Community Christmas traditions

Do you live in a community where there are really wonderful Christmas traditions?  Growing up and still living in Dallas, there are tons of communities with their own fun traditions.  There are Christmas traditions in both the town I grew up in as well as the town I now live in that I can't wait to take advantage of when Emily is a bit older.  Irving has a Christmas parade and tree lighting, both of which I participated in as a child.  In elementary school, we made ornaments to hang on the tree in Heritage Park and then our choir would sing.  Come to think of it, most of my community Christmas memories have to do with music.  Singing with the Irving Girls Choir in the annual Christmas concert, singing with the Lively Keynotes around the city, marching with the band in the Irving Christmas parade, listening to carolers, the Irving Ballet's Nutcracker production.

Irving Christmas tree lighting

In Euless, they have a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and the Parade of Lights, which we haven't had the chance to attend, but definitely will next year.  I'm excited to experience some fun community Christmas traditions with our kids to make fun memories for them!

Christmas Pictures- Day 3

After not having a guest blogger yesterday, I knew I'd at least be on the ball with today's post.  However, when I started going through all the Christmas pictures on my computer, I realized all I had were from the past few years.  A quick call to my mom, and she came to the rescue!  Thanks for going through the albums and scanning these in for me, Mom!  This post may be late in the day, but it totally counts!

Lounging in front of the tree.  My first Christmas!

Grocery shopping, obviously!  I can definitely see Emily in this picture.  A year old.

Two years old and rockin' the white tights!

Riding the Christmas train at Irving Mall.  Three years old.

Still three and clearly thrilled to be hanging with the cousins, holding my new bro.

Four years old with our annual Christmas teddies from Santa/Grandpa

Still four.  Look at my brother with the scotty dog turtleneck.  Love it!

Five years old.  Santa (Harrell Griffin) came to visit us while our parents were at a church Christmas party.

Future Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, obviously.  Six or seven years old, I think.

Super excited by the surprising twist in the latest Boxcar Children novel.  I'm gonna guess nine or ten years old here.

I remember this one clearly.  How could you forget wearing a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt at age 16?  And look at those jeans!  Oh, the things I would say to my high school self.  Also, the Christmas I received my first car, which is a whole 'nother story.

Senior year of high school or freshman year of college with the cousins.

Hope you enjoyed my stroll down memory lane!  Coming tomorrow...Oh Christmas Tree!

Christmas Challenge Day 2

For today's challenge, I was supposed to ask someone to guest blog for me.  Since I only decided yesterday to participate, I didn't have time to bribe swindle talk someone into blogging for me.  So in the time I would've taken to do that, I instead organized all of Emily's outgrown clothes and put them away in bins, got the Christmas presents moved out of the dining room, and finished my Christmas shopping online.  Pretty good accomplishments for a Sunday afternoon!  I mean, I could've been napping.  (Yeah, right!)

If you'd like to participate in the challenge, the topics are:

1.       Christmas Music

2.       Invite someone to guest blog about their holiday thoughts

3.       Christmas Pictures

4.       Christmas Tree

5.       Community Christmas traditions

6.       Looking at lights

7.       Finish this sentence: “Its Christmas When…” or “It feels like Christmas once…”

8.       Your Christmas charity of choice?

9.       What do you wish you did for Christmas that you don’t do

10.   Your thoughts on Elf on a Shelf. 

11.   Advent

12.   Favorite Christmas carol and memory tied to it. 

13.   Favorite Christmas cookie – share the recipe

14.   Christmas Ornaments

15.   What about Christmas makes you say Bah – Humbug?

16.   Gifts

17.   Go to Christmas beverage  – share your recipe

18.   Stocking stuffer ideas

19.   How has Christmas changed from your nostalgic view as a kid to your view as an adult?

20.   Christmas

21.   Nativity

22.   Christmas around the world

23.   One gift you are anticipating getting – one gift you are anticipating giving

24.   Christmas Eve Traditions and Christmas morning traditions

25.   Christmas Day Scattergories – I’ll post the topics

26.   Did you have to take something back?

27.   Its over now what?

28.   How long do you stay with your family?

29.   When do you take down the tree?

30.   New Year’s Eve traditions

31.   What’s your wish, dream, plan, goal for the new year?

Heart of Christmas Blog Challenge

Although I'm behind on blogging some of our fall happenings, I've decided to take my friend Keisha's Heart of Christmas blog challenge.  It's a bloggie advent calendar of sorts.  Instead of eating a piece of chocolate each day (although I will almost certainly do that as well,) I will blog each of the topics she's pulled together.  If you'd like something to help you reflect on the Christmas season as well, I totally recommend it!  Now let's see if I can make it through the first two days week.

Day 1:  Christmas Music

As a huge fan of music in general and a musician of sorts, I just love Christmas music.  Then again, who doesn't?  I do have two "things" about Christmas music, though.  The first is that I don't want to hear it any time of the year other than between Thanksgiving and Christmas day.  I think it makes it more special to only pull it out at that time of year.  The second is that while I LOVE the good old-fashioned carols and tunes, I find myself loving even more the new songs that have been written as well as some of the older ones that aren't necessarily standards.

