advent goings and doings

Good Saturday Morning to you, my few loyal readers! :) Since my last post, we have done all sorts of Christmassy things. Our Advent calendar has guided several opportunities to serve and do for others, as well as surprised the kiddos with fun plans.

Included in the goings and doings of the last few weeks... 

We have finished up our shopping, including picking out a nice dog bed and new collar for Mollie. It was really important to my babies, especially since losing Chloe, to have Christmas gifts for our sweet black dog. They had to test out the bed (on the floor in Walmart):

We have spent several afternoons popping popcorn (on the stove!) and watching movies. I have to tell you, now that I know how to do it the real way and it tastes so much better, I don't think I'll ever go back to the microwave. Love these faces:

We attended Christmas on the Square in downtown Sandersville. We've never been, as that is always the same night (first Thursday of December) as the district pastors' Christmas party. This year, Joe went solo to that, and I took Hannah and Joseph to participate in the children's parade. 

{Dinner at Waffle House afterwards...always a treat!}

We had some friends over for a last-minute get-together. Joe did custom pizzas and it was perfectly laid-back and fun.

Joseph was my big helper in tree decorating; we hung all the ornaments on the big playroom tree in no time. And only broke four or so. 

Hannah had a few Oratorical Club performances, one at a civic club and two at the school. She is doing well and enjoying that. We like that it gives her exposure to people of various ages and ups her confidence in public speaking. The students range from kindergarten to second grade and Hannah's teacher, who she adores, is one of the advisors.

We had snow. No, not snow. Sand. Lots of sand dumped and spread around our front and side yards to even them out. Ever since our new driveway was put in, we've had issues and need to backfill. There were also holes here and there from the massive trees that have been taken down in the last few years. Don't worry, you know I took a video for Joseph to see the Bobcat moving the sand all around. 

The kids liked how it looked like it snowed at our house and have had a great time playing in the sand... 

On one recent afternoon I looked out the kitchen window (while peeling a cutie for Joseph), to see something moving way up in the magnolia tree. It was my little monkey girl. It about freaked me out, but once I saw she was ok and having a grand old time, I grabbed my phone to take pictures.

{Granddaddy started her climbing on that tree when he was here for a visit earlier in the year. I knew she climbed on it when out in the backyard, but I had no idea how high she went up. That child is going to keep me on my toes...}

We squeezed in a super-short but fun trip last weekend, visiting with family and playing in Savannah. 

Going to see the Salvation Army House of Lights is a Christmas tradition in our family. We park the car and walk around a display that spans three houses.

{Unfortunately, Joseph got sick that night with what we thought was food poisoning but later realized was a stomach bug. I got it, too, and it was a hard one to shake.}

Saturday morning, after a family pancake breakfast out, we took Hannah ice skating for the very first time! Nobody fell and she loved it!

Then we picked up Joseph and headed out to Burnside Island where we played at Gran Gran and Poppy's and took full advantage of the beautiful weather by having lunch on the dock.

Between the dock and the garage door, Joseph had a ball! Neither child wanted to leave. But, we had made plans to meet Meme at the mall for mani/pedis and that was awesome! (I can't remember my last...a year ago, maybe?!)

We arrived in Savannah on Friday afternoon and left after 8 o'clock Saturday night. It was a short stay, but we packed in a lot of fun. Before leaving, Meme surprised me with a little early-birthday celebration. Hannah and Joseph were very excited about the cake and watching me unwrap some presents.

We also gave Stella her presents! 

I'm thankful Joe convinced me to go to Savannah. I really didn't want to give up a quiet weekend at home to wrap presents and be lazy, but I'm glad I did. The next morning was our Christmas Cantata at church. Both Joe and I joined the choir to sing. 

Then came this week, the last week of school. Joseph's class went on a field trip to the Milledgeville library to see Santa on Monday. I "stealed him away" and we went to run errands and have lunch with his friend, Weston and my friend, Rebecca, before heading back home. 

...Which brought even more excitement, because the demolition of Daddy's office was underway and we got to watch it!!

