Galaxy of Lights

 After Christmas we visited the Botanical Gardens and walked through their light display.  It's about 1.5miles long and took us about an hour.  There were lights, snow, and bubbles!

Our Christmas

Our first Christmas in Alabama...

Christmas crafts

Christmas cookies!

We started a new tradition this year.  Every night in December, before bed, we got together and read Christmas stories as a family.  On Christmas Eve we, of course, read Twas the Night Before Christmas

The kids in their Christmas pajamas.  

Lorelai: "I regret nothing"

Evelyn: "It's actually a funny story"

Scarlet: "I'm too cute for the naught list"

Joseph: "How much do you know already?"

Christmas cookies and a message to Santa, ready to go

And now, we wait...

And he came!

Joseph really wanted an aircraft carrier

Scarlet finally got her Barbie Dreamhouse

Both Lorelai and Evelyn got Gabb Watches for their big gift.  These watches are safe alternatives to phones.  They can make and receive calls only to numbers approved by me.  There's no internet, no games, no social media or anything.  It also has GPS tracking.  They are excited to be able to text and make calls.

Scarlet is in Barbie heaven

Evelyn asked for stilts, which, if you know Evelyn at all, may not be so unexpected.  She loves them and practices a lot!

The day after Christmas we saw our first Alabama snow!  We ended up with about 1/2 inch.

 

Lorelai’s birthday

 For Lorelai's 11th birthday we rented a pretty epic game truck!  This heated truck showed up, equipped with multiple game set ups, virtual reality, and every game you could think of.  Needless to say, I didn't see the kids much during this party. 

Lorelai's Minecraft cake

Lorelai trying out the virtual reality

He beat the wall

 Joseph has been working at the warp wall at his ninja classes.  Today, he beat the Lil' Ninja's wall for the first time!  He did so well, so his coach let him attempt the next size up.

Santa Visits

We visited Santa a couple of times this year.  Once, at Cabelas, and once at a Christmas market on the military post.  The kids told Santa what they wanted and posted some letters.  Christmas is coming soon!

Writing their letters

At the Christmas Market at Redstone Army Arsenal