December Birthdays

We celebrated 2 special birthdays in our family this past month.  First, Craig turned another year older.  He actually had his work Christmas party to attend on the night of his bday (we had Mexican food for his bday on another night).  So, we got dressed up, the grandparents came to watch the kids, and we headed out.

It was a formal banquet held at a Marriott in North Dallas.  I didn't really know anybody, but met lots of people and ate some delicious food.

The pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy was the best I've ever had.

Who doesn't love a huge slice of cheesecake?

To Craig's surprise, his associates brought him a huge gift basket with his favorite goodies.  The tag says "Enjoy A Movie Night On Us".  Despicable Me was in the basket with some popcorn and candy.  It was so thoughtful. 

We got home late that evening and Kaitlyn had left a surprise for Craig.  Notice how the chocolate candy cane is half eaten?  I guess she just couldn't resist!

Kaitlyn's birthday fell on a Saturday this year.  It was also the first night of our huge Christmas program at church.  Since she had her birthday party a couple weekends before, it was just going to be a day of small celebrations.  First stop, McDonald's for lunch.

Then, she had a McFlurry for dessert.  It was a special treat since she's usually not allowed to get dessert at McDonald's.

That night was our Christmas Program and she actually had a ballet solo.  I was so proud of her and that she was brave enough to do it!!!  I was the choreographer, but I was not the one that picked her for the solo.  But it did make it easier to work on the dance at home.  Kaitlyn sang with Preston and the other elementary kids as well.  I worked with all of them and was super proud of the job they did.

Afterwards, the Stage Manager surprised Kaitlyn with a huge cupcake cake that she shared with the other ballerinas.  Such a nice treat!

We actually went home to another dozen of cupcakes that I had ordered from my friend, Amy, for Kaitlyn's birthday.  However, we did not eat those until the next night.

Craig also got each of us a dozen roses for all of our work during the program.  He got Preston some candy.  :)

Finally, I was able to bring Kaitlyn her birthday lunch at school on the following Monday.  It felt even more special considering the tragic events that had happened in Connecticut that previous Friday.  We had a great lunch together.

Of course, I brought some food for her brother too.  He was acting so goofy the whole time.

That afternoon, I joined her class for the birthday song and special treats that she brought for everyone.  They make the birthday student stand on a chair in front of the room so they can sing to them.  Kaitlyn was so embarassed.

Since the treats have to be store bought, we just picked up some boxes of Little Debbie's Gingerbread Men and passed them around.

 It's always a little hectic trying to celebrate the two birthdays during the holiday season, but we always find the time.  And we always make it special.

Happy Birthday Craig and Kaitlyn!!!!

Kaitlyn's Birthday Letter

Dear Kaitlyn,

It has been 9 wonderful years since you entered our lives.  God gave us everything we had prayed for when He entrusted you to us.  You were a miracle that we continue to be thankful for.

You have become such an independent person and quickly maturing before our eyes.  You love sharing your artistic side whether it is through art, music, or dance.  Your eagerness to try new things shows that your fearfulness is fading.  We love sharing these adventures with you.

You have become a great example to those around you and willing to share a teaching moment with those that may not know better.  You've handled difficult situations with such grace and dignity and it reveals what a great person you are becoming.

More than anything, you love Jesus.  You are eager to attend church and just absorb all you can.  Seeing you worship Him fills our heart with an unspeakable joy. 

We just love seeing you blossom into such a beautiful young lady, yet it is bittersweet.  Thank you for letting us have a glimpse as to what your future could possibly be like. We are extremely proud of you!

We love you, KK!

Dad, Mom, and Preston

An American Girl Party

Kaitlyn was so eager for her 9th birthday this year because she chose to have it at the American Girl Store!  If you have never heard of American Girl dolls, consider yourself lucky.  Each doll is from a different decade and there's a different story about her.  You can also get dolls made to look like their owner.  There are about a million outfits and accessories that you can purchase for the doll. AND it's very expensive!  Thankfully, you can find some knock off brands at Michael's and Target and it's much cheaper.  But for the party, we let Kaitlyn go to the real store.

Kaitlyn decided to invite just a few close friends and have lunch at the bistro inside the store.  You can bring your American Girl doll and sit in a special doll high chair at the table next to you.  Kaitlyn did not have an American Girl doll, but knew she could borrow one from the bistro.

Here are just a few of the dolls and accessories.  

Here are some nightgowns for the little girls.

And here is the matching outfit for the doll.

There is also a doll salon inside the store.  Yes, that is actually a person styling the doll's hair.  There's actually a line as people wait for their doll to have her turn.  It's not cheap either.  The doll's have special hair so you have to use their special comb or it gets ratted.  If not, you have to take the doll to the salon.  Well played, American Girl, well played.

After everyone arrived for the party (it was just me and 4 girls), we were escorted to our table where a special gift was waiting for Kaitlyn.

She looked inside the bag and found her very own Julie doll waiting for her.  It was a surprise gift from Craig and I and she was soooo excited and thankful!

