A Stone Mountain New Years

We decided to head to Stone Mountain for New Years.  We went down New Years Eve and did the Stone Mtn. Christmas.  It was beautiful.  We started with the Summit Skyride to the top which the kids loved.  We were amongst the many others who ventured there for the holiday.  Sigh.  Don't know that I'll do that again.

Keatyn decided she wanted to be held for the 45 minute wait in line.  And kept demanding, very loudly, for her lovee and bobby.  She's nothing if not persistent.  At that point, it's all about survival. :)

The snow tubing course from the top of Stone Mountain.  We were excited!

King of the World!

After that, we grabbed some dinner and caught the Polar Express 4D show.  It was a 20 minute theater show with lots of extras...wind, rain, snow and strobe lights.

We headed to the hotel to hit the pool, which was a huge success.  Trace met some new buddies, but they were tubing at 9 a.m. the next morning so once they left the pool he was ready to go back up and eat.  Jimmy stayed down with Keatyn and some older girls played tag with her in the pool for an hour and a half.  He said she had a ball!  He kept sending me texts saying he didn't have the heart to make her leave, that I'd have to come get her out. 

Saying our New Year's prayers...

We had a tubing time of 1 o'clock so we got up, ate breakfast and hit the indoor pool one last time.

We had no idea what to expect as far as how wet and cold we'd get.  It turned out to be a pretty mild day around 50 degrees, so we ended up taking stuff off and trying to find a pocket to stick it in.  At one point, I crammed my gloves down into my boots because I'd run out of room.

The escalator to the top was very nice!

There were 2 courses.  The individual tubes and the family tube.  Trace was tall enough to do it by himself but we ended up doing the family tube the most.  The kids loved it!

After that, we headed over to the Snow Zone where you can just play in the snow, build snowmen and throw snowballs. 

They had a little kiddie run that Keatyn loved.  She jumped off her tube and tried to run back up it to her daddy after her first run.  He pushed her so hard she ran smack into the blow up stopper.  That kid is so tough.

We'll be back Stone Mountain! 

It was a great little family get away and the perfect way to start 2014!

Tis the Season 2013

So this should really be about 5 separate posts, but laziness has prevailed and I'm lumping them into one generic "Tis the Season."  
(Which may take you all of next season to read.)  

Consider yourself warned.  

And another FYI... there are WAY too many pictures of my adorable children doing Christmassy things.  I'll try to learn to filter in 2014.  Seriously, you can turn back at any time.

We started off the season the Sunday after Thanksgiving with a family trip to Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights. 

 I adore my sister-in-law and her love of doing all things adventure, living life to the fullest, up for anything attitude.  She, in fact, texted me about wanting to go! Much to my brother and husband's dismay, we have now made this an annual family event.  We, the social butterflies/always ready for a party, the men, the not so muches.  We're the ying to their yang. ;)

I LOVE how Trace has his hand on her back like the protective big brother.  So sweet!

Sadly, this was the only Santa picture of the year. BOO!  I took them to the board of realtors after this, all dressed up and looking cute, and she wouldn't get within 5 feet of the man in red.  I don't understand the difference, but there's no logic in a 2-year-old's logic. 

We hadn't been to the Enchanted Garden of Lights since this little girly was in my belly in 2010.  I remember nearly getting stuck in the Fat Man's Squeeze.  It's hard to believe she'll be 3 in a few weeks.

We were quickly reminded how terrifying it was there with wild little children, when the "guard" walls that keep you from plummeting over the bluff come to your shins.  Holy cow!  I needed 2 leashes and a Xanax to get through that place.

 A few days later, Rick and Sheila came for a visit and we all went to dinner.  But before, we actually got a decent family picture for Sisty's Christmas card.  It was a Christmas miracle!!

 Just that morning, I got a wild hair and decided to darken my hair.  I dropped the kids off at school as a blonde, and picked them up as a brunette.  Keatyn wouldn't even come to me.  She seemed tramatized.  Trace never even noticed. Even after staring at the back of my head for 20 minutes on the way home from school.  Hours later, as I was putting him to bed we had this conversation... "Mom, you're hair's brown."  "Yes it is, do you like it?"  
"Nah, I like it better yellow."   Such a man.

 On the 14th, we had the Gaston Family Christmas at my parent's house.  Sadly, we were missing nearly all of my generation cousins to either being out of towns, prior commitments, and Cara being in Vietnam on her World Race.  (We figured since she's roaming through 3rd world countries with only a backpack teaching children about Jesus, she'd get a free pass this year.)

The little ones loved playing in the basement.

The big ones loved sitting by the fire watching basketball.

The next day, my girlfriends from college got together for our annual Gingerbread House making party.  I love our tradition and watching our little guys grow through the years.  Keatyn was snotty so she missed the party.  :(

Eight dollar premade gingerbread kits from WalMart in place of old soured milk cartons and broken graham crackers.  Best decision evah!!

That beautiful house nearly didn't survive the 1,672 speed bumps leaving Jill's neighborhood, but was a lovely addition to our Christmas decor once we finally got it home. :)

On the 16th, Keatyn had her preschool Christmas program.  The same one they've been doing since Trace was this age. So I knew it verbatim.  Trace and Abram sat on the front row and Keatyn never took her eyes off of them.  Carrie told me later, she could see Trace mouthing the words and doing all the motions to "Mary, Had a Baby Boy" and "Old Gray Donkey" trying to get Keatyn to sing.  She had a little stage fright.  It was so precious!

Lily, her adorable neighbor, had a complete meltdown. ;(  So, a little stage fright at 2's not bad!

Daddy's girl!

Next up was Lucas, starring as an apparently very sleepy Joseph.  When asked about his "big role" he shrugged... "Hmmm, I just say 'Come on Mary' and carry the suitcase."  Love him.

Trace's Christmas party at school was great!  They rotated between all 3 classes playing games, decorating mugs, and eating.

Christmas Eve was at my parent's house.  We all got to meet sweet Gunner.  Nothing's more precious than a new baby at Christmas!  I loved seeing Nanny get to hold her 5th great-grandchild.  What a blessing!

Keatyn told everyone that asked, all season long, that Santa was bringing her a puppy dog for Christmas.  NO PRESSURE!  Jimmy and I are getting close, really close, but we just couldn't pull the trigger yet.  Maybe for their birthdays!!  For now, Flo will have to do.  I would bring that dog home with me in a second!

On Christmas Eve, Cheeky the Elf, bid farewell until next year with a reminder of the true reason for the season!!  We had so much fun with him.  I'm hoping that magic continues for my big boy next year. ;)

Then Santa came... and brought WAY too much!

Waiting is the worst...

Skylanders Swapforce.  BY FAR the favorite present of the year.  I'm already ready to return it.

Poor Jimmy was still feeling cruddy (he missed Christmas Eve at Nana's) so after we opened Santa, the kids and I loaded up with Grandaddy and Sisty for Alabama.  Christmas just isn't Christmas without our Alabama peeps.  I'm SO glad we got to go.

My Joseph and little angel ready for the annual Christmas story play.

Sweet Hannah reading the Christmas story from the Bible.

Joseph was very, very psyched over baby Jesus' birth.

Love these cousins...

I'll tell ya, sometimes my own ideas about kill me.  In Walgreens a few weeks ago, I found some Gingerbread Trains.  I mean the house was soooo easy, so I thought, how hard can a train be?!?  Yet another Christmas miracle we got those stinkin' things put together.  But, oh the memories...

With the exception of Jimmy being sick, it was the perfect holiday season.  We spent time with the people we love most and celebrated the birth of our Savior.  We are so incredibly blessed!  Hope you had a very Merry as well!!