Cookies and cocoa with Santa and Mrs. Claus

Yes, y'all, we are BIG fans of Santa and he and his main girl came to visit the kids and their friends before Christmas.  It was such a fun time to get together with friends, but it was even more exciting to see the happy faces when Santa arrived.

Let me just tell ya, I love a good party!  Now, that being said, I have kinda been down and out with that whole broken leg thing.  While I was on house arrest and momma was here as my babysitter, she brought up that we should have a lil' party.  I mean, what else did I have going on... I am kinda just sittin' round the house.  So, yeah, no brainer... let's have a party!  Did I mention I was not really walking well and my house was looking great (because my momma had been working her magic), but there was not a stitch of Christmas in our house!  How can we have a Christmas shindig with the house looking like the house that Christmas forgot?  Did I mention I was getting ready to go back to work, like the next week!  Ha, so I really had to get movin' and get out all things that are merry!  I must be honest, it took weeks for me to do it all, but I had the help of my mother (God bless her).  I would go to work, and I would come home for the day and all of our laundry would be done or the kitchen would be clean... this left me some time to decorate.  Man friend was very helpful to bring every single holiday box from our basement and then help me lift and place the very heavy stuff!

I think we really pulled it off.  Just to see the faces of the families that entered the doors, made it all worth it, it was really like a little Christmas land!  I loved being able to sit in the living room at night, and the glow of all of the lights brought such a smile to my face!  Talk about my happy place!

After weeks of planning, the party day was here!

Last minute letter writing to Santa before he arrived!

Brayden is in the stage where you say smile... and he makes every sort of strange face besides smiling!  Sometimes they look very silly (hello, previous picture)

Thankful that Moss was at the party.  She made the sweetest little thumbprint cookies with gumdrops!!  I ate about 12 of them (don't judge)!!  

There he is, the guest of honor!

Mrs. Claus reading a story to the kids.

There were sooooo many little people!  So thankful that my mother helped so much.  She did the food and the drinks, it was really quite a spread!!  

My Trisha and Libby!!  She married our friend Sean, turns out she was really amazing and is someone that I love spending time with... isn't their daughter darling.  I loved her sweet Christmas dress.

Me and two of my dearest friends.  I have known them since junior high.  These are my people.

 When the kids started at their new school, I joined the parent group PTO.  I was so excited to be involved and I got super lucky because I met these women, they are so precious.  In fact, the day after I broke my leg, Julie had already set up a food train for my family that lasted for weeks (seriously, we had food covered for over a month) and Jill got my babies off of the school bus everyday and walked them home, and would even come in and visit when I was on house arrest (not real house arrest, like joke broke leg house arrest)!  I love that I met them.

 

Myself and Gina... love that our girls are so close, she's the best!

Nicole and Libby, seriously, there is not a child that does not love Nicole!

These two women are so amazing.  I worked for the lady on the right during high school and college, she owns a local gift shop, The Perfect Choice (if you are from here, you should go there)!  Anyways, years of working along side of her, she had become not really a boss, more like a mother/ friend.  I love her and her family to the moon... in fact the woman sitting next to her, holding the baby is her mother, and I even call her grandma... they are not really friends, they are my family.  That is Ava Belle, isn't she a teeny doll!  She is the grandbaby!

 Sophia with some of her buddies

 You betcha I had to get my photo with these two!

So thankful that my daddy is friends with Santa, and was able to ask him to come to the party.  They're super close!!

 Santa loves Libby as much as we do!

Brayden had such a list for Santa!

 

Sophia and Brayden made thank you notes for Santa and the Missus.

The party was so much fun, and the kids just loved having Santa come and visit again.  We had this party a few years ago, and my sweet Bucky dressed up as Santa.  He was so wonderful to do this for his great-grandbabies, and he just beamed while he was in character.  Bless it, he even wrote letters to all of the children after the party.  It was so great.  Ever since he passed, we just had not been able to do the party, it is such a fun time, but it just flooded us with memories of our sweet Santa, and how he was no longer here.  I am so glad that we have him in our memory doing this for the kids, and I am glad that we were able to do this cookie and cocoa with Santa party!

