Preschool Christmas Program

Oliver's preschool had a little Christmas concert. The kids sang several songs and then we had cookies and hot chocolate. I let the girls skip school that day so they could come and then after the program, Ben took the boys home and I did some Christmas shopping and had lunch with the girls. It's rare I get an outing with just them and it was so nice.

Oliver had been singing the songs for the program for weeks at home, complete with actions. But when he got on stage, he just stood completely still and silent the entire time. He glanced at us occasionally and tried not to smile. When we got home, he went right back to singing the songs.

Meadow Lights

We drove out to see Meadow Lights one night. We stopped at the Waffle House for dinner and the kids were so excited for chocolate chip waffles. At Meadow Lights, we took the train ride to see all the lights and Oliver couldn't stop excitedly pointing out every single light display. We also rode the carousel and warmed up with some hot chocolate.

Grumpy Elsa.

Christmas at the Capitol

We had fun checking out the Christmas decor at the Capitol last Saturday and listening to a choir sing in the rotunda. We wandered down the street and popped into the Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Museum of History (both are free!) for a few minutes and then saw the outdoor lights come on back at the Capitol. We ended our day at the Apex Nativity Celebration where they had hundreds of nativities from around the world on display as well as musical groups performing. The kids had fun doing activities in the children's room.

The kids loved the giant Lego nativity.

random december happenings

The girls have been performing nightly comedy shows for us. They have even rehearsed and put together a set list.

Elsa in the morning. 

A stop at the pet store for some entertainment.

christmas sugar cookies

We started off with a lot of arguing about who was cutting what and who was in the wrong place and who stole someone's cookie cutter and took someone's stool. I'm actually amazed that these pictures look so calm. But finally, everyone settled down (once frosting and sprinkles were involved) and enjoyed eating their creations.

Holiday Express at Pullen Park

We had such a fun time at the Holiday Express at Pullen Park. They had all kinds of fun activities in addition to riding the carousel and the train to see the lights. They also had an outdoor movie, a sledding hill, and the kids got to visit with Santa. I was worried about crowds since every night of the festival was sold out in advance. But it was so well organized and we arrived later in the evening and didn't encounter any lines for anything. The kids loved staying up late and playing on the playground in the dark.

Catching snowflakes.

The sledding hill was almost completely ice and soooo fast. There were a lot of crashes.

Playing games and winning prizes.

Making reindeer food.

The train ride was definitely Oliver's favorite part.

Elsa was so excited to sit on Santa's lap. We couldn't hear their conversation but Elsa's smile was suddenly gone and Santa was talking a lot. And then Elsa looked like she was trying to hold back tears. Apparently Elsa told Santa she wanted a dog for Christmas and he informed her he couldn't carry live cargo on his sleigh. Elsa was pretty devastated after that and it took us awhile to get her to bounce back.

Oliver told Santa he wanted presents for Christmas. And Simon just screamed and drooled his sucker on Santa.