It’s Friday!! Only one more week until Christmas!
The season, per usual, is flying by. I looked at my calendar and realized I could squeeze in a (very quick) trip to Dallas so the boys could do some of the fun Dallas-y Christmas things, so I loaded up the car, called my mom and asked if our fam of four could stay over (she’s the best with hosting!) and spent a few days with my side of the family.
The Dallas Arboretum is so beautiful. I grew up going there all the time (my family had a membership when I was little) and I have the fondest memories of running through those gardens, picnicking on the grass, and spending time with my sisters there. It overlook Lake ray Hubbard, and it truly is stunning at all times of the year.
They do a special holiday exhibit called The 12 Days of Christmas. I brought the boys to it last year and we had so much fun and I knew I wanted to repeat it this year. Just look at how tiny my Dayton baby was last year…
And here he is this year with his Auntie Kylee…
I mean, y’all! Ugh. They grow SO dang fast. But here’s a photo recap of our time in Dallas!
^ In Dallas, and both boys are doing what they do best: distracting Kylee from work and convincing her they need some snacks.
They love her.
We got the 6 pm entry for the 12 Days of Christmas. So many of y’all on instagram were asking why it was so empty when we were there, and it’s because we went on a rainy Monday! Haha. Last year it was PACKED and I was expecting the same thing this year, but with the weather + a weekday, it just wasn’t as crowded.
So if you want to enjoy it without the crowds, try to go on a Mon/Tue. Oh, and entry is about 1/3 the cost on a Monday as an added bonus!
Sooo so sweet watching my sisters love my little boys.
My dad pushed Dayton around in the stroller.
Taking in the “12 drummers drumming.”
Each and every display is SO elaborate and beautiful! I think this is the perfect holiday activity for the family, because the adults can enjoy and appreciate the displays, and the little kiddos can run around freely and have fun without trying to be quiet and still.
Case in point: Milo playing hide-and-seek with my mom and Kylee all night.
Yay! Cara showed up, too! We all got some warm mugs of mulled wine and sipped it while we wandered around. So cozy!
Love these sisters of mine.
Notice that my boys are wearing the sam matching Hanna Andersson sweaters that they wore at the Austin Trail of Lights. Yes, I 100% will make sure they wear those as often as possible this year. So cute to see them matching!
One of my favorite parts of the Dallas Arboretum 12 Days of Christmas is the adorable German Christmas village. It’s set up with a bunch of tiny cottages that are themed as if they’re a real village. There’s a butcher shop, a flower shop, a post office, a library, and lots of others. And each one has a little activity for the kids to enjoy, like mailing a letter to Santa at the post office, sampling some food at the bakery.
It is SO precious!
We had to get another sister pic! It’s quite a process:
Step 1: discuss how the rain has deflated our hair..
Step 2: “Nate, make sure you take lots of pics, ok?”
Step 3: almost ready..
Step 4: there she is. THERE SHE IS!!
Bless this man of mine and his good humor when I ask him to take pictures of me and my sisters. He’s mastered the timing, the angles, the lighting…all of it. He’s such a good one.
Here’s a better view of the Christmas Village. Oh, it’s so darling!!
The rain picked up but our spirits were bright! We all had rain jackets and umbrellas, and Dayton was snug and cozy in the stroller.
Haha. Milo took Kylee’s umbrella on the walk back to the car. Silly child.
I love this family tradition. Hope to do it every single year!
And the next day we had plans to go to NorthPark Center in Dallas (my favorite shopping mall in the world! It’s sooo beautiful in December) but the Dallas weather was madness. I mean, actual madness. There were weather warnings popping up all over the place on my apple watch, crazy thunder and lighting, hail storms…it was an awful day to try to bring two babies out of the house.
So we stayed cozy inside all day instead.
A diaper baby. So cute.
We did sneak out during the boys’ nap time to Siren Rock where we got some lunch and watched the World Cup game.
Fish and Chips and some ale! Nothing like some pub food on a windy and rainy day.
And we spent the afternoon making a bunch of Christmas candy in my mom’s kitchen. And I snapped this picture only (and none of the beautiful finished candy) because how cute is Dayton experiencing his first taste of a peanut butter ball?
XO and happy weekend! I’m so thankful that you wanted to pop in here and spend your morning with me. Seriously – thank you for being here! I love sharing this happy little recaps on my blog, and I love that y’all keep showing up to read them!
I’ll talk to you on Monday!
