December Re-cap.

A quick little photo summary of our monthly festivities. :)

1. We made salt dough ornaments early in the month. The kids LOVE to roll dough and cut shapes so this was the perfect activity. Very messy but the messier the better in their eyes!

2. A few weeks later, we made cut-out cookies. Same routine but much tastier! Gav did more taste-testing than actual decorating! He thoroughly enjoyed this! Ky, on the other hand, is a very meticulous little cookie decorator. She mixes colors to make every color imaginable and puts a lot of time and detail into each cookie. And then eats it.

3. We wrote letters to Santa and delivered them to his own mailbox. Always a fun night!

4. Gavin played in the first snowfall of the year. Even if it was only a dusting. He has been waiting awhile to get out there so he went out the first chance he got!!

5. Kylie sported her cute pjs to school for Pajama/Polar Express Day.

6. Gavo helped me make some cookies! He also gladly helped me eat them!

7. The kids made their first ever gingerbread house. Once again, Gav ate a lot of it and Kylie devoted a good hour to making sure it looked just perfect in her eyes!

8. Ky posing before school...

9. The kiddos in their Christmas pjs in front of the tree.

10. Kylie Rae before her preschool Christmas program. So proud of our big girl!

O Christmas Tree.

This was the first year that we decided to cut down our Christmas tree. The past few years, we've gotten a live, already-cut tree but made the decision to start a new tradition this year.

We lucked out and had a beautiful Saturday to do it in early December so after breakfast we headed to the tree farm to find our perfect tree.

I had to get a pic with the kids and the "deer sign"! For the past few months, Gav points out every deer sign he sees along the road. When we ask him what that sign means, he rattles off his scripted answer, "If there's a deer on the road, we not run into it with our car."

Heading to the trees...

Love those smiles!

They found some leftover pumpkins and they were thrilled!

Looking over the chosen tree!

Cutting her down...

And taking her home...

Halloween.

I've been a serious blog slacker. Not a lot of free time lately. This is busy photo season so I've been shooting and editing like crazy. My own photos have fallen to the wayside. I will slowly try to dig myself out of the hole but it may not happen since December is right around the corner! Whaa?!

So before we celebrate Thanksgiving, it's only right that I first share some of our Halloween fun.

This year the kids decided to be Jessie & Woody from Toy Story. Kylie decided early on that Jessie was the ideal choice (after a short Strawberry Shortcake consideration). Gav quickly made the executive decision then that he needed to be Woody. As a mommy of a girl and boy, I never get to put my kids in matchy clothes, so this was a moment.

They looked so cute!

Gav got to dress up for Kylie's preschool party, and if you couldn't tell from the gigantic "cheese" smile... he was thrilled!

That's the cutest Sheriff Woody I've ever seen.

And, he knows it.

Next up: Jessie the Cowgirl!

Love my little cowgirl!

At school, the kids got to "trick or treat" at the church offices.

Decorating their cupcakes for snack.

Unfortunately, we missed our neighborhood trick or treat (we were out of town for a wedding), so we decided to crash another neighborhood on the 31st so that the kids could do a little trick or treating. They didn't get to do it with their friends but they still had a great time!

Love this one! They ran up each driveway side-by-side and sometimes hand-in-hand!

(Note: Daddy's awesome wig-making skills!)

I think Gavin thought it was Neighborhood Candy Sweep. He literally sprinted from house to house like he was being timed.

One of my favorite photos ever!

My babies.