Just like that another Christmas is over... a truly wonderful holiday season this year.  For the first time in a long time there was no holiday stress to get everything just right.  I really enjoyed each day leading up to Christmas... and really looked for all the magic that each day holds during this time of year. Little bug sleeping with his Santa hat and tree on... Ainsley constantly singing her part of her solo (for choir) to make sure it was just right ..Little Bug curled up reading by the tree and all of us curled up on the couch watching all our favorite holiday movies!

This year was the year that I really realized that the kiddos are older... they decorated their own tree, helped put up the Christmas village, and put up all the ornaments on the big tree... there was no racing to see who could put up the most ornaments, no fighting as to who was doing what... no yelling "to slow down... use two hands... or wait for all of us"

As usual I love to look at last years Christmas day readiness and compare it to this years... so fun all the changes!

Little Bug wanted us to open his Christmas present he made at school over the weekend...

a new ornament for the tree... and the last school handmade one! (insert sad sob)  This year has really been the year where I've noticed the change in the kiddos getting older.  Although I am always sad to see a chapter end... the next chapter is always filled with excitement and anticipation for the new adventures ahead.  Handmade ornaments will be always treasured and the favorite item on the tree.

The Magic of Christmas is in full force at our home...

The Kiddos have already started decorating early. I love it... it's so them...

My most favorite time of year for taking pictures...

Thursday was a busy one... there was work, grocery shopping, never ending laundry, scouts at our house, hair cut appointment for Ainsley, car washing, dinner eating, homework doing, basketball carpooling, basketball practice and lastly shoe shopping because Walker came home with shoes like this yesterday...

Luckily there was a sale and his size and some new shoes were found... hoping for a longer life in these than 4 months!..Walker and shoes... a constant up hill battle since he started to walk.

And the cute girl's new hairstyle... 6 inches was cut off!!

Wow November... how did you get here so fast??

October... definitely a blur this year. For the first time ever I didn't even get out the Halloween decorations!  There was an absence of the constant asking from the kiddos this year.. I guess that is usually the driving force to getting them out early.  It's just another reminder that they are getting older..(insert sad... sobbing... face).

Ainsley was on the fence this year about trick or treating... she definitely wanted to be with friends this year.  She made plans to head to a friends Halloween party... she planned a costume... only to find out the day before that the plans had changed... they would not be dressing up in a costume... just wearing all black because they were going to scare others.  So not what she had envisioned and was torn to go or stay home.

She's at that in-between age wanting the safety net of home but the pull towards friends and independence.  We talked to her about her choices and gave her some scenarios but told her ultimately it was her choice and she had to make a decision.  She did a happy compromise... dressed up to hand out candy at our house... skipped trick or treating with her brother... but begged for us to save some candy for her and went to the party with friends with the idea that if she felt uncomfortable she could sent us a text... say she didn't feel good and we'd pick her up.  I knew she'd have a fun time once she got there and the "doom and gloom" that she felt was highly over thought about.  They hung out... pretended they were Zombie statues in the front yard... ate junk food... laughed... handed out candy... went to a neighbor's haunted house and just had fun... all the things you should do when your in 7th grade.  She had a pretty rockin' costume... if I do say so myself...

Walker was a recycled costume from last year... Steve from Minecraft with an added prop this year the diamond sword.  He too is at that awkward age. He wanted to go to a sleepover at someone's house we didn't know... sorry Bug... we have to know people before we just let you go off to a new kid's house.  So they made plans to go trick or treating together but as kid plans go they didn't happen... I prepared him for this beforehand and so it was all good... he actually took over the handing out of candy while Ainsley was gone and thought it was fun... the highlight of the night... seeing all the costumes and having everyone comment on his costume.  (I later told him he did a great job helping... he replied... Wait... What!?! I was helping!!!")  I immediately said, "Scratch that... yep just having fun!"

He went with the parents around the neighborhood and it was a beautiful night... everyone was out in their yards handing out candy... fun times. We came back home an hour later... and all watched a movie while we waited to go and get Ainsley... definitely a different sort of halloween... fun times together nevertheless.

Last week we went and saw this...

This book was always a favorite of mine to read with the kiddos when they were little... I remember a time when we had to read it multiple times in 1 night just to get Ainsley into bed. I was so very glad that the movie was just as good as the book.

The popcorn was extra good that night too... I waited for fresh batch... mmmm.

Every month Walker's scout troop has a pack meeting where all the kiddos in different levels of scouting meet for an activity.  This month we met out at the local pumpkin patch for a hay ride, corn maze and a little tailgating dinner.

I love when I get to play around with photography...

We took the hayride out to the patch and the kiddos got to pick out a small pumpkin to take home...

Glad to have a new family picture...

And absolutely loved watching the sun go down while waiting for the kiddos to find the perfect pumpkin...

After hot dogs, chili and hot cocoa it was almost 8pm and the boys wanted to head into the corn maze in the dark!!  Good thing for parents and a sister who had phones to use as flashlights!! It was a mile long corn maze and you had to answer questions correctly to find the way out.  It was fun up to question #20 by the time we got to 67... not so much.

Can you say wound up crazy boys... way past their bedtimes!!

We finally made it out of the corn maze around 9 pm.  Whew what a night... fun times though.

It happened too fast... just 6 months after getting the Jeep the kiddos had a growth spurt and so the long wheel based Jeep (which we thought would work until the kiddos were in high school) all of a sudden became a bit too small.

We really didn't know what we wanted to get... a 4 door Jeep was always in our minds but the price tag didn't fit our budget.

A Sunday outing of driving thru the car lots... turned into a promising find... which turned into this... a new ride...

Something neither of us expected or considered but both instantly knew it was the next vehicle for us.  A new view of the back seat... kiddos have leg room and we can take extra passengers... so no more taking 2 cars for those that come to visit.

The best part... the name, the Adventurer... how fitting for us nomads at heart that always love a good adventure.  Here's to the next adventure in the new ride.