The construction superintendent gave them both bricks...highly treasured souvenirs from many memories spent at Joe's office for the last 4 1/2 years. 

Hannah had a Polar Express party at school, for which to attend she had to earn a "golden ticket" with good behavior. Joseph also had a Polar Express viewing and both had their class parties. While Joseph unwrapped a gift I brought for him, the big kids in kindergarten got to do a swap.

...Hannah even talked me into going on the playground with her class yesterday. (It was so cold!)

Yesterday afternoon in the Advent calendar there was a last-day-of-school surprise: a trip to Milledgeville to see the new Chipmunks movie. It was their first time going to the movies and they were thrilled! After we dropped Joe off to swim some laps, I drove the kids through one of those moving car washes. Also a first...they were excited, and hysterical:

The movie was entertaining and we all enjoyed it. Of course, we also loved the popcorn and candy.

And now it's the Saturday before Christmas! A true stay-home day. A chance for me, still in my pajamas, to write this update and do some things around the house. Tomorrow is a really busy day. 

hannah is SIX!! {an american girl birthday}

I had to make sure there were wrapped presents, as promised, when Hannah got home from school on the 8th (the day before her birthday). A few were from us and I wrapped a few from Gran Gran and Poppy and Granddaddy that were shipped here. I found this paper on my last trip to TJ Maxx. Have you ever bought their wrapping supplies? The paper is awesome! Good quality…and it's cheap, which is always good. I love the colorful dots. Kinda screams Hannah if you ask me.

So, there they were, sitting pretty until the next day. The 9th was a Wednesday and the start of our Wednesday night church small group studies, meaning the afternoon/evening was busy. But, we packed just about everything we could into the day…

For the first time since the first day of school, the kids ate breakfast at home. Cinnamon rolls, her favorite!

{Side story, now that she is in kindergarten, she is going straight into the cafeteria and eating breakfast in the mornings before going to her classroom at 8:00. Since I have been walking Joseph to his classroom, I walk through the cafeteria on my way out, sit with Hannah for a few minutes, and then leave. Some days, especially at first, I was sitting with her while she ate and then walking with her to the classroom. I just couldn't bear to leave my Monkey when I'd walk in and see her eating at a table by herself. My heart would leap as I saw my little love sitting there so sweetly surrounded my no one. She insisted she liked eating alone. She's not much of a morning person and prefers to have that time by herself (or with me). Now, the teachers overseeing breakfast have all the kids eating at the same tables, so she isn't totally alone. Still, I can't help myself, and at least have to go kiss her. The day when I drop them both off at the curb is coming soon enough… But anyway, I wanted her birthday breakfast to be special.}

Joe and I picked up Zaxby's and came to the school to join her for lunch. We caught her in the hallway heading to the cafeteria, and after learning that we couldn't eat our lunch in there (outside food is allowed in lunch boxes, but apparently bringing food in at lunchtime is not. Or maybe it's fast food…? I don't know.), her teacher offered the classroom to us. We grabbed Joseph on the way and had a private little family lunch.

While we waiting on Hannah's class to return from lunch, we were entertained.

She likes this twirly Polo dress.

Soon it was time for cupcakes and Capri Suns. Mrs. May has a cute birthday routine and we got to see it all play out for the first time, as Hannah has the earliest birthday in the class. Hannah stood at the front of the room on the rug and called out 6 of her classmates ("candles") to join her.  They formed a circle around her acting as candles on a cake, the whole room sang Happy Birthday, and then Hannah blows the "candles" out, one by one the kids falling to the ground. They had a grand old time and it was so funny. They all loved it, especially Joseph!

We left and I had about an hour before heading back to the school at pickup. On the drive home, I asked the birthday girl if she was interested in opening presents…

That was a YES!!! We opened a few while waiting on Daddy and Skyped with Granddaddy.

Then she opened her Elsa dress from Joseph…

…and her American Girl "Truly Me" doll.

She was a bit overwhelmed. I filmed the whole thing thinking she'd flip out and she was so quiet. Just speechless. I guess she didn't really think she'd get one. It was really cute. Love at first sight. Since the doll looks like her, she choose the name Maddalena (her first middle name). Hannah also got the lavender girl-sized dress to match.

