A Visit to Bethlehem

We found out there is a small town, Burnet, nearby that recreates 'Bethlehem' for the Christmas Season.  Since we had heard so many good things about it, we decided to see what it was all about.  We got there about when it opened and little did we know, we had a long wait ahead of us…2 hours!  Not expecting the wait, we weren't the most prepared, but gratefully our friends were kind and let us share their wagon.  We won't mention that Kate wet her pants while we were in line and went naked underneath her dress for most of the time. Opps.  It was at that point in our wait we were about to just go home, but the nice lady behind us kept telling us it was worth it and to 'stick it out.'  Gratefully we listened and even though it was a really long 2 hours, we loved what we experienced inside 'Bethlehem.' The girls thought it was real and were mesmerized the entire time.  This church had created a whole little city of what it was like when Jesus was born. There were demonstrations of different traditions and practices at that time and many sections to visit.  The whole event was even free with hot chocolate at the end. I think this is a place we want to make a tradition for Christmastime, but we will definitely come even earlier and more prepared with extra clothing and snacks for the next round. ;) I love that there is a place we can visit nearby that focuses on what Christmas is really about.  The girls talked about it a lot after our visit and we can tell it left a good impact on them. 

 When we reached the stable, the group of girls asked 'Is this what heaven is like?' So sweet. They stayed and just quietly watched the Baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary for quite some time.

Pictures as we waited in line.  So glad we had awesome friends to be with for the 2 hour journey.

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving was a big hit this year because we got to spend it with family in Houston.  It was great to  spend time with Susan, Mike and cousins. It was fun to explore the city and eat delicious food (especially pies). We loved learning how to make the pies and crust from the experts. Now I just need to learn how to make her famous eclairs. 

The girls were in heaven having mounds of attention and playing with their cousins Violet and Charlie. We had a chance to visit the Children's Museum and the kids could have spent all week there.  It biggest and best Children's Museum we have ever been to, I was impressed.  (Thanks to Lindsey for letting us use her pass!!) The kids somehow had mounds of energy after an entire day at the museum so Susan and Mike were nice and took us all on the train around Hermann Park.  Abby and Violet sat right next to each other the whole ride, pointing out all the highlights. We definitely want to hit this park again, maybe even see a outdoor show, such a fun place.  Houston has a lot do see and do and we loved every minute.  But, the best part about Houston is having family only 2 hours from our home!! Thanks Susan and Mike for a wonderful time.

Susan's amazing pies.  Mmmmm.

Brett trying to perfect the chocolate curls for the 'pie competition' with cousins.

 Mike making the bird, which turned out awesome, even when the oven died half way through. 

Abby and Violet making up songs on the piano.

Play, play, play.

 Excited to get into the museum.

Attempting our first pie crust.

Halloween 2013

It was another Halloween of Princesses at our house.  The girls want nothing to do with 'scary' over here.  We will see what changes come as baby brother enters the scene the next year.  Our neighborhood hosted a fun carnival that was a big hit for the kids and trick or treating was obviously not a disappointment. ;)  We loved having a home this year where we had trick or treaters.  Ironically, Kate preferred handing out treats to the neighbors and knocking on doors.  After the trick or treating died down a bit, we went to a neighborhood block party with a kids Halloween show on the garages, tons of silly string, and plenty of snacks.  The girls were obviously in heaven and it was fun to get to know our neighbors even more.  We also had a surprise visit from the local fire station and they threw out candy for all.

 Traditional Halloween cookies with friends, Ryland and Lexie.

We did a Cancer Walk with our friends in October as well and it was a neat event.  Jaylie had a brain tumor at only 6 years old is so brave. 

Since October had amazing weather, we had lots of games of Hide and Seek. ;)