Star Wars!

They have been waiting and waiting for the chance to see the next Star Wars movie with Dave.  Today was finally the day and they had a blast watching the movie and enjoying their candy from Target. ;)

Fun Day with Dad

Dave took the day off of work today and we had a blast together as a family.  We wanted to do something super big and exciting (snow tubing or Great Wolf Lodge) but couldn't all agree on what would be the most fun.  So, we ended up staying in town and doing our first family Escape Room adventure.  It was a blast!!!

Then, we wrapped up the day with a trip to Carowinds for Winterfest.  Yes, it has continued to be unseasonably warm so the kids were in shorts two days after Christmas!  What a fun way to spend time altogether in our great city of Charlotte. :)

A Gift from Cherry

For Christmas, Aunt Cherry gifted a full year of Disney Plus to these two kiddos.  I wrapped up a word scramble for them to unscramble . . . and they were THRILLED with the gift.

I often come home from the gym and find them like this. One on an iPad watching Disney Plus and one watching the bonus room TV.  What a great gift!!!

Christmas Day 2019

These two were super excited to come downstairs and see what Santa brought!

Stockings first . . .with some yummy mints, a slingshot, lotion and lots of other goodies!  Then they ripped into the gifts.  Although there were only a few, the gifts were large and very much wished for.  Savannah got a new iPhone and Preston got a Chromebook.

Jingles goodbye message in cereal

Then after breakfast of overnight baked french toast, we headed upstairs to the misfit tree to exchange our family gifts.  This is one of my favorite parts of the day because the kids spend their own money to carefully select gifts for each other and us too.  WOW! 

After opening our gifts we realized we didn't have enough milk to make the macaroni and cheese to take to Great Grandma's house.  Soooo, we decided to get in some exercise and walk to CVS to buy some milk!  It was a fun Christmas Day adventure and we found some milk at the only store open!

We made it home to shower and get our food ready for the road.  

It was fast and furious as we opened gifts at Grandmas, but as always the cousins loved playing together.  Taylor especially loved her scrunchies!

Christmas Family Picture!

I think this was my very favorite Christmas item . . . a poem in a card from Dave.  I laughed so hard I cried because this is our family perfectly!

This little guy tried to save some Chocolate candy from Great Grandma's house, but unfortunately, it didn't make the long trip home without melting all over his pocket.

So after our busy day of family, gifts, exercise, cooking, cleaning, and travel, we settled in for a quick new round of Exploding Kittens with the expansion set that Santa brought.  It was SO much fun and is definitely a new twist to our favorite family card game.  What a fun day celebrating Jesus with those we love most! 

Christmas Eve in Charlotte

We were so thankful to be able to be in Charlotte for Christmas Eve again this year.  With an unseasonably warm day, much time was spent outside before getting ready for the Christmas Eve service at church.  Then, of course, we enjoyed Chili's take out for dinner before retiring to bed to wait for Santa.  These are the routine of traditions that the kids have come to love. :)

Christmas with the Bachmanns

This weekend we were able to host Christmas with Dave's family in Charlotte.  It was so much fun to have everyone together (and not have to travel)!

The cousins had a blast as usual . . . and couldn't wait to open their stockings.

I wish I had a picture of my table all set before everyone sat down to eat . . . it was amazing with beautifully folded Christmas tree napkins by Savannah. ;) Never the less, we all enjoyed a wonderful meal and good conversation before digging into the gifts.  What a fun weekend spent with family!

Christmas Traditions

Each year on the last day of school the Jensen family hosts a "Cocoa and Cocktails" party right after the kids get off the bus.  It's always a fun way to kick off the Christmas break and enjoy time with neighbors too.  Preston and Patrick couldn't wait to hit the hot chocolate bar!

After we picked Savannah up from basketball practice (yes, even on the last day before winter break) we headed to the Ballantyne Resort to meet up with the Marions.  As long as they have been back in Charlotte we have made this one of our holiday traditions.  It's always fun to see the unique gingerbread houses, but even more fun to listen to the kids' chatter about Christmas!

So now we await the arrival of Dave's family to begin the family craziness!

13 Hours Straight at JMR . . .

Savannah with her gear for today at school

Her morning started super early with an NJHS meeting at 7:15am and ended around 8:15 pm with her winter band concert . . . 13 straight hours at school today.  When Savannah left this morning she had planned very carefully making sure she had food (although she did forget one snack), her gift for the NJHS donation, clothes and shoes for basketball and the concert, homework, and all the other daily things too.  I'm not sure how she did it all, but somehow she managed to ace her calculator inactive part of the Math 1 final, play hard at basketball, perform in a great concert and end the day with a smile on her face. I'm so proud of her hard work and determination!!

Annual OCC Bakesale

Every year a family in our neighborhood hosts a HUGE bake sale for Samaritan's Purse.  They have tons of donated homemade baked goods and you pick up a shoebox to collect the treats you would like. At the end of the line, you make a donation of your choice to Samaritan's Purse (and can even choose the specific cause that you would like your money to go to) for your box of goodies and enjoy some hot cocoa too.  They literally raise thousands of dollars in one single afternoon from 3pm-sold out!  This year Preston and I walked over and enjoyed some treats with his hard-earned allowance money.  Hopefully, Dave and Savannah will be able to stop by after practice to pick up some treats of their own.

JMR Basketball Debut

Today was Savannah's first middle school game.  It was so cool to see them warming up . . . cheerleaders screaming, stands packed full, music blaring . . . definitely a step up from recreational league!  I was sitting with another mom, whose son is on the boy's team, and we were both like "this is REAL"!  It was such an exciting, odd feeling to see your child on the court and know everyone is rooting for them as they are representing the school.

She surprised Dave when he saw her jersey is his favorite number! #31

Although Savannah didn't get much more than the minimum playing time, and even though they lost the game, it was still a super fun experience!  Here's to a season of excitement as we experience middle school sports, the real deal!