{DeceMbeR hApPeninGs}

We have a new obsession around here!!  GREEN SMOOTHIES!!!  When we were at Costco, the Vitamix demonstrator guy was making green smoothies.....the kids sampled (but I didn't cuz green smoothies always scare me because I have never found one I like)!  Well, they absolutely LOVED it and so I decided to try because they wanted seconds!!  I agreed...it was delicious!!!  So we hung around for the demonstrator guy to make another sample and watched what he put in!  He also gave us the recipe so we could try at home!

We have been making our own green smoothies at home and the kids literally BEG me for one every day!!!!  Yep....spinach!!  There is REAL spinach in there and they know its in there and they STILL eat it!!!  It's a miracle!!!!  :)

Good job Popeye.....I mean Ayden!!  Getting stronger every sip!!  :)

And while the kids sip green smoothies, their mama eats See's Candies!!!  HAHA!!  Just kidding, but I did enjoy having this box of nuts & chews (MY FAVE) all to myself while they were all at school one day!!  :)

Zoey got her baby dolls out to play one day and Maddix was in heaven!!  He loved playing with and feeding the baby!  So cute....maybe that means he will be a good daddy!!!  :)

Grammy came to have a cookie baking day with us!!  We made a ton of cookies.....

....but then we ate them all, so we had to have another cookie baking day!!!!  :)  Shucks....it's a tough time of year having to do all that baking!  :)

Mmmm...my mouth is watering just looking at them all!!

Kids had their holiday parties at school!  I got to go help in Zoey's class for her party....

...but I also snuck over to Ayden's class to say hi to him!  :)

Jer & I got to go to his Christmas work party!  It was fun because for the last 6 years, with his old job, his Christmas party was only for employees!  It was fun to meet everyone that he works with....but most importantly, it was fun to get a date night out!

While on Christmas break, we went down to San Diego to see one of Cooper's basketball game!  Always fun to have cousin time!!  We got to see 2 of his games!

Maddix cheered on his best buddy.....

HAHA....I love how he looks at him!  Maddix is definitely a fan of Cooper!!!

Woohoo.....swish!!

We went to lunch with the whole Smith family and Jer brought a book (which he pretty much brings with him everywhere we go) and he had his nose in the book for the entire lunch!!!  Love this little book worm of mine!!  :)

This is how we roll at Target!!  Scary!!!!  Daddy was pushing and I just had to close my eyes!!!!

Maddix is my puzzle buddy!!  He loves puzzles just as much as I do!!  But sometimes I put one piece on and he takes 3 pieces off!! HA!

Jayci & Matt came to visit and brought gifts for all the kids for Christmas!!  Fun!!!  :)

Lunch at Panera.....with Pokemon cards!!!

After we got our family pics taken, we went to Watson's Drug for dinner and shakes!!  Can't go to the Orange Circle and not go to Watson's!!  :)

{12 DaYs oF seRviCe}

I decided that I wanted to do 12 Days of Service with the kids before Christmas!  Just like everything I feel that I start these days......we only got about halfway through before we didn't do anymore!  I was glad for the few things we did do and plan on doing all 12 days next year!  Baby steps.... :)

We made cookies for some friends and went delivering them one night in jammies!  The kids also sang a Christmas song to each of them on their front porch!  :)

This was in front of our favorite next door neighbor's house!

I love this video of the kids singing....we went to about 5 houses to deliver cookies & the kids sang at every house....but leave it to our awesome next door neighbor (that is a 1st grade teacher) to start singing along with the kids!!  HA!!  

One of the things was to buy gifts for a family in Corona that didn't have the money to afford Christmas....we signed up for an 8 year old little girl and bought her a few presents for Christmas!  We will never know who she is and she will never know who we are!  The best type of service!!  :)

We put a plate of cookies in the mailbox and left a thank you not to the mail lady to thank her for bringing us our mail every day!  It was fun to get a "thank you" note back from her!  :)

One day, the kids wrote thank you notes to their teachers and brought them a present to show their appreciation (Ayden had wear your jammies to school day)! :)

I wish I would've documented the other couple things we did, but definitely will be better about it next year!! :)

{PreSchOOL cHristMas ProGraM}

Maddix had his preschool Christmas program on the last day of school before Christmas Break!  They sang the cutest songs....and he was the cutest little Rudolph if I do say so myself!  :)

They sang a song about getting a black eye, so that's why he has a black mark under his eye!  And funny thing about this song is that he really did have a black eye this day (that you can't see very well) from falling down the stairs a few days before!!

On Friday, the kids got to wear jammies to school and they sang a couple Spanish songs that they had been learning from Senora Kim!  I love that he learns Spanish on Fridays!!  :)

Lots of videos....because I always want to be able to look back and see what a cutie he was at this age!!  :)

{2nD aNnuaL cHrisTmaS teA paRtY}

I am a sucker for traditions!  Last year, the week before Christmas, Zoey had some of her girlfriends over for a Christmas Tea Party!  It was so much fun, so this year, we couldn't miss it!  :)

I am not sure what is more fun....the planning, prep & setup....or the actual party!!  Haha!!  Luckily we had Grammy's help and Zoey gets right in with the planning and definitely has a vision of what she wants!!

The treats.....

Zoey gave each of her friends a little glass ornament that was filled with hot chocolate, sprinkles, mini M&M's & marshmallows....

Christmas music blaring, all these yummy treats....and all these cute girls!!  :)

 

The hostess with the mostest....

Zoey's BFF....Mallory.....

London & Hannah...

Claire & Annie....

Bailey....

Savannah & Bailey....

Seriously, I think the highlight of the whole party for me was sitting back and just watching the little chit chat conversations that went on between these darling 6 year olds!!!  :)

Game time.....Christmas bingo....and this little Mister is the Bingo Caller Boy....

1st Bingo!!!!

Girls decorating their Gingerbread Girl cookies....

Time for presents!!  We do a gift exchange and the girls each brought a gift and picked numbers to see what order they opened gifts!

Seriously, Zoey is so lucky to have such a cute and nice little group of girlfriends.....these girls are all either in our neighborhood or from church....or both!!  And it is so fun!  :)

Such a fun party and such a fun tradition!  Can't wait for our 3rd annual!!!  :)