Making new memories...

 This was our sweet Bucky Claus

Until next year... I think I may need to start my planning soon to make next year even better!!  (However that would be possible, this was pretty magical!)

Seven

How on earth is this man child the BIG seven??!

I know what your thinking or all you can see is that dangler of a tooth... welp, he was terrified to pull it out... it might be a bleeder tooth!  So with this fear, I will forever have dangler tooth in our family pictures of 2017.  I kind of like it though.... I mean, that face!

#HeMeltsMe

Anyways, the dangler is gone (thanks to that overly excited kid on the slide elbowing Bray in the mouth so he could be first)!  The tooth flew right out.  I am just glad he did not eat it this time and we did not have to write a letter to the tooth fairy explainin' how I was NOT going to be diggin' it outta the poo.  I digress.

He is seven.

The time with my lil guy is just flying by.  I can remember walking into his bedroom on his 1st birthday singing the Today is Brayden's Birthday song and him dancing and smiling.  Oh, how I wished those days away so quickly (oh just go to sleep, oh if I can make it through breakfast, oh if I can just make it to bathtime... because that means bedtime is around the corner)!  So crazy! Now, how I long for those days when these babies liked to be all snuggly in my arms, did not talk back, or want extravagant Lego things to be built.  Those might have been the days.  #WhoKnew

Brayden, my last little.

He is in the 1st grade, is becoming a great little writer and working so hard at reading.  Math seems to be a good thing for him (thankful for that).  He is definitely the baby of our bunch, always the first to run to me if something is wrong or he has been hurt.  He loves all things Legos and Ninja Turtles.  Favorite food, still catsup.  He loves his family and he loves his friends just as much.  He is always begging for a playdate or having someone sleepover!  He is my smoocher boy (loves kisses), loves cuddling, and loves hugs.  I hope he is forever gentle with me like this.

Loves his gymnastics/ ninja class, cub scouts, soccer, and tball.

Tonight we celebrate by watching Star Wars (he is totally my child)!

So in love with our boy, he for sure brings us much joy.

The Foresee Family is a Growin'

Ya see friends, in the wake of all of the crazy life has thrown at us the past few months... we decided to go out and get a puppy!

I know right, a puppy!

I know what you might be thinking...

1.  Don't you already have a dog?

2.  Aren't you recovering from your broke leg situation?

3.  Couldn't you get a fish instead?  Less work and a bit cheaper.

All great questions friends.

This is why we had to get a puppy....

because all Little Red has been wanting for over a year is a puppy.  I know, I know, she is a child and she also wants me to color her hair pink... but she loves dogs.  Each week her library book is about dogs, we are always having to watch a show with a dog in it (or the Monster Fish show), or she is asking us to look up dogs on the internets (on the reg).  Normally, I would not give into the child so easily, but her father... my sweet sweet man-friend was weak, and he should never be left alone with her while they are discussing her hopes and dreams!  She got him talking over a year ago about dogs, and he ended up promising her a puppy by Christmas!

(insert the emoji of the hand smacking the face... my face)

So, for months we have looked for a friend.

I have checked shelters, FB pages, even the classifieds in the newspaper.  I knew it needed to be a puppy, a small dog (Bray is kind of afraid of dogs, so I needed it to be small and I needed him to be able to be around it from the time it was a pup).  I also needed it to not shed and be good for children with allergies.  May not make sense to you, but for me it makes total sense.  A month ago, I finally found the nicest lady and she had a few pups!  Boom!

We went down this past weekend, and surprised the kids on Saturday.

This look makes it all worth it.

He is so happy too!

I was told by all of the parties in my house that they would help with pee and poo clean up (that should also entail sanitizing the area with bleach or some sort of cleaning agent), I was told that others would help with doggy duties such as feedings, and then others would get up with the lil fur ball.....

lies.

