11.30.2016

All Aboard the Polar Express...


We rounded out Thanksgiving weekend with a quick trip to Palestine for a special train ride north. Way North.
Super North.

All the way to see the big guy himself. 

My mom has been asking for the past few years when we were going to take Landry. "You took Radley and Emmy and it's just not fair..."

(She's such a great Gigi. Poor third kid.)

So this year she wasn't taking no for an answer and decided to gift it to this crew as the big gift from Gigi and Pops. And that put a smile on EVERYONE's face. (Because, yes it's fun, but also less "stuff" to stick places after Christmas.)

I went on the hunt for the perfect pjs and finally settled on these from Target.  We decided that each family would get their own design so we'd coordinate and not be matchy matchy. (And by "we", I clearly made that decision. Ordered the pajamas and told everyone to smile.) 

(The pjs were not optional - everyone had to agree prior to tickets being purchased.)


I was super bummed that Emmy and Landry's pattern was only for little kids because I loved it to so much but I also love the stripes. And can we discuss Radley's creepy smile here? It **could** have had something to do with my speech prior to arrival... 

"We WILL be taking pictures there. Lots of them. I will want one of each family. One of all of us. One of the kids. One of Gigi and Pops with the kids. One of Gigi and Pops alone. One of you eating a snowflake.... " 

Okay, so that last one wasn't real, but you get the point. The rule is the quicker you smile, the quicker we are done. He was ready to be done. HAHA


Kailyn was so excited she could hardly contain herself and Jeremy/Pete gets extra points for wearing pjs. He doesn't even really wear pjs at home - he is always in blue jeans so to be seen in PUBLIC, well... 


We decided to ride the last train of the night - we wanted to be able to take our time getting there and not be so rushed that day. Since it's a 2+ hour drive we decided to stay the night and make a trip out of it. We all went to dinner at a darling placed called Switch prior to departure and I couldn't recommend it more. Mom, Dad, Jeremy and Cristina had been there before when they went on a golf trip and raved on and on and they were right. It was AMAZING. 

We had plenty of time to change into pjs prior to heading to the station and made it in time to see the train before us leave. The kids were PUMPED. I wish I could have bottled up that joy because it was priceless. 


"Mommy! Mommy! They are going to see Santa RIGHT NOW! How long will it take? Is the train magic? When is our turn?"


Each train ride lasts about an hour, so that gave us PLENTY of time to snap a few more pics... 


Get the wiggles out...


hang around...


and snack. 


This picture - y'all it took 5 minutes for this to work. The girls couldn't decide where to sit, Gigi couldn't decide how she wanted her chin, Landry fell off, Emmy's head looked like it was floating and I couldn't stop laughing long enough to click. 


I will say that my selfie game is strong even with the giant Nikon.


FINALLY - we got to board (after one final snap). 

So wished Jody, Sonya and Owen could have been there...the picture is incomplete without them.


You get three options of seating:

Standard - Assigned seating, reading of the story, first view of the North Pole and a visit from Santa
Lone Star - Heated cars, assigned table seating, complimentary mug, chocolate chip cookie, visit from Santa
Diamond - Same as Lone Star but you ride in a double decker train car

We went with the Lone Star seating simply because the extra price to sit higher wasn't really worth it to us - BUT that doesn't mean it can't be worth it to you.


We just had so much fun over the next hour....





And finally we were close to the NORTH POLE!
(Y'all, they actually lower the temperature as you approach the site of the NP - a simple but impactful magical touch.)

They would have jumped through the window if they could. This moment right here is why I wanted to go at night - they have the trees leading up to the village all lit up and then you arrive and Santa, Mrs. Clause, and some elves are standing in front of lit shops and homes and the kids are just in awe. 


And then finally the big guy himself came by and handed them each a silver bell along with some hope and joy that can't be seen but is surely felt. 


Thank you so much Gigi and Pops - we had a blast and wouldn't be sad if we did something like this every year!! Oh yeah, the bell still rings for me.... 

11.29.2016

Holiday Movie Favorites - Spiel the Beans Linkup

I have been in a blog slump y'all. I feel like I'm on repeat with the late recaps of our lives. We did this, went here, ate that, etc.... and I just can't seem to get out of the fog. But, I'm hoping that the next few weeks will get me out of it. I know it seems strange since this time of year is just filled with "busy" but in between all of that, I'll be sitting on my green couch, with a cup of coffee, Christmas tree on, maybe a fire burning and watching one of these.... 


