four friday faves.

[1] Gift cards ... I always love receiving these for Christmas, always.
[2] The state of our family room at the moment ... normally this would cause my head to spin, but not this time of year :) Right now it represents fun times with our favorite little people.
[3] Joules "field welly" rain boots ... Since we had a crazy amount of rain the three days before Christmas, I've been thinking how I really need to replace my current boots that have holes in them.
[4] Christmas Eve service ... Growing up, we spent half our Christmases in Atlanta with my Mom's side of the family. I love the memories of going to my aunt & uncle's church for their Christmas Eve service. Since our church doesn't have a service, we went to St. Peter's Anglican church in Tallahassee this Christmas Eve. I loved it. I loved the formality, the songs, the sermon, and my favorite ... the entire congregation singing Silent Night by candlelight on our knees.

four friday faves.

I couldn't fathom the Christmas season without music, so today it's all about songs...

[1] "Little Town" by Amy Grant ... this makes me think of Christmases growing up.
[2] "O Holy Night" by Josh Groban ... what a voice.
[3] "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives ... we all love this, and the boys have been known to request this at bedtime well after Christmas :)
[4] "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey ... this one is a little embarrassing to admit because I don't consider myself a Mariah fan, but I have loved this song since high school when I had a big crush on my now-husband :)

                                         

capturing us.

We had family photos taken last month by our super talented friend, Sara Beth. I always love setting up a photo shoot with Sara Beth. It's something I really look forward to because family shots are rare for us... we aren't great about asking people to take our picture, and we probably view it as a hassle way more than we should. This season of life can certainly be loud and hectic, but I also believe it's the most precious time in our life ... Having little ones who amaze us and make us laugh at their expressions & the things they say; having bigger ones who still hold our hand & want to tell us all about the particular toy they are really into @ the monent ... This truly is a time in our life to treasure & capture.

I have to say that Sara Beth is amazing at delivering shots that never reflect the reality of the photo shoot... kiddos who have a hard time staying put; Hollis protesting when the boys invade her personal space [which depends on her little mood]; lots of assuring the kids "we're almost done" ... and Gus telling the kids to "look at Miss Sara Beth" so much that I'm surprised she can get a shot of him not talking :) Although these shoots can certainly be stressful at times, they always prove to be totally worth it. Here are some of our favorites ...

"Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live, declares the Lord, you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride." [Isaiah 49:18]

disney part two.

On Thursday of our trip last week, we took a break from Disney and headed to Legoland ... we didn't tell the kids until that morning, and they were so excited. We went to Legoland a couple of years ago when I was pregnant with Hollis and Eli was not even two years old, so he doesn't remember it ... but the big boys have randomly asked to go back ever since. Knowing all the boys LOVE legos [and Hollis likes to play some too], we knew it would be a hit. We were there from just after opening to closing time, so I think it's safe to say we had a lot of fun :)

This is the first roller coaster Matthew has ever ridden on ... he and Gus rode it the first time we went to Legoland. I was pretty excited to ride it this year. Plus, I was thinking it couldn't be that bad since Matthew rode it with no problems when he was only 6 years old. Well ... it was INSANE. It has the steepest drop right off the bat. I screamed or laughed the entire time. Matthew thought it was hilarious that I screamed so much :) 

This reminded us of the kids' favorite playground [Sugar Sands in Boca] ... Super fun!

Miniland USA is such a neat part of Legoland. The Star Wars area was definitely a hit.

Matthew & Hudson took a little Ford driving "class" while we waited on them ... and then they tested out what they learned :)

On Friday we went back to Magic Kingdom, and arrived early enough for Gus and Matthew to ride the most popular ride there ... Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. They loved it. Here's Matthew after the ride.

The kids were pretty excited to see Stitch. Hollis really was too until it was our turn to take a picture, so she blew kisses from a distance instead :)

Around the park ...

This is a great picture to wrap up our trip with. Disney was a little more stressful this time around ... mainly because I had unrealistic expectations thinking "life" certainly would not go on vacation with us & that our children would definitely prove the Disney tagline: "happiest place on Earth" to be true. I should have known better! BUT this picture puts some things in perspective - I love how despite all the fussing and crying that occurred on our trip, [and particularly between these two] those are two happy faces. Even though we had some challenging moments, there were many great moments woven into our week as well ... for that, we are thankful :)