near Austin?  Go to the Gristmill!  Great atmosphere and great food!!

I had gifts for the girls and we got such a kick out of being matchy-matchy! 

We were supposed to be at Wurstfest with the boys... 

Instead, we went on a shopping trip and kept the matchy-matching alive...

Our final meal together was yummy but bittersweet.

Before we hit the road for home, we all promised that we'd do a trip like this again!

While this actually happened a few weeks beforehand, I forgot to take a picture until now --- but you're in the process of getting a new smile, Jax.  You had an expander first and now you have a set of top braces and you've done great with each procedure thus far.

We had one last sports obligation before we officially went on break.  It was a soccer tournament nearby and your team took FIRST PLACE in your division, Colt!  Y'all played hard and it was an awesome way to wrap up a season!

Your soccer organization celebrated a successful season with a big cookout at a park.  

Fallen leaves?  Check.

Holiday tablecloth?  Check.

Shorts with t-shirts?  Check and check.

 A few nights before the actual Thanksgiving, we hosted a mini-t-giving at our house for our friends.

On Thanksgiving morning, we woke up bright and early to run in our local turkey trot.  

Jax, you ran those 3.2 miles like they were a warm up!  You finished the race in only 26 minutes and you really enjoyed it!  I would love it if this became an annual tradition!  All 4 of us next year??

Later in the day, we went to Grandpa and Grandma's where Grandma cooked us a huge feast!  (Another awesome tradition!!)

As always, I am so thankful for YOU!