Christmas Trip 2021

 With Covid still being a very real and present thing and the kids not being fully vaccinated yet, we decided to just do a simple in-state trip for some Christmas Break fun.  We headed over to San Antonio to see Mimi and Pop-Pop for an early Christmas celebration, to finally check out the Christmas offerings at Morgan's Wonderland, and to enjoy a family favorite, Sea World at Christmas time!

Little Sweetie had a half day on the Friday going into break, so we took Little Buddy out of school early to start our drive over.  It was so nice to spend time with Mimi and Pop-Pop!  

The Christmas crew is ready for some Christmas fun!

     

Presents!  Christmas came early on Saturday!

     

Mimi and Little Sweetie worked hard on decorating some gingerbread houses!

Mimi and Little Buddy watching the Charlie Brown characters moving and making music!

     

Little Sweetie enjoyed a tea party and LEGO time with Pop-Pop!

          

Little Buddy loved reading his new books with Pop-Pop and playing with his new toy with Daddy!

Saturday night, we finally had the opportunity to head over to Morgan's Wonderland to enjoy their holiday activities.  It continues to be one of our favorite places and, because of the cold snap that kept native Texans away, we basically had the park to ourselves for rides, cookies and hot chocolate, and all the activities!

     

Beautiful views from the Ferris Wheel!

     

Simulated ice skating rink was a lot of fun!

     

Cuddles and smiles on the train ride!

The glove that tried to escape, lol!

We got to see Santa!!!

The Sensory Village had some really fun upgrades even since we were there in June!

     

     

Cool live animation studio!

     

     

Enjoying the interactive topographical map!

     

Little Buddy enjoyed the interactive screens and the adaptive X-Box!

     

A quick ride on the carousel to close out the evening!

Really enjoyed our evening!

Being that Morgan's Wonderland and Sea World are on the opposite side of town from Mimi and Pop-Pop, we moved over to a hotel for our two outings.  Little Sweetie was enjoying her hotel life!

Sticker time with Daddy!

Loving her continental breakfast!

The last stop of our trip was Sea World and, once again, I cannot be more happy with our choice to go.  With two children of very different developmental ages, Sea World has enough offerings to keep them both very happy.  Little Buddy loves the Sesame Street characters, the kiddie rides (which are designed for parents to ride with kids, so he has plenty of room), the room to walk around, and the animals.  Little Sweetie is now old enough to appreciate the big kid rides while still enjoying the animals too.  Momma and Daddy enjoy the beautiful Christmas lights and the music.  Plus, it was still cold, so we again had the park to ourselves!

Fun treat:  We ran into Little Sweetie's friends, C and R!

Little Sweetie was tall enough this trip to ride some REAL coasters!  We wanted to do the less intense Wave Breaker coaster BUT it kept being shut down because of the light rain.  So, she chose to start with the 150 ft. drop and 65 mph of the Steel Eel!  She survived and, while not sure during the ride or immediately after, decided a bit later that it was great!  She then decided to go on the Texas Stingray next!

     

The beginnings of a Coaster Girl!

Ready for the Clyde and Seamore Show!

We finished the day with fantastic lights and the Sesame Street parade.  What a great night!

     

Little Buddy definitely approved!

We head back home tomorrow to enjoy Christmas and the rest of break, but I'd say our little trip was perfect.  Such a great family time together!

Until next time, 

LB&LSM

Little Buddy's and Little's Sweetie's Momma

December 19

We are now fully entrenched in the holiday season and, with Covid still afoot and the kids not fully vaccinated yet, we are making sure to find ways to have fun while staying safe.  First up, taking Little Sweetie to her first Texas Renfest during Thanksgiving Break!

     

Dinosaur shirt, flowers in her hair, sword in her belt...I think she's ready for RenFest!

     

Big fan of both the pony and camel rides!

     

Living her best medical life with archery and jousting!

     

She found her new best friend...introducing Sapphire the Dragon!

Cancelled by Covid last year, we were happy our Thanksgiving Tradition of running the Run Thru the Woods race came back this year!  The kids stayed dry during their race, but the adults got SOAKED during ours!  Very memorable and a good way to burn calories so we could enjoy our Thanksgiving dinner.  Little Sweetie had a bit of a cough, but rallied and tried her best.

Getting a breathing treatment before the race.

L and Little Sweetie ready to race!

WILLPower representing in the kids race!

Adults soaked after the skies opened during our race!

Little Sweetie and L headed back to the car!

Proud of her medal!

Now time to cook!  Little Sweetie made her cranberry sauce!

     

Our Thankful Tree, delicious food, and a beautifully set table...we are ready for Thanksgiving!

As always, thankful for each other!

Our Christmas spirit kicks in pretty hard right after Thanksgiving and Little Sweetie was ALL in.  And look who came back!  

     

Little Sweetie woke up to find Pat, our elf!

Pat gets into all kinds of mischief!

       

Little Sweetie is on in on Christmas!

Helping Daddy decorate!

     

       

Getting into the holiday mood with the lights and music at The Light Park!

     

  

We got to go see Santa!

Otherwise, we kept ourselves busy with reading, playing outside, and starting to snack on holiday goodies!

     

Oh to be 8 again!

We also got to have a special girls' day this month.  We were supposed to see the Broadway performance of the Little Mermaid back in 2020, but it was cancelled due to Covid.  It finally was rescheduled for this month, so we put on our fancy dresses and enjoyed it.  

     

All dressed up and ready to go!

Showtime!

     

A great girls' day together!

Little Sweetie gives the show two thumbs up!

Besides seeing performances, Little Sweetie was also involved in many performances this month!  Our school choir was invited to sing at an annual food drive and was featured on the local news.  She then also performed with the choir and her grade at a the school Christmas pageant (where she had a poem solo) and then performed at the Talent Show!  Very proud of her.

Choir singing at the food drive!

     

Excellent work at the Christmas Program and when playing piano at the Talent Show!

Height and Weight

Little Sweetie is at 59 pounds and still a smidge above above 50 inches on the growth chart.

 

We just love everything about her!

Personality

I've noticed how important her friend relationships are to her and I am so glad she has a great group of friends that support and encourage each other!

     

Little Sweetie and her friends enjoying a skating birthday party!

Developmental Milestones

Little Sweetie is continually creating and designing.  It's so amazing to see all the things she accomplishes.

     

Rock painting and potholder weaving!

Building a train station with Daddy!

Always drawing and doodling!

RenFest rekindled her bow and arrow interest!

Fun Tidbits

Little Sweetie got to bring home both the Mary and the Jesus dolls from school this month.  She took them to activities with her and it was fun for her to get pictures showing how Mary and Jesus were involved in her daily life.  

     

A good reminder that Mary and Jesus are never far from us!

I am so happy the Christmas magic seems to be holding strong for our little girl and am excited for all the fun the rest of the month will bring!  We'll see you in 2022!

Good night,

LSM

Little Sweetie's Momma