Christmas Eve Dinner 2014

I'm a little late to the Christmas party, but here it goes anyway.

I made an amazing dinner for us this year and we had more guests than usual. I posted the menu a post or two ago if you would like to take a look.

Ladies and children sat at the dinner table. It's one of the few times I break out the fine china.

The girls love their Nene.

My daddy and his girlfriend, Donna.

We always allow the ladies to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Normally it's a pair of new jammies. Well this year Momma couldn't find Addison's and three months later, they still haven't been found...lol.

We had to go with an emergency back up plan and they were given their puppy and kitten surprises. They loved the gift and they will never know that momma had screwed up that night.

I love having family celebrations at my home. I'm a sucker for meal planning and making things memorable. This Christmas Eve was definitely memorable for one reason and another.

Christmas Photos and a visit with the Big Guy

Every year I always take advantage of Portrait Innovations $19.99 portrait special for Christmas. Usually it's our one and only family photo of the year but since we had family pictures done this past fall I decided I was only going to torture the girls.

I loved how well their pictures came out. So much so that I had to buy a bigger package so I could get more than just one pose.

My two beautiful babies that look nothing alike.

After our portrait session we headed to the local mall and decided to get our annual family picture with Santa and then stuff ourselves with soft pretzels.

I'm not sure why Cadence has to have the deer in headlights look in so many pictures, but it was a good picture none the less. Even if it was off center and will aggravate me for the rest of my days.

After our visit with the Big Guy we sought after our beloved soft pretzel bites. It's not uncommon for the ladies and I to make random stops to the food court for a girls date with pretzel bites and they ask for them every time we go to the mall. You can imagine the horror when we were told that they were out of soft pretzels. Soft pretzels were a part of our outing that day and I still haven't figured out how a soft pretzel place could be OUT of soft pretzels but I was in so much shock I didn't ask. The ladies were distraught but settled for the crappy broccoli and chicken from the Chinese place.

After we all finished our lunch the girls and daddy rode the train that is set up in the mall for the Christmas season and then we headed to Macy's where we wrote our letters to Santa and mailed them for the Make A Wish campaign.

The girls have been extremely naughty for the past week or so. I really don't understand why it takes my children so many times of being told not to do something before they actually stop doing it. Cadence must have been worried about her status on Santa's list because she mailed that poor letter off before I could even snap a picture.

Hopefully he receives their letters in time or there could be some unhappy faces on Christmas morning.

Look out Honey Boo Boo...

I got a brilliant idea the other week after picking up a brochure at our local mall that I would enter both of my ladies into a beauty pageant.

Now before you go crazy and start getting visions of TLC's Toddlers and Tiara's and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo this is a laid back pageant and we did it mostly for fun and the experience.

The ladies were each in their own age division and they didn't need to wear make-up or have some crazy talent which was right up our alley.

I bought them the prettiest Christmas dresses and my mother-in-law sprung for them to have their hair professionally done at my hair salon.

The pageant was this past Friday and we started the process at 3 o'clock at the salon.

First we started off with a shampoo...

 Then we moved on to cuts...

Next up blow dries...

Then the curls and styling begun...

The styling part is where things got tricky with Cadence. She was in nap mode and kept falling asleep. She had the head bob down pat and was making things very challenging for her stylist.

She had everyone in the salon cracking up. It's hard work being a little beauty pageant contestant bless her little heart.

The finished products...

I just loved how their hair turned out and I think they really enjoyed being pampered for an hour.

After our hair appointment it was time to run home and begin the process of getting dressed. I chose navy and silver dresses for them to wear in hopes that it would bring out the blue in their eyes. We also ran through our pageant mini dance once more.

The pageant was held at our local mall and it was very small. Each of the ladies had two other girls in their division.

Cadence got to go up first and because she is only three, I got to go on the stage with her. First, all of the girls go up and stand for a few minutes and then they come off only to go back up once again but one at a time for further judging.

Next was the 4-6 age division which is where Addison fell in. She had to go up all by herself and she was so brave.

After all of the girls went up on stage they tallied the scores and started the award ceremony.

First up was Cadence...

She won prettiest eyes, prettiest smile, and most photogenic.

And then...she was crowned Queen. She won her division!!!!

The next group up was Addison's....

She won prettiest smile, prettiest hair, and best personality.

And then...she won Queen, just like her sister.

 



I still can't believe both of my ladies won their divisions. We did this just for fun but because they placed they have their fees paid for if we were to choose to take them to state.

They have had the best time wearing their tiara and medals and toting around their trophies.

We're still debating on whether we'll take them to state but at least they had fun and got to experience the process and I must admit, it was so cool to have both of my daughters crown as Queen.

 

Just a few happenings around our house...

Just a few pictures capturing our past two weeks or so. 

Sharing a room sometimes means sharing a bed.

Last nights dinner of pulled pork and rice required the fancy swim goggles.

You can tell he has two human sisters can't ya? Pink and purple!!

Holly Jolly the elf arrived on Thanksgiving night. 

Addison snacking alongside Missa Kitty.

Sick Missa Kitty. More details coming soon!

A little after school ice-cream date with momma. 

Axle sure loves his big brother, Sam. Sam on the other hand could do without the buddle of energy that won't leave him alone...EVER! 

Family Pictures

I mentioned in my post about Bandit how I lost a cousin this past year. In September my 33 year old cousin, Trina, passed away very unexpectedly. It hit all of us very hard as we had just lost our grandmother in January.

Trina was one of the most loving and compassionate people you would ever have known. It's been a couple of months now but everyone is still having a hard time understanding why someone so young and loved was taken from us. Her birthday is around Thanksgiving and with all of the holidays coming up the family is going to be going through a really rough patch.

Her death was so out of the blue that I decided to have family pictures taken as soon as possible. I had a photographer whose work I had admired for a few years take them and they turned out perfect. I figured I needed to stop putting it off because tomorrow wasn't promised to any of us.

I look at these pictures and just smile. God has blessed with me such a beautiful family and my baby girls, well, they just melt my heart.

I can't believe this baby is going to be five in a just a few short months.

 

My sassy almost four year old. Boy does she keep us on our toes.

My wish for them is to always be the best of friends.

It was so cold the day we shot these but both ladies were troopers.

My absolute favorite picture of the entire session. I'm so glad I chose blue as our wardrobe color.

I own the copyright to each and every of these pictures. They are not to be copied, or redistributed without my permission. You can find the photographer at the link below.

Hilary Sievers Photography