:: Christmas Tradition - the christmas express

I'd been wanting to start this ever since I found it on Pinterest a few years back.

Then my sister did it last year and I knew that the next Christmas it would be on the to-do list.

We had the girls get ready for bedtime,

but little did they know that we had blankets, bags of popcorn, hot chocolate 

and their daddy and baby brother in the car awaiting them.

As they were getting under their covers they found this golden ticket.

Ava was so excited!

 (Reese didn't really know what was going on - - she just gets excited when Ava does)

I punched their tickets and we were off!

We drove to a neighborhood that syncs their lights to songs on their own radio station.

It was awesome!

Then we drove through the neighborhoods nearby us.

Ava loved it and couldn't believe that we let her stay up until almost 10 (oops).

Reese was out as soon as she had finished her hot chocolate - - maybe she'll enjoy this tradition a little more next year.

Print out the ticket here.

:: Back to School - dinner and family theme 2013

So, my "back to school" pinterest board has been filling up for the past few years.

And this was finally the year that I could start these fun traditions since

 Ava has now started kindergarten . . . sniff, sniff.

I'd seen the "back to school dinner and family theme" on multiple blogs.

I was able to incorporate ideas from Nie Nie Dialogues and Ericas Blogity Blog.

We told the girls that they needed to get their Easter dresses on and that we were going to go somewhere special.  Ava immediately asked me, "So which restaurant are we going to?"  Ha!

They closed their eyes and we lead them outside.

So we had breakfast for dinner (on my china - yikes! . . . but figure that I should

 start using it for special occasions), made some last-minute "back to school" crowns,

 and Tommy and I came up with a family theme that we'll use throughout the school-year.

We were trying to think about a virtue that our family could work on,

 especially with Ava now in school and making new friends.

And we decided on this virtue as our family theme:  BE KIND

The quote that goes along with it (that we're having them memorize)

is "Kindness is the essence of greatness."

(which comes from a talk given by Joseph B. Wirthlin that can be seen or read here).

We also watched this short video here and had the girls point out the 

acts of kindness that were in the video.

Then I told them about our "Kind Jar".

Whenever they do or say something kind, we'll fill it up with cotton balls.

And when the jar is filled, they get a special treat.

I hope that throughout this next year, they learn that "Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends.  It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.  

Kindness is the essence of greatness."

It was such a fun evening.  

When we finished dinner, Ava gave me a big hug, told me that it was so much fun

and asked if we could do this again next year.

Definitely worth it.

Do you have a "back to school" dinner and theme?

{I'll be linking to these parties here}

:: Traditions - the legend of sleepy hollow

To celebrate the beginning of October,

last night we watched "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (disney cartoon)

and ate donuts with yummy apple juice.

This might become a yearly tradition.

We saw this fun tradition here and it's definitely a keeper.

Time to put up our Halloween decor!

:: Christmas - christmas book tradition

I tried this tradition a few years back, but Ava was too young to care.

So, I didn't continue it.

 (plus I don't think I had enough Christmas books)

But it's really easy.

Just wrap up 24 Christmas books.

{if you don't have enough, go to the library or . . . re-wrap}

Place numbers on them (or not ).

Put under the tree.

Each night they get to open one up and you get to read it to them.

(although on Christmas Eve she gets to open up two - -

'Twas The Night Before Christmas and The Nativity)

Ava LOVES it.

She loves opening presents {and then shredding the paper to pieces}

and she also loves books.

So, it's a win-win.

We love reading them near the Christmas tree

with the twinkle lights lighting the pages.

We love Christmas!

Reese also likes this tradition and is beginning to love the opening of gifts.

{just hope she doesn't shred them like her older sis}

What are some of your Christmas traditions?