This is me between the hours of all night long!

Yea, I know manfriend will not like this pic, but it is funny, and I love him anyways.

Yes, that is the friend asleep on my chest.  She likes to do this for a few hours a night (just like my other littles did as new borns)!

Good thing I knew what having a puppy would be like.  I knew this would be no walk in the park.

She is kind of precious though.  If I could just get our 1st born Chipper Dog to love her like we are.  He is not sure if she is a sqweeky toy for him.

Hopefully all will sleep tonight (myself included).  I almost fell asleep numerous times today at work.  One time it was just a really long blink (for about 6 minutes), and the other time was while someone was talking to me... yes, right there in mid-convo with my eyes wide open!

Night night!!

Digging for gold/ baby teeth...

Welp, it happened.

For weeks, I have been brushing these dangler teeth... that are hanging on by the teeniest sliver of a nerve (ewwwwe, I just kinda gagged thinking about this).  Daily, asking if I can pull the teeth, trying to give him apples, trying to even brush them kinda hard... and nothing.  These teeth were just hanging on for dear life!  It all ended on Saturday.  Sweet Saturday.

Brayden was eating his breakfast.... chicken biscuits from Chick fila (can we all take a moment of silence and just think about the yumminess of their biscuits???).  Anyway, while chomping away....

his tooth fell out.

He never knew it, and ended up eating it (the biscuit and the tooth).

He was a bit worried... ya know, not having any proof to show that tooth fairy that he actually lost the tooth.  Then, I told him... it is okay, it is in your belly and will come out in your poop.

His little eyes lit up...

I think he thought that I...

that we....

that I would be able...

nah, not even for that sweet little baby tooth that I have brushed for years!

We reassured him that the tooth fairy knows when this kind of stuff happens and that she would def be able to leave him a surprise under his pillow.

Well, fast forward to 8:30pm, kids were going to sleep, but this tooth fairy was worn out and told the other tooth fairy (who was not completely focused on anything I was talking about) to make sure to do tha thang.  (ya know what I'm saying?)

Ding, ding, ding..... it is 6 am (on a Sunday, time to rise and shine, because why would we want to sleep in for a few extra minutes on the weekend).  I saw Bray creep past the door (looking a bit sad), and I asked what did he get??!  $100?  $1.00?  50cents??  

He said, she forgot me!

#SMH

#IWTKMFITH (figure out that one) #HA

#ToothFairyFail

#ToothFairyShallNotDelegate

I looked at #2Fairy and said that the tooth fairy better get his stuff together and put that stuff under the corner of a pillow.

I offered some distraction, having the kids check under the living room sofa pillows, my pillows, a random pillow on the floor, and then under Sophia's shoe... nothing.

I told Bray maybe he just missed it. 

We all walked back to his room and what do ya know....

$2.00

and all was right in the world

BIG day for Bray!!

Happy Saturday to the tens of readers!!  We have had quite the day at la casa de Foresee!  Bray lost his very first tooth!!

I am sooooo glad that is over!!  We have been workin' on pullin' that thing for weeks, and it always ends with a bit of tears and him telling me that it will bleed!  Finally though, this morning (before 7.... because why in the world would my children want to do anything at a non-sleeping hour of the day, and hello, it is the weekend so these kids louuuuurve to be up when it is dark out!  However, if it was a school day, these peeps won't budge)!  Anywho, before 7, actually about 540 the kids are up giggling and playing with a bit of running.  I just tried to keep my eyes shut and act like everyone was asleep.  This went on for a while, and then I hear them getting a bit louder.  Sophia doesn't want to play anymore, she wants to shut her door, he wants it opened, she is fighting to keep it closed, and back and forth with a bit of laughing and not so much laughing.  Then Sophia just let it go and the door hit him right in the mouth... in the tooth!

Hoooooray!!

