Dallas Christmas Weekend

Jill and I had been planning a quick trip to Dallas to do the Christmas stuff with our kids.  Our plan is to always roll in on the free hotel room idea when Neil and Kenneth are working in Plano.  We are geniuses.  

Neil's Plano office Christmas party was at the Dallas Star and we were pumped to go!  The Dallas Christmas parade was that Saturday morning and I couldn't even handle my excitement! Sadly, Neil's grandfather passed away and the funeral was to be on the Saturday of the party.  To go to Dallas or not to go?  GO!  So, we went Thursday night (Neil and Kenneth went to the Dallas/Saints game). Jill and I and all of our kids got there around 11pm.  We checked in and went straight to bed!

We got up the next morning and just hung around the hotel.  It was a nice, easy morning.  Since the guys get off work at noon on Fridays in Plano-we headed to a fun lunch! The Lewises went to the Arboretum and the Favrots went to the Perot Museum.  

Sweet family lunch!

I am so glad we went to the Arboretum!  I had been wanting to see the 12 days of Christmas gazebos and they did NOT disappoint!  The only thing that would have been better is if it was dark, but it was our only chance to see them.  We stayed for 3 hours and the kids loved every second.

a partridge in a pear tree

2 Turtle doves!

3 french hens

4 calling birds

5 golden rings!

6 geese a laying

7 swans a swimming and 3 kids a dancing

8 maids a milking

9 ladies dancing or as Bennett says "Creepy"

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE

I love a fellow mom who knows the struggle of getting a family pic and she takes different angles for us!  What a gem.

10 lord a leaping (they were ice skating-I didn't know that's what it meant!)

you were supposed to find these animals with Santa hats on and win a prize if you found 4.  We searched high and low and did not find 4.  Maybe they didn't have prizes! :)

Here's the second animal we found.  Photo taken right after they pulled the dang frog off the bench.  It was glued down.  Heathens.

Sweets.

I love this action shot!

11 pipers piping

12 drummers drumming!!!

We went to North Park right after the Arborteum and met up with the Favrots and Leone for dinner at Leone's favorite-The Mermaid Bar inside Neimans!  She goes there every Friday night and they straight up know her in there.  It was a cute place with delicious house made cakes!  Where is my picture from that night? No idea.

We walked around the mall for a second because I wanted to see some Christmas stuff, but my kids were acting like animals so we just called it a night and headed back to the hotel.  

We got up bright and early and headed right to Ruston for Papaw's visitation and funeral.  We dropped SK and Henry off at Rebecca's friend's house.  She was so sweet to offer to keep them!  It was great to see everyone in Ruston.  The funeral was nice and really special with Taps and a flag folding ceremony.  Papaw's 92 year old brother even flew in for the funeral.  So glad we went and got to be together with everyone!

I'd say we wore these babies OUT!  This was the view in our car on the way home to Shreveport after being in Dallas AND Ruston that day!