Snowman School Party

Today was Handley's "Holiday" party at school.  Because it's public school and we can't do anything overly Christmas the other room mom and I decided we would play it safe with a snowman theme.  Having a theme helped tie together the party and made it easier for us to come up with all sorts of really cute activities for the kids.

I went straight to Pinterest and came up with some things that I thought the kids would love.  We gave a few a try at home first, and decided on the final 6 stations for her party.  We collected money at the beginning of the year for things like teacher gifts, party supplies, etc. so I offered to take care of buying and preparing all of the party fun centers.

1. Footprint Snowman Craft.  What parent doesn't love cute things made out of their kids hand and foot prints?!? We went in earlier before the party to go ahead and do the kids' footprints so it would have time to dry before they decorated them at this station.

2. Coffee Filter Snowflakes. I maned this center and taught the kids how to fold the coffee filters and cut to make snowflakes.  Using coffee filters instead of paper is easier because they are much thinner, making it easier for the kids to cut through all of the layers, and also because they area already in a circle.  The kids all really got into this and loved unfolding to see what their snowflakes looked like.  They each made a few and it was neat to compare how different everyone's looked.

3.  Donut Snowman Snack.  The kids got to use powdered donuts and candies to create a yummy snowman treat.  This was a big hit!

4.  Snowball Toss Game. I made this snowman board and got styrofoam balls to use as snowballs.  It was tricky for some of the kids to get the balls through the holes of the snowman, but they had fun trying.  Some of the boys really got into this game!

5.  Play with Pretend Snow.  Handley's teacher suggested this and I found the recipe online.  I mixed one can of shaving cream with two boxes of baking soda and it makes this really neat consistency that looks and can be molded like snow.  I put it in the fridge overnight so that it would feel cold to touch like snow, too.  We had the pretend snow in dollar store dish pans to try to contain the mess and it worked out pretty well.  The kids (and adults) had fun making snowballs, snowmen, and each child got to take a little baggie of "snow" home with them after the party.

6.  Iceskating.  Our sixth activity was kind of an "extra" for those kids that finished up at the other stations early.  Another suggestion from Handley's teacher was ice-skating on wax paper.  I taped together a lot of wax paper to make the rink and we set it up in a little room that is connected to Handley's classroom.  We put fluffy batting around the edges to look like a real outdoor rink. The kids could take their shoes off to pretend to skate on the ice.  Their socks weren't quite slippery enough to really slide around and the wax paper began to tear and then it was just a big mess.  The funny thing is though, they didn't seem to mind because then they were just throwing the batting around like snow and having a ball.

The party was a total success and the kids all had so much fun!  As the parents were cleaning up Handley's teachers gave each of the students a gift they had made for them...personalized white boards. These were a hit and the kids got to work right away drawing, making lists, and loving their boards.  Handley has used hers all afternoon and she and Harper played school with it for the longest time when we got home.

Her teachers also surprised the room moms with the sweetest gift.  One of her teachers makes these wrapped beaded utensils and she gave one to each of us along with a whole gift bowl (including a Christmas dish towel and cute Christmas shaped pasta).  I was not expecting anything and am always happy to help out in her classroom, but the thoughtful gift and sweet card signed by all of the kids was so nice.

On our way home Handley kept going on and on about how much she wanted to do something special just she and I and I agreed that it had been a while since we had some real quality one-on-one time.  SO, we did what we do when we celebrate just about any occasion...we stopped for frozen yogurt at RT!  (This was Handley's choice of things to do).  I'm so glad we got that time together.

Hudson had his class party today also.  It was at the same time as Handley's so I wasn't able to make it to both. However, only the party mom's can attend his so it's not like he was the only one without a parent there.  Gigi was sweet enough to pick up Haprer and Hudson for me since I was still at Handley's school. When Handley and I got home he was so happy to tell me about his party and show me all of the crafts and goodies he brought home.

Harper's party day is tomorrow and then we are on Christmas break and will all officially be sleeping in until 2014!

One last little tidbit to share. The kids and I were over at the new house yesterday meeting with a few people (CLICK HERE to read all about that update on the house blog) and when we got back up to my car I saw a gift bag sitting on top of it.  I was surprised to open it up and find a Christmas card from our new across-the-street neighbors and this inside:

A UGA stocking signed to our family by Vince Dooley!  I couldn't believe it!  I had to explain to the kids that not only did he used to be the head coach of the Bulldogs, but he also was the Athletic Director after that.  Basically, for those that don't know, he is a very big deal at UGA.  I have no idea what the connection is and haven't seen our neighbors since then to talk to them and THANK them, but we were SO excited and grateful for this awesome gift!

