Christmas Festivities!

This time of year is so magical! We've had such a great holiday season that I'm going to be really sad to see it come to an end.....

Mellany got to walk in the Lafayette Christmas Parade with her dance team. The boys and I had to stay behind because I had pulled a muscle in my back but John and Mellany had a great time! 

Even though it's hard to be outside much, our neighbor Maddie still loves to come in and play...even if it's just the boys. :) (John even joined in on the fun this time)

After two years of not having the school Christmas music program, it is back!!! Both boys got to be in it and we soooo enjoyed it! The boys did an amazing job!

I took this selfie with Mellany at the program and it really made me realize just how grown up she is getting. She really looks like a young lady. 

Our Christmas adventure with the Okos crew was to Fair Oaks Farms this year! They have a walk through light show that we took part in and a definite favorite were the tractors. 

Another favorite was the ice slide....even I went down it! 

My phone got snatched after church and I found several selfies from these two cuties!

Our little family had our Christmas this past weekend where we exchange presents and our stockings come early. Charlie got a DJ turn table (kid version) and stuffed snake, Johnny got a lego set and nintendo game and Mellany got a hoverboard cart and stuffed koala. We kept things minimal and everyone was completely happy! 

Later that night, we went to see our bestie Charlotte perform in "A Charlie Brown Christmas". She was Peppermint Patty and was phenomenal! We are so proud of her! (Mellanys 5th grade got to go a few days early to see it, so she got to see it twice.) 

Thanksgiving!

 Thanksgiving week started out a bit rough....Charlie started a fever on Sunday afternoon and by Monday afternoon we decided to take him to urgent care. Sure enough he was positive for the flu and had an ear infection....nothing says Happy Holidays like a sickness! Our crew is notorious for getting sick right before a holiday. Thankfully we were still able to leave on Tuesday ....his fever had broke and he had been on his meds for 24 hours by the time we made it to KC. So glad he was able to feel better because we had a great time back home for a few days. It was a busy several days, but we all loved every minute! 

On Thanksgiving Day, we got some snuggles from Quinn! 

Black Friday shopping with the Jones girls and Gammy....it's not a trip to KC without eating at Corner Cafe! 

The boys really enjoyed wrestling with Uncle Brad this trip....Brad coaches girls wrestling at a High School in Kansas City so they got to learn some pretty fun moves too!

The weather was so amazing while we were in KC that we were even able to shoot while at my dad's. The boys were in heaven! Johnny loved being able to shoot a few different guns while Charlie enjoyed just watching this time. 

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, but that's ok.....I was truly "in the moment"!! Now we really can't wait for Christmas! Only 24 days! 

Thanksgiving Week!!!

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year!!....It's a short school week, there are few extra curricular activities and there is usually a lot of relaxation and good food!!! The down time with all of us together is just the best!! 

Here's what we've been up to! 

Mellany's bestie, Charlotte, was cast as Belle in Beauty and the Beast so we couldn't miss the opportunity to see her! Coming up in December, she's been cast as Patty in Charlie Brown Christmas and all 5 Barretts will be attending that one! 

Mellany snapped this picture of 4 of us in Charlie's bed clipping nails and reading books....gotta love the parent life! :) 

Johnny's teacher posted this picture....his class got to have root beer floats in class while studying gases, liquids and solids. 

Charlie: "Mom, take my picture with Winston" 

One of Winston's favorite people

Yep, it is before Thanksgiving, but our tree is up! 

We even gave the kids a little early Christmas present....

...Sheets!! They weren't super excited at first (they were really hoping for some toys I think) but they have decided they really love the Christmas sheets!

Mellany's class has had the opportunity to dissect a few animals and she has really enjoyed the unit! 

School Pictures are just the best!!!!

Mellany got to be in the Veteran's Day Program and the Intermediate school and it was a great program! 

I wasn't feeling great this past week and this pup was right by my side. 

We did some holiday baking this past weekend....I had some great help! 

 

Randoms + Halloween

It's been a whirlwind end of October and I'm ready for the start of a new month. Now that Halloween is over, I'm working on Christmas decorations and all the festive things! The Barretts are READY for the holiday season! 

Here's what we've ben up to...

Charlie was home from school for a few days with what I thought was pink eye. Turns out it was just a virus he needed to get over. (Likely something he caught when at the doctor 4 days prior for his well check...)Since he was feeling pretty well, he came with me to count offering at church. His favorite thing at the church is the security camera system. This time, he asked me to take his picture on the monitor so he could see what he looked like. 

After his doctor appointment and time at the church, he asked for a happy meal for lunch. Turns out, McDonald's went "old school" and was handing out halloween buckets with them! Charlie's day was made!

Mellany and I attended a 5th grade milestone retreat at our church a few weeks ago. It was a Friday night and Saturday morning retreat. One of our first requirements was to create a team flag. Mellany couldn't wait to start creating...

The first night was an "Amazing Race" type competition and then Saturday morning had more of a biblical message tying in the activities from Friday evening. We had a great time! 

Charlie was so proud to finally get this sticker!!! We had been working every single night on counting! 

One of the weeks John spent traveling was in Minneapolis, MN. He was there for the Cargill Presidents Awards and was asked to be on a panel to talk about serving the farmer. He was one of four people asked to be on stage in front of a few hundred people.....a really big deal....and I'm so proud!! John is very highly thought of in the business (though he would never ever say that he was) and this is just proof that people love him and his style of leadership! 

Mellany's 5th grade leaf project is complete! She had to have specific leaves and their information all put together in a notebook/binder/folder and I think she did a great job! She was even very specific in the type of picture she wanted on the front cover....and I think it totally shows her beauty and personality. 

I celebrated my 37th birthday this past weekend.....and we celebrated by going to our school's trunk or treat and then trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. We all agreed that day would be best because the weather was beautiful! 

After trick or treating, we sat by the fire at our neighbor's. It's never a dull moment by the fire! 

Last but not least, it was a BIG DAY for Mellany.....her cast was REMOVED!!!! She is so excited and I am so excited for her!!!! It's been a loooooong 4 weeks, but she has powered through and handled it so well! 

The morning that I took Mellany to get her cast removed, John took the boys to school and took this in the truck before heading in....goodness the Barrett gene is strong!!! Such handsome guys! 

Waiting for ninja class to start, I looked at Johnny sitting like this and he just looked so old! He has really grown up this past year....He also is soooo happy when he's at Ninja class. He loves it more than any other activity he does and that makes me happy too!