Ballard Bunch

There are always a few things we do in early December to really get Christmas going. I love that we have traditions early int he month to get the spirit flowing. We go over to my mom's to decorate her tree and watch Christmas movies, we go to my Granny's Christmas party at her nursing home, we eat Christmas lunch at the Fort Worth Club and we decorate our own house and tree. The kids are getting good at decorating the tree and are a huge help! We are also adding traditions, which is always fun. The kids have gone shopping with my dad and stepmom for the past 2 years for a special gift from them to Jason and I. The kids love picking out their own gifts and my dad said they were really with it this year and knew exactly what we would like. They also decorate our presents, which is my favorite part! Fort Worth Club Decorating our tree and filling in our advent calendar Talking with Santa at Granny's party Gran's house: The ornaments are laid out on the table Love this pic...

Every year, the kids and I go to Christmas in the Stockyards. This was our 4th year to go- I'm so glad I don't have to lug around the diaper bag or double stroller there anymore!! It's a great way to kick off the holidays, as it is always the first Saturday of December. This year was special because Jason was off and we ALL got to go!! We love to see Cowboy Santa, get our face painted, ride the ponies and pet the animals. It's a blast! Talking to Cowboy Santa and asking for Pillow Pets We also used this day to get our Christmas card pictures done. We took lots of pictures in different areas of the Stockyards before we did any of the activities, hoping to get a few good ones. We did great- the kids are fun to photograph now that they are older! Here are some from the photo shoot that didn't get put in the card: And the 2010 Ballard Christmas cards: Merry Christmas, y'all!!!

Lucy had her Thanksgiving program at her preschool. I teach the other Pre-K class, so we had been practicing a lot together and I couldn't wait for everyone to see Lucy perform! She knew every word and motion and was so excited to show everyone. I am continually reminded how special our family is- Lucy had quite a gathering for her program. Walker really wanted to be there, too. His school was just having a half-day, so I let him come with us. He was proud of his little sister, it was great! During Thanksgiving break, we put up Christmas lights. The kids were a big help to Jason New lights this year- PURPLE!!! The day after Thanksgiving, we went with Peepaw and GG to the downtown parade. My Dad has been wanting to do this with the kids for a while, we just wanted to wait until they were older. It was a cold night!! But, we bundled up and enjoyed seeing all the floats. After the parade, we walked to Sundance Square and counted down together and then saw the BIG Christmas tree get li...

The kids were so excited to go to the game. We went early so the kids could do some of the activities at Frog Alley, and that was great! They had the whole baseball team there to sign a poster and Matt Purke, the star pitcher, was nice enough to take a pic! Walker has his poster by his bed and is excited for baseball season now :) After face painting During the game The last game of the season and a few weeks before the implosion. We were sitting on the side that they imploded in December Great Christmas card idea that went wrong :( We wanted to get our Christmas card picture with the soon-to-be imploded side of Amon Carter in the background. Love the idea! However, nothing went right that evening. By the time we got to the stadium, it was starting to get dark. Here is a great picture of the fam- but not a great picture of Amon Carter :( I tried to "adjust" it a bit... Umm, still not "Christmas card worthy" OH, WELL

October is quite busy for our little family, but what a lot of fun! After Lucy's birthday, we get ready for our annual bonfire with our favorite neighbors, Peepaw and GG. It has really gotten to be quite a gathering of people! My Dad has even started hiring a kitchen helper so he can enjoy the evening and doesn't have to worry about filling the chip bowl and keeping the food warm. It was a great evening with lots of friends:) All decked out That's quite a pose, vampire girl With their fav bonfire friend, Chris GG had 2 visiting friends that came in for bonfire weekend. We love Lynn and Chris :) HALLOWEEN 2010 Lucy said during Halloween '09 that she wanted to be a witch next year, so we picked up a Witch dress after Halloween last year, for a whopping $5 :) Walker couldn't decide, but ended up with Wolverine. We had been on the lookout for a Wolverine costume for a few years now, so we were really excited to find it!! He was a great Wolverine :) My witchy witch with ...