Decking the Halls

This afternoon we got to experience a real Christmas treat.  One of Papa's friend's from work goes above and beyond when it comes to decking the halls.  His decorations are kind of famous and have been filmed and photographed to be featured in the news.  Apparently, he does this every year and my guess is it has just grown and grown.  Today he even invited Santa to be there so that visitors could not only enjoy all of his decorations, but also get to talk to Santa, too!  He collects donations for a charitable cause and does all of this out of the goodness of his heart.

Ryan, Heather and Rylan came along for the fun this afternoon.  Gigi and Papa were happy to have all the grandkids together for a picture by the Christmas tree.

We weren't sure quite what to expect about this house, but when we pulled up there was no doubt we were at the right place.

I have never!  It was like something out of a movie.  Every single inch of his yard was covered with inflatable decorations.  They were on the roof, hanging out of the windows, stuck in the trees and every other place they could be squeezed.  There were extension cords coming out of every window, Christmas music playing and there was so much laughter and joy!

The kids loved walking around and checking out all of the different decorations.  Not one was alike and there were some really unique ones, too.

They all got to talk to Santa and he confirmed they were all still on the nice list.  He told Harper he'd be by our house is just about a week and a half!

Christmas Cards and a Big Boy Bed

We just love getting mail this time of year!  Christmas cards are my favorite kind of mail to receive and every afternoon we are excited to open up all of the cards and see the pictures everyone has sent.  I keep all of our cards in a basket so the kids can easily flip through and look at pictures of their friends and our family members.

I wanted to share the pictures of we used on our cards this year.  It was FREEZING the day we decided to do our pictures.  My best friend, Jen, and her family met us one afternoon at a park so we could get our pictures done.  She always takes our pictures and I was happy to take theirs for her.  She always does our pictures and designs my cards for me (one awesome perk of having a photographer as your best friend - www.atfirstsightphotography.com).

While we were at the park that day the kids got a few minutes to play around on the playground and I took a few other pictures while we were waiting. 

In other big news this week, Hudson decided that he wanted to make a major transition on his own timing.  The room he sleeps in at Gigi and Papa's house has a crib and a bed.  He has always slept in the crib, but on Thursday night as he was ready for bed he told me he wanted to go to sleep in the big bed.  I was a little surprised, but I tucked him in and fully expected him to climb out within a few minutes.  Turns out he fell asleep there and ended up sleeping all night in the bed.  Friday night and tonight I tucked him in there, too, and he likes to tell me he is a big boy in his big bed.  I'm happy he has seemed to make this transition on his own because my plan was to put him in a bed when we moved into the new house and now he will be all set for that.  Now I'm just hoping he decides to do the same easy transition on his own timing with potty training, too! 

Pre-School Christmas Events

One of the hardest decisions I made when we were moving was what to do about pre-school. I loved the pre-school the girls were at and the thought of starting somewhere new was really difficult for me. However, I'm happy to say that the new school Harper and Hudson are at is fantastic and I have been more than pleased with everything about it.

This week their school had two Christmas events that we attend.  The first was a Happy Birthday Jesus party.  We purchased tickets for the event and got all dressed up.  There was dinner, a craft, and lots of music and dancing by the kids.  They also sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and had cake.

Today the 4 and 5 year olds at the school put on a Christmas program and it was so sweet.  They sang their little hearts out!

This week we've also been getting things ready for Handley's snowman themed party at school next week.  I found a recipe online for making "pretend snow" and wanted to give it a try at home before bringing in to her class.  It's just shaving cream and baking soda, but it made a really neat texture and the kids loved it!  Handley kept saying, "My friends at school are going to love playing with this!" So, that activity is definitely going to be one of the stations at her party.

6th Annual Pink Pig/Santa Trip

Since Handley was 18 months old, we have been going to ride the Pink Pig and see Santa with Tiara and Avery.  A few years later Christy and her kids joined our Christmas tradition and now it is one of the most anticipated outings we have during the year.  This was our 6th year and our 1st year stroller free.

We met at the mall right after school today and the combination of it being Monday and being a rainy day worked in our favor because we only had a wait a few minutes for the ride.

For those who aren't familiar, the Pink Pig is a ride that is long-standing Atlanta tradition each Christmas.  It's like a virtual story-book about Pricilla the Pink Pig.

The kids were all excited to ride and Hudson loved it.

After the ride it was time to head off to see SANTA!  The kids had written letters to Santa yesterday in preparations for our visit today.

Waiting in line was tricky because the kids were so excited they kept trying to sneak peeks at him and Hudson couldn't help himself from trying to inch his way closer and closer.  It wasn't long though and then it was our turn!

The kids shared their lists, had a quick little chat with Santa and then posed for a sweet picture.  They hugged him goodbye and walked away all smiles. It was a magical moment.

We ended our outing with dinner at the food court and then cotton candy treats from a kiosk they had spotted earlier.  It was quite possibly our best year yet!