Halloween

Halloween 2013 kicked off with pumpkin carving.  This is the first year we used the paper templates for our pumpkins and it was hard but the kids liked the end result!

 We let the kids pick out their costumes this year.  Normally, I would try to coordinate them into a theme but inevitably that would mean more work for me trying to find or make costumes so we kept it simple and let them pick.  We're surprised by Silas' choice to be a ninja and the only logical reasoning behind his choice is that Gabe has had his costume for a few weeks and has worn it a lot since he got it so Silas wanted to be a ninja like Gabe.

 We enjoyed two trunk or treats this year.  The first was at New Friendship Baptist where they had fun on the hayride with Kenan and Ashlynn.  The second one was at our church, Triad Baptist, where Daryl and I dressed up with our friends, Devin and Stacy, to imitate the Beverly Hillbillies. 

Jethro and Ellie Mae

 

On Halloween night, we went over to Ben and Erin's house for dinner.  Erin and I made a festive dinner of mummy dogs, "pumpkin" oranges, and spider cookies.  Afterwards, we walked around their neighborhood.  Kenan, Gabe, and Eden didn't understand that it's rude to ring a doorbell multiple times until someone answers.  They also ran past buckets of candy on the front porch to ring the bell.  We had a blast with our friends and family this year.

Easter

 Easter Egg Hunt at Meme and Papa's house with our cousins!

 

 Puppet show, egg hunt, and snack at New Friendship Baptist Church

 This is the first year that the twins cared about getting the eggs.  Once they found out there was candy inside they wanted to find as many as possible.  Silas, on the other hand, only cared about one egg and what it had inside.

The most memorable part about Easter was our church's Easter program.  We took the twins to see the drama and they stared in awe through the whole program.  They learned so much from watching that drama and they've talked about it for weeks.  They retold the Easter story to their preschool teacher and at the end Gabe realized there was nothing left to tell so he added "Then Jesus got bit by an alligator." 

Christmas Gatherings

Christmas with Leah's Family 

For Christmas this year, Leah's family wanted to fit in some extra time together by having dinner the night of the 23rd, spending the night together, and then waking up and opening presents on Christmas Eve morning.  We had a great time together and we will have to do this again!

 

Silas and Meme



 All of the cousins

 

 Christmas Eve Morning

 

Christmas with Daryl's Family

 

Ashlynn, 11 months and Silas, 13 months 

 Gabe and Poppy

 







Eden's first crown and jewels.

 



We love you, Nana

 

Christmas Morning

We didn't know what kind of reaction to expect from our kids.  They are just getting a basic idea of who Santa is and what he does on Christmas.  They were excited to open their presents and couldn't believe that he would bring them castles, after all it is what they asked for.

 

Eden's Cinderella Castle 

Silas is still to young to understand what we're doing but he quickly found and ate the leftover cookies.

Gabe and his medieval castle 

 

 

 

 They look so much alike!

 

 

 

 

We had a fantastic Christmas this year.  We're thankful for another year together!

Decking the Halls

I love my early gift from the kids.  It's not difficult to figure out which reindeer belongs to which kid.

Setting up and decorating the tree.

Silas is constantly testing me to see if he can touch the tree.  We had to put some special ornaments on the bottom that he could play with. 

Sparkles the Elf made his grand appearance to see us this year.  The twins loved to find him every morning and they had a blast looking for him.



All 3 kids did great waiting for Santa Claus.  Eden went right up to him, sat down on his lap and told him she wanted a castle.  Gabe stood back, watched his sister then he too, joined her on his lap to make his request, also a castle.  Silas is too young to know any better so right before taking the picture, I popped him right into the middle of the twins.

The Twins' Christmas Programs

The twins participated in two Christmas programs this year.  The first was at their preschool and this one was our favorite.  They did a great job staying on stage, singing, and making the motions.  They practiced at home for weeks by standing on the fire place hearth with bells singing their songs.

At one point during the song, Gabe decided that he didn't want to participate anymore so he crossed his arms over his chest and stared up into the sky.  He's such a hoot!

The second program they performed in was at our church.  I didn't know how they'd do in this program because they hadn't been on the stage yet and practiced with the group.  They surprised us and did a wonderful job!



Thanksgiving

To celebrate Thanksgiving with the twins, we attended their preschool's Thanksgiving Feast.  Unfortunately, Eden has been sick and wasn't able to go.  We still had a great time with Gabe and we enjoyed this special time with him.

Thanksgiving with Leah's family. 

Thanksgiving is Silas' last, first holiday.  We learned today that Silas doesn't really have a limit in eating.  We had to ask family and friends to stop feeding him although he's asking for it.  He literally ate until he popped!