Christmas is in the air!!!

I hope y'all had an amazing Thanksgiving! I know we did. We spent it with both sides of our families and had tons of fun!!! And since we live in Texas we were able to spend lots of fun time inside and OUTSIDE playing!!!

Love these sets...the kids literally played for almost 2 hours. They are Fisher Price Imaginext toys but the ones the kids are playing with are actually Joey's from when he was little...and you can see how particular he is about his things because these are in perfect condition!

My little pilgrim/pirate

Crafts at my parents. (Grayson wanted to bring some for the kids...can you tell he is the son of educators...haha)

Playing at the park at Nana and Papa's house

our little turkey

Grayson and a nutcracker

mommy and Ella

Grayson, Ella, and their sweet cousin Shelby

silly kiddos

I was a bit sad that I didn't get a picture of Ella and Sawyer together because they had matching outfits...maybe Christmas! : )
We also enjoyed a fun little Pinterest Playdate with my bff Amanda. We always try to do those each month where the kids do a craft we find on Pinterest and we do one too! We also make all pinterest inspired recipes. It's a lot of fun!!! I don't have the recipes but once I compile them I will post. Amanda made amazing tuna salad in cucumber cups and spinach-macaroni-cheese cups....they were AMAZING!!!

cookies and strawberry brownies

getting messy

Ella's sugar cone tree she decorated

the kiddos

Then we decorated for Christmas which was an all day event because we thoroughly cleaned while we did it! The kids had fun and we let Grayson do whatever he wanted in his room....we didn't put as much up this year because I really didn't want to feel like things were cluttered. So we kept it simple. I didn't get pictures of the formal living room but maybe next time!

The outcome of the Pinterest Playdate......a Christmas card wreath

Decorating their fun family room tree....for their ornaments they get or make, for all my teacher ornaments, and Joey's ornaments from when he was little.

Ella's princess tree

me and my elves

formal room tree

kids family room tree

Ella's pink tree

Grayson's creation...he also hung blue lights around his room

Williams Sonoma inspired (it's really dollar tree candle sticks and walmart candle jars glued together...love) Love the smell of the cinnamon pinecones

Joey's 1st Christmas..haha

Love these ornaments Joey's Grandma got us when we got married and one when we got our house. They are hand painted and so special. I found these neat ornament holders at Pier 1 to display them.

Mantle almost finished.....forgot to turn the lights on

What is Christmas decorating without doing Christmasy stuff? We made sure to check out Bass Pro Shop and Forney Hometown Christmas. Grayson loved trying to ice skate and Ella loved seeing all the neat stuff because she is really enjoying it all this year and getting excited!!!

Helped mom and dad decorate...isn't it funny that my mom is standing on a chair but is barely taller than my dad?

Ella helping Nana put the little red birds on the tree

Grayson and Daddy having a good ol' time

We have had such a wonderful time and give all thanks to God for blessing us and giving us each day that we have. It really makes me realize that since we are so blessed how important it is to give to others at this time. So please remember as you're shopping at Christmas or enjoying those memorable moments with your family....stop to give and if you can't financially give, give the gift of praying for someone or sharing the gospel with them. Those are some things we shouldn't just do during Christmas but all year round. I am doing some projects with my school and also possibly with volunteering with an organization so if you need some ideas or places to serve, message me and I will send you some information on where you can do that!
melroseacker@yahoo.com
Well, I have a little one who is sick so I am going to back to "Cloroxing" the house! I hope you have a blessed week and I can't wait to share pictures of Grayson's 1st program next week. This mommy is sooo excited!!

The Blessing of Conviction

Sometimes the Lord convicts us. Conviction is such a blessing yet it can be so hard. If you know me I am a big planner. I am always planning the next activity or thing to buy or project for the house. The wheels are always turning and I don't think that is a bad thing but it is when it gets in the way of my relationship with God. Lately, I feel like my focus has not been on God. Today, I feel like the Lord just showed me that and sometimes it can be so hard to realize how you have been, facing ourselves is one of the hardest things to do. As a counselor, I am always telling people how we can only change ourselves.....and it is so true. So, I hope to start spending time with God and in His word than on Pinterest and in prayer more than being on Facebook. Do I think those things are bad? Certainly not, I quite LOVE them! But I see that if more of my time is going to those things and not God then I am not truly being a servant of Christ. But I am just so thankful for this conviction and what a blessing that can be!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is already almost here? How did that happen? It seems like school just started and we are almost halfway through they year! Grayson and Ella are so ready for the holidays!! The other night they were begging for hot cocoa and were watching Christmas movies. Since they are so stinkin' cute, I gave in! When Grayson and I went to Michael's today he wanted to buy everything Christmas.

This week went by so fast but it was full of fun! We took our 5th grade students at our school to the Dallas Symphony and it was amazing! Our students were so well behaved and it was a once in a life experience for many of them. We even got amazing seats in the choral terrace.

And I love my counseling shirt. I got it awhile back and completely forgot about it!!! I broke it out of the closet yesterday for a day full of counseling and it was the perfect shirt for a busy day!

And I have to share this picture because when I saw it I laughed out loud...literally...in the office because I was surprised by the background. I didn't remember taking a picture in a garden with a lovely fountain...haha!! H-I-L-arious!!

And this is random but this is from last weekend. I am amazed at how kids keep themselves entertained....Grayson and Ella were at my in-law's and decided to be birds...and then cats...in a cage and took turns getting in and feeding "the bird" fruit snacks.....love the creativity!

And today we enjoyed some time shopping and some Starbucks. Did y'all know it was buy one, get one free? Grayson liked that idea!

And we just got back from celebrating my little brother's 22nd birthday. I can't believe how big he is. It seems like just yesterday I was making him and Megan play school with me and bossing them around....(what's new). I am so proud of the young man he has become. He is going to school, married with a son, a homeowner, and has a great job. He has already accomplished so much at such a young age! Love him bunches...Happy Birthday, Jordan!!

Y'all have a blessed week and a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I have so much to be thankful for and look forward to my mom's and mother-in-law's super yummy food!! : )