Uncle Will Will, Aunt Crystal and Stella FaceTimed her.

She heard from all of her grandparents, aunts and uncles, godparents and friends. She received lots of cards and a few presents in the mail, too.

Perhaps the cutest part of the whole day was her excitement in getting the grocery-store cake she requested. A month prior when we were out for a walk, talking about her birthday, she told me she wanted a Harvey's cake. Specifically she wanted, "a yellow cake with chocolate icing, with a pink ribbon around it with a bow, and pink and blue kinda sunflowers". Well, there are no blue flowers, and they aren't exactly sunflowers, but the cake lady was off that week and I had to get another employee to tweak the one off the shelf for me. I guess it was just fine; Hannah was ecstatic when she saw it that afternoon! {During the same conversation when I was trying to get her to tell me what all she might like for her birthday, her answers were "American Girl doll, Lego stuff, and an Elsa dress."}

After church, we came home and had a little party.

The kids got a kick out of the unintentional trick candles we put on the cake. I didn't know we had trick candles, but a couple of them kept lighting back up. She and Joseph thought it was hilarious.

The next day, Thursday, Maddalena was ready to greet Hannah when she got home from school.

That night, Joe and I (and Meme on FaceTime) told her we were leaving after school the next day for a birthday surprise trip to Atlanta. We hit the road shortly after 3, dropping Chloe and Mollie off to board with Mrs. Ice, the lady that loves our dogs as much as we do.

We got to the restaurant, Benihana, and Hannah changed into her selected outfit. The custom-made Fancy Nancy Dress from her 4th birthday. It was a little short, but I didn't want to say no. She loves how it twirls…

Dinner was fun and yummy. Both kids love restaurants where they "cook on the table" and tend to eat really good, too. Hannah opened some presents from Meme, including her pearl necklace with 6 new pearls added, and outfits for her doll (an Elsa and an Anna costume!!). She also opened a doll carrier from Uncle Will Will and Aunt Crystal and a gift card from Aunt Sarah and Aunt Betsy. She was over-the-moon and we hadn't even gotten to the main purpose of our trip: the American Girl STORE.

Saturday morning started with breakfast at the hotel. The boys dropped the girls off at the store just after opening at 9:00. It was perfect. My mom had scheduled appointments for two of my old American Girl dolls to have their hair redone at the Salon. Samantha also got her ears pierced!

Hannah pretty much had the whole store to herself for a good 30-45 minutes. She didn't stop, moving around the store - going this way and that - taking it all in. The experience is overwhelming if you've never been (and maybe even if you have!), so having that time was very nice.

Let me add how impressed I was with the doll holders in the bathroom stalls…and with how good of a job the girls who work in the doll salon do. The girl that was working on Addy, was younger than my doll. My mom and I figured out that those dolls were almost 30 years old. (The company started in 1986. I think I got my first doll, Samantha, in '88.) They cleaned the dolls' skin and brushed and trimmed their hair. I'm telling you, they looked good as new!

Some of Hannah's fans arranged for her to have a personal shopper at 10:00. She came bearing gifts: a puppy from Uncle Ben and Aunt Katie, a mini AG Addy doll, and a gift card to spend.

They were all over the store deciding what to get and trying on girl-sized clothes in the dressing room. Daddy and Joseph came to join in on the chaos and, at 11:15, we celebrated with a birthday party at the Bistro (reservations highly recommended).

It was so much fun and the food was surprisingly great! They had seats for the dolls to sit in, party crowns, and favors. The cake was delicious and generously sized. After singing to her, the waitress brought us slices and had the rest boxed up and ready to take home.

We left with lots of bags (and some Christmas presents hiding in the mix) and drove back to Sandersville where Joe and I had a wedding and an engagement party to attend. It was a busy, busy day but a very exciting and truly memorable birthday for our 6-year-old.

Oh Monkey, how we love you so so much and had the best time celebrating your birthday American Girl-style. We thank God for you every day and pray His blessings on you throughout the year ahead. I think it'll be the best year yet!