Christmas Spirit Days

This past week we got into the Christmas spirit with dress-up days at each of the kid's schools. I didn't capture each day, but here are a few photos for "Oh Deer!" Day, flannel/plaid day, and pajama day.  

Emmy even got a special candy gram from her Aunt Megan. 

On Wednesday evening, Emmy performed in the children's Christmas program at church. They have been practicing weekly since August, and all four of the Kennedys have memorized the songs from listening in the car. Emmy, Zander, and Maddox each had small singing parts throughout the program. It was a wonderful performance, and all the hard work was evident. Now that the program is over, we will have a short break before starting weekly practices for Upward basketball after Christmas. We are so thankful for all of the ministry opportunities our church has for children!

The Christmas spirit continued all throughout the weekend. I'm not sure we could have fit in anything else! Even as I'm writing this, my body is tired from all of the activities, but my heart is full from all of the memories we made. On Friday evening, Grammy and Grandpa picked up the kiddos from school, and then Boomer and I hopped in the car to head to the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer. Several months ago, we booked tickets for the Polar Express, and we were excited for the night to finally arrive. We had a 7PM ride time, and after stopping along the way at Lexington Barbecue, we arrived around 6:15PM. We walked around the depot until it was time to load. Eli was in awe of the train and its loud whistle. Once on the train, we had hot chocolate and cookies just like in the book and movie. The entire ride was about an hour long, with a stop at the North Pole to see Santa. Santa then came aboard and gave bells to every passenger. Aside from a small hot chocolate spill, it was a fun and magical evening!

On Saturday, Emmy and I headed off to a birthday party for one of Emmy's friends, Norah. The party was at a venue in High Point called Reserving Royalty. The girls had a full morning of princessing: makeovers, crafts, a lesson in waving and twirling, and then a tea party. Emmy especially loved having her fingernails painted and being sprinkled in pixie dust.  

Immediately after the party, we went to Star to meet Granny and Paw Paw for the Star Christmas Parade. We had a prime viewing spot outside of Paw Paw's office on Main Street, and the kids got quite a haul of candy. After the parade, we went back to Granny and Paw Paw's house for dinner. For the second night in a row, we brought along the kids' pajamas, and they both fell asleep during the car ride home. 

But wait! There's more! To cap off our weekend, we had church this morning, and then Boomer and Emmy went to a performance at the Yadkin Arts Council of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" while Eli and I went to church for the choir's musical "This is Christ." I was a little nervous about Eli sitting through an hour-long performance, but he did very well. He loved seeing Grammy on stage. Also, all the snacks I packed helped! 

With just a few hours left before Monday morning, Boomer and I are fitting in some chores and prepping before another work week. It was a wonderful weekend, and we are definitely in the Christmas spirit!

Meeting Santa

December is in full swing with all the holiday activities! During the week, we still had our usual routine of work, school, errands, and dance.

 

In the evening, Emmy has been showing Eli how to do Dreambox and iReady on Daddy's computer. She loves teaching her brother new things. 

On Friday afternoon, I took both kids to the doctor for their annual well checks. According to the doctor, their development is right on track. Emmy measured 3'10" and weighed 44 pounds. Eli measured 3'1" and weighed 28 pounds. Both kids were very brave when it came time to get their flu shots. 

In addition to all the usual things, we've also fit in several holiday activities, including Christmas shopping, meeting Santa, parties, and a parade. On Saturday, we went along with Grammy, Grandpa, Aunt Megan, and the cousins to meet Santa. Beforehand, Emmy wrote a letter with both her and Eli's Christmas requests. Emmy is asking for a camera and a talking Pikachu; Eli would like a new fire truck and police car. I thought that this year would be a guaranteed success with smiles from both of my kiddos. They've been doing so well in photos with mascots and other characters. However, as you can see, I was mistaken. Hoping for better luck in 2023!

On Saturday evening, Boomer and I went to a Christmas party with our Sunday School class. We have loved getting to know these couples over the last year. After COVID, we joined the class, and it has been so great to get plugged in with a group of other young married couples. We had a fun evening, with a pretty epic game of Dirty Santa. 

Today, after church, Emmy and I participated in the Kernersville Christmas parade with her dance company. Grammy and Grandpa first dropped us off at the YMCA, where we rode a shuttle to the starting location. Since Emmy is one of the younger dancers, she sat on the float, while the bigger girls danced behind. The moms walked beside the float and handed out candy. We loved seeing family and friends along the route. The dancers even got a surprise visit from Santa while we were waiting for the parade to start. Emmy has started to ask a few questions, like why do the Santas look different. I do my best to answer her questions and keep the magic alive. Our holiday activities are not over yet - we have several more festive things planned for the week ahead. 'Tis the season!