Addie Turns SIX!

She woke up early...and who wouldn't on the best day of the year?!? Our not-so-little-anymore Addie woke up as brand new six-year-old and excited that her special day had FINALLY arrived. She came downstairs to find a birthday table set and lots of gifts waiting for her...

and a giant six of course!

She is such a sweet sister and daughter...one of the many reasons that we love her so.

Birthday girl gets to open the Advent calendar...all kids agreed upon that. :)

Collins read them "The Night Before Christmas" which was a good choice...

Birthday pre-breakfast consisted of orange rolls and strawberries...birthday girl's choice. Addie loves traditions, and so of course our morning activities would take us to Big Ed's for breakfast and Memorial Auditorium to see the "Rudolph" play. We all look forward to Addie's birthday morning!

One present to open and one candle to blow out with many faces of delight...

In a break from tradition, Addie decided she did not want a Ruldolph cake this year, and opted instead for oreo peppermint cupcakes. Nice choice, Addie, and thanks for the help, Luke!

Off we headed downtown for one of the best breakfasts in Raleigh...

and then got some energy out before the show.

I know the show is cheesy, but we love it. The music, the colors and the characters are so bright and fun. We have seen the show so many times that we know what is coming next and end up just smiling the whole time.

Love this picture of our birthday girl- so beautiful.

Back at home, we kept our birthday menu simple with Snoopy's hot dogs and cupcakes. Then it was time for the most important part of the day (to Addie)...dealing with all those presents.

First, for our little singer- a microphone! Do you think she's going to belt out "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"?

Then next what she had been really wishing and hoping for...

her very own American Girl doll!

Gigi found a doll that looked just like Addie. Welcome to the family, Lilly!

She was thrilled!

She opened some awesome gifts, and then it was time to blow out six big candles...

How our girl has grown over the last year! Our kindergartner is learning and growing so much every day. She is curious, funny, loving, smart, and just plain fun to be around. She is easy to love, and gives so much love to her family in return. We are so lucky to call Addie ours. From the day she was born on Christmas Eve six years ago, we knew she was going to a very special girl, and we were right. Fabulous in every way, and NOW SIX! We love you, Addie girl. Happy birthday!

Final Preparations

Once we got back from Hickory, we made final preparations for Addie's birthday and Christmas. After cleaning up, Luke was looking dapper in his new "robie"...

Collins baked one final batch of Christmas cookies...

and I went ahead and made the cinnamon buns for Christmas morning. You have to plan ahead with the busy couple of days we would be having! I make all kinds of lists for the menus we will be having for birthday breakfast, birthday party, Christmas morning breakfast, Christmas dinner, etc. It makes my head spin, but luckily I love creating menus and having parties. It just requires a lot of organization ahead of time!

And then one final thing on the to-do list...decorate for Miss Addie's birthday. Tomorrow our sweet girl would turn SIX! On to the two biggest days of the year!

Christmas in Hickory

Time for Christmas in Hickory! We were excited to head to Hickory to celebrate the holidays with everyone...and Mimi was super excited to welcome all her grandkids in with one big hug. 

The kids love walking the dogs when they go to Mimi's house...we are practicing to be "dog people"! :)

Sweet boy...thrilled to celebrate Christmas with Sawyer for the first time!

Also a must at Mimi's house...exploring that interesting attic.

We went to St. Stephens for church, and I loved looking over to see Baba snuggle Luke on the pew. Mom and Baba love to show off the grandkids to all their friends.

After church, we relaxed at Mimi's and played with our tiny reindeer...

Baba invited the kids to pick an ornament off her tree to take back home with them. I hated to remove anything from her pretty tree, but she insisted. They loved picking out a special treasure.

Finally, it was time for Christmas to begin! We opened presents first, then enjoyed a delicious dinner. We have to do it in this order for obvious reasons. :)

All kinds of good things were unwrapped...a fishing game, a llama purse, some new pink boots (Aunt Alli always keeps the kiddos in stylish footwear), and much, much more.

Look at this smiling boy! He got a fun new playmat, and we got to enjoy having a baby around again for the Christmas festivities. Sawyer is a sweetheart.

Our time together at the holidays is so special, and I'm thankful for each and every moment. Whether we're playing games, eating pecan pie, laughing in the kitchen, playing fetch with the dogs, unwrapping presents, putting together a puzzle, or watching a movie- it's always a great time. These happy moments are what Christmas is all about- so thankful for our time in Hickory this year!