It has been awhile

Sorry for the crickets over in the Hennessy Fam blog, we have been busy busy busy as always. I have a lot of pictures to share of what we have been up to the past month starting with Thanksgiving.

DeeDee, Papa and Uncle Court came up to Charlotte to celebrate with us. We were so excited to spend Thanksgiving on our new house and start new traditions. The morning of Thanksgiving, Mike, Court and I ran the Turkey Trot 8k. It was a gorgeous day and weekend so it was perfect weather for a run. The girls got to stay home with DeeDee and Papa and hang out.

While we were waiting for the turkey to cook, we took some family pictures in the backyard. 

 Then it was time to dig in and eat! It is SO nice to have a dining room again!

 Since Thanksgiving, it has been all about Christmas. Ella is at such a fun age where she is into everything about Santa and can't get enough of it! In recent years, she has been terrified of Santa (I mean won't get near him or she freaks out) but this year we visited Santa at the Uptown tree lighting celebration and we talked about how she didn't have to sit on his lap but she could just stand next to him. She was ok with that and he was so friendly and she actually did great! And Maddie was happy and seemed a little too comfortable. I am just happy to have a picture with Ella not screaming, this was a major breakthrough for us!

 A couple days after meeting Santa, we hosted Ella's preschool class for a gingerbread house making party. Another Mom and I did a lot of prep work but it was just a fun way for the kids to get together out of school and have fun.

 I had seen this cute idea on another blog where a Mom put together a Reindeer Food Bar where the kids get to make a bag of food for the reindeer to sprinkle on the driveway on Christmas Eve for the reindeer to eat while Santa delivers the toys!

 All these three year olds in your house can be a little scary but they were all so well behaved and loved making the houses.

Anything with frosting and candy is right up her alley! 

Ella and one of her best buddies, Caroline!

Filling up their reindeer food bags

The next morning, we went and had a yummy pancake breakfast and then out to pick out a Christmas tree. At breakfast we learned that Maddie loves pancakes as much as her older sister!

 Ella thought the Christmas tree lot was awesome and a huge park to play hide and go seek in.

I love capturing these sweet little moments between Daddy and his girls

 On December 1st, our elf Buddy flew back from the North Pole to spend the month with us! Buddy is pretty funny and has been making a little bit of mess when he flys back in the morning. This particular morning, he got into our M&Ms and made a mess. But can you blame him, he works up quite an appetite after flying back to the North Pole each night!

 And in between all the parties and craziness, we have been having some sisterly bonding. On this particular day, Ella decided they were on a train together.

 Or some cuddling on the couch

 Just like her older sister, Maddie Grace loves her doggie Dakota.

Apparently this was so tiring that Dakota fell asleep sitting up.

So, this brings us up to this weekend where we hosted another brunch with tons of kiddos (pics to come, they are still on my camera), happy hours with new neighbors and two different church events today. Whew, I am tired after one busy weekend but I can't wait to see these two little girls on Christmas morning. Ella's big request this year is a Cindrella blue bike, I hope Buddy has given the message to Santa.

And one final note because I would remise if I didn't mention that our hearts and prayers are with the families in Connecticut. As a parent of a small children, I can't even imagine what those families are feeling and I can tell you that I definitely held my little ones extra tight this weekend. It puts into perspective what this season is all about and as much fun as Santa and Buddy are, I am so blessed to have a healthy and happy family.

Merry Christmas and I will try and be better about updating the blog!

Please stop growing

Please stop growing up and being so big Ella! You are becoming such a little lady and today you started your second year of preschool. You were so excited this morning, ran into Mommy and Daddy's room this morning announcing you were ready to get dressed and go to school.

Much to Daddy's protest, Mommy got you an adorable smocked dress that I knew my little princess would love to wear on her first day. You loved that it had school buses on it as you love to point out all the school buses on our way to school.

 We had your open house last Friday and you got to go meet your new teachers and check out your new classroom. You loved the classroom as it is bigger than your your classroom last year but you did wonder where our beloved Ms Ginny was. Not to worry, Mrs Scott and Mrs Monroe couldn't wait to meet you. You were also excited that 3 of your friends from your class last year are in your class again this year including one of your best buddies, Caroline.

 Mommy of course got out the camera and had to capture this big day. You indulged Mommy for a little bit before deciding enough with the pictures Mommy, let's get to school!

