Christmas 2018

Dear Leah and Logan,

Wow...we survived another crazy, crazy month of non-stop Christmas activities.  But in 2018, we had a visitor come join the party.  On December 1 at 7:30 pm, there was a knock on the door- a delivery from the North Pole.

And there he was...with his own book and a mission to watch over you kids...all he needed was a name. So we each wrote down a name on a piece of paper, and we let him choose. So on December 2, 2019, we saw Ezra Elf stir up craziness every single day. In fact, every day you 2 and Dylan would wake up and the first task became- "Where is Ezra??!?!"

After that, our normal Christmas'ing was in full effect.  Your schools had plenty of events and days planned- including Pajama Day and Crazy socks day.  We did our Gingerbread houses except this year we found out that there were even more options to choose from.  We did Christmas cookies, and Jason and Amber and the twins came over to join the party.

We actually had big, big plans for the cookies, including your teachers and Grandma and Grandpa....but within 24 hours, Tinsley had a 20 minute window alone with just her and the kitchen, and poof! just like that, the cookies were gone!

Throw in some iceskating a party at the McCarty's house, and I'm not sure our month of Christmas couldn't have gone any more amazing!

Christmas Eve was spent and Grandma and Grandpas, which we'd later find out would be the last major holiday in the Spring Hill house. Your grandparents announced they had finally chosen a retirement house.  Uncle Justin was cooking as usual, but the highlight of the night may have been the fact that were ALL FOUND A ONESIE. It made for one of the greatest family photos ever.

Christmas Eve 2018- the night of the onesie

And before we knew it, Ezra wrote us a good-bye letter...then he gave you kids your final Christmas scores, and then he headed home to rest for the year.  That meant it was Christmas Day!

You all were spoiled as usually, but I think your favorite gifts were as follows: Leah- your trampoline (it made you cry) and your magic set. Logan- your new bike and your hoverboard. This was also the Christmas Dylan got the crazy-fast 4-wheeler.

The day was perfect, and I hope one day you're able to create perfect Christmases with your own children...and maybe and 'their' Grandpa over for cookies!!

I will include all the Ezra pictures below....plus a video I made so you can remember 2018!!

Love,

Daddy

Fish and Aquariums: Chattanooga Trip!

Dear Leah and Logan,

Happy December 2018!  A week after Thanksgiving (which GiGi came down from Michigan for), we were able to make plans with the entire family for a weekend road trip. We combined the trip with a present from Uncle Justin and went to the Chattanooga aquarium.

We got to Chattanooga a little early and ended up meeting Uncle Mike and Aunt Daniela at a place called the Hot Chocolatier....The place had a million different chocolate treats and 20 different kinds of hot chocolate....most of the group went with S'more flavored.

Eating Good Stuff at the Hot Chocolatier

The trip also included Uncle Caleb, Grandma & Grandpa, and Cousin Courtney.

When we got to the Aquarium, we found it was set up in 2 buildings: Salt Water and Fresh Water. You 2 voted on Fresh Water first, so away we went.

The day included: 10 stories of fish life, butterfly houses, ray-petting, and a million living things to look at and learn about.

Here are some pics from the day:

Chattanooga Aquarium, November '18...Smile Grandpa!

Uncle Justin's Christmas present (even though it took us 11 months to redeem it), ended up being a huge family success--what a fun day with exciting stuff to see....next up...Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!


Love,

Daddy

Leah's 8th Birthday!

Dear Leah and Logan,

Boom...and just like that, our family has an 8-year-old!  Happy 8th Birthday, Leah!

After much debate about where you wanted to have your birthday party, you decided on a slumber party at the house. You had 3 girlfriends show up: Lila, Lacey, Toni.

Leading up to the party, we had toyed with having a Karaoke and Dance night.  However, the party quickly evolved into a Unicorn-themed birthday bash. Leah and I went to pick out the cake, and she loved it the second she saw it.

The party events included Musical Chairs, a Pinata, Karaoke, and then a sleepover.  Amanda even volunteered to dress as a Pinata while all the kids took swings to get their candy!!

Phew....planning parties sure is exhausting, but I hope you'll remember this one for years to come.

Love,

Daddy
11/20/18