Holiday Season

I have not blogged in a very long time, and wanted to get back into the swing of things, especially since we have tons of fun holiday activities planned.

Over the weekend, my parents, sister, and nieces came to visit to partake in some holiday fun. Earlier this year, Meems said she wanted to take the girls to lunch with Santa, Candycane Lane, and a train ride with Santa. We chose to do it this weekend, since Alexandra Lynn was born 3 (almost 4) weeks early.




The fun weekend began with lunch with Santa, at the Hotel Hershey. It was beautiful. Very festive for the season. Poinsettias, trees, red/gold colors, a wonderful man coming around caroling with the kids, and Santa with the elves.




Emma is not too sure of Santa. She was hooked to pop most of the time.



Ellie on the other hand, LOVED Santa, Mrs. Clause, and the Elves.



When she wasn't dancing...


Jackson, well, we all know what he loves to do...


...he is really cute while doing it.


The entire family got their picture taken with Santa...it is great!! The kids were more than cooperative, and we now have a wonderful picture to provide a memory of the day. Not only did we get a great picture, but all the kids were given a stuffed bear, bag of kisses, and coloring papers. It was a great time.

At the end of the night, we went to Candycane Lane. The girls were able to ride a few rides, but it was cold and crowded. They were able to also see the reindeer.

Typically, Jackson is so laid back. However, the weekend for him, started with Conjunctivitis and a cold. So, it goes without saying, he was slightly fussy.

Sunday we culminated the weekend with a ride on the Strasburg Santa's Paradise Express. Grammi and Pa-Pa joined the ride. Again, Emma was clinging to daddy the entire time, while Ellie enjoyed visiting with Santa, and Jackson enjoyed the sights.








We had a great weekend!!! The entire weekend Emma and Ellie enjoyed the company of each other, I loved the help from my parents, and we were blessed with Meg and Allie (Cat- as Em calls her).


On another note, Tommy got his first win (and lose) of his head coaching experience. We are so proud of him!!

Christmas

Christmas is, hands down, one of my favorite times of the year!!

Soooo... I have started thinking about Christmas. More importantly I have contemplated the cards...I always go to Shutterfly. Over the past 5 years, I have used Shutterfly for my Christmas cards and uploading photos.

Shutterfly has the best selection of cards, calendars, and options for photo uploading. In the past, I have been able to upload my pictures to Shutterfly, and then use what I upload to create Christmas/holiday cards for family and friends. Not to mention, I love getting other photo cards from friends and family.

One nice thing about Shutterfly, is that by simply sharing all the wonderful things that Shutterfly offers, if you have a blog, they are offering an awesome deal of 50 free photo cards. Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… learn more: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

I can't wait to pick out my favorite Shutterfly card of the holiday season!! Family and friends are going to be thrilled when they see the Smith's holiday photo card!

Aside from that, I have thought about ornaments, and I have picked out the kids ornaments for the season. Thanks to my mom, I have now started the tradition of getting the kids an ornament each year.

I love my choices this year!!! You will see them when the tree goes up:)

Fun at the Park

Before daddy's football game, we all decided to go to the park to feed the ducks and have fun on the playground equipment. This park was the best.

Feeding the ducks was awesome! Em could throw the food in front of her and the ducks came swimming.

Or, she could stand still, and they would come stand next to her.

We had tons of bread, and went through it quickly with all the ducks that were around us.

After we went through the food, we went to the playground.

The swings were a hit with both kids. Emma loves her brother and he loves her. In each other's eyes, they hung the moon.

Between the slides and the swings, the kids had a great time.

We ended our wonderful fall, fun time at the park with a ride on the train.

Em no sooner got on, then she yelled, "All aboard." It was the cutest!

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend was the Sycamore Orchard Fall Festival, and we had decided early on we wanted to take the kids. I wish that Mimi and Pop were able to come down to come with us, but they are both busy, and I know it's not always easy to get away (just the two of them). We also wish that Grammi and Pa-Pa were able to come, but we know they always have things going on too.



So, Tommy and I decided to take the kids after church. However, church didn't work out because Jackson was asleep, and we did not feel comfortable waking him up. Before we left, we made sure we were all packed for the day, because it would have been too much coming and going for the kids to have to come back to the house to get things for Jeff and Jenna's.



The Orchard was great!! We started off with some lunch, and then got Em's face painted. We have been singing, "Halloween Cat, Halloween Cat. Why do you, why do you meow like that? Neither I nor the moon like your tune. So scat. Halloween Cat." Well...here's your Halloween Cat:)



After the face painting, we opted for the hayride. Em said she didn't want to do the hayride until...


we told her there were horse rides involved...how easily she can be bribed:)



Emma loved riding Wizard. She did a great job, and didn't even need to be told the rules of riding!



Jacks did a great job. He never fusses or cries. He is the best baby!!


We had a great time at the Orchard!

Jackson's Baptism

Today, Jackson was baptized. It was a great weekend all around. Mimi and Pop, Auntie Meggie, Uncle Josh, and Ellie came up yesterday and made a weekend out of it. We got fall decorations to make the house look festive, and Mimi brought some mums too.



We all were dressed in our finest for church, with Jackson in his gown. Grammi bought Jackson a beautiful white gown, that he decided to spit-up on a few times.


There were 6 other babies being baptized, so it wasn't a quick process. However, Jackson was GREAT!! He didn't fuss, and even slept on Mimi during the service. Emma cried a little bit, saying she wanted to go home, but Mimi took her to the back of the church and she was fine.

Father John gave a wonderful mass, and even better baptism ceremony. He commented on how his middle name is Jackson, so Jackson has a great name:)








Everyone came over to the house after the service, and Mimi, Grammi, and Aunt Laurie made a wonderful spread of food. We had to get Jackson's cake made a few times, as it wasn't made to my standards the first time.


We LOVE it when everyone comes over. Emma loves her cousin Ellie, they are best friends, and all the kids love their Mimi and Pop!!




P.S. Check out Ellie's smile.