The Vintage Ball

Months before December 30, Alexis and Zachary have been dreaming about the Vintage Ball. Finally, the day arrived. Fancy ball gowns. Formal tie and even a belt.

Alexis's friend accompanied the teens for the splendid evening.

"...those dancing should wear a smile, and accompany it with a polite inclination of the head, in the manner of a salutation. At the end of the dance, the gentleman reconducts the lady to her place, bows and thanks her for the honor which she has conferred. She also bows in silence, smiling with a gracious air."

Colonial dancing in the Grande Ballroom with close friends and new friends just met.

Beautiful, festive costumes....if you wish.

And even a live vintage band from the Colonial period.

Awww...where has the time gone? They have grown up so fast, it seems. I miss the little ones they once were but I'm embracing the young man and young lady they have become.

Our Christmas Morning 2010

Happy New Year 2011!!

May I have some more grace, please?

With three birthdays, three family gatherings, and the Vintage Ball, I needed a week to recuperate.

And our little people were so cute on our Christmas morning, I just have to share. On December 23, the stockings were all hung by the chimney with care...and finally all the kids {even the teens} were all in bed asleep.
So...while the kids were all sleeping, Santa gathered all the stockings and filled them with fun treats and hung them back on the fireplace. He came a night early since my family came to visit on the 25th. :) The next morning, as tradition holds, they gathered up their stockings, trying not to peek in the fancy, overflowing sock.

All six gathered at the foot of our bed.

They took turns pulling out one thing at a time.

{ Awww...I love this picture. I want to always remember this as someday, they won't fit on the end of my bed...or won't be at home to wake us..sigh.}

Before Ms. Alaina went to bed, she realized that we didn't have any cookies to share with Santa. Instead, Santa enjoyed a slice of pepperoni pizza and a sip of KoolAid, grape to be exact. {We know he enjoyed it because, he had eaten all of it but the crust.} He didn't put any gifts under the tree because he remembered that a little guy named Benjamin lived here and he didn't want him to open all of them at once. He decided to place them all in my bathroom. So the next morning, Joel and I carried them all down and placed them so perfectly under the tree.

If it appears like a lot, well, it was. Alexis and I were Santa's assistants and we had a wrapping party that lasted several hours.

For many years now, the kids have picked names and most years have kept it a secret.

Alexis picked Benjamin's name and bought him a Thomas the Train puzzle.

Zachary picked Alaina's name and contributed towards an adorable Bitty Baby outfit.

Alaina was so excited that she got Joel B's name. I helped her pick out an ear hook/plugs for his Ipod Touch.

Joel B got Alexis's name. He had to be the funny guy and wrap a Ken doll and place it so strategically on top of the gift. To her surprise, he bought her an adorable phone cover for her cell phone with lots of sparkling bling.

She LOVED it...the phone case, that is. Not Ken.

Hudson got Zachary's name and 'bought' him a shirt.

Hudson was so excited that Benjamin 'bought' him Cars vehicles...just like the ones that were on Benjamin's cupcakes. Very fun.

And there they are, all together. They were so happy. I think we could have ended the gift opening right then. But we didn't. We courageously continued on, opening and opening...for at least a couple of hours.

Yes, we recycle. The little guys LOVE their "new" sleeping bags {once owned by Zachary and Joel B}. Notice Hudson's Billy Blazes. F*sher Pr*ce doesn't make Resc*e Heroes anymore. They love them. Every night for a week now, they fall asleep, all cozy and warm in their sleeping bags and I then, move them to their beds.

Zachary opened his new cell phone. Look at that expression. So excited.

{We now have a "drop box" for all electronic devices that is open for collection at 9AM every morning. They are not allowed to collect them back until school and chores are finished. Funny how they thought they could text during school hours. Hmmm.}

Alaina squealed with delight when she opened her new camera from Mammaw and Pappaw. I'm sure she will start her own blog soon and display her new photos. She's actually pretty good.

Ms. Alexis {who cheated and got up early to put makeup on}, got a new coat. So cute...and practically, so warm.

Ms. Alaina will now be homeschooling her dolls. Love this book from AG.

And they received practical things like school day planners.

The most requested items this year were clothes.

Little guys are enjoying their Le*psters that were bought on Black Friday. $25, oh yeah. They also got their very own Legos and more trains to add to their collection.

The grand finale...the T*y Story gang. So how long does it take for the batteries to die..haha. Really though, these are the cutest dolls and they have played and played with them. Not so fun in the dark when you step on Buzz Lightyear. He keeps talking and talking.

After picking up a mound of wrapping paper, we headed for the mall to ride the train one more time. We watched Santa leave his big chair. He waved and briskly walked as I'm sure he had many more houses to visit that night. I'm glad he came to our house a day early.

{The next day, Christmas afternoon, my family arrived. We met Caden, our new nephew from China, for the first time. The details to follow...tomorrow.}

It's fall, y'all...

And the Toy Story gang is all here.

"Woody"

"Buzz Lightyear"

and their best friend, "Jessie."They all met at the Fall Festival at our church...

and invited friends...

for some good times.

Buzz Lightyear enjoyed the Moonwalk...

a very large Moonwalk. Even the teens jumped around.

"Woody" had so much fun, that in the middle of all the festivities, he just had to take a nap. The Moonwalk, cider, smores, hilarious games, and songs...just tuckered him out. He made it through a great devotion...and then closed his eyes.

BUT..as soon as we said "CANDY!!"....the nap was all over.

{Pastor loving on my kiddos}

Trunks and trunks and even more trunks....and lots of treats!

And more Smores.

Too many Smores.

And too much candy.

They gave me all the chocolate so we are all good. :)

And Finally...

Yes, finally...I'm posting the fun pics of my most favorite part of our September beach vacation. It's only been a month... and I miss it so. I'm ready to make next year's reservation now. The same location.

About 16 years ago, when Alexis was just a few months old, Joel bought a 'vacation resort' package for $3000. In this package, we got 11 vacations. But...we never used the vacations for many, many years. The job that Joel had, allowed us to travel to places like Hawaii and Florida and stay for weeks and months at a time...free.

{Joel B in disguise}

So...while the kids were little, we would pack our bags and vacation endlessly, for extended periods of time. Add three China trips to the mix and we were set for many years.

And thus, never using our 'weeks' that we bought in the vacation package.

So now...we are finally using these weeks. As you know, these vacations would cost at least $2000 each per week. Thankfully, (if you do the math)..we only paid a few hundred per week per vacation. We could travel anywhere in the U.S. with this plan...but we love the beach...and especially this particular resort... The place that's right on the beach...

...with 6 pools...

a water park...


and the Lazy River.

The best part about going to the beach in September is this...

We had it all {almost} to ourselves.

Awww...we had so much fun.

Too much fun. :)