Happy Holidays 2016

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday. We are enjoying lots of uninterrupted family time, good food, holiday movies, board games, and anything and everything else we can squeeze into 2 weeks!

Beach Thanksgiving Part 2

Thursday morning we went to the beach then came back and got dressed and ready for our Thanksgiving lunch at Great Southern. It was a buffet, and so good!

 

 Nick and I were stuffed, but clearly the kids weren't because they managed to have snow cones afterward. Think there were snow cones at the first Thanksgiving?

An attempted tree photo

 We got some weird impulse to go shopping Thanksgiving evening, probably because we ate so early. We headed toward Destin and stopped first at Wal-Mart. Needless to say, it was pandemonium at it's finest! Then, because we were getting our appetites again, we stopped at what ended up being a fabulous Italian restaurant, then walked around the Destin Commons. There was a great little play area for the kids and the decorations were beautiful! One of the few places that was open was an amazing candy store, so we ended the evening there. An impulse move really turned into a perfect evening out!

Friday was a little cloudy and cooler, but we still hung out at the beach for a bit before we went to the pool. Even with the clouds, it was really pretty!

 Friday night, we watched Elf at the Seaside amphitheater and ate food and treats from the food trucks. It was a really fun evening and got us all into the Christmas spirit.

Saturday, the weather was perfect, and the water was crystal clear! We had a great day soaking it all in!

 

 

Saturday afternoon was the Christmas parade. The kids claimed a spot early and were rather aggressive this year in gathering candy.  We were kindof impressed!

We ate at the pizza place and waited in (a very long) line to see Santa. The kids were really excited and told him they want a "Poppy" and a drone.

Sunday, we packed up and headed out, but not before going up to the top of the house

 

and hitting a couple of our favorite spots one more time.

It was a great week filled with lots of quality family time and many wonderful memories made. Next up, Christmas!

Beach Thanksgiving 2016, Part 1

This year we headed back to the beach for Thanksgiving. We left Tuesday afternoon this time, which while it was a little stressful working and going to school for half a day then driving 4 hours, ended up being totally worth it. To wake up Wednesday morning unpacked with the kitchen fully stocked and ready to relax was so nice!

After we checked into the rental house, we headed to Pickles for dinner, then the obligatory grocery store trip.

We were overjoyed to be in our favorite place! Wednesday morning was a gorgeous day and first thing first, we headed to the beach!

  Lu was slow to warm up to the sand and the water. She was being a bit prickly at first, but we eventually snapped her out of it. For Z, the love came back much more easily.

 

 

We had lunch on top of our house Wednesday. It was such a great spot!

 This was them doing their psyduck and golduck impressions. Stand still and smile? Nah, Pose like a pokemon? Nailed it!

Halloween Festivities 2016

This year we started celebrating Halloween early by going to Disney World. By the time we returned, we were in full Fall/Halloween mode!

We kicked off the season with Z's school carnival, which is a huge, kindof overwhelming event, but it was fun. Last year, it seemed Lu picked up strep there that led to her stay at Children's Hospital, and this year while we avoided that, it does seem something there (either the hay or the dirt from the field) triggered her asthma.

So, a visit to the asthma and allergy specialist (where we got our own nebulizer) and many home breathing treatments later and we were on the mend. Thankfully, she didn't feel bad. In fact, the hardest part was trying to pin her down for her breathing treatments!

Saturday, Nick volunteered at Boo at the Zoo, so my parents came over to hang out with Lu (she didn't really need to be outside for a couple of days while she was recovering) and I took Z to it. It was crazy crowded, but we squeezed in some fun and lots of candy while we were there.

Monday night was Halloween, so we came home, ate a quick dinner, and headed out. It was pretty low-key (I think we got out a little later than everyone else), but we had fun trick or treating in the neighborhood. Afterwards, we got some ice cream from CFA, and went home to start the best part, sorting!

 I hate to harp on last year, but it was just such a bust! Lu was sick and it POURED down rain on Halloween. We were determined to have a better Halloween, and with everyone feeling a better and the Alabama drought in full effect, I'm thankful to report that I think we definitely did!

Last year, we really wanted to check out the Day of the Dead festival, but didn't get to (it was still raining and Lu was still sick). This year, even though it fell on a Wednesday, we made it happen. And we were so glad we did! It was lots of fun and a great cultural experience!

They had crafts for the kids, great costumes and face painting, a whole section of altars, music, dancing, great food, and yummy treats! I really can't say enough great things about it. I hope we get to make it a tradition!

That concluded the Halloween festivities! Next up, Thanksgiving!