Having a birthday right after Thanksgiving and in the same month as Christmas can be tricky. We are often traveling and visiting family for the holidays on Grayson's birthday. While it allows us to be with family, it doesn't always allow for a birthday party that is just for him. I really want my Grayson to feel that he is special and appreciated as much as any other child. He has been such a blessing to our family. He is the best little brother and friend to Mattox, the best big brother to Maggie who adores him, and just the funniest little guy these days. He and Daddy have the most fun together. This year, we didn't travel for Thanksgiving and just celebrated at home with our little family. We had a special little celebration for you with your favorite PJ Masks characters. We also met up with your Uncle and Aunt and cousin for a little joint birthday party and late Thanksgiving meal. I hope you felt loved and celebrated on your special day as you are everyday.
The birthday boy with his balloons and decorations.
He was showing us his Catboy toy.
Mommy made you a PJ Masks cake with the toys for you to keep. I said the bright blue icing was the "splat" that the bad character throws at the superhero characters.
Sweet beautiful boy
Getting ready to make a special wish. Big brother Evan helped him.
Blowing out his candle and then licking the icing off the bottom of it.
Showing our blue tongues.
I think Gecko is his favorite so he was wearing green for him.
He got some birthday cards and money in the mail from family.
Opening his present.
He got masks and capes so we dressed as the fearsome trio of Catboy, Owlette, and Gecko.
Mattox insisted Maggie needed to be Owlette.
Cute baby Owlette. Her eyelashes really pop when wearing a mask.
I was trying to demonstrate the costumes for Grayson to get him to wear them.
We couldn't get Grayson in our picture. Mattox and I did a costume swap.
Awe, we finally got a little Catboy. I just love him!
And the cutest Gecko and Owlette.
We celebrated cousin Grady's 7th birthday and Grayson's 3rd together. I found Grady a Pokemon balloon.
A festive birthday celebration at the Mexican restaurant.
Daddy helped him blow out his candle.
A picture with the siblings and cousin. Brody and Grady are best pals.
Grayson,
You are such a bright little star who is bursting with personality and fun. You are all boy and love to play rough. We expect you will be the largest built man in our crew, and I expect you will be a bodyguard for your little sister. I know that you have an amazing purpose to fulfill. I often feel that your baby years flew by way too fast and that I didn't get nearly enough time to really cherish and enjoy them. You were such a sweet, loving, and cuddly baby, and our time together was precious. Now, I can barely get you to slow down for more gentle cuddle time at bedtime. You show love by wrestling and playing rough most of the time. You like to join in with your big brother's school lessons, and I know you are ready to go to school too. We hope you can start preschool this year in our new home. We love you to the moon and back and look forward to watching you grow and develop into an amazing little man with big dreams to fulfill!
Our family loves to celebrate Christmas. We love everything about this festive season except maybe the stress from the over commercialization that has really tried to take away from the true meaning of the season. I have really tried to adopt traditions that will help our family remember what this season is all about. Namely, our faith and belief that Christmas is the time when we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. While we do allow our children to experience the magic of believing in Santa while they are young, we also want them to be aware that the real magic of Christmas is in the gift that was given over 2000 years ago for us all. We hope that our Christmas traditions help to inspire you to make Christmas magic this year!
Picking out a Real Christmas Tree
Since my husband is a forester and has a thing for trees, only a real tree will do. We are also from North Carolina where the best Christmas trees are grown. Many of the White House Christmas trees come from the North Carolina mountains. Frasier firs are the number one Christmas tree in our opinion. Thankfully, Georgia seems to agree and gets its trees from North Carolina as well. Our kids love running through the trees while we pick out the best one.
2. Decorating the Christmas Tree and House
The kids love hanging our special yearly ornaments and their special ornaments on the tree.
Our tree is very traditional with sentimental ornaments we have collected through the years from our travels or a special ornament from each year since we were married.
We hang our stockings from the mantle awaiting a visit from the man in the red suit. I have also enjoyed using colored lights on our tree for the last few years because it just feels festive and fun for the kids. 3. Visiting Santa
I love our pictures with Santa through the years as our family has grown. No, our kids don't always want to sit on Santa's lap but that's okay. We don't usually encourage our kids to sit on stranger's laps, right?
4. We do have an elf!
So truthfully, if I had known six years ago that I would have five kids and may be stuck doing this elf thing for many many years, I probably would have chosen differently. Our elf has become progressively less active over the years and does not move nearly as much as he used to. Haha! He does bring the kids sweet snacks and notes that remind them to be good and to remember the true meaning of the season.
He does tricks like hanging our underwear in the place of our stockings.
He toilet papers our tree.
5. We decorate gingerbread houses together.
I love this special time together. Our boys really enjoyed being creative with their houses.6. We go see Christmas lights.
Last year, we visited our local botanical gardens that puts on a beautiful light display every year.7. We attend a Candlelight Christmas Eve Service
We love this special time to sing Christmas songs like "Joy to the World" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" as we light our candles to remember the birth of our Savior.
