St Lucia Day

St Lucia day is a huge highlight at our house...

it ranks right up there with Christmas morning!

We celebrate with a big breakfast in bed...

we have been doing this since Elsie was little tiny!

The girls each wore their Lucia crowns and 

James was supposed to wear his Star Boy hat...

but instead he wanted to just 

lay on the floor and eat his 

breakfast like a dog...

not sure why, but it made him happy!

We always decorate the room with plenty of candles...

and the St Lucia statue...

such fun and special memories being created...

We also decorate gingerbread houses every year on
St. Lucia day...
Usually this is a Daddy project...
but this year daddy was away at work.

We also turned sugar cones upside down and 

decorated a whole forest of trees for our 

gingerbread house...

the kids had SO much fun and 

created a huge sticky mess in the process!

By the time we got done with all the 

decorating,

bath time was in order!

~

Love all the special little things are involved in 

the Christmas season...

so many memories...

and so fun now that the kids are old enough

to talk about all the Christmas memories from past years...

All these cozy feelings are priceless.

a Little Santa Magic

Santa...the magical man...

I hope Santa never looses his magic in my 

children's eyes!

Even Elsie is still truly mesmerized my Santa...

They know that Santa has many helpers

who pretend to be him...

but they also know that the 

True Santa and Mrs Claus

comes to the local bank a few days before 

Christmas every year.

This Santa is clearly the real deal...

The kids always get dressed in their 

fancy Christmas eve clothes and 

fix their hair all pretty and are on their 

very best behavior before going to the bank...

When we left the house, all three of the kids 

announced that were too scared to go sit on his lap...

Angelina was dramatically telling us that she would cry!

However, when we got to the bank,

all three of the kids marched right over to 

Santa and sat on his lap and 

told him what they wished for!

I was a little surprised...first year ever with no tears!

James stood in front of Santa and Mrs Claus talking their ear off for quite some time...

and clearly this is the real Santa because look at how 

intently they are listening to him!

B/W of our life

Hopefully I'm really truly back in the 

blogging groove this time!

Turns out the computer we bought on the Black Friday sale,

didn't let me edit pictures like I wanted to do...

but, because Jon spoils me,

he gave me another computer for a Christmas/Birthday gift!

A fancy computer...I'm almost scared to use it!

I am so excited to be able to edit pictures and blog again!

I feel a little sad about all our 

Summer adventures that I didn't get a chance 

to blog about...

so I might be skipping around a bit and 

posting summer pictures 

along with our Christmas pictures...

this is our Life Journal,

so I have to document it all!

Happy 2015

~

Road Trip!

This seems like forever ago!

I can't even remember when we took this trip...

end of June?

We made the four+ hour trip 

"down south" twice this last summer...

and we had a blast both times.

We found fun little things to do each time.

Jon and I lived "down south" in southern Minnesota

when we were first married,

but we never once did any of the fun stuff...

so its fun to take little vacations there and 

bring the kids exploring all that fun stuff!

~

Every road trip must have a 

selfie or two of Jon and I!

Our first stop was 

Niagara Cave...

Jon and I had each been there before, but never together.

The kids were so excited to go in a cave...

they talked about it for weeks in anticipation before we went!

The kids loved it and want to go explore some of the other 

caves around that area...

We have cave exploring on our bucket list for next summer too!

We explored into Iowa a little ways...

Elsie wanted to see Amish people...

So Daddy drove past lots of Amish farms for her!

Our handsome driver!

Jon works on the road all week...traveling to a 

new town or state several times a week...

I'm always afraid he will be pooped out and tired of traveling 

by the time he comes home...

but he is always game to bring us on an adventure!

When we travel we are never messy...

{haha!}

County Fair Time! { I'm back! }

I am finally blogging again!

At least for one night...haha!

I stopped because our computer stopped working...

and since money doesn't grow on trees and a new computer 

wasn't top of the priority list, 

blogging came to a halt!

But, thanks to an awesome black Friday sale

{and a husband who surprised me!}

we now have a computer again!

I was surprised to find so many posts all ready to go...

so I guess I will be posting some catching up on all our 

summer activities while I figure out the new computer and how to 

get new pictures edited and on blogger!

~

Even though these pictures were just from July,

I can't believe how much the kids have changed...

Angelina looks so "baby-ish" in these pictures compared to now.

seeing these pictures and all the memories 

confirmed that I need to take the time the blog...

this is our Life Journal...

and I don't want to miss any of it!

These pictures were all taken in the middle of 

July at the local county fair.

The kids Love the fair...

we count down the days until the fair opens and usually make 

a couple trips!

The kids each get to pick out a few rides to go on...

but only if Daddy is with...

mommy doesn't do rides!

Angelina was too little this year for rides...

I'm sure next year she will be the first in line for the rides!

The kids all time favorite ride is the Farris Wheel!

They look forward to the Farris wheel all year long!

Angelina didn't think it was any fair that she didn't get to go!

James chose the bumper cars for one of his rides...

he was beyond excited!

He could barely touch the wheel...

but that didn't stop him!

He was smirking the whole time!

I have a feeling this boy will be bad news when he is 

old enough for his drivers license!

James had some little 

cheer leaders to cheer him on!

Look at that little smirk!

All pooped out from the fair...

the last stop whenever we leave the fair

is the Cotton Candy booth...

because no fair is ever complete without 

Cotton Candy...

no matter how close to bedtime it is!