I mean, what?!  Is he okay?

My bedroom door is shut (remember I am fake sleeping while really playing by Toy Blast game (soooo lame), and they run through the house shrieking because Bray;s tooth fell out!!!  Aron was so glad, until they started running to my door... he was like, noooooooo!

They were like, yeeeeeeeeeeeeees, mommy!!

I was quickly turning off my phone and shoving it under the pillow and acting like I was still sleeping.

Once I saw that sweet face missing one of my most favorite teeth (really they are all my favorite, because they are his and I love him), you could just see how proud he was, and that made me glad!

We immediately called the tooth fairy on his foot phone (yes, foot phone, long strange story, but I always use their feet like they were a cell phone and I will act like I am calling the tooth fairy).  See, I know, it is odd, but it makes me laugh and they think it is funny, so I just go with it.

#WeBeStrangeUpInHere

So, tonight will be big for Bray.  The tooth fairy will arrive soon (shortly after I hit update on this post) and he will be the glad recipient of $4.00 (odd number, I know, a dollar bill and the rest quarters)!  We were scrounging!

#WeObviDontHaveCashUpInHere

One last photo with the tooth... he had to brush it before the tooth fairy takes it!

Besides it being a BIG day for my lil guy, my BIG guy took the kids on a surprise outing to the Razorback game!  PTL we won, or else manfriend would be having a super sad night!

Bray was not all that into the game at first...

 Glad the game picked up, or maybe it was the popcorn and nachos that lifted his spirits??

 Sophia loved it and was mad when they left the game early!!

While they were out, I stayed at home and rested just kidding, I decorated the house a bit for Christmas (yes, it is November 4th).  Do not worry, I had much help!  Dad and Mom showed up and brought Moss... they had wine and cheese and a great desire to help me unpack my Dickens Village!!!  So, my afternoon was a happy time!  I def overworked my leg, but I am hopeful that tomorrow it will be feeling much better!!  Did I mention I hate having this broke leg that is on the mend, but not really mending it is just stiff and peggish.... ugh, two of the worst things to ever have a leg be!!!!  Oh how I miss walking normal!!  One day... one day.

With the little house boxes opening left and right, my momma finished yet another project!!  She is making me pillows for my living room!

I DIE!!  Yes, she made that!!  The other one is precious, and she is also making 2 bench cushions and 3 for my barstools!  The woman never sleeps!!  Did I mention that she made curtains for the windows in my living room??  Will reveal those tomorrow!

The projects I have thought about for years are almost complete and they would have never been possible without my momma doing them ALLLLLL over the past weeks!

She is amazing and I am so thankful!

This was my Red before bed with her new Razorback doll she got at the game (because she really needed another doll in her room... but her daddy will do anything for her)!

Welp, manfriend just came in and turned off the tv show I was watching only to turn on the LSU and Alabama game... ummmmm hello, and now he is asleep!  Why??  I guess I need to close up here and try to pry the remote out of his hand without waking him up!  If I wake him while taking the remote he will say he is watching the game and I cannot turn it!  It is a fun lil game of "remote control" (get it he is controlling the remote??)

Tooth fairy time!!

Feeling a thankful for the manfriend

Seems only fitting that this being the month where we all focus on being thankful, that I share how thankful I am for the manfriend!  He is so sweet, thoughtful, quiet (this can make ya nuts), an amazing husband and father, wonderfully kind, special, and fun.

How is it even possible that I have been doing life with him for over 11 years?  It makes me giggle a bit to think that when I was a 9th grader at Walton Jr High, I wrote in my diary... I love Aron Foresee forever.  I did not even know him, but in my 9th grade world, I thought he was a BFD!  Oh well, that was 9th grade and the love was never kindled... however, had it happened then, it may not have happened years and years later.

