The Train Museum

Technically speaking I guess it's the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina. According to Jack, it's the Train Museum and we need to go everyday. Every day.

As usual, my loving husband found out about the Santa Train offered at the Museum before Christmas. Jack loves trains and who doesn't love Santa, so off we went. It's such a neat place with or without Santa. Jack loved the train ride although he did state the "a bullet train should be going much faster".

He loved the round house but didn't really want to take a ride, watching seemed to suit him just fine. But most of all he LOVED the gift shop. I mean, what kid wouldn't.

Despite the bitter cold wind of the day, we had a wonderful time and got yet another opportunity to show off the twins. Apparently we need to go to the Train Museum tomorrow. According to Jack anyway.

Gingerbread?

Okay, so I cheat. I use cardboard and it is WONDERFUL! No cookies breaking, no children crying - just hot glue and old boxes. Everyone likes the candy and icing best anyway! See, Hannah LOVES the candy!

This is our third year decorating our little cardboard houses and each year it gets more fun. Jack mainly likes "helping" everyone else decorate and eating as much candy as his little belly will hold, but we always end up with beauties.

I might have went a little big this year but no one seemed to mind and there is always next year to tweek the house design!

Santa's Forest

After putting off the onslaught of photos, I've finally decided to tackle the thousands of images I have from the last couple months. To begin with yet another photo from the magic of "Santa's Forest".

It's always amazing to me at how some of the most interesting and wonderful places are in your own backyard. Stephen and I had talked about how perfect it would be to take Jack to a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm up in the mountains. We happened to see a sign on our way home one afternoon pointing towards Lincolnton. Low and behold we started one of our new family holiday traditions at a family owned and operated choose and cut Christmas tree farm.

The farm is wonderful. They've taken such great pains to make the whole experience so family friendly! They've got a very cool hay bale play area WITH slides. They have hot cocoa, cookies, animals you can feed, and even sheep dog demonstrations. Not to mention you get to cut down your own very pretty tree for a very reasonable price! Look up Herter Nursery in Lincolnton, North Carolina - we definitely weren't disappointed.

Holiday Madness

It's over. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season was definitely more hustle for me this year. But things are starting to settle down back into the normal rush of our daily lives. This means that maybe I can catch up on all the photos I need to send out from our holiday activities, that maybe I can actually finish decorating the girls room, that maybe I can get the basement finally cleaned out and maybe, just maybe, I can get outside and tackle the weedy madness that inhabits my flower beds. This all remains to be seen but in the meantime I offer up this one photo of Jack and the Girls at the tree farm we visited before Christmas. More on that to follow!

Not too shabby ...

This might be my favorite photo from our afternoon in the leaves. Not too shabby for an amateur photographer. Of course it helps if the subject (Kate) is really, really cute.

Leaves

Isn't it amazing the fun you can have with just what's around you? We recently had a picnic in the leaves. Kate's having a great time.

Maddie seems to like the leaves, too!

Now the fun part. How do they taste? Watch out for Jack he's coming in for a landing!

We had lots of fun - in a pile of leaves.

Telling Stories

If you've read my previous posts, you realize my Jackson has quite the imagination. Lately, his new fascination is telling stories or more importantly - you telling him stories of his design. In true Jack-fashion, their are rules and regulations.

#1 - You must tell HIM the story, not the other way around.
#2 - HE must tell you who and what the story is going to be about.
#3 - You must tell him the predetermined story on his time schedule.
#4 - He must be the main character of said story.

After following the rules above, the latest story that I was told by Jack to tell to Jack included Jack as the main character who went to visit Wubbzy (from Wow Wow Wubbzy) on his chocolate motorcycle. While on the chocolate motorcycle, he ran into a skunk who was very stinky. Begin story.

Costumes Revealed

After a long and sorted decision-making process. Jack decided that he would indeed be a turtle - a costume that Mamaw had found some weeks back and that Jack had been "practicing" in. Thanks to a quick trip to Toys-R-Us, I found some sweet little caterpillar costumes for the girls that not only went along with the forest theme of our Halloween but the colors coordinated perfected. I totally scored and the OCD aspect of my personality was thrilled.

So our Halloween went exceptionally well and thanks to lots of help from the grandparents, Jack had an awesome evening. The girls slept through a lot of it, but it's hard work to be this cute.

Day 5

I know I've kept you in suspense too long. Jack's latest costume idea (and I quote):

"I think I just want to wear a big ol' shirt."

That's my boy.

Game Day

Friday nights in the fall are reserved for one thing - high school football. Being a coach's wife has it's disadvantages, but there are perks. I get premium parking at home games and never have to pay admission. Since this is my coach's fairwell tour, I thought I would include some game day photos.

Let's start with getting ready:

A little instruction:

And the action shot: