Christmas 2012

This Christmas was really amazing, we have been so blessed. It was really magical to share this Christmas with my family, and my brother is finally home from his travels! We really had a great time, and Santa was so good to us all! The children got so many beautiful outfits and toys they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Lauren was so excited,  but she was fast asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Dylan found it hard to go to sleep, and he woke up every hour during the night. I finally caved at 6:00am and we headed downstairs to see what we got!

On our way down to see what Santa brought

Santa made a terrible mess! He brought magic snow from the North Pole and walked it all over the house!

Santa brought Dylan and Lauren lovely new bikes

Our little elf playing with his new gift from Santa

Our little reindeer opening her gifts

I was very lucky to get lovely gifts too! I got a new Pandora leather bracelet and charms and a beautiful new DKNY watch, I also got lots of other stocking fillers! My parents spoiled me rotten too! I was very blessed to get such lovely gifts! We got Daddy lovely gifts too though, so he was surprised and happy!

The best gift of all was spending quality time with all of my family. After we had seen what Santa brought and we had all exchanged gifts, we headed down to my Parents house for dinner, and to spend a few nights there. Before dinner we had our family photos, my brothers hadn't arrived yet, and I forgot to get other photos with them.

Our Family

Our beautiful children

Three Generations

 My Mom, My daughter and I

Daddy and his babies

My Mum and Dad with their Grandbabies

My beautiful children with me

 

Our princess

Our little Prince opening MORE presents

 

My parent's gorgeous tree (a bit blurry)

Look at these beautiful monogrammed robes we got for the kids.... LOVE them

 It was a really special Christmas, and it meant so much to my parents to have us all together for the day. It was the best Christmas I can remember. The children are staying on with my parents until Saturday.

We went out to dinner and watched a movie it was heaven! On Friday we went shopping and out for dinner again! I've really enjoyed some time for just us, but I can't wait for the kiddies to come home again!

When they got home, we had to go out and try out our great new bikes...

This is Lauren's first grown up bike, and about Dylan's third! It is amazing how fast they grow. It was really great weather and we all enjoyed the fresh air. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and we are going to take the kids to the fireworks display in Dunlaoghaire at 6:00 pm, and we are having friends over to dinner on New Year's Day. This has been an amazing end to the year.

Christmas 2012 was amazing...

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

It's Christmas Eve, I don't know who is more excited, the kids or the parents!

 The kids are bathed and in their brand new jammies, their Christmas stockings are hung. We watched 'Miracle on 34th Street,' and now they are all snuggled up in bed waiting for Santa to come to town. They are so excited, Lauren is so aware of everything this year, and Dylan is a brilliant big brother, sharing the joy of Christmas with her.
 

Look at my best presents under the tree, my gorgeous kiddies with their big smiles...
 

 

I am so grateful for these two special people to share this wonderful time of year. I can't wait to see what Santa brings, and see their little faces light up with joy.

 

~ Happy Christmas Eve~

Dylan's carol Service 2012

Last night we had Dylan's Christmas carol service at our church. The school holds this every year and we really look forward to it. It is a beautiful service,  the mass and the songs are so lovely to hear. We all thoroughly enjoyed the show. As usual we are so proud of our wonderful little boy.

His teacher told us that he is a really important addition to the singing, because he has such a beautiful voice! ~ insert momma bursting with pride here~ so it's officially Christmas now!

Look how cute and happy he is before the service..... Love this boy!

The other cute thing is Lauren sitting on my lap and singing along to all the carols.... Precious!
 

Here's our precious little boy before the service
 

 

When we finished up school we celebrated by making a gingerbread house, the kids had so much fun making it and now they said we aren't allowed to eat it!
 

They had a great time decorating it...
 

 

I am so looking forward to Christmas and driving down to spend time with my family!

Tomorrow my boss and I are going for our Christmas lunch.... So much to look forward to! I can't wait to see the children's faces at Christmas, not many more days to go!

Wordless Wednesday- Holiday Edition

Our Visit to Santa 2012

This year we took the children the the Winter festival in Dunlaoghaire. We visited the Arctic village where we met Ellie the Elf, who was lost and trying to find her way back to the North Pole! we promised to help and so we were transported to the North Pole through a magical wardrobe!! We passed through the ice kingdom, and helped Ellie find her way back to the toy workshop in Elf village. She took us to was Mrs. Clause's sitting room, were we waited until it was time to meet Santa, and we got a present!

