Opryland Hotel @ Xmas

The kids and I went to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville with our mommy friends to check out their world famous holiday decor.  (If we have time before our trip to Spokane, I'm hoping Jimmy can join us for a second trip.) 

 

The Christmas lights are supposed to be amazing at night, but unfortunately we went during the day, in the middle of the week to avoid the crowds.  We all had strollers, so crowds are not good!  We didn't get to see the lights, but the decorations were very impressive. 

 

Amelia and Alex seemed to really enjoy all the exciting sights.  It kept their attention for a few hours and they didn't get really fussy until just before we left (it was nap time).  Amelia loved pointing out everything she recognized and asked A LOT of questions about new things she saw.

 

The hotel also featured a children's area.  There were games, rides, a train, model trains, and Santa and Mrs. Claus.  As soon as Amelia spotted Santa, she wanted desperately to talk to him.  However, she changed her mind when we got about 10 feet from him.  She got shy and said, "Mommy, I'm scared."  She waved from a far and Alex and I went to say hi, ha ha. 

 



Amelia was freaking out when she saw this tree.

"Wow mommy, it's so big.  I like it."

Amelia learned the word "poinsettia" by the end of the day

You can't tell from this picture, but there are animals in hot air balloons floating around.  Amelia enjoyed finding each animal.

Alex enjoyed the scenery from the stroller.  He kept pointing and then babbling at all the cool things he saw.

Riding toy cars with our friends

My attempt at getting a photo of us riding on the train

We spent almost four hours at the hotel and still didn't get a chance to see everything!  Alex was tuckered out!



Cumberland Lights

We went to downtown Clarksville near the Cumberland River to check out the city's light display.  Alex and Amelia were mesmerized by the lights.  It was fun seeing which displays Amelia recognized.

 

If you look at all the pictures, Amelia cannot keep her eyes off the lights!  She is always turned around staring at them, ha ha. 

Auntie Jen and Amelia looking at the princess

Amelia and Auntie Jen had matching glow necklaces.  Of course, Amelia was obsessed with the lights, so wouldn't pose for a pic ;0)

Alex enjoyed the lights from the stroller.  It was cold, so we had to bundle him up.  His coat made him look like a marshmallow!

Puffs everywhere!

Mimi ran under this tunnel and got really excited!

Auntie Jen, Where are You?

The kids and Auntie Jen had so much fun together this past week!  Coloring, tea parties, building and destroying towers, Legos, blocks, dress up, stickers, reading, stamps, puzzles, dance parties, Pajaminals, and so much more.  We also took trips to the park, library, Christmas lights, and gymnastics.  Amelia and Alex so enjoyed all the extra love and attention from Auntie Jen.  We are so thankful she came to visit us!  

Giving Auntie a shot

Auntie Jen made this beautiful tower for the kids to destroy. 

 

Mega tower which used all our Legos and foam blocks.  It literally went from the floor to the ceiling.  Alex, with the help of Jimmy, was ready to destroy it.

 

Happy 4th Blogaversary!

It's been four years since I started Life With The Lehmans.  I'm so glad I have been able to keep up with it this long.

A New Christmas Tradition

Since we will be gone for most of December, we had decided to keep the Christmas decorations to a minimum and not put up our Christmas tree this year.   Easier said than done...

Amelia has been obsessed with anything Christmas.  She loves to point out snowmen, Christmas trees, reindeer, poinsettias, stockings, Santa, wreaths, and Christmas lights where ever we go.  She squeals with absolute delight whenever she's anything Christmas related.  "Oh wow!  Look at *insert any Christmas item here*!!!!"

So, of course, we gave in!  We put up a few items and lights around the house.  Instead up putting up our big tree, we bought a smaller tree.  Jimmy put it together and I strung it up with lights.  Amelia, with the help of Auntie Jennifer, decorated our beautiful little tree. 

I love it that Amelia and Jennifer decorated the whole thing themselves.  Most of the ornaments are on the bottom part of the tree, since that was the only area Amelia could reach.  It's perfect in every way! 

We decided to make it a tradition.  The kids (and if we have any visitors), will always decorate the little Christmas tree all by themselves!

The kids love the decorations around the house.  Amelia is in love with her stocking.  At first, she thought it was a real sock and kept trying to put it on her foot, ha ha.  Alex enjoys the lights and the Christmas stuffed animals.  We have a dancing Santa hippo which both the kids love too!

The little tree is their favorite.  It's still dark when Alex gets up in the morning, so the tree is the first thing Alex goes for.  His favorite ornaments are the jingle bells.  Amelia enjoys taking the ornaments on and off the tree and rearranging them.  She always reminds us that it's "Mimi's Christmas tree."

Some branches had 4-6 ornaments on them, ha ha

 

A few days later...

Amelia constantly rearranges the ornaments

Alex's Dance Moves (video)

We turned the TV on to the hip hop radio station and Alex crawled to the screen and started dancing.  Looks like he has the same taste in music as his big sister.  (His cloth diaper makes his bootie look unnaturally large.) 

 

Swirlz Painting

Jennifer and I enjoyed wine and painting at Swirlz Art Studio.  It was stressful at first!  I felt the instructor was moving really fast.  Once I started to relax, made a few mistakes, and the wine kicked in, we ended up having so much fun!  We definitely want to do it again!

 

There was an outline of the peacock to help us get started.  We had about 10 minutes to fill in the background. 

 

After 90 minutes...

After three hours...
Our masterpieces!

 

Our Five Minute Thanksgiving

We are so thankful that Jimmy's sister, Jennifer, flew in from Washington (state) to join our little family for Thanksgiving.  Jimmy spent all day cooking, while Jennifer and I entertained the kids in the playroom. 

In true Jimmy fashion, he made almost everything from scratch: stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, green bean casserole, and gravy.  He used pie filling for the pies, but other then that, it was all Jimmy!

Once our fabulous meal was finished, I think we all sat the table for about five minutes before the chaos of meal time set in! Chopping up food, crying, crankiness, spilled food, etc.  I ate most of my meal while standing up.  It was definitely a chaotic experience, but unforgettable to say the least.

Alex and Amelia weren't fond of the turkey, but were really into the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and rolls. I had to tell Amelia the pie was a cake so she would eat it, ha ha. She only ate the filling and spit out the crust.

Despite the not so perfect Thanksgiving meal, we are thankful for our family and spending the week with Jennifer.  In the end, that's what it's all about.

 

 

Amelia's Dance Moves (video)

Amelia usually just runs around in a circle and jumps up and down when she dances.  When she started doing this, I couldn't stop laughing.  She is hilarious!

 

Museum Play Date

We go to the museum almost every week with our friends!  Here are some pics from our latest visit.

 

Yup, that's Amelia INSIDE the (pretend) grocery freezer.  If you look closely, she's making a sandwich and setting the table in there, ha ha.

Snack-Master-A's

Nolan and Alex

Da boys:

Dylan, Nolan, and Alex