Wait a minute, Mr. Postman!

I found the cutest stationery at Target for some serious Santa writing. Nolan knows all of his letters back and forth. Not so much how to use them to make words just yet, but we can just yell out what letters to write and he's good to go.

So we sat down Friday night and decided what we really wanted to tell Santa about. It took some time but I'm REALLY proud of my 4 year old for getting every letter right and writing his first letter to Santa. We did the whole nine yards. He wore reindeer antlers, a Santa hat, addressed the envelope to the North Pole, slapped a stamp on it, and ran to the mailbox to mail it. Seriously, does it get any better than that? Having kids really makes you a kid again when it comes to holidays. It's just the best.

I took a picture of the letter but just in case you're wondering what it says:

Dear Santa,

I've been good. Please bring Elefun, Up (the movie), and Lightning McQueen, Tia, Mia with feathers (we're back into Cars again if you couldn't tell).

Thank you, Nolan

I'm sure he would have asked for more but we ran out of room. Now the trick is teaching him that we can't write him a letter EVERY day. Once again, I have put myself on shopping timeout for him. I remember this starting last year. You can't help but want to get them some "little" thing but before you know it, it's out of control and you remind yourself when you put things back on the shelf what you want your kids to remember about this season...Jesus!

Writing the letter

high five for being a rock star with his letters

So proud...The official letterAddressing the envelopeAlmost done, slip it in the mailboxOn the way to the North Pole!

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Lights, Camera, Christmas!

We played it low key last year with decorations since Campbell was a baby, I had just gone back to work, and we went to Kentucky early for Christmas. Now that Nolan is 4, we decided to go full throttle with Christmas. I always get so excited getting ready to decorate. Then, in the midst of it, I suddenly remember how much work it is and wonder why I decided to get everything out again. It has taken double maybe even triple the amount of time it used to now with two little ones. Nolan's pretty easy but Campbell wants right in the middle of it, wants a snack or a nap so it took us 3 days at least to get Christmas up. Right now if you drive by our house, you would see our Christmas lights halfway hanging from our roof. We need to borrow a ladder from our friends and with the cold/wet weather we're only half way there. I'm sure the neighbors are talking about us.

We brought out a little snow village and you would have thought we just bought a ticket to the North Pole for Nolan. He is totally my son with his love for Christmas. It doesn't take much to get him excited. We'll drive by a house with a strand of lights in their shrubs and he'll scream like it's a winter wonderland. I decided this age is the best for Christmas! Stay tuned for some Santa stories...

I was chasing the boys around trying to get pictures of them "helping" decorate the tree. Campbell was SO not cooperative. Can you tell who's been on the naughty list this year?

look at that scowl!

Santa's little Elves

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Too blessed to be depressed

I saw the phrase "too blessed to be depressed" on a church marquee years ago and I just love it. When I get down about work or whatever else might get me down, I just say that phrase and it really is so true.

This Thanksgiving, I have so much to be grateful for.

1. I'm thankful to have a job that makes a difference.
2. I'm thankful to have a beautiful home even if it's a mess a lot of the time.
3. I'm thankful to have a church family that truly is a family.
4. I'm thankful have a husband who tells me everyday that he loves me and puts up with my neurotic ways.
5. I'm thankful to have a mother who raised us as a single mom and then my wonderfully amazing dad who adopted me.
6. I'm thankful for girlfriends that made me laugh so hard this past weekend that my stomach and cheeks hurt!
7. I'm thankful for my nerdy old minivan because it means that I have a family that I prayed for.
8. I'm thankful that God constantly reminds me of all His grace and love everyday with the people he's put in my life.
9. I'm thankful for my health.
10. I'm thankful that God has entrusted me to raise these two absolutely beautiful, hysterical, blond haired, blued eyed boys. What a gift!

Church Thanksgiving dinner

Every year our church does a Thanksgiving dinner and we go. It's potluck style but let me tell you, I wear my elastic pants to this dinner. It is such good grub and it's so wonderful to spend the dinner with our church family. They are truly one of the things that we are most grateful for. We go to a small church but where we're small, we make up with heart. We just got a new minister at our church, Rob Morris, who was my brother-in-law's roommate at TCU and my youth group sponsor during church camps for years. He's been so amazing for our church and we're so excited that we're growing and so many young families are coming.

This year, Campbell got a little festive with his turkey hat he made at school. Once we were at the dinner, he definitely preferred the green bean casserole. All the ladies at church sneak him in some desserts when we're not looking and he just loves them for that. After dinner, he started playing with another little girl named Evelyn. One or both of them has a crush. It was short of a make out session during the middle of the church dinner. Once again, those McDonald boys...

Those McDonald boys

I just got back from another scrapbooking retreat with my girlfriends. It only takes a few days for me to miss them insanely and realize how crazy I am about my boys. So today we celebrated my first day of being off by going to have lunch with Daddy. It's so crazy that something so little gets Nolan so excited. Everything went well minus Nolan shutting the door of one of the big boss's office when she was meeting with someone. Oops! Then at lunch he belched while he was eating and Justin said, "What do you say?" meaning to say excuse me. Nolan's response? "THAT WAS A GOOD BURP!" really loudly.

There's always something that he manages to fit in to embarrass us. Last time when we were in the cafeteria and I was talking to a friend of mine, Nolan manages to sneak off and eat the onion rings on display! What am I going to do with this boy? I bet when everyone at Alcon sees us coming to have lunch they are thinking, "Those McDonald boys..."

One of Justin's coworkers gave him this gummy eyeball. I couldn't believe that he ate it!

Looking at the koi pond

Don't fall in!