Christmas Celebrations - Tula Edition

 It is no secret in our family that my mom LOVES Christmas and with that love comes LOTS of traditions.  Many of my childhood traditions have been passed onto Amanda and I to continue with our little families so Tula has started some new ones.  She sure does know how to make the Christmas season a special one.  This post is all about Tula Traditions.

Trains at Northpark

"Bye bye Daddy.  Have fun at the TCU game.  I am off to the mall!"

 The first thing we did was listen to a story read by Santa.  The kids didn't move a muscle the whole time.

 The kids loved watching all the trains zoom by.

What would we do without all of the extra set of hands?!

 The gingerbread man was a hit.

 

 Tula treated the kids to a cookie making event.

 The loved it!

 The whole gang.

 While on Aunt Amanda's watch... 

 The Living Nativity

The next Tula tradition is attending the Living Nativity in Plano.  We ate a yummy dinner before and then headed over the the show.

"Cousins!"

 The show was so magical and everyone had so much fun.  I recommend every family attending this every year.

Santa! 

 His mouth was open majority of the time. 

Aunt Ashley and Uncle Rett joined in on the fun too!

 The boys stayed up past their bedtime...

 but quickly got a second wind when it started snowing!

 Luke had a little meltdown during intermission because he couldn't believe how late it was.  It was hysterical. It was also only 8:00 which made it more hysterical.  He did not appreciate me snapping his picture. :)

 Love my boy.

 The show was a great reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. They did a beautiful job telling the story of Christ's birth.

 Tula's Annual Christmas Cousin Breakfast

 The last Tula tradition is her breakfast. 

 She started the party out right...

 The big kids loved all the decorations she had out for their Christmas waffles.

 Audrey refused to smile for me.

 They each got a special gift they were able to open that morning and some reindeer food for Christmas Eve.

 After gifts we headed upstairs and watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  

The girls weren't paying too much attention... this was not a planned activity that morning.

 

These babies are SO SO SO blessed to have a Tula and a Pop in their lives.

Walking and Thanksgiving!

 We had an early Christmas gift happen two days ago!

REBECCA IS WALKING!!!! 

We have never been worried about her and have always known she is brilliant.  What I have been worried about is my back going out from carrying my (not so small) 17 month old around all day everyday.  I am SO grateful to God that she finally decided to walk.  That's just it, she has been able to walk to awhile we have been waiting for her to DECIDE to walk.  You can't force her to do anything. :) Needless to say, she loves it! She talks non-stop while she toddles and is so proud of herself.  

The day I watched her take her first steps was the kind of day you live for.  I will remember it forever.

With two little kids holidays prove to be a busy time in the Schmid house.

 Thanksgiving we headed to Fort Worth for the day to spend time with the Schmid side of the family  We ate a yummy lunch at the club.

 The kids did great - they ate a ton and played with toys Miss E brought along.

 Rebecca literally ate for 2 hours straight. 

 They couldn't be cuter.

 Cheese! (sigh)

 Uncle Bill and Aunt Lindy

 Rebecca was a big fan of Lindy's jewels. 

 The next day we headed out to the lake to spend time with the Gibson side.  It was so special because all of us were able to be there.  That hasn't happened in a long time!  The kids loved that Uncle G was in town!

We had a crazy big bonfire the first night.

The kids sang songs and entertained us all.

The royal dog was passed around on a pillow.  Ahhh... little Brady.

More entertainment.

Luke also did some fishing.  He didn't have any luck this time around.

Audrey and Ben helped with morning pancakes.  These two are peas in a pod.

Someone found a marker.

Mesmerized by Pop.

Morning coffee chats.

The PJ twins.

Tula brought out some games and the kids had so much fun.

Tula and Pop also decided to restart a tradition of giving.  We did it growing up, and you can buy goats, cows, medical supplies, bibles, soccer balls, and other things for those who are in need.  The big kids loved being a part of it.

 

 Will and I are so thankful for our lives.  

It is crazy to think next Thanksgiving our last turkey will be here and our little family will be complete.  God has so blessed us.