Christmas 2017

We had such a lovely Christmas at home with the girls this year.  Our typical Christmas tradition is basically travel-travel-travel, but these last two years we've changed things up so we can enjoy Christmas morning at home.  It's seriously so nice.  Sometimes it can be hard for us to switch up traditions with family members because of hurt feelings and whatnot, but I honestly wish we had proposed this change years ago.  Having Christmas as a relaxing and slow time instead of chaotic and stressful makes all the difference in fully taking it in.


You guys.  Poesy's face just kills me in this one.  Oh, to feel like that again.  Being a kid at Christmas is just the best.


Poesy lost her voice this year, so listening to her high-pitched shrieks was pretty entertaining.  She gets excited about EVERYTHING, so you can probably imagine all squeaking and honking. 

This is the first year Hope hasn't really wanted any toys.  I was nervous about navigating those waters, but it was actually the most fun year for me to shop for her.  She likes clothes and jewelry and games.  Her favorite gift was a pink Taco Bell hoodie that I found at Forever 21 earlier this year.  It was the very first Christmas gift I bought-- that kid LOVES Taco Bell.  Her big present was a Harry Potter overnight bag filled with gobs of smaller Harry Potter presents.  (Clothes, Pop figures, DVDs, jewelry, etc.)  It was also a win!

Poesy's school travels to a local church once a month to shop with points they've earned.  There are clothes, toys... well, quite a variety of things.  The church gifted the kids 20 extra points so they could shop for family members, and Poesy was thrilled to have her very own presents to give us.  She picked a Springfield Cardinals hat for Johnny and I got a three pack of dollar store eyeshadow. 😂 It was precious and so very thoughtful.


The last 4 pictures are some of my favorite gifts from this year.  Johnny's mom and dad braved auctions to find these beautiful head vases for me.  I mean, I'm now the proud owner of a Lucille
Ball head vase.  What?!  She will go perfectly next to my Elizabeth Taylor vase.

The swan measuring cups were a sweet gift from Hope.  She braved the mall days before Christmas and bought these with her own money.  I love to see this thoughtfulness shining through her.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  I know family stuff can be tough sometimes... I'm thankful for a year without any drama and a slow-paced, nap-filled Christmas.  xo.

Best Christmas Ever 2016

I have a ton of fond Christmas memories, but I'm pretty sure this year was my absolute favorite Christmas.  Because Christmas day fell on a Sunday and plans needed to be rearranged, my little family got to spend our VERY FIRST legit Christmas morning in our home.  Typically we spend most of this holiday (like many others) shuttling our crew to different family celebrations.  Of course we love seeing our families, but it leaves holidays feeling rushed and exhausting.  This year was different.  We went at our own pace.  We had all of Christmas day to play with toys and games and listen to new records and do WHATEVER WE WANTED.  We ordered delivery pizza and stayed in our jammies all day.  It was glorious.

 
Like always, Hope killed it with her thoughtful, handmade presents.  I love that she's old enough now to search Pinterest all by herself and gather ideas that she thinks people will like.  She even had Johnny take her to the mall so she could shop for jewelry for me and then packaged it all clever in the gummy bear jar.  Awwwwwwwwwww.

Poesy was a hoot as always.  She screams when she's excited so you always know how she's feeling about something.  ;)  The thankfulness really does pour out of this girl.  She has a huge heart and her enthusiasm makes holidays so much fun!  I appreciate that so much.

As I said before, I loved this Christmas more than any other.  Johnny and I are very guilty of getting stuck in the rut of tradition because it's tradition, but I think we're finally to the point in our lives that we're prioritizing our own needs a little better.  We've been needing to take ownership of our holiday plans for quite a while, but never want to hurt anyone's feelings in the process.  I'm a naturally guilty-feeling person anyway, so reminding myself that it's OKAY do what's best for myself and my people is a step in a very good direction.  Yay for some self growth!

I hope you all had a really good holiday.  We're prepping for our big NYE concert for tomorrow night, so it's time for me to get back to studying all the new songs we've picked up for the occasion.  I'll be back soon with my GOALS LIST for 2017!  I can't wait to hear about yours!