I think Kaitlyn didn't stop smiling throughout her party.

Then, it was time to order.  The lunch includes an appetizer and main entree.

We all ordered pink lemonade and even the dolls got their own drinks.  I could not stop laughing as our server kept pouring these teeny, tiny cups of lemonade.

Our appetizers arrived and it was delicious!!!  Half of us got a fruit plate with mini muffins and yogurt dipping sauce.  The other half of us got soft pretzel bites with a honey mustard sauce.

The dolls had to eat too!

Then our entree arrived.  There was a lot of food and well worth the money.  The sweet potato fries were the best!

Of course, it's not a party without a cake.  The party package includes cake and ice cream from the bistro.  It was half chocolate and half vanilla.  The server brought it out on a beautiful cake stand and we all sang to Kaitlyn.

Each girl also got to take home a bag full of goodies!

I loved that all I had to do was pay for the party (and it was well within my budget) and American Girl took care of the rest.  We thought Kaitlyn may be too old for these dolls but we found out girls enjoy them until about 11 or 12 years old.

How did Kaitlyn feel about everything?  I think this picture says it all.

The Nutcracker

With the holiday season upon us, I wanted to start a new tradition for just me and my favorite daughter, Kaitlyn.  We decided to have a night out to go see The Nutcracker.  I first saw the ballet when I was in college. I had friends playing in the orchestra and dancing the ballet so I loved it.  Plus, the music is beautiful! I couldn't wait to take Kaitlyn to her very first ballet experience.

We got all dressed up, left the boys to fend for themselves, and we headed out.

There was a ballet company performing at the famous Bass Hall in Ft. Worth and another company performing at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas.  However, I decided I would purchase much cheaper tickets and see a production closer to home.

Here are just a few pics from our wonderful evening.

Kaitlyn was mesmerized by the whole thing.  Her favorite scene was the battle between the Nutcracker and Rat King.  It was such a great night together and we can't wait for next year!

ThanksChristmasGiving

The fourth Thursday of November is not just a sit down, eat, and go home gathering.  It's the annual Kelley ThanksChristmasGiving.  This is the one holiday each year that the Kelley side of the family gathers together and tries to cram the two big holidays into one.  It's always so much fun.  

This year, we said we would host the holiday at our house.  Our family is growing and we need more room to spread out (especially since all the Kelley's seem to average 5'10" or taller-well almost).  Everyone brought a dish, or two or three, so we didn't have to do all the cooking.  (The youngest Kelley "kid" has been recently deployed for a 4th time.  We missed him and his family.)  Here's an excerpt of the most recent info I had sent to the family.

Festivities will start tomorrow about 1 pm. If you think you'll be late, leave earlier. If you think you'll be early, then you can help scrub toilets (Craig doesn't want to clean all 3 bathrooms by himself).

First, we'll eat, then drink, then be merry. Warren noted that we are to be merry AFTER we eat. It's too hard to multi-task. Then, after we've become gluttons of food, we'll become gluttons of presents and white elephants.

Our address is ******. The secret word is "Papa's got a brand new bag."

We'll have a great time celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas. Who knows, maybe I'll play the Monster Mash and we can re-enact Easter while we're at it.

Don't forget to bring a gift for David. Don't forget to bring your food!

It's hard for me to be serious sometimes.  Thankfully, this family gets my sense of humor.  :)

We moved our pub height kitchen table into our formal area, next to the dining room table.  This allowed all of us to eat in the same room.  In the kitchen, we set up our drink bar with water, sodas, lemonade, sweet tea, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and coffee.

Crudites were set out as family started to arrive.

This yummy looking turkey...

...turned into this.  Craig did a great job!

 Here's just a sampling of the buffet.  By the time all the food was set out, this counter was covered.  

Nomnomnom!

This was all that was left of the turkey.  There were only a few slices of ham leftover as well.  Notice the deviled egg tray was completely empty!  I completely forgot to get a picture of all the desserts.  That was set up on another counter.

Since we were celebrating Christmas too, we decorated for Christmas earlier in the week.  Even though we all drew names for gifts this year, there were still tons of gifts to pass out.

We also did a White Elephant gift exchange.  One of the gifts was a homemade "beard" that attaches to a hat.  It was a hit!

The whole family had a great time.

Of course, I had to proudly show off my craft room and had a craft set up for everyone to do.  We used alcohol ink and decorated ornaments (50% at Hobby Lobby), ceramic tiles ($.10 each at Home Depot), and ceramic plates (marked down to $.17 each at Kroger).  

Everyone is so artistic and creative!

Everyone was exhausted by the end of the night from all the fun.  Kaleigh came to visit us with her parents, Paul and Faynetta.  She was so well behaved.

Our Princess just wanted to sleep under the tree.

A new fiance and baby were added to the family and it was so fun having them join us.  It was an awesome ThanksChristmasGiving and we realized, once again, how incredibly blessed we are!!!