thanksgiving and Christmas mash-up

Ay!  We've been crazy busy around here since just before Thanksgiving ... but who hasn't!?!  I never did blog about our lovely Thanksgiving, and we've already had our immediate family Christmas!  This time of year, I always get overwhelmed, and I stop blogging until late January ... when I finally feel bad ... and post one HUGE, long, and exceedingly paralyzing blog to read.  This year, I am going to try to attempt a few shorter blogs ... throughout the season to avoid this disaster.

We were blessed this Thanksgiving to host a lot of friends and family.  Billy's parents came down to celebrate Thanksgiving and Colton's birthday with us.  We really enjoyed having them around!  We had quite a spread of food.  I tend think we need to feed an army ... and we always seem to have more than enough delicious food to eat.  We hosted Billy's parents, his sister Brenda's family, Caleb & Elizabeth, our friends the Adams', and Jan.  We had 11 adults and 5 kids!  It was nice spending time with everyone and enjoying the potluck of tastiness.  We had to take a little nap that afternoon, and of course, a walk, as well!  After that, I headed out to do some Black Friday shopping with my friend, Gwendy.  We tore it up, as I got over 90% of my shopping completed by Black Friday ... and I pretty much finished it all off by the end of Cyber Monday.  That always takes a lot of stress off of me for the rest of December.

The beautiful sun setting on our nice evening Thanksgiving walk. 

Cole wanted to help by walking Jezzy ... Brenda's dog.  He did a pretty good job!  Here's a progression of pictures.

My kids love to climb trees, and we have two perfect trees for their current size in our front yard.  Koki is just becoming a tree climber ... as Colton mastered that skill last year.  He is showing her how to be a better tree climber every day!

It's quite possible that this girl will be a gymnast!  She is so strong ... and loves to swing from anything she can swing from.  What a little monkey!

After Thanksgiving and Colton's birthday, I thought life would take a slower pace ... but alas, it has not!  As I wrote in my last blog, we took a train to the "North Pole" to meet Santa.  It was a super fun night at the Florida Railway Museum.

The next week, we had MOMs Club events, the gym, and projects ... always more projects to be done.  Billy was really feeling like some holiday treats, so I made fudge on Sunday evening of last week.  On Monday, we made and decorated Christmas cookies!  Billy is very good at being efficient while decorating.  He slaps on some icing and sprinkles on some birthday ball sprinkles ... and voila!  He has made a ton of delicious (although boring looking) cookies.  Colton puts WAY too much icing on his cookies ... while Koki was pretty happy to be eating icing right off of the spoon out of the icing bowls.  She didn't really get the "decorating" part at first!  We did have a lot of fun making cookies as a family, and I enjoy that part the most!

Ready to start!

Big spoonful of icing for Koki.

His first cookie of the year all decorated!

This is how she sprinkles the cookies ... she puts the bottle right into the frosting on the cookie.  

Enjoying their efforts by eating their cookies!

Colton's angel, and Koki hard at work!

Here's Koki's sprinkle bottle!

Colton ate a red hot!  He wanted a drink of water!  

BEFORE

AFTER!

On Tuesday, we went to visit Santa Claus at the Ice Palace at the International Plaza Mall.  Colton and Koki were very excited to see Santa.  At the Ice Palace, they have "snow" falling everywhere.  It's really a terrible idea.  It's not bubbles or something that fades away ... it's little bits of this fake stuff that sticks to their hair ... and looks a lot like dandruff!  And all of it falls right before you meet Santa! Not that bright. And of course, the kids enjoyed the snow the most!  Colton was very excited to sit on Santa's lap and ask him for "cars", but Koki had to be convinced that he was an okay guy ... she sat on his lap with promises of a candy cane treat when she was finished ... if she didn't cry.  She did a great job, and she wished Santa a "Merry Christmas!" ... after she asked him for "Barbies", of course!

Playing in the snow!

The loved it!

Meeting Santa Claus ... a pretty good picture this year!

How do they measure up to Polar Bears?

They even got a little picture with their Mommy!

On Thursday last week, Billy and I had his work holiday party.  It was really fun to get dressed up and to go out just the two of us.  The party was held at the Marriott Waterside Hotel and Resort in downtown Tampa.  It was very beautiful, and there was so much amazing food!  They had dancing (which was odd for an Adventist party ... but it's a doctor party, too ... and most of them aren't Adventist).  It was so cute to see the older couples dancing away to Christmas music!  The band they had was amazing, and we really enjoyed our night out together!

Me and my Bud!

Happy Holidays!

32 Weeks ... all dressed up in heels!  I'm lucky I feel so great!

A super cool GIANT gingerbread house they hotel had on display.

On Saturday night, we continued our tradition (started the year Colton was born) of reading the story of Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve.  Colton loves to hear the story of the small donkey.  After that, the kids prepared for the coming of Santa by getting some cookies out on our Santa cookie plate and grabbing a Mt. Dew for the big guy. At our house, Santa has specifically asked for no milk and yes to Mt. Dew ... and cookies with birthday sprinkles!  Santa is a really picky guy!  After we put out the cookies and Mt. Dew, we went outside to sprinkle the reindeer food we made at the "North Pole" on the lawn, so the reindeer would smell it and know to come to our house for treats, too.

The next day, we celebrated Christmas with our family.  Koki's big gift was getting a play kitchen.  She was pretty excited, but she was, also, very happy with her Barbies and especially a Woody doll that she got.  The stroller was one of her favorites, too!  Colton's big gift was a Buzz Lightyear doll ... he, also, loved his cars and a Toothless the Dragon figure.  I think they were both pretty happy kids!  We had a fun family day together, and the Chiefs gave me the best gift of the day ... they tromped the Raiders ... after the Broncos lost to the Chargers on Thursday.  What a Christmas in the Heinrich house!  The Vikings even won ... though, I'm not sure that was a good thing!  (Can you say, DRAFT PICK?)  All in all, we had a very Merry Christmas, and we look forward to flying to Kansas City for the holidays this year.  Hope everyone has a great and safe Christmas!

The start of Christmas Eve (early in our house)!

Prepared ...

I love these little ones ... they are just too cute for words!

Big Bro and Little Sis 

Sprinkling reindeer food ...

All of the food mixed with glitter flying onto our lawn. 

Oh, Santa ... what yummy treats for you!

Merry Christmas!

Ready to be opened!

She wore this "Hello Kitty" back pack most of the morning.  I guess she likes it! 

Goofy girl loves her Barbies!

Some gifts from Grandpa & Grandma Heinrich.

So cute! 

Billy loves his new license plate frame!  Thank you, Debbie! 

Too excited about this stroller!

This boy loves Ice Age ... and now he has all of the movies!

Thank you, Mom & Dad Bourland for this great shirt!

Some food for her kitchen!

She put these new shoes from Grandpa & Grandma Heinrich on all by herself and wore them ALL DAY!  She loves them!

She wanted to drink out of this water bottle from Grandpa & Grandma Bourland immediately! 

He LOVES it!

And she LOVES her doll, too!

This is my puzzle boy ... good job, Grandpa & Grandma Bourland!

Opening his Toothless the Dragon!

Thank you Aunt Brenda & Uncle Gerson ... this is too cute!

Koki's kitchen present ... all ready for her to open.

She wasn't too sure she wanted to open it.  I think when we said this is a very special gift from Santa just for her ... she thought Santa might be under there.  She wouldn't open it without Daddy!

Hiding behind Daddy. 

Oh, it's a kitchen!  Cool!

And she LOVES it!