Kinley, Ava & Miles: Gingerbread Houses, The Polar Express, Christmas and Recital!

Ava and Miles Christmas morning after opening their gifts....decided they would try out their new sleeping bags. This lasted about 2 minutes, if even.

Miles on Ava's "Dora Bike" that she got from Santa. It's a good thing she isn't looking!

If this isn't a pose, I don't know what is!

Ava really enjoying writing her name on their new easel.

Miles' new ride that Santa brought him. (Ava made sure to let Santa Claus know what to bring Miles this year!)

Toys assembled and placed under the tree: CHECK, Stockings stuffed: CHECK, Cookies and Milk eaten (but crumbs left for effect): CHECK, Magic reindeer food (oats and red glitter) swept up (eaten by reindeer) off back deck: CHECK.......Santa(s) is exhausted!!

Four Generations

Getting pictures of them Christmas Eve before stains/premature disrobing/transitioning to pajamas/etc. takes place. Note: the aforementioned happens rather quickly (ie. in the car, on the way over)

Ava and her cousin Maddie at Papa Gary and Mimi's eating some of the treats from the stockings that Santa left for them at his house!

He has the world's sweetest smile!

She is using small Christmas stockings for pot holders!! Very creative...it reminds me of the time when my wrist was broken. I was in the shower and Ava was in the bathroom sitting on the toilet talking to me. When I got out I noticed she had taken an empty toilet paper roll and slid it over her wrist. She looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I broke my wrist too!".

Ava LOVING the microwave that Papa Gary and Mimi got her! She never pays any attention to her Dora kitchen......hmmmm...looks like she is going to end up cooking like her Momma!

Kinley rolling in her Christmas cash!

Ava's first gift of the year came from her stocking at MeMaw and Papa's....her "Baby Jaguar". She sleeps with it and it rides in the car with us, etc....

Miles' favorite gift from MeMaw and Papa's had to be his Aircraft Carrier! Not sure who loves it more, Papa, Daddy or Miles (or Ava!).

Ava in her Christmas recital!

My fault, it was cold that day and I forgot to remove her leg warmers! At least they matched!

She is next to last on the left.

Miles hanging out at Jingle Bells and Gingerbread, where Ava's dance class performed their Christmas number in advance of the actual recital. He is looking more and more like a little boy and less like a baby! :-(

Ava with her precious friend Nadia performing at Jingle Bells and Gingerbread!

She just spotted me, Brad, Miles and Nana in the front row watching! So proud of herself (but not NEARLY as proud as we were!).

Sitting quietly with her group, waiting to go out and perform!

Our Tree (pre-Santa visit). We DID have one under it that we had wrapped for Granny, but Ava saw it and carried it into the kitchen to us and with WIDE eyes asked, "Where did THIS come from?" So, after a crazy explanation, we decided no gifts until Santa gets here.

Shopped til they dropped! HA!!

Jay's birthday party at Jump Zone! Parties there are the best! His party was a great time!

Miles and his CRAZY rock and roll, Alfred Einstein hair! (We love it!)

Going through the squeeze on the T-Rex inflatable!

Ava going through the T-Rex inflatable. She has gotten to the point that she only needs help actually getting into this one (the entrance is about 3 feet off the ground). Once she is in, she can now get through/climb the whole thing by herself!

That's a very serious look for Jump Zone....we are thinking, "TIRED".

I was talked into this one, but then persuaded them to go down together by themselves.

And they LOVED it!!

She is getting SO big!!!

Miles going down by himself! He is such a big boy....and NO FEAR! (yikes, another one)

I think he is actually airborne in this one! Of course, he only weighs about 21 pounds (and Ava is 27 pounds!)

Great shot of Brad with the kids after going down the slide.

Ava's school Christmas party. These are two of her favorite friends at school, Jayden and Seni'a! Ava has been in the same class with them for almost 2 years! They sang, "We wish you a Merry Christmas" and did such a good job!

"Santa" made a guest appearance at the party and gave each child a gift. Ava was the first to go up and went without much hesitation in front of all the other classes. Brad and I were there and were impressed that she went. Afterward, she needed to go potty, so we went down the hall to her room and she brought her wrapped gift. She tossed the gift onto her desk and, in the most pitiful voice, with the most pitiful look, said, "Santa didn't bring me a Dora Bike. He brought me that" pointing to the gift. And then she slowly, dramatically walked into the bathroom with her head drawn. It's funny I know, but at the time, I almost cried. I had to run explain to her that Santa would bring her Dora Bike to her house on Christmas Eve, but that he was just giving a small gift at her party because the teachers asked him to. I also told her that it wouldn't be fair for her to get a big Dora Bike at the party and everyone else get a small gift, so he would bring it to the house. God love her. She bought it. But apparently, she had been sitting there stewing over the fact that he had stiffed her for at least 20 minutes!

And I thought she would NEVER get hair!

We took the kids to Branson for a ride on the Polar Express. They loved it! Actually, we ALL loved it! We have decided to make it an annual Christmas tradition. The kids loved the movie and had been watching since Thanksgiving (maybe a little before).

Our reserved table in our car in first class (totally worth the extra $10)!

Everyone was dressed up like in the movie and the played the music from the movie overhead in the cars. Early in the ride, the conductor read the book and a waiter held the book in each car.

Then, just like in the movie, they served hot cocoa (while playing the song from the movie). In first class they served it in official Polar Express ceramic mugs that you got to keep. Everyone got all you can drink/eat hot cocoa/cookies.

So pretty! They kids were encouraged to wear their pajamas (like in the movie), but Kinley decided to wear regular clothes like the adults. (actually there were a few adults in Jammies.....ewe, not many adults look as cute as children do in "Jammies")

Multiple times during the 1.5 hour ride, more waiters came with jingle bells in their hands and lead the car in Christmas carols (very loud, but very fun for all!). In this shot, Ava just noticed that Santa and Mrs. Claus boarded our car! Earlier in the ride, we passed "The North Pole" and there were many elves (actual people) doing acrobatics and building toys at the North Pole Train Station.....Mr. and Mrs. Claus were there too waving at us...then the conductor announced that we were stopping to pick them up...

Ava got to tell Santa about her Dora Bike and that Miles wanted a CARS Car. He and Mrs. Claus also gave her a jingle bell straight from his sleigh! (just like in the movie)

Miles was absolutely in AWE of Santa!! He could NOT stop staring at him.

My sweet baby!!! He was so good! Actually, all 3 of them were perfect the whole trip!

Ava's jingle bell that Santa gave her from his sleigh!

Sugared up on hot cocoa and cookies!

We took MULTIPLE pictures to get our Christmas card photos this year. The one above is in response to me announcing that we were FINISHED taking pictures! She is yelling, "TaDa!" Bahaha!

Such a pretty girl!

Our kiddos!

Can you believe how big she is getting????

Cutie Patootie!

How many people does it take to build a Gingerbread House? Actually, more than you would think. Andrew was putting it together with the icing and the rest of us were trying to keep the pieces in place, very poorly, I might add.

But a great time was had by all!! Even Miles got in on the action. Next year Miles and Olivia may have to have one of their own!

Very proud of themselves!

They disappeared for a while and it got quiet. I went looking for them and this is what I found in our bathroom! Ava explained that their hands were sticky and they needed to wash their hands. I would have loved to have heard the conversation they were having before I walked in with the camera!