Birthday Boys!

Van and Eli turned 2 Sunday.  I can't believe how quickly the past year has gone.  They are no longer little babies. :(  They are little boys and it blows my mind.  We didn't have a huge party since the boys still don't totally get the whole birthday thing.  I am sure there will be plenty of those in years to come.  We decided to make visiting Santa a yearly tradition on their birthday.  Last year they didn't have a clue what was going on.  This year was a different story...

Waiting patiently in line...

and then it came time to sit on Santa's lap...

Terrible I tell you!

We also did some driving around to look at Christmas lights.  This house is insane right?!  They have the lights choreographed with Christmas music you tune into on the radio...crazy!!!  So cool!

In other news the boys helped me do a little Target shopping last week.  I have to admit they did really well!  This time the wrapping paper did the trick.
Have to have something to keep their interest.  :)

I will leave y'all with a few more pics of the birthday boys...

Van with his new Mr. Potato Head and Eli pointing to all the "balls" on the tree

Eli gets a turn with Mr. Potato Head

Van checking out his birthday bag

Eli loves his "Santa box" from Grandma and Grandaddy

He thinks it's a suitcase or purse because he kept heading for the door and saying "Bye!"

~Sarah Marie~

Merry Christmas to Us

Adam and I received a wonderful Christmas gift already.  Our gift from Grammy and Poppy Vicars this year was a weekend away at Biltmore.  Now, for those of you who don't know, Biltmore is a wonderful place to get away.  I had no idea!  We stayed right on the property at The Inn on Biltmore Estate.  We ate some of the best food I've ever had.  The first night we had dinner in the Dining Room at the Inn.  Saturday night we ate at Bistro at the Winery.  Both meals were fabulous and I had steak both nights which is very uncharacteristic for me.  It is nice that everything is on the property so we didn't have to worry about driving.  The only time we ventured out was to check out the shopping at Biltmore Village.  We had yet another fabulous meal for lunch at The Corner Kitchen.  Of course we toured the actual house, which is insane even if you've been before.  Blows my mind!  Even though we only live an hour away, I had no idea all this was in Asheville.  There is so much to do at Biltmore.  Needless to say Adam and I had a wonderful time.  It was just what we needed...a little time away with no schedule to eat, drink, and RELAX in a beautiful place.  Everything was perfect!  It was better than I ever imagined.
So if you're looking for a relaxing getaway, I would highly suggest The Inn on Biltmore Estate.
One of the best trips ever!

Here are some highlights (when I remembered to take pics) ;)...

 Dinner at the Inn
Dining Room at the Inn

View at breakfast

This picture doesn't do it justice, but this fireplace is beautiful!

I wanted to bring this lion home for the boys.

What a fabulous weekend!  

We didn't want to come home but of course we missed the boys.

Everyone needs some time away to recharge.

Merry early Christmas everyone!

~Sarah Marie~

Thanksgiving and Right on to Christmas

I need to back track a little and share some Thanksgiving highlights.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Kingsport, TN with Grammy and Poppy Vicars.

Over the River and Through the Woods...

We had a beautiful drive in the snow up to Grammy and Poppy's.  

My parents even came up last minute on Thanksgiving.
Needless to say the boys were happy to have all their grandparents to love on them.  :)

The Chef
Thanksgiving wouldn't happen without Grammy.

Watching Poppy carve the bird

The boys didn't last long at the table.

Our attempt at a family pic...not happening!

Grammy and Poppy pulled out some of Adam's old toys.  

I was shocked because they are still in perfect condition!

Check out that trike.

Eli loves pulling the wagon 

Van's toy of choice is the broom of course.

And yes, he has a one-eyed owl hat...oops.

We headed back to Greenville Friday and spent the rest of the weekend decorating our house for Christmas.  Whew, what a job!  We still have to complete the outside of the house but the inside is finished.  Nothing I love more than relaxing by tree in the stillness of the evening.

I put Adam to work hanging the lights.  

By the way Costco has great deals on real Christmas trees. 

The boys had to inspect Daddy's work.

 

Yes, they are sniffing the tree.  Why not?  

The smell of a real tree is amazing!

  

All this decorating wore the boys out.  

That's about how I felt by Sunday...laid up on the floor.

I tried something different on the mantel this year.  I wanted a more natural look, 

so I used a real garland this year...again, from Costco.  Who knew?  

~Sarah Marie~

Christmas Shopping?

Hey guys!  Sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. Of course I couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk about my favorite hobby on the biggest shopping week of the year!  I must be honest though I've been feeling a little overwhelmed about Christmas this year.  I blame all the constant, in your face advertising.  Everywhere you turn it's buy this, sale here, sale there, you must shop shop shop, do do do!  I swear there must be something subliminally in those ads that makes your heart beat a little faster and start to sweat a bit.  Anyway, I'm fed up with it even though I am a shopaholic.  I think we all need to take a step back, breathe, and remember what it is all about.  I am mainly speaking to myself, ha ha.  It's very easy to go overboard.  Why?  We spend time, energy, and money trying to find the perfect gift when in all actuality, is it even needed?  So I've been thinking...instead of buying crap that we don't even need, how about spending that time and energy on helping someone in real need?  I write this after I've already done most of my shopping because Heaven Forbid I wait until December to actually start Christmas shopping.  Point is next year I plan on getting together with my family and putting our money toward those who really need it.  There are many wonderful organizations that you can help others.  Samaritan's Purse is one of my favorites.
Here's the link if you want to check it out:

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/gift-catalog/give/?utm_source=Ggl&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=m_YS4G-14XA_GGLSPCat&gclid=CJn2hJCGj7sCFSho7AodTUUAgA

They have the option to help repair a child's cleft lip, buy a goat for a family that needs milk,  or you can donate to Operation Heal Our Patriots.  Now that is a great way to spend your money during the Christmas season.  

Having said that of course the kiddos have taken top priority for Christmas.  I am so excited this year because the boys will understand a little more about it.  I also have done most of my shopping for the boys.  I thought I'd share my finds with y'all...

Land of Nod is offering 15% off plus free shipping through Dec. 2!
Enter code SAVE15 at checkout.

I used coupons and Black Friday discounts to my advantage from JCPenney, Kohl's, and Amazon



Costco is also a great place to buy toys.  Great prices!

As you can see Santa has just about completed his work for the boys.
Now, we have to decide what Santa brings and what they get for their birthday.
Yes, double whammy for us. :)


~Sarah Marie~