IC(E)y start to the Holidays

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving was a little unusual because all my cousins and my sister were out of town. We didn't have a 20+person meal with lots of kids, dessert and football. But my parents and my family made the best of it and had a grand old time!

Besides having my favorite meal of the year (turkey, dressing, all the trimmings, SWEET POTATOES and Pumkin Chiffon Pie), we went to the Gaylord Texan to see ICE over the weekend. We could have skipped the ICE exhibit and still had a great time. The Gaylord is an incredible place to stay...but ICE was Amazing! Here we are with my Mom about to go into the ICE exhibit.

Amazing what people can do with a big block of ice....2 million pounds of ice to be exact!
I spent a few hours Saturday trying to get a Christmas Card picture in the picturesque holiday setting at the Gaylord. I discoverd that getting a good (OK, I admit I really wanted A GREAT picture) of my three kids was far from easy. Here are some failed attempts...


Luckily that was the only hard thing about our trip. The hotel was amazing. We hit the traffic just right. (Sorry to any of you who got stuck in the hours long 1-35 traffic jam Sunday that was right by the exit to our house!) We Also learned that, yes, we can take seven people in the van out of town! My parents may never be the same as it was a little crazy...but over all we had the most wonderful time!

Despite how it looks in the above pictures, Ella Kate was a little angel for her first over night trip away from home. She slept and ate at all the right times and was so good! Since we don't go out of town much anymore, I forgot how much you have to pack when you have a baby! I'm still unpacking and doing laundry. I miss that maid service and clean little hotel room already!

This picture is from the hotel room. My kids enjoy a hotel stay more than anyone I have ever met. One of my favorite parts of this (and any) trip was watching the kids ooh and ahh over every detail of the hotel...like when Rhett ran out of the bathroom saying "They even have shower caps!" Honestly I feel the same way. I once traveled for a living and I never stopped feeling the thrill of checking into a nice hotel! I'm older now so I don't squeal or "ooh and ahh" like my kids, but I totally understand why they love it so!

As you can see from the pictures above my girls wore a few of their matchng outfits this weekend. ( Gotta love Children's Place!) Even though they are 8 years apart Kolby begs for clothes for EK that match hers. She says she "has waited her whole life to be able to match a sister!" In a few years she won't want to anymore, but in the mean time...aren't my girls cute! :)

Rhett loved the reindeer at the Gaylord, and thankfully, this one did not bite him like the fake one did last year! Notice the hat, gloves, and scarf...it was almost 80 degrees outside but Rhett was determined to wear his new winter duds to see the reindeer and ICE! He is so excited that it might actually freeze here in the morning so he can bundle up!

I'm going through that litte "let down" feeling that I always have after a long anticipated trip or event is over. Back to the real world! This week is the deadline week for the PTA newsletter so it will be busy. For the first time in years it's "after Thanksgiving" and my Christmas decorations are still snug in the attic! YIKES! We won't even talk about Christmas shopping. I haven't even made a list...let alone started checking it off! BUT I swore I would not let the hustle and bustle of the season get to me this year. I just want to enjoy the cooler weather (which is supposed to hit tomorrow) and the joy of the season. Anyone care to join me???

Hope your holiday season is filled with love, family and friendship! Happy Holidays!