Christmas Tree 2012

We went back to our favorite tree place right around the corner from our house for our tree.  Once again, I tried and tried to get the perfect sleigh shot:
 

 

 

Grant was very interested in getting a tree that was "Daddy's Age."  We asked him why, and he said he wanted Daddy to be able to pick him up so he could put the star on top...so it turns out that it wasn't really the age that he was concerned about, but the height.  So before taking our tree home, we tested it out to make sure he could put the star on top:
 

Hayes wanted to make sure, too:
 

Watching the tree get the shake down:
 

Grant helped pull the tree into its bag:
 

Durham Tower Lighting

We headed out to the American Tobacco Historic District for the lighting of the Lucky Strike Tower.  Grant had been asking to eat at Tyler's (he loves the wiki stix that come with the kids' meals), so that's where we went.  While we were eating, Wool E. Bull walked by outside, spotted Kyle's Orioles hat through the window, gestured for Kyle to take it off, and when Kyle refused, Wool E. ran in and stole Kyle's hat!
 

The hat was returned and Grant's night was made:
 

The kids also received flashing light sticks:
 

And then we ran around the lawn for an hour during the holiday program waiting for the big lighting to take place:
 

 

Grant is swirling his glow stick while it changes colors:
 

At long last, the tower was lit and fake snow machines filled the air with snow.  

Durham Holiday Fest

Hayes woke up from his nap just in time for Migi and I to race the boys into downtown Durham and catch the end of Durham Holiday Fest.  Playing with the old snow was a big hit...
 

Until I realized the boys were big enough to go on the man-made sledding hill, so we headed over there, got in line, and right before it was our turn, they paused to reload the snow.  The boys enjoyed watching the new snow get sprayed down, but what they really loved was the sledding...
 

 

I "had" to take Hayes (love when being a mom gives you an excuse to do something you wanted to do anyways!!)...
 

 

We ran into Wool E. Claus and Grant gave him a high five--major progress from our fear-inducing previous encounters...
 

We wrapped the trip up with a race through the bounce house obstacle course, then headed to Nanataco where Daddy snuck in and surprised the boys after his week long business trip.
 

Santa Photos

We tried a new mall (Cary Town Center) for our annual Santa pictures.  Migi was in town to help out while Kyle was working in Arizona, so it was great having an extra set of hands to help with boy-wrangling and picture-taking.  Once again, the moms had to join in for the picture!
 

The mall train and carousel were our bribes for getting the boys to behave during the Santa pictures.
 

Grant was so excited to see Luke that he insisted on riding in his train car:
 

 

This little spinning seat on the carousel was a perfect fit for the big boys:
 

Lauren helped me keep Hayes from falling off of his horse (he was belted in, but the belt didn't seem to be doing all that much!).
 

Even though we didn't give out any quarters, these cars were still a hit:
 

Look, brothers working together!  It's a miracle!
 

Worn out and ready for Chick Fil A!!
 

Merry Christmas!
 

Reston Parade

Before heading home on Friday, we met up with some old friends and all their children to watch the impressive Reston parade.  All of the kids were given jingle bells, so the whole street was jingling with excitement and the kids ran around in the street until a few minutes before the parade started:
 

Nine (and a half!) children in five years, not too shabby!
 

No chance we were getting the boys to look away from the parade for a picture:
 

Hayes loved waving at everything and everyone that passed us:
 

Hayes' favorite float, "Big Bunny"...he talked about it for the rest of the day...
 

Second favorite was the series of balls:
 

He even had to lean out for a better look:
 

My favorite was Giant Frosty:
 

Proof (for Kyle) that Santa was indeed at the parade.  Grant proclaimed the lady sitting next to Santa to be Santa's mother.
 

DC Thanksgiving

After Thanksgiving lunch, we headed to DC to walk off some turkey while checking out the amazing monuments...