On Friday, Ryder majorly lucked out because Mae and Pop were still in town and attended his special school performance.
(You may find all outfit links here: Outfit Links)
Ryder is our sweet, introverted little guy but he’s always done shockingly well on stage. He seems to like performing! He speaks loudly and clearly and comes across confident, enthusiastic and not-too-nervous. We were so proud of him and my parents were especially excited to be able to see his classroom and meet his teachers. I know they’d love to be able to attend all of our boys’ special events and performances so it was such a treat for them to be able to attend this one!
The Polar Express
Friday night our plans took us an hour away to Spencer to the North Carolina Transportation Museum for a train ride on the Polar Express!
I’m not sure how Polar Express train rides in your area work but my gosh it’s absolute insanity over here. If you want more than 4 tickets together, you truly have to set an alarm on your phone and book them in June. I jumped aboard the crazy train (pun intended) and did just that for our crew and our Friday night ride aboard the festive train was, once again, an incredibly memorable and special experience. (We went once before 2 years ago but really wanted to go again when Rhett was a little older.)
We sang Christmas carols, sipped hot chocolate, and ate chocolate chip cookies as the train rumbled along to the North Pole where we were able to disembark and see Santa give the first gift of Christmas. This will, without a doubt, be one of my favorite holiday memories.
WinterFest at Carowinds
Saturday was another festive day for our crew! After such a wonderful extended time with my parents, we said goodbye to Mae and Pop as they headed back to Florida before making our way to WinterFest at Carowinds, the local amusement part that straddles the line between North and South Carolina.
(One foot in SC, one foot in NC!)
While we’ve had a handful of wonderful Carowinds experiences in the past, our most recent one left a bad taste in our mouth because it was one of those days where our kids were all waaay off their game. We’re talking meltdowns, melting kids (it was almost 100 degrees when we went last year), and patience levels that slowly tanked all day long. I am very happy to report that Saturday’s WinterFest experience at Carowinds was a million times better and, once again, put Carowinds back in our good graces.
We arrived right when the park opened at noon and were thrilled to see crowds were very limited. Wait times for rides weren’t long at all and I think this is likely because a lot of people wait to attend WinterFest until the evening hours to see the twinkling lights set up all around the park.
As usual, our crew spent a lot of time in Camp Snoopy, the kid-friendly area, as this was the spot with the most rides all three of our boys could do together. Ryan and I get so much joy out of seeing their enthusiasm bubble over after a fast, thrilling ride. Rhett especially cracks us up because he looks like such a tiny little thing but I swear if the big rollercoasters would let him on, he’d be the first one in line. He loves a crazy drop!
The only downside to our day at the park, other than the spinning ride Ryder convinced me to do with him that made me want to puke my brains out, was the weather. It was COLD.
(Target clearance camping blanket FTW! We love them!!)
It was 40 degrees outside but, as someone who grew up just outside of Chicago, I can wholeheartedly say it felt much, much colder. There was a chilly breeze and zero sun and by the end of our day, we were all SO ready for jammies, a fire in the fire place, lots of blankets on the couch, movie night, hot pizza and hot chocolate.
We streamed 2018 version of The Grinch, our family’s favorite Christmas movie, and finally felt warm again!
Also, I know I recommend this version of The Grinch every single year, but if you have kids who are on the sensitive side and not the bravest, this version of The Grinch is a slam dunk. It’s adorable, funny, filled with great music, not-at-all-scary, and entertaining for parents, too.
Sunday
Sunday was NUTS but in a good way. We kicked the day off by attending church and dropping off a few of the toys we brought to donate to the annual toy drive.
I absolutely loved the message from Sunday’s service as it focused a lot on loving others, not just others who are like you, believe what you believe, live the way you live, etc. What a novel thought in this day and age, huh?
After church, we headed home but didn’t have a ton of time to spare before we split up and I headed out with Ryder to a birthday party and Ryan took Chase and Rhett to a gingerbread house decorating event.
(Anyone remember my love for attaching pop-it keychains to gifts? I’ve now progressed to attaching a Hot Wheels car to birthday gifts if they’re attending a little boy’s birthday party and it’s always a hit! I just buy a mega-pack of individually-wrapped Hot Wheels when they’re on sale on Amazon.)
Did Ryan, Chase and Rhett nail their gingerbread house or what!?
Eventually we all met up at our friend Lauren and Tony’s house for their annual holiday sip and dip party. It’s always a blast and they go all out with bounce houses, a drink cart, hot chocolate bar and more.
(Jacket: aerie / Jeans: FRAME / Shoes: adidas — I think theses are comfier than my Sambas fwiw! / Sweater: Target (but old) / Green Necklace: Bauble Bar)
We made it home with just enough time to squeeze in baths and showers before calling it a night.
Plans for this week are FULL with more holiday parties, a Christmas mug exchange tonight (one of my fav traditions I’ve been doing with my girlfriends for years), another school event and all the usual weekday craziness. I hope you all have a wonderful week and are feeling a little extra merry amid the chaos that is December today!
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