8. Reading the Christmas Story on Christmas Eve
We read an age appropriate story of the birth of Jesus to the kids on Christmas Eve night before going to bed. This helps keep the focus more on Jesus than on the excitement of Santa.9. Putting Out Cookies and Milk for Santa
We do still put out a plate of cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer to keep some magic in the experience for our youngest children. Our oldest has learned that Santa is not real, but he understands that we must keep the secret for his younger siblings. Our youngest boys snuggle in the bed to fall asleep before Santa visits.
10. Santa Visits!
I found an app that will put a picture of Santa dropping off presents in your home. My almost four year old thought this was pretty awesome because he was obsessed with "hohoho" last Christmas.
11. Santa leaves a special letter
Santa's letter is another special way to remind the kids of the true meaning of Christmas before the excitement of the presents overshadows it.
12. Opening Presents!
While all of the Christmas season seems to lead up to this moment, I really feel like it is such a small part of the whole event. It is just a few hours of fun compared to a month of family celebrations and traditions. I do love watching the excitement on my kids' faces as they see what Santa brought them though.13. We celebrate with family
Some years we travel to visit family but since our family had a big gathering earlier in the month, our family came to visit us after Christmas. 14. We enjoy a yummy Christmas dinner together
We enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal of turkey with lots of sides. Even the baby liked it!
15. We sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blow out his candles on his birthday cake!
Some years we bake Jesus' birthday cake but sometimes we just have to buy a cake from the store. The point is to celebrate Jesus' birthday with our kids. Happy Birthday, Jesus!
How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you have a favorite tradition? Leave us a comment to share!
Until the last almost three years, we have been blessed to live in areas where we could easily experience the beauty of the Fall season. We love traditional Fall activities and want to share a few of our favorites with you. These activities are great for families of all ages and sizes from one to infinity. We hope you are inspired to get out there and explore!
Visiting a Farm
Visit a fun farm with lots of photo opportunities and kid-friendly activities. Kids love driving tractors, riding cow trains, and being measured to see how tall they have grown. Giant corn pits to play in are another popular activity at many farms. While a bit messy, it is still better than a sand box. Many of the farms you can visit may also have a hay ride that may take you to a field where you can pick a pumpkin. Usually, this is a good opportunity to rest your legs, grown ups!
2. Do a Corn Maze as a Family
We have experienced some fun mazes over the years, some more challenging than others. I recall one where we were "lost" for a couple of hours inside. Kids will love following the clues or answering riddles to find their way. Little ones will just love running through the corn stalks.
3. Pick out pumpkins at a pumpkin patch or roadside stand.
I love stacks and piles of big orange pumpkins. Don't forget to take some good pictures of the kiddos sitting in a big pile of pumpkins. One of our favorite pumpkin stands had a huge pumpkin "mountain" one year. The kids loved it!
4. Carve the Pumpkins
This may seem like a messy and "dangerous" activity for younger kids, but you can make it safe and fun for all. Let the smaller kids help clean out the pumpkin guts. They will love playing with the messy treasure inside. Our carvings over the years usually are picked by our kids. When we lived in Charlotte, we had big Carolina Panthers fans so my husband carved one into a pumpkin. I have carved Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc. into a pumpkin.
5. Pumpkin Painting
Painting a pumpkin can be a messy but safer alternative to carving. Our kids have enjoyed painting their smaller pumpkins they usually get at the pumpkin patch.
6. Apple Picking
The North Carolina mountains are an excellent place to go apple picking. The town of Hendersonville south of Asheville becomes the apple picking capital during the Fall. I love to make homemade applesauce and apple pie. I love apple butter, but I have not attempted making that treat yet.
7. Jumpin' in the Leaves
I just love the joy on kids' faces when they are jumping into a big ol' pile of leaves. It kind of makes the work of raking the leaves a little more worthwhile.
8. Go on a Nature Hike and Scavenger Hunt
We loved these nature trails close to our old home in Charlotte, North Carolina. I made the kids a little Fall scavenger hunt with bags to collect their treasures. They also insist on using hiking sticks.
9. Go for a Leisurely Fall Drive
A drive through the countryside or in the mountains to see some gorgeous Fall colors is a must. A lazy Sunday afternoon is the perfect time for this activity.
10. Dress up for Halloween Once we started having more than one kid, dressing them in themed costumes was a must. Their first year, they were a pirate and parrot duo and another year, they were a policeman and his little prisoner. One of my favorite themes was Ghostbusters when my oldest was a ghostbuster and his little brother was the signature ghost. I handmade the ghost costume and the no symbol. After adding more kids, we started dressing as a family. I loved our Harry Potter year with Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Harry, a dementor, and cute little Dobby the Free Elf. Another favorite costume year was Pac-Man (we love the 80s) and I was a pregnant Mrs. Pac-Man with a little ghost in my "mouth." This one was definitely a fandom year when I made everyone dress like Doctor Who characters. My second son really wanted to be a Dalek so I made his costume. I was the Tardis, my third son was the Doctor, the baby was Baby Stormaggedon "Dark Lord of All", and my husband and oldest son were the other evil villains, the Silence and a Cyberman.
What do you enjoy doing in the Fall? What is your favorite season? Do you have any favorite costumes for Halloween? We would love to hear from you.