Fast forward to graduating college, living back in B-town with my brother, and single... hanging out with friends at any and all moments... that I walk into a wedding reception and see him dancing with another girl.  Rush... of.... feelings.... coulda been the booze, but whatevs it was, it was something good and I knew that he was it for me!  It took many meetings for us to become more acquainted, but I had NO doubt that he was the one.  When ya know ya know... ya know.

My brother and I decided to move into an apartment and when we were walking out, telling the owner of the duplex we are ready to move in.... I look at the driveway next door to a boy in a white truck pulling in... it was meant to be!  Fast forward 6 months to an engagement and then 9 months until a wedding, a dog, an apartment, a house, babies, vacations, broke leg.... and here we are year 11!  (not starting out too hot... slipping in a shower, breaking a leg, quick trip to the er, 7 weeks on Broke Leg Mountain... being lazy.... suuuuuuuper lazy), but I am pretty sure the rest of our year will be looking up!

Awe... see how cute he is!  I just really like him... like a lot.

He has been such a great care giver the past weeks and has been so wonderful with the kids.  He has gone above and beyond for our family and I am so very thankful for him!

Halloween and the little people that make my world go round.....

In case y'all missed it... Halloween has done come and gone!

Introducing the Ninja Turtle and Evie 

This year we hung around our own neighborhood trick or treating!  The kids picked out their own costumes this year... Brayden was once again a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (seriously, he is obsessed with these guys) and Sophia was Evie from The Descendants (oh what, you do not know who Evie is?  She is the daughter of the Evil Queen from Snow White!  I know, who knew she had kids??)  Anyways, Sophia told me exactly what she needed to pull this off, and since I have not been able to be out and about finding this costume I heavily relied on Amazon to get the stuff here!!  Nothing like waiting until the last minute!!  (FYI, I love that I was so on top of getting her a blue wig (just like Evie and paid extra to get it here on time.... and she did not wear it..... insert the MAKE ME NUTS emoji... is there one?)

The day started early with G picking up the kids for school!  He has been so helpful during this time!

The day only got more busy, with class parties and my momma was such a trooper to push me around in my wheelchair so I could see them in action (I really do miss hanging out and volunteering at their school).  She even took me to WM... that was probably too much, but hey, we survived!

(Y'all, Brayden has this front tooth that he will NOT let us pull! It is hanging by, oh I don't know air??)  It is his first tooth, but he is terrified for it to hang out!  Thinking of pulling it in his sleep!!  #KindaKidding #KindaNot

My mom and I had fun the rest of the time we were not at class parties.  Y'all ever heard of "BOOOING" someone?  You know, you leave a fun Halloween treat on a friends doorstep... anyone??  Well, we were BOOOED, by my Moss, so we decided to "BOOOOOZE" a few friends!  Get it, BOOOOZE?  That's right, we gave them wine or champagne treats!!  First stop, Moss!  If you know her, she would love to be Booooozed!

I know, judge away, it looks like my children Boozed her, but whatevs, they just like a photo op with their girl!!

Momma just chauffeured us all around (I am sure she is looking forward for the break when I go back to work... tomorrow (insert sad face)!)  Oh, these two people have done so much for Aron and I over the past weeks!!  I love them!

Then the night was a success, and the kids will have enough candy to last them until well the month (because I will throw it away... in my belly or in the trash, candy ain't really their thing).  I know... #NotNormal  We were able to walk around the block with some friends... manfriend pushed me in the wheel chair.  Our biggest scare was Brayden tripping and falling and we were not even close to him!  Thankful to live in a small town because two girls Aron and I went to school with, Christine and Allison, were out with littles and were quick to come to Brays aide!  So so sweet!  It takes a village friends!!

With this holiday in the books, we are jumpin' into day numero 1 of November... the month of all things thankful, and I know two tiny people that I am over the moon for and find myself thanking the good Lord for them on the reg.

 

      Sophia and Brayden

These two make me the most happy and most crazy ever.  I am so proud of everything that they do, and I am so glad that I get to be their momma.  I cannot imagine my life without these two, forever thankful that they are mine