Every year I gather all my favorite Christmas flicks and just stack them next to our old bulb television and look forward to those quiet moments here and there that I can catch a glimpse at one of my favorites. From time to time I blog while I'm watching, I most definitely wrap a ton of gifts and I also get in some awesome snuggle time with those #Wee3Kings. Seriously one of my favorite views, day... 


or night... 



Shelly and I are so excited to read about your favorites. I know that we will share some, but I'm hoping to get some new ideas, too! So what's on my list??? 

For Family:










For Momma:







 I will add that I also adore I Don't Know How She Does It (also known as the story of every moms's life), Fred Clause, Home Alone, and of course Christmas Vacation. I could probably keep going, but well, it's almost embarrassing.

Happy watching friends - hope you get some time to cozy up on the couch and just enjoy the view. It's a party, try to visit at least 2 other posts and show them some love!  This is the fun part! Be inspired, inspire someone else - don't just link and run!

We would love, love, love for you to follow us on some form of social media!
Follow Shelly: {Instagram} {Bloglovin} {Pinterest} {FacebookFollow Katy: {Instagram} {Bloglovin} {Pinterest} {Facebook}
ps. We are also both on Snapchat and pretty darn funny. You can find Shelly @queeninbetween1 and Katy @Katygking 


And don't forget to keep spieling the beans... 


11.27.2016

Giving thanks...and cookies...

We vowed to make Thanksgiving easy, simple, stress free and fun. AND WE DID!!!

Our morning started with a sweet delivery with this crew... 


we dropped cookies off at the fire station by our house and then made our way to HEB. Y'all - if I could recommend an easy way to spread joy...THIS WOULD BE IT!


Every single face lit up. Every single person was so overcome with the thoughtfulness. Every single one. These guys requested the picture so they could show their families. Simple acts of kindness are my favorite ones. 


Then the day went like this: 

Dominoes and grilling... 


eating and laughing... 


being cute and silly... 


pausing for pictures... 


and a quick swing... 



being thankful for the family we choose... 


and the family we are gifted... 


(not pictured: Gigi and Pops - they escaped for now).

Thankful, indeed. 

11.23.2016

Poetry, Turkeys and Cookies too...

Tuesday was oddly crazy which made me even more thankful that I decided to just take the day off. That morning I spent some unexpected quality time with a dear friend before heading to Radley's school for a world renowned poetry slam that included original works by his class. 


Each kiddo created two original works, one about something they like and one about their favorite color. 


Mrs. Ferguson had the class set up so cute, complete with jazz music while we waited. 



I sent in a special request for Radley to go first since Landry also had a school production that morning - 30 minutes after his! 

#becauseclearly


Each kid read one original work and one poem from Shel Silverstein in spanish - I was so proud of this kid!

Video cred to Uncle Pete - Radley was so pumped that he was there.



I snagged him, hugged him, snapped a pic and then planted a big kiss on his cheek before heading to watch Landry.


Then I was off down the road for this turkey's final Thanksgiving feast as a pre-schooler. Cue all the tears.

That morning she could tell that I was stressed and worried about missing either performance, so she snuggled up next to me, patted my back and said, "Don't worry, Momma, if you can't come, I can sit with my teachahs... I know you wuv me."


This sweet crew has grown from infant to a gaggle of the cutest turkeys ever.


I love how much they were concentrating on their lines...


and hand motions...


and so full of smiles.


I mean, just take a look for yourself.



I may be a bit biased, but, well... you can just imagine how I feel about these two.


And if the day wasn't filled with enough fun there was more. Cindy and I had talked about volunteering at a local shelter for lunch on Thanksgiving, but they had more than enough volunteers for the day. So, Cindy being the genius she is, thought it would be fun for us to make cookies for people that had to work on Thanksgiving.


So the cookie making began...


If you would have told me nine years ago that I'd be in my kitchen on a Tuesday surrounded by six adorable kids...


self-sufficient, capable, strong, independent...


compassionate, caring, 


kind kids....


Well, I would have wanted to believe you because that's the dream, right.


What I wouldn't have believed is just how much I would love those kids, this life, the friends we share it with and all the happy, crazy, mess, busy-filled days in between.


Thankful indeed.