I have wonderful memories of Christmas music from my school years.  When I was in elementary school, the whole school would file down to the cafeteria and sit close to listen to the Irving High School band play a few Christmas songs.  A few years later, I became one of those high school students, sitting on the front row, playing my heart out on that little flute.  We always played three songs: Sleigh Ride, Christmas Festival, and Themes from the Nutcracker Suite.  I will never forget the way those songs sound and how much fun they were to play.  I still get excited when I hear our version of Sleigh Ride come on the radio.  I also had the wonderful opportunity to be in choir in high school and have many great musical memories of Christmas concerts.  I sang three Christmas solos in high school- Sleigh Ride (sophomore year,) It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (junior year,) and Santa Baby (senior year.)  So much fun!  And of course, who in choir could ever forget singing O Holy Night by candlelight?

It's hard to narrow down my favorite Christmas songs, but I thought I'd post a few of those newer/less mainstream songs that I talked about.  You may or may not have heard these, but if you haven't, definitely have a listen!  I think you will enjoy them.

SCC- Angels from the Realms of Glory

Relient K- I Celebrate the Day

Mercy Me- Joseph's Lullaby

Meredith Andrews- He Has Come for Us

Kari Jobe- Adore Him

Nat King Cole- Cool Yule

Train- Shake Up Christmas

White Christmas Cast- Snow

First haircut

On Emily's 15 month birthday, mom and I took her to get her first haircut.  It was just a little trim to shape up the back, but it looks so cute!  Our stylist is shaping it into a bob.  With a bit of trim, layering in the back, and a little bang trim, she's looking like a big girl!

Fifteen Months

Another fun and exciting month with our sweet baby girl has passed.  Love that little thing more than life!  Here are some fun 15 month highlights:

• So many words!  Emily says: hi, bye, happy, midnight (grandparent's cat,) no, go, mama, dada, mimi, papa, and then of course myna, beeda, and memememe. 
• Loves to dip things.  She started out by dipping chips in queso and has gone on to include dipping any solid food on her plate into any liquid on her plate.  
• Always wants to be outside.  Emily loves to play outside and most enjoys collecting acorns and walking up and down porch steps.
• Teeth.  Emily got her two upper canines this month, which brings her to a total of 14.
• Food:  She has finally begun to eat meat willingly.  She still doesn't always eat it, but most of the time if we offer it to her, she will.
• From high chair to booster:  Emily can now sit in a booster seat rather than a high chair when we go out to eat.  She thinks she is SO big!
• Dogs:  Bailey has now begun to come around and Emily is loving both of the dogs.  She loves to pet them, feed them, let them kiss her, and pull their tails.  
• Follow the leader: Emily's favorite pastime is to grab anyone around by the finger and lead them around the house.  
• Cheese!  Sometime she will say cheese for the camera.  Only when she wants to, of course.  Such a strong will!

At Emily's 15 month appointment, we were once again reminded that she is HUGE!  She is 33.25 inches, which is off the charts.  Weight is 24 pounds (69%) and head is 18.82 inches (92%.)  Put all this info together and it makes her the size of an average 23 month old.

Breakfast time!  This girl is a GOOD eater.

Eating lunch with good friends.

Following in Daddy's footsteps

Pumpkin patch

Doing the cake walk with Papa at Trunk or Treat

Watching Babas (Backyardigans) at work with Daddy

Halloween with mommy

Saying "cheese" in her outfit from Aunt Kimmy

Isn't this the right way to wear a bib?

Playing at the park

Sweet tea drinking girl

Gathering acorns

Emily's new hat

Beautiful girl

First haircut

Calculating is serious business!

Date Weekend and the Pumpkin Patch

I know it's November, but it's never too late for pumpkin pictures, right?  RIGHT?  There are no jack-o-lanterns here,  so the way I see it, we're doing good. 

Before we get to the pictures, I think I must do a little something to commemorate our fun October date night/weekend.  Back in March, we had planned to go spend the night at our wedding night hotel to celebrate our five year anniversary.  When the actual day rolled around, we knew that we weren't ready to leave Emily yet overnight, so we nixed it.  Fast forward seven months, and we found ourselves ready to cash in that date night.  We decided to stay at the Omni Dallas to see what all the hype was about.  It certainly lived up to our expectations!  It was beautiful with great views of the city, tons of space, and a TV in the bathroom mirror.  Seriously.  After we checked in, we headed to Northpark to walk around a bit and to have dinner at Maggiano's.  SO yummy!  We then headed to Barnes and Noble for a quick book purchase and then back to the hotel for some relaxation, cable TV, and my first experience with Duck Dynasty!  The next morning we ordered room service and took our time getting ready before going to see a movie.  It was a much needed time together away from all the distractions that fill up so much of our life.

That evening, we loaded up the Highlander just like last year and set out for Hall's Pumpkin Farm.  This patch is located on one of the few working farms still left in the DFW area, right in the middle of Colleyville.  Emily was a bit harder to contain this year, but at least she could sit up without toppling over, which was a huge improvement from last year. :)  We had a great time, got a few pictures, saw some friends, and ended it all with yummy Rosa's.  

Looking like the perfect angel she thinks she is

Sweet excitement

I could seriously eat those cheeks.  And I've tried.

Our least favorite face and the one we see more and more these days!

I'm done, Mom!  See you later!

Remember that face I told you we love so much?  Here's its twin.

Me trying to sweet talk my girl into posing for a picture with me

Our sweet little family

Angel baby with Papa and Mimi

I am loving this time of year!  I can't believe Thanksgiving is already here, which basically means Christmas is here.  We are excited for this season and all that it means!