Finding our Christmas Tree at Merry's Meadows

We had a very busy Saturday planned that also included getting family photos taken for our Holiday cards. After hearing a lot of positive reviews, we decided to try Merry's Meadows.  It was an absolutely beautiful setting and you could tell that it was family run, which made it all the more special.

Jackson was ALL over the sled that was provided and wouldn't let anybody help him pull it to the trees. He was adamant that he didn't need help and was in no way willing to let Connor help at all. He lead us to the Frazier Firs, as requested.

Before we reached the Frazier Firs, Connor was pushing us to get a pine. He posed next to it and tried to convince us but we continued on to the Fraziers. Connor isn't a fan of walking and the pines were the first that we found so that could have been his reason. He understood that we were looking for a Frazier and continued with us.

Once we reached the Fraziers, Jackson pulled the axe out of the sled. He was ready to offer his services to cut the tree down.  Unfortunately, he was a little overzealous and ended up cutting himself. There was only a small amount of bleeding and he recovered quickly.

Connor really wanted to bring this Frazier Fir home but unfortunately we did not have the ceilings to handle it. It really was a beautiful tree. We had to move our furniture around to even accommodate a tree with the new addition of the t.v.  The space that the tree was going to be in is a lot smaller than years past so we were very aware that we could not get a very fat tree.

Despite the bleeding, Jackson immediately started to get to work on cutting the tree down but was willing to pose for a picture with his dad and Connor.

Michael had two very willing helpers. After getting the saw from Jackson's hand, Michael did the hard work of cutting the tree down.  While Michael was working, the boys posed.

Getting the tree back to the car and to pay for it was a comedy routine.  We completely forgot to use the straps that were on the sled to help secure it.  Jackson was trying to hold the top and Michael kept complaining that it was weighing the tree down.  Michael realized how "out of shape" (his words) that he was. It was uphill and quite a distance and the funniest was when Jackson lost his grip on the front of the tree and took a tumble.

After we paid and the owners helped us get the tree on the car (BIG BONUS POINTS), we ran into traffic on the way out to Falls Road. There was a horse show and apparently we took 5 minutes too long. We had to wait for ALL of the horses to cross the road. It was a sight for sure.

Breakfast with Santa at the MD Zoo in Baltimore

Year after year, I've received notification of the Zoo's breakfast with Santa but was concerned about how expensive it was and while I was debating the cost, the event would sell out.  I mentioned the event to one of Beck's mom and she gave an enthusiastic review so Michael and I decided it was going to happen this year. I made sure to pay attention to the  e-mails and we signed  up for the same day as Beck's family so that we would know someone there.

We arrived and were finally able to go into the Mansion House.  I had never been inside nor had the boys and Michael had been in for a marketing event.  It was nice for the boys to be able to get inside the yellow house that they passed on their way to the animals.

Shortly after we arrived and found we were sitting with Beck and Remy, Santa arrived.  He walked past the food displays and willingly posed for a picture.  Because the line was short, we ate some of our food moved to the line.

The boys had already spoken with the Santa once at Greetings and Readings but you can never have enough time with the man in the red suit.  He was very kind to the boys and listened to the their list, which again was mostly comprised of Star Wars.

And, Santa's caretaker was kind enough to offer to take a picture of all of us.

While we were with Santa, the penguin mascot, Sphen, arrived. Jackson rushed to get a one on one with him.   Sphen happily posed for a picture.  Connor eventually caught up with the penguin and couldn't have been happier.

After the boys ate breakfast (read Jackson devoured an exorbitant amount of pancakes), we ventured around the Mansion House to see what else was being offered.  There were several crafts and all that was needed to decorate gingerbread cookies.   The boys brought home cookies and some ornaments for the tree.

Jackson was happy to run into Remy back at the table.  He was happy to show her his crafts and the fact that the penguin stopped by made it ever more special.

After dropping off crafts and cookies, we stopped by the animal encounters section to get an up close with an ambassador penguin.  It was so awesome to get that close to a penguin.  The volunteer had to ask the boy several times to not get too close and reminded that a penguin is a real animal that they needed to be aware of pecking.  Reluctantly, they did back up and secure their hands.

A big thank you to Beck and his family for recommending the event.  We had a great time.

On our way back to get our coats, Jackson found Santa again.

As we were waiting to board the tram, Santa exited the Mansion House with a suitcase.  The boys had a lot of questions about this and Santa obliged when waved to.  It was a great morning at the Zoo. It was really cold or else we would have gone to see the animals.

Celebrating Conor

The boys were excited to celebrate Conor Vuolo's birthday and check out Monster Mini Golf.  We arrived and entered the party room where they did a variety of games as the kids waited their turn to enter the miniature golf course.

Jackson was selected/volunteered to be rolled up in toilet paper by his friends. He was giggling with excitement.

After the games and some snacks, the kids were able to enter the miniature golf course, which just like the party room, was all about the glow in the dark. Unfortunately, the kids got behind a group of 4 that thought they were practicing for the Ryder Cup and thought that they were really going to make the team.

Amazingly, the kids didn't seem to mind and they really enjoyed themselves on their first attempt at miniature golf.  Here are some pics around the course.  Apparently, a round of golf with the under 10
crowd could take 15 to 30 minutes maximum and I think that it took almost an hour and a half.

Our Connor celebrating with birthday Conor Vuolo.

This place was very interestingly decorated hence the name Monster Mini Golf and Jackson didn't really appreciate it. He actually asked for a parent to walk him to the bathroom.  I don't know that I could see him wanting to go back anytime soon.

After the minitaure golf, the kids were given tokens to play games. Unfortunately, they didn't explain to the kids how much the tokens were worth and they didn't understand the correlation to that token only being able to play about 1 game.  It was leaving almost $1 on the token, which seemed fine, but that didn't get you another game and we couldn't combine the money on the token.

It was pure chaos and the delay of the wait for the miniature golf set in and with it being very close to dinner time resulted in tears from most of the kids for only being able to play one game and the tickets not really buying anything.

Connor made a great pick of air hockey and was able to play with his dad and Luke for an extended period of time, which put a smile on his face.  Jackson, on the other hand, was in tears because he put a token in and somebody else ended up playing his game.  He was super upset and we got out of there as quickly as possible along with all the other parents who knew their kids had had enough.

Regardless, the boys had a great time celebrating their friend Conor. 

Babes in Toyland at Goucher

We hadn't been to a production in awhile and then we saw the opportunity to see Babes in Toyland at Goucher.  We invited Claire and Mary to join us and they accepted. Prior to the play, we had lunch at Red Robin with the girls, which was lots of fun.

As you can see, Jackson is INCREDIBLY excited about the play and being there with his friends. He couldn't contain himself.  It was so nice that he was able to see something with Mary and Claire and share his love for shows.

These three have been friends since birth.  So happy that we've shared so many memories with her and her family. Can't wait for more!

Connor, Claire, Mary and Jackson.

When Claire's grandmother saw this picture, she commented that it looked like they were on a double. If so, this is their official picture to commemorate the event.

The show was great. The boys were mesmerized by Mr. Barnaby and delighted by the good witch. Jackson thought Mr. Barnaby was a little scary, which he was, but he was still enamored by him.  The scenery was great too with snow covering the crowd and the actors.  The music was great and there was an actual small band, including a drummer.

The boys provide almost exact impressions of the scene were all the kids are getting scolded by their mom including the ending noise of a clicking type sound and stand in attention and remind us that Marmaduke never fails!

Jackson wanted a picture of Mr. Barnaby but wouldn't get in it.   The girls happily posed with the Good Witch and as this was happening, Connor was still checking out the candy!