This year, like the last 4 years, we stayed in Texas to celebrate. My sister and her family came down and my brother and his wife live here. Seiuli was actually off work for Christmas Eve and day for the 1st time in 4 years. He was scheduled to work, but was able to get both days off. He worked Thanksgiving (and like I said, Christmases for the past 4 years…) so I think it was time he had this special weekend off.

Earlier in the Christmas break we took the whole family (courtesy of my in-laws and bro-in-law) to Six Flags: Holiday in the Park. It was Liv’s first time to go and OMGosh!!! This will definitely be a new Christmas break tradition in our household. She LOVED IT! The entire family (+ my lil sister, Ali) had a wonderful time. It wasn’t too cold. The lines weren’t too long and the decor was so festive. It was just a super amazing time.

In my family our tradition is to open up gifts at my parent’s home on Christmas Eve. Yes- ALL gifts… not just pajamas. So we decided to open the gifts in our home a few days early since one of the gifts was a Wii and my sister was giving the kids more Wii games… Also, our 3 oldest had to go to the ex’s on the 26th, so we wanted them to have a chance to enjoy their gifts a few days. Every year before opening gifts the kids and Sei and I watch “The Nativity” with Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven” playing. It really brings the Spirit of Christmas into our home. You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icilgwdHiZg

Then… we opened our gifts!!!!

Alec and I were there too, but there seems to be no photographic evidence of attendance…

To be continued…

We went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: Barnum 200 last night and it was so much fun!! We had great seats– again– and the show was wonderful– again. I loved The Torres Family!! The Torres Family performs with 7 motorcycles in a 16-foot steel sphere, where speeds can reach up to 65 mph. It’s crazy! We saw them 2 years ago and it was just as exciting to see them again!!!

 

Taj and Liv loved the animals. The elephants were super cute, for being so ginormous. Seiuli loved the trapeze artists. They were pretty amazing!

Everyone had a great time. We got to go to the pre-show party, hanging out with the performers and eating yummy food.

Then we went down on the circus floor before the show and got circus tattoos, tried on real circus clothes and got up-close and personal with some jugglers!! The kids loved it!

 

I can’t wait til next year!! Thank you Ringling Bros. and Feld Entertainment!! Truly the best show on earth!

 

This giveaway is closed. Winner is lucky #7! Congrats! I will be emailing you!

Ready for some Disney On Ice action?!  YAY! I know I am!!!

I told you about how much I loved Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes. And now I am thrilled to tell you about the all-new Disney On Ice production of Toy Story 3!!!! It will be playing at American Airlines Center, in Dallas,  March 30-April 3. The ice show includes memorable moments from Toy Story and Toy Story 2 to create the ultimate Toy Story experience .  It’s a high-energy, jam-packed adventure that will take audiences to the edge of their seats and beyond. All our favorites will be there: Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and more!!  I know audience members of all ages will love the show. Seiuli- my husband- didn’t want to go see Princess Wishes, but was glad he did because it appealed to everyone. SO MUCH FUN!!!! Visit Disneyonice.com to see a video, play games and check out show times in your area.

Show times at the American Airlines Center are as follows:

Wed,  Mar 30 2011  7:30PM
Thu,  Mar 31 2011 10:30AM, 7:30PM
Fri,  Apr  1 2011 10:30AM, 7:30PM
Sat,  Apr  2 2011 11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:30PM (Spanish language performance)
Sun,  Apr  3 2011  1:30PM, 5:30PM

Tickets are available thru Ticketmaster.com NOW!

Prices are: $75 Rinkside, $45 VIP, $30 100 level, and $15 200 level

I will have more information for you as I receive it, including a discount code to use when purchasing tickets. But for now I am excited to let you know that I have a FAMILY FOUR PACK of tickets to give away!! The tickets are for WED., March 30 at 7:30– no exceptions. I have 4 tickets– that is all. There will not be additional tickets available to purchase next to you, just FYI.  PLEASE make sure you can attend the show before entering the giveaway. All winners will be notified via email and I will need to hear back from you within 48 hours to confirm you can go. If I don’t get a reply I will have to pass the tickets on to the next winner. (Sorry!!) Tickets will be held at the Will Call window under your name.

Ok, now that we have all that out of the way… Here’s how you enter:

Main entry, post a comment:

• Tell me your favorite Toy Story (1, 2 or 3) character!!! Mine is Buzz. He cracks me up– especially before he knew he was a toy. “You don’t want to be in the way when my laser goes off…“

Extra entries are as follows- post a comment for each one:

This giveaway will end March 18.

Good luck– to infinity and beyond!!!

Princess Wishes!!

