Sioux Falls Parade of Lights

The one thing I love about being in a new place is getting to experience the events that city puts on.  The girls were so excited to go and see all the Christmas lights in the Parade of Lights.  Ryan and I were not quit sure what to expect, but were very impressed.  We got down town about an hour early to find a good spot and the streets were already pretty busy. An hour before the parade starts they have a marathon and all the runners dress up in lights and Christmas colors.  It was pretty fun seeing what people came up with.   While we were waiting we saw a cute toy store and thought we would check it out, when we came back outside it was crazy so we headed for a place to sit,before they were all gone.  Ryan found an empty curb for us to get cozy on for the next hour.   The parade was pretty cool, lots of really fun floats and tons of Hot Air Balloon Floats and half way through the parade fireworks went off just behind us.  It scared us at first, but it was pretty exciting to have then right behind us.  We ended up in a great spot.   We had a great time, the weather was great and we got to experience something new.   

The Family hanging out waiting for the Parade to start. 

Some of the runners heading toward the finish line. 

The streets were packed from 5th street all the way down to 14th.  We couldn't believe how many people came out to see the parade. 

One of the first floats was a water skiing team.  The truck was lit up with strings of lights which acted like rope pulling the water skiers then they stopped and showed off their skills for everyone.  I can't wait to go to a real show this summer at the lake.

South Dakota is known for it's Hot Air Balloon rides.  There were so many Hot Air Balloons (minus the balloon) that came down the parade route.  It kept everyone toasty warm.  It was pretty cool to see, the girls loved it. 

Brooklyn got so excited when she saw this float.  She jumped up and waved her little arm off. 

Can't forget Charlie Brown durning the holidays.  This float was a fun one. 

Father Christmas from A Christmas Carol.

Even the fireman went all out and decorated the fire truck from top to bottom. 

These are the coolest snowplows we have ever seen. 

These kids were all dressed up in the Wizard of Oz costumes.  They looked so cute.  Amazing costumes.  The train following was all decked out in lights and Wizard of Oz characters.  On the back of the train their was all the characters carved out of wood. 

I managed to get a picture of the Grinch, but not Santa.  I was so mad I didn't get Santa, someone was standing in front as me as he went by, but the girls saw him and that was the important part.  They waited the whole parade to see him. 

I did manage to get the horse pulling Santa. 

Thanksgiving in Sioux Falls

Thanksgiving was quiet this year, but nice.  The girls and I spent Wednesday night preparing for the big day.  Together we made apple pie and homemade rolls.  It was fun for me to teach my daughters how to make pie and rolls. I did need to call my mom for a few tips and she was also working on her pies with Katie.  We were all making pies together. Thanksgiving day was pretty relaxing.  I got up and did alittle prep and then the girls and I watched the Parade on TV while Ryan slept in.  Later that afternoon we did some crafts with  the girls while waiting for dinner time.  We were very lucky and were able to share Thanksgiving with the Missionaries.  Elder Wilkes from Logan, Utah and Elder Hastings from Dallas, Texas.  They are great missionaries and we had a great time getting to know them.  Having them in our homes brings a great spirit.  I'm so grateful we had that opportunity.  After the missionaries left we checked out the 

Black Friday ads and watched a Christmas movie with the kids.  We then got a good night sleep, yes we slept and didn't go shopping.  We already finished our Christmas shopping and with no babysitter for the kids decided to not go shopping this year.  

The girls and I making Apple Pie.  My favorite.

My little helpers helping me with the rolls.  Its so nice now that the girls are getting old enough to help.  We did make a big mess, but we had fun. 

The girls working on their crafts.  I'm thank for... pictures, turkeys and leave baskets.  The had fun.  Anything craft related our girls just eat up.  

The girls also helped me make cornucopias with name tags for everyone. 

Once the girls were done with crafts Ryan put them to work peeling the potatoes.  We were trying to keep them busy so they bounced from one activity to the next. 

Everyone enjoying a yummy Thanksgiving dinner.  I was there, but like usual I was behind the camera. 

The next morning the Ryan let the girls break the with bone.  McKenzie ended up with the bigger, Brooklyn was not happy about that.



Brooklyn's Thanksgiving Program and More

On Tuesday I was able to join Brooklyn for the day at school.  For the first part of the day all the kids worked in centers doing different Thanksgiving crafts and games.  I was lucky and was able to make bracelets with the kids.  After lunch we packed up all the kids and headed to on of the local Assisted Living Facilities, where the kids sang Thanksgiving songs read poems and put on a little play.  Brooklyn was one of the cute little Pilgrim women.  They all did a great job.  After their little program the kids read stories to the residents and gave them a turkey that they made for them.  I was so proud of Brooklyn for reading to some of the residents.  Brooklyn was very nervous, but once she got started she warmed right up.  She later told me that was like reading to one of her Great Grandma's.  We then headed back to the school for a Thanksgiving Feast.  The kids had a fun time trying all the food and visiting with each other.  It was fun for me to spend the whole day at the school with Brooklyn and see how she is with all her friends and teacher.  Brooklyn is very lucky and has a great class this year. 

Our little Pilgrim

They never grow up even when they are Grandpa's they are still silly. 

Brooklyn and her friend Ellie

Winter Wonderland

We took the kids down to the annual lighting of the lights at Sioux Falls Park.  It was so cold and the wind was blowing, but we managed to have fun.  The city has free hot chocolate and cookies for everyone while you wait in line for Santa Clause.  We were pretty excited for the hot chocolate.  Poor Brooklyn was freezing and not a happy camper, but cheered up with the hot chocolate.  We stood in line to see Santa, but as soon as we got close enough to really see him Brooklyn just froze.  She was not going up to see him regardless if Mom and Dad were with her.  It was the coolest Santa I had ever seen and really wanted a family picture, but she was not having it.  McKenzie jumped right up there and told him everything she wanted.  Next we headed down to see the reindeer and the waterfalls.  It is really cool, because they light up the waterfall with different colors of light.  It was hard to get a good picture, but it was beautiful.  The girls then wanted to go up on the tower to see all the lights on our way we ran into Mrs. Clause, Brooklyn was very excited to see her and really wanted to get a picture with her.  After we got down from the tower we took the girls on a carriage ride and then headed home to get warm.  It was cold but we had fun.   It's fun to see what different cities do around the holidays.

If you look closely you can see the girls. 

They had a few ice sculptures on display and they didn't even have to worry about the melting. 

Brooklyn and I trying to stay warm. 

Our happy McKenzie.  She danced around to the Christmas music as we waited in line to see Santa. 

McKenzie letting Santa know what she wanted for Christmas. 

This was the view from the tower.  So beautiful.

The girls with Mrs. Clause

The girls and Ryan trying to stay warm on the carriage ride.  It was so cold and the wind was not helping.