Merry Christmas!

PICTURES, the tree, vacation, gingerbread houses

Trimming the Christmas tree

 One day Kacen brought me some socks and tried putting them on so I helped him out and he loved running around with his tall socks on.

 Winter Vacation in Massanutten VA

 Kyle's cousin Heidi and her husband David invited us to Massanutten last weekend to stay at a ski resort for some fun and relaxation. The big adventure for us was the indoor water park. The fact that we only have three pictures attests to how fun it was, haha, or how forgetful we are.

 The park opened at 1:00p.m. (nap time) so around 3:00 p.m. Kacen crashed, they only place to lay out was on the tables, but he took a 30 min power nap and was good until 6:00 p.m.

 The main event for Kyle and I was their Flowrider! We didn't get any pictures of us doing this, yeah we're lame, but it was fun. And I haven't lost my touch yet, not that I am that great but I could do a 360 spin still so that was great. But I got one far away one of Ky in line while Kace was napping.

When you are in the Shenandoah you have to admire the mountains. Kacen loved hiking and wanted to go into all the crazy places. 

 Here is his cousins family. It was so fun to get together with them and Kacen loved playing with their two boys.

 There was a fun rec center, Kacen loved the basket balls. Ky and I played table tennis, he won 2 games I won 1. 

The low light of the weekend: The second night Kace wandered over to our bed in the middle of the night, I picked him up and he was burning up. We gave him some meds and stayed on our vacation, finally Sunday we got him to the doctors and he has croup. Poor kid, but he is on his way to getting better.

The main event of the Raleigh household during the Christmas is Gingerbread Houses. This year Jessi and I made special requests, a manger and a tree house, I sort of gave Valarie a basic idea of what I was thinking and she came up with this...

 Super fun huh? She did a great job.

 Then came the fun part DECORATING

Valaries pink house, we fondly call the Mary Kay home

 The tree house, railing, ladder, outhouse, forest, grass and snow.

 Ky Ky's white trash house complete with a couch in the yard

 Ian's Dr. Seuss (left) Jessi's manger (right)

 Perry's old man house, haha

 Ky (left) Maddi (right) her's is the mote house with an alligator too.

To close it up here is a pic of me and Kace sleeping, this is only one of a couple photos Ky has stole of us. So good night.

Christmas Photo Photo Shoot, and Other Randoms

This morning we roused our family and took some Christmas card photos. I need to offer a huge shout out to my sis-in-law Maddi who woke up early on her Saturday to take the pictures. 

And a huge thanks to Black Friday because without you I couldn't afford a new camera.

So this was the raw photo we took and then check out my photoshopping skills...

A sorta reto vintage

And a super old fashioned Christmas shot! I love it! Don't look at it too much because when you get the Christmas card I don't want anyone to be sick of it, haha. 

This was at the most amazing tree farm, we got our Christmas tree here on Monday and they are so friendly. Seriously shake, drill and wrap your tree, free hot cocoa, candy canes, roasted marshmallows and hotdogs. Plus a cool board where you can measure your family to see how you grow year to year. 

Miller Tree Farm in E-Town! Go there you won't regret it. 

Here were some other card contenders

Kacen LOVED the horses, and the white one kept trying to nuzzle him.

Kacen loves to pick up the guitars around the house and strum, it is so cute. He loves music, maybe we have a prodigy on our hands.

Oh yeah one other picture I had a fun time adding a vintage touch to.
This will be the background for our news letter.

Sorry to contridict some of your views on small town parades but...

Last night we went over to the E-town Christmas parade, it was fun, except they had like a four minute break between each float and the people of freaking Elizabethtown have zero respect for others when it comes to their smoking habits. I think 1 in every 10 people here smoke and they love to do it in public places with hundreds of children around. UGGGhhhh. Can you tell I am disgruntled? So because of this we didn't stay until Santa came because the smell was so revolting down town.

But my boys are SOOO CUTE and we had a good time being together. Kacen fell asleep on the three minute drive home.

Autumn Leaves

Yesterday I spent four hours raking and bagging leaves! But it wasn't all hard work.

 Don't you just love this!

 I sort of got bored and started making leaf art.

 

 Kacen had just woke up and I threw him in the leaves and he wasn't too sure about it

 And intro the short series of me looking in pain....

Haha funny right?

Here is another goofy picture with a sort of funny story too. We were at a friends Halloween party Scene 1: A desert table with chairs making it accessible to Kacen. I thought that Kacen was downstairs playing with the other kids. I go in the kitchen to get more snacks and I see Kacen with a chocolate cupcake going to town.

Scene 2: Once again I think that Kacen is downstairs. I see movement out of my periphrial vision and Kacen is up on the table eating a bundt cake by the handful.
Scene 3: He was in fact downstairs with the children and when toddled up this time he had a huge bubblepop in his mouth.

My silly guy sure likes to eat. His two favorite words "More," and "No" and he can spot candy or cookies or any junk food a mile away and will use many divisive ways to get it.

Sorry I haven't taken many pictures but well there isn't really too much going on. We are spending Thanksgiving here in PA and Saturday we are going to NY NY. I will try to take some pictures then.