• If you are in the DFW area Belle, Ariel and all their Princess friends will be visiting the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas during the Thanksgiving holidays!! Disney on Ice will only be here Nov. 24-28.
• I will be hosting a giveaway via Facebook soon!!
• Great news…there is a family discount that you can use and pass along: MOM
• When using the promo code MOM, the discount is $4 off Level 3 tickets … any performance.
• Here is the link to purchase tickets: http://www.gettix.net/concert/?event_id=3287

Here is a fun sneak peak:

Princess Wishes!!

• If you are in the DFW area Belle, Ariel and all their Princess friends will be visiting the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas during the Thanksgiving holidays!! Disney on Ice will only be here Nov. 24-28.
• I will be hosting a giveaway via Facebook soon!!
• Great news…there is a family discount that you can use and pass along: MOM
• When using the promo code MOM, the discount is $4 off Level 3 tickets … any performance.
• Here is the link to purchase tickets: http://www.gettix.net/concert/?event_id=3287

Here is a fun sneak peak:

WHAT: Believing is just the beginning in Disney On Ice presents Princess Wishes!  Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Mulan all make their wishes come true in this collection of celebrated tales wonderfully told through artistic skating and acrobatics.

Audiences will be transported to a world where dreams really can come true.  With the help of the magical pixie Tinker Bell, the Disney Princesses embark on an adventure to find their heart’s fondest wish. Ariel dreams of a life above the sea, Mulan finds her inner strength, Jasmine discovers a whole new world and Snow White finds her true love.  Cinderella, Belle and Sleeping Beauty also find happiness in this beautifully imagined ice show.

Starting one hour before each performance, families will be treated to the Disney Princess Pre-Show, an exclusive fairy tale collection of gowns and treasures from the Disney Princess stories. This bonus experience is free with ticket purchase and includes a special appearance by a live Disney Princess.

To learn more about Disney On Ice, visit www.disneyonice.com, or visit them on Facebook and YouTube.

WHERE: Allen Event Center

200 East Stacy Road, Ste. 1350

Allen, TX 75002

WHEN: Wednesday, November 24 at 7:30 pm

Friday, November 26 at 2:30 pm, 6:30 pm

Saturday, November 27 at 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, 7:30 pm

Sunday, November 28 at 1:30 pm, 5:30 pm

TICKETS: Beginning Saturday, September 18, tickets are available at www.alleneventcenter.com, the Allen Event Center box office or charge by phone at 1-866-443-8849.  Ticket prices are $75 (Rinkside), $45 (VIP) and $30.

Taj, Sei, Livie and I were able to go to the circus this past month. The older kids weren’t home so Sei invited a co-worker and his family to use their tickets. It was the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Zing Zang Zoom. And let me be clear- if you’re going to the circus ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE!!  Ringling Bros. is the best. The show was so great!! I, personally, loved the elephants. I’m amazed that those huge animals can do so many things!! And the puppies were super cute too- Livie loved them.  She’s still talking about the puppy riding the scooter! Taj loved the tigers and getting to meet the performers before the show. That was pretty awesome. I loved how I was constantly entertained- as were my kids and husband. There was even one part that was performed completely upside down. I had never seen anything like it!! I did miss the motorcycles in the huge, round cage. That was my favorite act from last year, but the new Ring Master, Alex Ramon,  did a great job and the new acts were great! Check out Ringling.com to see when the circus is coming near you. I know the circus will be in Ft. Worth, Texas Aug 11 to 15, 2010.

If you’d like to see more pics please visit my Swampbrat- Facebook wall.

My family was provided with free tickets to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus by Feld Entertainment.

Once again I had to opportunity to be an Eventchaser for Eventchaser.com. I bragged last time when we went to the Rangers game… This time I had tickets to the inaugural game- Cowboys vs. Tennesee Titans-  at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium.  A-MA-ZING!! Visit here to check out my newest review!! Leave a comment so I know you stopped by.

THANK YOU once again Eventchaser and Razorgator.com for this awesome opportunity!! I can’t wait for my next Eventchaser event!!!!

Remember how I posted that I am an official Eventchaser for Eventchaser.com? I am so stoked about this opportunity.  It has been an amazing experience so far. Eventchaser is so easy to work with. They have answered all my questions quickly and have walked me thru this process. I was able to pick a few events I’d be interested in going to thru Razorgator.com. There were soooo many to choose from. I received tickets to the Texas Rangers vs. San Diego Padres game on  Saturday nite which was perfect! The seats were so awesome- much better than I ever expected. Razorgator and Eventchaser HOOKED ME UP!!  I’m not gonna spill it all here. You’ve gotta go check out my review of the nite- pics included- and leave a comment there so I know you dropped by. Thanks and thank you Eventchaser.com and Razorgator.com!!