Christmas 2024 with Cousins in Huntersville

 

The Eason crew and Papa & Nana all traveled down to Huntersville the weekend before Christmas to celebrate the holidays. It was a packed house - with many different opinions on how to cook steak (see above picture of all the guys congregating around the filets!) 

Nevertheless, it was an amazingly yummy meal paired with Nancy's famous mashed potatoes! 

Kade and Maddox reading a mini Bluey book together - one of Kade's advent calendars. 

A lovely group photo of everyone around Nana Phyllis and Papa right before we opened presents! 

Maddox played Santa and handed out all the gifts to everyone. 

The next day Asher was feeling a little more lovey with his Uncle Brent. 

He even asked him for some cuddles on the couch! 

Alas, it was time for Papa and Nana to head home - they had arrived one day earlier than us. Even though it was freezing that morning, the boys were outside playing an intense game of soccer and had to be corralled over to say their goodbyes! 

I stayed warm with Asher inside doing finger painting. 

The bigger cousins spent quality time together building forts, playing on Nintendo Switches, soccer outside then repeat all said activities! 

After Sunday night dinner, I had the boys line up for a cousin picture! I think Asher was a bit apprehensive and stuck with his big brother. 

And a funny one! 

Brent and I treated the big kids to Baskin-Robbins for dessert. Poor Kade was promised Dairy Queen after completing his Black Belt testing, but we finished so late that night, Dairy Queen was already closed!! 

This was our view of Asher and Riley as we exited the driveway! 

Thank you so much Brian and Nancy for your wonderful hospitality while we were there and all the lovely gifts for our family - Papa and Nana too! The boys very much appreciate their cousin time - Kade even stated it was his favorite memory of 2024 on his New Year's Resolution sheet! 

Kade's Black Belt Promotion

On Friday, December 20th, Kade tested for his First Degree Black Belt. He had to score at least a 7 combined score to earn the belt. First event was his Forms - Choong Jung 2-B.

He completed two rounds of sparring - going against boys his own size. He did fairly well - slightly hard to keep your eye on Kade as there were quite a few students and officials on the floor. 

Board breaking was the last event for Red/Black belts testing for First Degree. We watched some higher ranks attempting to break two boards with more intricate kicks and punches - really cool to watch! Kade had to position his board at just the right height and attempt to break both back to back. 

He was able to break the board with his kick on one and break the board with a punch on two. His kick earned him a solid 3 points for Board Breaking. 

There was a long break in the action as all the students and spectators waited for the judges (teachers) to tally up the scores and confirm if their students passed. Finally, they formed a long row and called up only the students who passed to be awarded their belts. Kade was called for Cary Ten-Ten school!!  (you can spot Kade to the far right making his way to the line of judges!)

Chief Master Wegmann announced these students all received their First Degree Black Belts Decided! 

Very special that Mrs. Beddow was the one to tie Kade's Belt! Love the high fives she and Master Beddow gave Kade! 

Kade posing with all the awarded new belt group from Cary Vision Ten-Ten! 

(there were some students that unfortunately did not pass this round)

One final picture to really show off Kade's journey - starting in the Tiger class and working up for his Black Belt! We are so proud of you!!

Pullen Park's Holiday Express

 

Pullen Park's Holiday Express runs for 16 days in December and are sold out within hours. Unfortunately no one knows what the weather will be like when purchasing them months in advance and were bummed when we saw rain in the forecast. Thankfully a break from 6-8pm was perfect for our Tuesday night visit!

Things seem to be more spread out this year compared to previous years, which was a nice change - did not feel as crowded (probably also due to the rain). Our first stop was S'more Street, run by the Raleigh Fire Departments. After Kade correctly answered a holiday fire safety question, we were provided individual graham crackers, chocolate pieces and marshmallows for us to roast and build our own! 

We crossed the bridge to the island in the lake to check out this fierce dragon pulling a sleigh - I don't really remember this in any of the Christmas books I read!?! 

We had our personal photographer (Brock) capture us in the present! 

Kade: "Take a picture of me on this rock!"

Brock's video of some of the lights displayed in Pullen Park. 

Even though there were less crowds than past years, there were still lines to wait in - Brent's favorite thing. :)

Waiting for our 7 o'clock train ride! The boys had fun posing for pictures. 

Alas, no pictures on the train - of course the boys did NOT want to pose for a family selfie and the train was moving too fast for good pictures of the light display. 

We DID get some photos on the Carousel! 

Kade's Taekwondo school rents out Marbles kids museum one night in December as an End-of-Year party for all the students. We are usually never able to make it, but this year we finally were! Kade and I went for a bit this past Sunday. It has been awhile since we've been to Marbles - Kade thought things were a bit too little kid for him EXCEPT playing hockey in this area with his friends. 

I was able to pull him away once to walk around and look at some other sections of the museum - but then he went back to play hockey for the rest of the time there!

Time to go - but we had to get some photos with all these festive outdoor decorations! 

Thanks Vision Taekwondo for a fun time! 

Thankful & Grateful

The Eason Family had a wonderful Thanksgiving together. We kept it simple and celebrated at home with just the four of us - really relaxed and cozy! We started the day with our epic pancake and bacon breakfast, filling us up so much we did not sit down for dinner until 5pm!

No more deep frying here! Turkey was cooked perfectly on the Traeger! 

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, we stopped by Bass Pro for our annual trip to see Santa! 

The first of December meant the start of Advent calendars! Moose was VERY excited about his big Barkbox Advent Calendar! Treats and stuffies! 

The boys each have Lego advent calendars this year - Marvel/Spiderman and Star Wars plus a chocolate Trader Joe's.  

As we dive into the holiday season, I'm focusing on staying present and grateful, soaking in every moment with my family, even amidst our busy lives. We have so much to be thankful for, and it's easy to overlook that sometimes. Wishing you a joyful and jolly start to the festive season! 

Brock, 6th Grade

Kade, 4th Grade