 Daddy s working from home this week due to the DNC so he stayed home with Maddie while Mommy took you to your school.

 After we parked, we saw Caroline and you two girls were so excited to see each other and go into school together. Mommy had to get one more picture of you sweet girls in your smocked dresses (see Daddy, everyone wears a smocked dress on their first day!)

Then you girls took off running down the hall to your new 3 year old classroom. You both looked so old and so grown up. You saw Mrs Scott at the door and couldn't wait to get in. You gave Mommy a quick hug and kiss and then took your bag and walked right over to your cubby to hang it up. I can't believe what a difference a year makes. School has been one of the best things for you, it has given you so much confidence and I just loved seeing how excited you were to start another year this year. When I picked you up, you had a huge smile on your face and the teachers said you had a great day. I am so excited for you this year and all that the 3 year old class brings. 

Hippity Hoppity

We are celebrating all things Easter Bunny around here these days! The weather has been so nice which is perfect for adorable girls in spring dresses and Easter Egg hunts!

The first one was her school Easter party on Thursday and she was so excited to see that Mommy, Daddy and Maddie came to see her. We first met in her classroom and the kids all got their bunny ears they made in class on and ready to head out to the playground for a hunt.
And she's off! Of course she picked up a pink and blue one. She loves all things pink and blue lately. She gets 2 jelly beans after she goes potty at home and she always asks for pink and blue every time and always wants to wear either her pink or blue dress.
Look, check out the cool egg I found!
They did a neat concept at school where all the eggs outside were empty so after they found them, they would put them in a large basket so no one got more or felt bad. Then when they left school, they each got a bag filled with treats.
Climbing a tree to find the purple egg.
After all that running around, it was time for a sweet treat, ice cream cones! Sitting with her best buddies from school patiently waiting her chocolate ice cream cone.
And here comes the mess! This is the child who hates to be messy or dirty but when it comes to eating anything sweet, she doesn't mind and will get dirty as possible!
After the ice cream, the kids loved running around and showing the parents what they do on a daily basis on the playground. Here, Ella, Caroline (her bff in the pink dress), Wyatt (her boyfriend in the back) and Merritt were having a "dance party" on the stage. Her great aunts would be so proud that she found a stage to dance on, just like a Dougan girl!
A little more play time before heading home.
I can't say enough how much we love her preschool and teachers. She has really grown so much this past year and I know a lot of that is due to her preschool experience. The teachers are always so patient with them but also pushing them to be more independent. Here is Ella with her beloved Miss Ginny. We will certainly miss all her friends and teachers once the summer comes.
Today was our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt at an estate house up the street and we got a perfect afternoon for a hunt. We got some quick pictures on the deck before we left while Maddie snoozed in inside.
Another day, another adorable Lilly dress!
Mommy and Daddy loving on our big girl.

I think Ella was slightly confused that she got to keep all the eggs she found in this hunt since she put them back in her school hunt.
But quickly caught onto the game.
Man, this basket is getting heavy with all these eggs!
The grounds of the Van Landigham Estate are beautiful with all the flowers in bloom. After the hunt, we had to get some pictures.
Check out my pretty flower.
Look how sweet Ella and Wesley are sharing their eggs with each other.

Look, there is candy inside these eggs...
and it is yummy!
Holidays are so much more fun when you have little ones to share it with! I love seeing the excitement and innocence through Ella's eyes.

So, this post was obviously filled with mostly Ella pictures but Maddie is doing great and I will post more pictures of her soon. She is growing and changing everyday. As you can tell from the top picture, she is starting to lose her hair and is getting the receding hair line. I thought I might have one baby with hair but it looks like they both might be little bald headed babes. We survived all last week with no help and did quite well. She still doesn't love her carseat so cried to and from preschool drop off on Tuesday but did slightly better on Thursday. We also made our first trip to Target the three of us and managed to escape without too many dirty looks. Actually Maddie slept the entire trip and Ella was great so it went well (minus the car ride of course!). But, I am happy to have so more visitors this week. My Mom and Grandma are coming up tomorrow for a couple of days and then Uncle Court is coming back next weekend. We are looking forward to some more Easter fun and celebrating Daddy's birthday next weekend (oh and Daddy would probably say he is most looking forward to watching the Master's.)

Hop Hop Hop!