The kids loved it. Lauren was in awe, Dylan loved the adventure. I'm glad we took them even though we had to queue for an hour! It was worth it to see their little faces light up!

After we visited the North Pole, we went down to the harbour wherever watched the firework display.

Here we are waiting to visit

Here is our trip around 'The North Pole' I'm loving this picture of awe on Lauren's face below, precious!

Then it was time to meet the man himself, they were delighted (though Lauren looks slightly stunned!) Dylan looks happy though!

It was a really magical day!

Lauren's first nativity

Our little girl had her first nativity play this week, they were so ADORABLE. They were all giggling and they were so excited! they did the most amazing job, and we were so proud of our baby girl. She was an angel and her line was 'Glad tidings we bring,' and she couldn't manage the line and it came out as 'Bi tidings we bring,' and it was the cutest thing! she even sang it loud and clear when they were singing  'We wish you a merry Christmas,'
 

Here she is with her class
 

 

And afterwards with us....

 

 

The night of Lauren's nativity, we snuggled them up warm and cosy, and took them into town to get the their Christmas gifts from Mom and Dad. Lauren chose a set of princesses in the Disney store, and Dylan chose an Xbox game, Harry Potter. We've also ordered them some books too. After we got our presents we got some dinner, and went to look at the Christmas lights and listen to the carol singers. The kids really loved staying up late, and they were fast asleep before we got home. It was a really special day.

 

Here are the little pair all snuggled up

 

 

Here are some of the beautiful lights on Grafton street

 

 

courtesy of google images

 

We are going to visit Santa in the arctic Kingdom tomorrow and we are all really excited!

We love Christmas...

A Holly Jolly Christmas

This year we may be in a different house, but we are all together and as long as we are with each other, then everything is perfect. We put up our Christmas tree together and this is the first year that Lauren really understood the excitement of putting up the tree! She was giggling and jumping up and down! Dylan was the pro showing her what to do! I just love to see them helping one another and enjoying themselves.

This year I decided to make a collage of all my favourite Christmas ornaments, these are my Newbridge silverware ones that we've collected over the years.

 

 

Our finished tree Lit up at night
 

 

Our mantle garland all ready with the Children's Christmas stockings

 

My table centerpiece. I put some Christmas baubles in our vase with some LED lights and some Christmas mesh.... and of course we can't forget our new Christmas place mats

 

A close up of our photo wall, I put little bows on the pictures to make them festive!

Even our downstairs bathroom has a touch of Christmas!

Here is another little collage of all of my favourite Christmas decorations around our home

 

So it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here, I've started the Christmas shopping and the presents are being wrapped, and we are all really excited!  We've sent out our Christmas cards, with this adorable photo of the Kiddies

 

There is so much planned around here, next week we have Lauren and Dylan's school concerts. We need to go to visit Santa, and we are all going to Dunlaoghaire next weekend to the Winter Festival. Which is an amazing festival put on there, and we are all really looking forward to it.... I really love the wonder and excitement that this time of year brings!

 

~ Merry Christmas ~

Dylan's 8th birthday

Yesterday our little boy turned 8! I can't believe that happened. We celebrated his 8th birthday for the last two days! He deserved every special minute.
 

 

The morning of his birthday we gave him his present and cards and balloons. We bought him an iPod touch 4. Lauren got him a cute little case for it and he also got some money in a card. He decided this year he wanted a big present instead of a big birthday party. He said he was 'too big' for a party! So we agreed. We got him his present for his birthday, and we had a pizza night and birthday cake last night.
 

 

Today we let him take four friends to the cinema. He brought them to see 'The Rise of the Guardians' and he brought Lauren too, they all had a brilliant time! All the kids behaved so well...

Here's Dylan's  birthday invitation from this year

 

Dylan with his pals at the movie
 

 

After the movie we took him to his favourite restaurant for dinner! So he was spoilt rotten! He couldn't have been happier... he really enjoyed the day! We enjoyed spoiling him and making his birthday really special. He is after all a really a special little guy!

We can't quite believe our little boy is actually 8. I still remember every bit of the day he was born, I was reading Dylan's  birth story I was feeling a little bit emotional seeing how grown up my little boy has gotten. I just can't believe it's been 8 years!! I'm proud of him and we love him so much!

 

Happy birthday to our wonderful son