Last night we had our first Polar Express experience. Something we have always heard about but never experienced on our own. Tickets go on sale in July & sell out in less than an hour! So this year I was on top of it & got tickets for the 5 of us. Splurged & got VIP tickets which scored the girls a few extra perks. Upon arrival they explored the trains that were indoors & got to pose for a photo with the conductor.

I got the girls new matching pj's last weekend. They were pretty excited to wear them & looked so darn cute! After exploring we sat in our seats, listened to the story of the Polar Express, watched a few dance numbers & sipped hot chocolate out of these cute little cups. 

Once the story was done it was time to board the Polar Express. Our seats were right next to the Kentops. Eva & our girls were so excited to see that they each got their own Polar Express cocoa mug & special treats on the train. It was fun to see the train car all decorated inside as well.

 The conductor came around & punched the girls tickets just like he does in the book/movie. 

And it wouldn't have been a train ride without more hot chocolate. I think they got their fill of treats & sugar. Probably helped them sustain their energy. Our train ride started at about 8:30. It was just before 10pm by the time we finished. Late night for the chicks, but worth it.

During the ride there were a lot of actors in & out of the train car acting out and role playing the scenes from the book/movie. The girls played along well & were shocked when Santa came onto the train & sat right next to them in our seats. Empty seat was there the entire time but they thought nothing of it. 

The girls knew that he was a helper Santa... the real Santa is too busy to do all these fun events! But they happily shared some of the things on their list with him before our ride came to an end.

One last photo next to our train, the Silver Spirit. Such a fun, magical night for our girls. I am so glad we got the tickets this year & got to experience it together. Tomorrow is December 1st already. The month always goes by so fast. I will do my best to soak it all in. My favorite time of year. The girls are anxious to open day one of their advent calendars! xoxo

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

We had a very nontraditional Thanksgiving. Low key day at home watching football, hanging out in the hot tub for a bit & shopping for me in the evening. We didn't even have turkey!!

Sometimes low key days/weekends are much needed. With the holidays in full swing as well as basketball for Marin our weekends are all full for the next two months. Relaxing is just what we needed.

Tonight we decided to go see the Garden of Lights. The girls love this annual event & the weather was perfect. 56 degrees! Although when we got there it started raining, we still had a great time. Wet, but warm... Much better than cold & wet! Kids were still pretty dry at this point...

We had a big crew & enjoyed our time together. 

By the end of the night we were all pretty wet & ready for hot chocolate. It was a little different having rain & no snow on the ground to go along with the lights. This fall/winter has been so funny weather wise. We'll continue to enjoy it while it lasts! xoxo

We've had a very sad week at our house. My grandma passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday November 8th due to complications after her open heart surgery on Tuesday. After just seeing her & knowing her positive prognosis we really never expected this outcome. My heart hurts knowing that I was unable to say goodbye to her or tell her one more time how much I love her. I feel fortunate to have had 37 years with her, but I am saddened by the idea of having to live without her in our lives moving forward. I will hold the memories of her in my heart forever. Some of my childhood memories include spending nights with her & my grandpa at their house. Together we would bake cookies & cakes, I would watch her sew in her sewing room upstairs while I dug through the metal containers filled with 100's of buttons picking out my favorites. We would spend time in her yard swinging on her swing or picking fruits & veggies from their garden. Not only did she have great toys, she always had a pantry full of the best snacks & candy.

She was such a kind, caring & loving grandma. Now my memories shift to her as a great grandma to our girls. Just as I remember arriving at her house & running to find the toys, our girls would do the same during their visits to her house. Even playing with many of the same toys I had played with as a little girl at her house. I love that she kept some of those things & how much our girls enjoyed them. Her candy jar was always full & waiting for the girls even when I would say "they don't need it." Grandmas house was for treats & our girls knew not matter what I said, Grandma Betty would let them have it. She really enjoyed having the girls at her house.

I am thankful I got to share Grandma Betty with Gary & the girls over the past years. She was too special not to share & I know they all loved her as I did. Our lives will not be the same without her. We have many photos & some pretty special things in our house that she has made us over the years that will keep her memory with us.

We love you so much grandma & will miss you beyond words. xoxo

First Snow of the Year!!!

Not a ton of snow but the girls were excited to get out & shovel/play.
Layla was at the door within minutes of waking up ready to play with Maeve.

And the big girls + Estelle were busy shoveling our driveway & the neighbors sidewalks.

Always fun to shovel the first few times it snows, ask me again in February if they are still shoveling! Forecast shows mild weather ahead, so I don't believe this snow is here to stay just yet. They'll enjoy it for today! xo

Today was Margaux's Ellis Island simulation day at school. They have been studying their family heritage for weeks & the early US colonies as well. Such a fun learning experience for their class. All of the kids got to dress like early immigrants, which is always a hit. My opinion, Marg rocked her immigrant attire. She looked adorable... little christian Scarlette Laurent from France.

She was born Jan. 2, 1884.

She was stopped by the doctors fresh off the boat because of a serious nail infection/fungus {aka her nail polish}. That warranted a visit to the hospital for treatment, where they wrapped her fingers up. It was pretty funny, she enjoyed the attention!

After a long afternoon of traveling through all the areas of immigration, her family met with the commissioner & their family was granted entry to the US. 

Somewhere along the way she added an eye patch too! I was busy taking pics of the group. Hopefully her life in the US is what she was hoping for!!! haha Looking forward to Maeve's turn with Ellis Island in a few years. Her family better make it into the country or we'll have problems with her personality!! xoxo

Happy Halloween from our little pig, Evie from the Descendants & crazy monkey. Today our house if filled with candy & treats. I am not sure where to go with it all!

First year that I didn't get a photo of the three of them together, they were all very busy with their friends. So I did get some cute friend pics!!! Marin had 8 friends over after school to trick or treat with her & have pizza/snacks after wards. I wish I would have taken a pic of them in the basement with their piles of candy surrounding them once they got back here. So.much.candy!!! They had a lot of fun together.

 Maeve trick or treated with Gary & her group of friends. How adorable are these kids? Sloane in the spider costume is just too cute. She was a scary, scary spider. For how cold it was last night, Maeve made it much longer than I expected. She was happy with her haul of candy! Lots of layers under those costumes, it was about 32 degrees.

 And then there is the little pig, cow, her farmer & friends. I started out with this crew & followed them for about an hour before I was frozen solid. Too cold for me. Plus, they were hard to keep up with running between houses. I think they were happier w/o having to wait for me!! 

 A few more shots of the girls...

Even little Sloane was a trooper & made it out for quite some time. Fitz was a shark & stayed in the house with Grandma who was passing out candy. Wish I would have taken a photo of him. Soooo cute! One quick adult Halloween party photo of the neighborhood group before our Roaring 20's themed party. Fitz made this shot!!!

Today I am ready to take down all the Halloween decorations & head right into Christmas. Maybe I'll wait until the weekend! Tis the Season!! xoxo