Christmas is here!

I have been anxious to catch up and tell you about the trip south the bird and I took last weekend.  We headed to Mom's in Hanover for a little overnight after spending the day in Historic Downtown Madison, IN.  This sweet little gem of a town sits right next door to my hometown.  It is one of my favorite places to visit, especially at Christmas time.  We hit Lanthier Winery, the coffee shop, boutiques, and let M get her choo choo fix at the Heritage Center where there is an actual caboose!

Then on Sunday, we had another full day ahead of us.  My sister-in-law, Aunt B, and my nieces, Adalei and Elena, followed us down to Louisville for a kid-friendly adventure.  The Galt House Hotel was hosting a Christmas event that was perfect for our girls.  The KaLightoscope attraction was even fun for us adults to experience.  There was a village replica that we walked through to get to the Peppermint Express train ride.  As we made our way through, carolers sang and the gingerbread houses made the room smell great...and a little hungry!  There were many activities along the way like writing a letter to Santa, a train ride, and meeting a princess.  It was great!  I was happy that M was too young to freak out since she was too short to ride the choo choo.  She just had fun watching it go around the track and waving to Adalei!

 

Here we are...the Stroller Brigade!  Look out!

Meeting the princess...

I aways feel for the Santas having to deal with the screaming, squirming kids.  I didn't when it was my own!  We were the first in line and he was already giving up too easily.  I guess not everyone knows or cares about my obsession with getting the right pic!  This one is pretty good though!

 They are pretty silly!



Christmas has always been my favorite time of year!  Now, having children around makes it even more enjoyable!  Before Ad was born, our family dynamic was completely different.  I went to other functions that focused on the children running around and to be honest, was bored with it.  Then, that first celebration with her around, I got it.  This is what it's all about!  We sat laughing and clapping like I never thought I would do.  Having M with us on Christmas morning makes it all complete.  I am more excited for her to experience the festivities than I ever was for myself to.  There are butterflies in my tummy just thinking about it. 
Spending the day with some of my favorite girls will go on my list for one of my best days.  I am so blessed to have them in my life!  It makes me want to plan more little trips like these even if it isn't the holidays.  Louisville and Indianapolis have so much to offer that we haven't discovered.  Get out your 2013 calenders, girls!