Small town Christmastime...

Radley had a soccer tournament in Round Rock so we decided to make an entire fun-filled day out of it. He had two games on Saturday that did not result in wins (one was a tie and he scored the tying goal) so we needed a little Christmas to lift our spirits! Between games we ran to Ikea (where I promptly decided I was throwing everything I own away, buying a flat in London, and surrounding myself in coffee and books) and I also ran into one of my sorority sisters who talked us out of driving into Austin and instead heading to her hometown for their annual Georgetown Christmas Stroll. 

Best.Decision.Ever. I can't even describe how amazing this afternoon was and we immediately knew that we had done the smart thing when we arrived, promptly parked (for FREE) less than a hundred yards away from the festivities, and were greeted with a kiddie train (again FREE). 

The girls were set on riding in that first cart and Radley thought about being too big to go for a split second then decided he'd hop on, too. 

We couldn't find one thing that wasn't lovely - from the adorable welcome sign...

to the sweet swings. 

Every part of this celebration was as charming as could be! They set up a miniature "ice rink" for the kids and my crew couldn't wait to get on. 

Radley is definitely more nimble on a soccer field. 

Landry needed some support from Pops. 

And Emersyn just took off! I was a bit surprised and incredibly impressed! 

We couldn't find one thing we didn't love about the day.

Completely unplanned.

No set agenda. 

And themed Christmas outfits clearly weren't a priority.

We simply enjoyed the company of each other and had the most amazing time. 

As we were winding down our day, we walked through the most darling Bethlehem village hosted by a local church. 

The kids got to visit tons of vendors representing various markets in Bethelem. A perfume shop, produce, basket weaving, and even a place that let them dye cloth. 

Radley's favorite may have been the Roman guard. Please note that he (Rad and the guard) refused to smile for this picture.

We capped off the night with front row seats for a singing live nativity.

As we were walking back to our car, I snapped a picture of this tree to send to Ryan (who was stuck home working allllll day) (on a Saturday) (booo) and said, "Let's do this to our trees in the back!" So, stay tuned for a completed project in 20 years.

What an unexpected, unplanned, unimaginably awesome day! I've had a magnet on my fridge for forever it seems that reminds me daily "We plan. God laughs." And it's true, we can plan every single thing down to every single minute and nothing goes "right" - the unexpected happens to throw off our best of intentions. 

Or we can plan nothing and God shows up in giant ways to remind us of His presence and loyalty and love in our lives. 

The return of Alfie...

Every year on December 1st, we get a ver special visitor... 

He prepares breakfast for the kids (with the elf major food groups, of course) ...

Brings them a surprise...

and this year included Mary Ellen and Clarabelle. 

The kids wake up full of wonder and excitement... 

And the merriment can officially begin.

Sometimes that elf can drive me crazy... but every December 1st he reminds me that the joy in the season is watching the wonder in their eyes spring to life with every special moment, big, small and elf-sized, too!

It's a HIT...

Have you ever seen or heard a group of second graders cuter than this crew?
This is answer is no. 

Emersyn had been prepping for weeks for their BIG winter musical and the day had FINALLY arrived. She had a small speaking park and I could not wait to see her knock it out of the park! I got their early to snap pics during the rehearsal so I could just enjoy the "live performance" later. 

The show was called "It's a HIT"  and was about a group of kids getting ready to play some baseball. One kid was unsure of himself and one girl was ready to take on the pitcher mound but that had NEVER been done before and they weren't about to let a girl pitch now. 

Through song, a little dance and some amazing hand motions... the kids figured out that when you come together on the field or in life, then everything works out and you have a HIT!

There was a particular number than infused a little hip hop with some lyrics and I just about died. 

I mean, check out these facial expressions. 

The big number was called "all stars" and included props which Emmy tried to keep a secret. The kids just could not get over how cool this number was with their little finger lights and dark stage. 

And I can't deny that a few tears popped up listening to their sweet voices belt out these lyrics. 

Then the real audience showed up - I kind of adore these two big brothers. 

And while the plan was just to sit and enjoy the show - she added her baseball cap and how could I miss capturing this cuteness?

There's something pretty incredible that happens through music and performance. We all come out of our shell a little. We all cheer each other on. We all really are on the same team and while we may not win many awards or get tons of recognition, when you end a performance you feel such a sense of pride and accomplishment. You recognize that each person, no matter how big or small their role, plays and important part in making that performance matter. 

This was our music teacher's last performance since she just took a job as the choir director at our HS - I am just so sad that she's leaving because she's just amazing with these kids. I'm also really happy for her to be able to use her talents with a group of kids that are absolutely going to flourish under her direction. 

One final tip-toed line and the show was wrapped!

Emmy had a quick meet and greet with her fans... 

took a bow with her bestie... 

made time for a hug from Dad...

a kiss from Mom... 

and the biggest squeezes of all from Gigi AND Pops!

Before our all-star headed back to class to hit some home runs in english and math!

I love being on this side of childhood - I love watching them be so very proud of themselves. I love seeing them try something new and do something hard and shine through each moment. What an honor to be front row in their lives. They are hall of fame in my book!