Christmas and House Update

So it's official. I am the worst at blogging. I just missed the whole month of December so I'm going to add a few pictures to quickly summarize some of the fun we had.

We spent an evening at the Hilton Anatole's "Peppermint Park" with the Dowlings. This was really fun! Not very crowded (although it was very cold so that could be why?), cute train ride, games, little shows, and story time with Mrs. Claus. We had a lot of fun and then went inside for dinner since we were freezing outside!

Emma and I were invited by some sweet friends to go to a "Nutcracker Tea." This was SO fun and something that I would love to make a tradition until Emma is old enough to enjoy the actual show. We had tea, sandwiches, dessert, watched a few dances from the show, and then we got to meet the characters and get "autographs." (The autographs were Emma's favorite part.) She loved telling me which dance was part of the which part of our book at home. :)

Emma with Sophia and Claire. These three sweet girls will start kinder together next year!

I took the boys to the Trains at Northpark one day while Emma was at school (sshhh don't tell her.) They both loved every minute!! 

We spent an afternoon outside at Santa's Village in Richardson.  This is made up of little houses and at night you can go in each house and do a craft, get a cookie from Mrs. Claus, watch some performances, etc. However, the lines are usually awful and it is typically cold so the past couple years we have just gone by during the day. You can't go in the houses but my kids LOVE to run around and peek in the windows! 

We started this tradition just last year, but we love spending an evening at the Galleria. We like to watch the ice skaters, ride the elevators, and eat dinner at Mi Cocina by the big tree. It is so beautiful at Christmas time!

This year we went to Christmas Eve brunch at our country club. This was really cute. We ate tons of yummy food and they had cookie decorating and the Polar Express playing in one of the rooms. It was a really cute and fun set up. (Side note: Brian was just elected a board member at our country club. Yay Brian!)

This was at church on Christmas Eve. I loved Harvey's little smock, even though he wouldn't stand still long enough for a picture. 

This year, we allowed Luke and Emma to exchange their gifts on Christmas Eve. I took them each shopping separately and they were both adorable this year choosing the perfect gift for each other. They were so sweet opening gifts and hugging each other. Luke chose a mermaid ornament, smelly markers, and a necklace for Emma, and she chose a paw patrol sticker book, coloring book, and toy for Luke. This exchange made my entire Christmas. :)

Christmas morning! (Harvey won't sit still and Luke's shirt is unbuttoned. Whoops!)

Emma wanted to dress like me. I loved every minute. We spent Christmas with my family in Keller this year.

We spent NYE in Brokenbow, OK with some sweet friends. This is our third year to do this and we hope to continue this tradition for years to come! We met these sweet friends only a little over three years ago when we moved into the neighborhood and they became fast friends family. They are our village. I couldn't do life without this #golfwidow by my side. 

Happy NEW YEAR from Harvey! 

Harvey loves taking group pictures. This is our annual matching pj pic in our cabin.

Speaking of annual pj pic. My high school friend, Julie and I, plan to make our kids wear the same striped HA pjs for a pic every Christmas until they outgrow them. Or until they get married. One of the two. We figure we have a good chance. #jackandemma or #lukeandlila #harveyneedsadate #juliehaveanother

PJ party with more sweet friends Claire and Drew!

I took Emma to see this movie and it was AMAZING. We loved every minute and listened to the soundtrack the whole way home. And ever since. Go see it if you haven't!

HOUSE UPDATE:

So these pictures are a few weeks old, and more framing as been done so I'll have to post some, but basically they have started framing. These pictures probably mean nothing to you and aren't exciting at all, but I wanted to post them for my benefit. They have framed out most of the inside and knocked out the back wall (they are pushing the house back and off to the side.) I went by today with Tara and we made a few changes. It's crazy how every little thing has to be discussed. Today we changed the shape of one of the walls of the powder bath and the seat in the master bath. FWP guys. We have chosen most of our fixtures and appliances, but have yet to finalize those decisions. I feel like the last time we did this, we rushed through and I kind of would randomly choose things and this time I am putting SO MUCH more thought and time into every little thing. I would give a sneak peek but we truly haven't decided on anything yet, however Tara has convinced us polished nickel and brass are the way to go this time around. ;)

Happy New Year! 

XOXO,

Lexi