New Orleans!

Go Saints! We kicked off the New Year right by going to the Saints v. Carolina game on New Years' Day. It was the first time for Quinn and Tyndale to be at a game and they LOVED it! We got excellent seats and the players were up-close and personal. We won and it was very exciting!

We decided to spend the night and went to the Audubon Zoo the next day. It was chilly, but all the animals were out and we had such fun! We met up with Shelley and Gray and precious Mary Cooper. It was so great to see them!

Who is this zoo enthusiast? Gray brought these giant binoculars and Brad had to buy that pullover since it was so cold. Love this picture.

The kids got to pet this elephant!! The zookeepers brought them down close to the zoo visitors and told all about them.

Tyndale's favorite part was the train ride around the zoo - no surprise there! We finished the trip with a delicious lunch at Kyoto.

Post-Christmas fun

The Betzholds and Mom and Dad came to stay with us after Christmas and we had such fun! Quinn was so helpful and sweet with the babies.

Tyndale attached his little buddy so he could go along for the ride too!

We also spent time time with the Belks...look how big Eva Lou is now!

Christmas Day!

Quinn and Tyndale (and Blue Boy) ready to peek into the living room and see if Santa visited us!

 He did!!! And he brought a Polar Express train and a giant horse and many other gifts!

Gimmie and Big Daddy stopped by to visit and bring some gifts. As you know, Tyndale has been obsessed with bands since he saw the Sonic Boom at our Christmas parade....well, he was on CLOUD 9 when he opened the drum costume from BD and G!

He even wore it to church that morning....and the grocery store....and school....

After church and nap we went over to Big Daddy and Gimmie's house for a delicious Christmas supper...and gifts. I accidentally left my camera at home but took some shots with my phone. We had plenty of entertainment from the band...James and Tyndale.

Michael and Kate brought a yule log...it was delicious! Dinner was spectacular and we had such a wonderful time!

Christmas Eve

We celebrated Christmas Eve at Kristy and Noel's house with the Simms, Betzholds and Mom and Dad. It was a fun-filled very busy time! We also got the fright of our lives when Hadley and Quinn went "exploring" in the neighborhood and we could not find them for over an hour! I think it taught them a very valuable lesson, and Reunion is a pretty safe place to learn that! Here we are in the midst of the kids' present exchange.

 Kristy and Dad looking at the calendar that we made for Mom and Dad. If you look closely you can see that someone (I'm guessing Kate) gave Gee some babysitting responsibilities....see that blonde hair? Maylen and Gage are at such a fun age...not messy at all either... :) So sweet!

The house looked SO beautiful...can you spot Christian?

 In the gift exchange Quinn got a horse with accessories and Tyndale got a Lightning McQueen racetrack. They were both thrilled! As a part of their present from Mom and Dad, the kids got these super cool whirly things that Mom and Dad got in Rome. They waited until it was dark to give them because they light up! The kids LOVE these!! And we had so much fun shooting them up into the air and trying to catch them again.

After all the fun, excitement and delicious dinner, we jumped into the car to head back home to get ready for Santa to come!

Eve of the Eve

Brad really took it to the next level this year for our annual Eve of the Eve party, dressing as a young Mrs. Clause. Everyone really did a creative job of dressing up and we had a ball! Jess won our contest competition with a velour jumpsuit featuring animal print presents. Awesome.