Christmas 2014

And just like that, another holiday is in the books! Christmas 2014 was wonderful. We got into the holiday spirit at home with lots of festive activities and then we headed down south to Big Canoe to be with Marmee, Grampy, Aunt Allison, Uncle Michael, cousins Landon and Sophia and a couple other special friends. A fantastic time was had by all!

Getting their Christmas ornaments from Marmee and Grampy is always a treat for the girls. 

The girls participated in the church's Christmas pageant this year. They were 3 very cute sheep! 

 Julia singing "Away in a Manger."

We had a great time gingerbread house decorating and caroling at a friend's house.

Caroline dutifully counted down every day of the holiday season with help from her Christmas ornament. I'm sure the special crown she's wearing was very helpful too. ;-)

The Kindergarten Christmas Chapel at Collegiate was so special. I may have cried once (or twice). 

Santa Picture 2014 - two skeptical looking twins.

Cookie time with Julia! 

The girls were very lucky to get to open a round of gifts before we left for Big Canoe. 

Keva Planks from Grandpa and Grandma Hepper have been a huge hit.

Julia is in heaven with her horse, "Winny."

Off to Big Canoe with two stowaways.

Once we arrived, it was time for the cousin shenanigans to begin! There was lots of running around, screaming, and playing for this crew.

A beautiful and silly group of girls ready for Christmas Eve Mass.

The adults looking not too shabby themselves ;-)

Getting ready for Santa's reindeer by spreading their food outside.

Christmas Eve kids' dinner.

Cookies for Santa.

Merry Christmas!! 

Surveying the stash! 

Oops....yes, we ended up in the ER on Christmas morning. Julia had an ear infection and no urgent care centers around Big Canoe were open. 

Thankfully, it was a relatively smooth visit and nothing a little Advil and some antibiotics couldn't fix.

Back at Big Canoe, Grampy fired up the outdoor fireplace and we roasted s'mores!

Julia was feeling much better!

Landon photobombing.

Margaret and Marmee got chilly so they came inside to check out Margaret's favorite book, "Pete the Cat," online. 

Hanging out fireside with my love. 

Grampy and his fire. 

Playing hide and seek with Grampy.

Julia and Daddy having "breakfast," courtesy of one of her new toys.

Uncle Michael playing "Hiss" with some of the girls. 

"Lookout below!!" Julia was a madwoman in the pool!!

These sweet girls had a wonderful Christmas, thanks to friends and family near and far!!

Santa and Shotguns on Saturday

Sounds like an interesting combination, huh? Concerned minds should know that those two subjects were not combined. :)
Breakfast with Santa took place with the family at the Commonwealth Club on Saturday morning, and the shotgun portion of the day took place later on with adult Benjamins for what was definitely my favorite half of the day (sorry, kids).
First up: breakfast with Santa (actual picture of the family with Santa to be published later once it arrives in the mail)...

Three girls too excited about seeing Santa to stand still and smile for the camera.

Caroline had a very important note to pass off to Santa about where we will be this year (Big Canoe).  

Breakfast is better with a juggler at your table.

Julia waiting patiently for the elves to make her a balloon flower.

You can't tell, but the girls got to ring jingle bells for the women singing in the parlor.

Group picture fail...but at least we tried!

Next up, we headed out to Cavalier Sporting Clays to meet up with Henry Baskerville for our afternoon of clay shooting, whisky tasting (after the shooting, of course), and a catered dinner. To say that Paul and I were excited was an understatement. It was a little rainy, but we didn't let that dampen our spirits, and truthfully, the grey skies made it easier to see the clay pigeons.
The best part of the day was when we headed back to Hen's "Chateau de Cavalier", a quaint (to be generous) cabin on the gun range for drinks, dinner, and conversation. Henry is an amazing storyteller, and it was a real honor to spend time with someone who has lived such an interesting and exciting life.
His take home message was "nothing is more important than having fun." Now, of course there are some things that must take precedence over having fun, but I think we all left the Chateau bound and determined to spend a little more time valuing our friendships and the fun and joy they bring to our lives. Because in the end, money and possessions don't matter but good memories, laughter, fun, and friendship do.

Annie and me sporting our super hot shooting glasses.

Out in the field with Henry

Annie is an excellent shot.

The boys having a shoot-off.

Handsome sportsmen :)

I'm pretty sure Henry and I were laughing about how bad of a shot I am.

Relaxing at the Chateau.

There were stuffed animals everywhere. Lookout for that jaguar (leopard? cheetah?), Corey and Annie!

I wanted to pose with every creature I saw.

Paul and Annie hanging out at the bar with yet another furry friend.

The Chateau was awesome.

We had an amazing time with amazing friends.