Globetrotters

John took Ella and Sam to see the Harlem Globetrotters when they were in town.  Sam had such a good time when they went two years ago he thought they would both enjoy going this time.  They loved it!  They came home and couldn't stop talking about all the crazy antics they saw during the game.  John said they were laughing almost the whole time.  They are still talking about it two months later.  

Negro League Museum

Sam decided that instead of going to Union Station to watch the kids ride the train he would hang out with Al, Scott and Aiden who were going to The Negro League Museum.  He had a great time with them.  He told me he learned a lot while he was there.  They also managed to talk Uncle Al in to taking them to Winsteads for lunch and letting Aiden and Sam order the skyscraper sundae, which they finished.  Scott said a lot of that was Sam and a little was Aiden, I am not surprised.  They had a great guys day!  

All Aboard

Christy decided she would like to take Kylie, Cameron and Declan to Union Station to ride the train.  Ella and I decided we would tag along for the day and then maybe I could take the girls to Kaleidoscope after the train and lunch.  After a very round about travel to get to the train, since they were setting up the front half of the room for their New Year's Eve party, the kids all climbed aboard.  The little ones really seemed to enjoy themselves.  They were all smiles each time they came around.  After a second ride for the younger three we looked around at all the model trains that they had set up in the area.  There were some neat displays.  
Next, it was time to keep with the theme and head to a train lunch at Fritz's.  The only problem was once we arrived back at Crown Center we realized everyone else had the same idea.  Christy and Jono decided to take the younger boys to the other Fritz's while my mom and I took Kylie and Ella over to Kaleidoscope.  The girls had a great time creating crafts.  We got there a little late for the session and they were disappointed when their time ran out so we will definitely have to make a return trip sometime soon.  

Trying to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time proved impossible.

Someone is trying to make hers look just like her big cousins. 

Allie and Claire

The highlight of this years Christmas was finally getting to meet Allie and Claire.  We never made it out to North Carolina and were so excited to get to hug and kiss on those sweet girls.  Jono, Laura, Declan, Allie and Claire were scheduled to come to Kansas City on Christmas Day but since the weather was bad they actually drove up Christmas Eve which allowed us to get to spend time with them before everyone else came over the next day.   Between our time on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the next few days then coming back to KC later in the week we were able to get in a lot of snuggles.  We also enjoyed our time with Declan although we weren't able to get in any snuggles with him since he only wanted mom or dad nearby.  It was fun to watch him play and talk and to see how much he has grown.

Merry Day

Seven-thirty was the time that was set to wake up and see what gifts Santa had brought on Christmas Eve.  I set my alarm for 7:20 to give me a few minutes to wake up before beginning the day.  About 7:28 I received a text from Sam asking if he and Ella could come to the living room yet.  Much different than the old days when we ran to my parents bedroom in the morning.  
I went and got the kids and we saw what Santa brought.  Ella got a new American Girl Doll, Mary Ellen, and an outfit for her.  Sam got a new pair of Beats headphones.  They were both excited about there gifts.  There were a few gifts to open from Mom and Dad but not many since Sam's gift was mostly his trip to Yellowstone this coming summer and Ella had already picked out a new bike she wanted.  
After our gifts at home we got ready and headed to Kansas City.  We had a small Christmas with my parents, Christy, Dale, Kylie and Cameron and then got ready for the rest of the family to arrive.  It was a great day in a house full of people.  Everyone enjoyed food, presents and family.  It was the kind of day that makes my heart feel full.  

Christmas Crafting

Ella continued her tradition of making something for everyone for Christmas this year.  I searched the wonderful world of Pinterest and came up with a collection of ideas for her to choose from for her project.  She chose to make snowman jars.  I thought finding all of the materials would be pretty simple and most were but finding the fake snow proved to be difficult.  
I learned a very valuable lesson.  If you want to make a Christmas craft you should by Christmas specific materials a few weeks before the holiday.  When Ella and I visited Michael's and Hobby Lobby a few days before the big event we realized that everything was already marked down and the supply was very limited.  We thought we were probably going to have to wait to use the mason jars we already purchased until next year when I thought maybe we could use Epsom salt instead, so we headed to Wal-mart.  What do you know?  There Christmas supplies there were still much larger than the craft stores and they had just what we needed.  
That night we set to work making the snowmen jars.  It was definitely a messy project and required some adult help but Ella did a great job.  I think that the snowmen turned out really cute and Ella loved having something to give to everyone Christmas Day.  

First Noel

Our first Christmas celebration this year was with the Lowes.  We headed down to Springfield the Saturday before Christmas.  Shortly after we arrived Ella was anxious to open gifts so that is what we did.  The gifts then provided entertainment for the rest of the day.  Sam, Caleb and Ella played outside with Sam's tailgate games and Ella worked on a lot of her craft projects she received.  Sarah helped her put together a loom and she made a whole purse that weekend.  Ella also got pearler beads that provided a lot of fun craft time for everyone.  
Sunday morning started with a huge breakfast.  Dana made eggs, bacon, hash browns and sausage, John made gravy and I made pancakes.  Dana said this is the tradition when Hannah comes home from college.  We all definitely got our fill that morning.  Sunday evening Sam went to spend the night with his friend Lucas and the rest of us did the traditional sugar cookie decorating.  There were a lot of laughs and some good and not so good cookies made.  
Since John and the kids didn't have work or school we were able to stay around most of the day Monday.  Everyone met at Nakato at 4:30 for an early dinner to finish our holiday. It was a great time spent with family.